In trouble with FreeBSD webserver shell access.

[Fred Bloggs]

I used to be the admin guy for a club website that now has its own server and the folks at the website have got themselves in a mess. They've asked me for advice but I haven't got a clue.

In a nutshell, I advised the club before I left to ask the server host to set up a daily tape back up of the website and (>800mb) database files. The server host has said he needs the "shell access password" to do this. Nobody including the host has the password.

A Google search on "freebsd recovering shell access password" has tons of hits but it's geeky stuff that I don't understand, I'm an Engineer after all.

I guess I should ask the host to recover the server password but they haven't volunteered to do this.

Anyone care to comment please on what I can do to help the club? Thanks.

[ferret]

Some hosts offer "recovery" systems. You can boot it using a network image or CD left in drive. This brings up a basic shell from which you can mount the main disk and hack about as you need.

If his fails ask the server host to do it is the most sensible thing you could do and I am sure they would be able to do it for you.

[Fred Bloggs]

Thanks. Make sense. I'm at a loss as to why the host hasn't suggested it. Maybe they just need a feq quid as it wouldn't be part and parcel of their day to day tasks. Help is certainly appreciated.

[NoddY]

This method does not require any installation or recovery media but does require physical access or a clever piece of VM software. At the boot loader prompt type "boot -s" for single user mode. Choose the default shell (/bin/sh) and mount your filesystems ("mount -a"). Execute the password program: "/usr/bin/passwd root" and change to a new password. It's as easy at that!

[Fred Bloggs]

This method does not require any installation or recovery media but does require physical access or a clever piece of VM software. At the boot loader prompt type "boot -s" for single user mode. Choose the default shell (/bin/sh) and mount your filesystems ("mount -a"). Execute the password program: "/usr/bin/passwd root" and change to a new password. It's as easy at that!

Thank you.