Lars Eighner wrote:
On Wed, 30 Dec 2009, Matthew Seaman wrote:

If there's nothing in the second field, then you have a problem, as that
means the account has a NULL password (ie.  just hit return when prompted
for a password --

I've been wrong before, but I think you do not get a password prompt at all,
at least not on login.  You enter the login: name and you are off to motd
and a command prompt.

It depends on what application you're using to authenticate yourself.
Login on the console doesn't ask for a password.  sshd(8) does (IIRC).
I can't remember what su(1) does.  ftpd(8) always asks for a password.
xdm(1) and that ilk have fields for username and password in one panel,
and generally you just ignore the password field.  That's for access to
a non-root account: as I said, root or other super-user accounts such as
toor may not permit root login at all, or may not permit login without a
password.

        Cheers,

        Matthew

--
Dr Matthew J Seaman MA, D.Phil.                   7 Priory Courtyard
                                                 Flat 3
PGP: http://www.infracaninophile.co.uk/pgpkey     Ramsgate
                                                 Kent, CT11 9PW

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