Dear Etch developers: I've done a network install of etch (booting from floppies), telling debconf to ask me low-priority questions, and gotten locked out of root. In the [Setup users and passwords] step, I'm asked ``Allow root login?'' Wanting root to be accessible only from already-logged-in accounts, I say `no', expecting that it'll just empty /etc/securetty. I'm given no chance to specify a root password, and when the installation is complete, I can't get into root. `su' and `sudo' both ask for a password, but I have no idea what it is, and <CR> doesn't do it. I restarted the installation, and shelled out ASAP. /etc/shadow's first entry is: root:!:13495:0:99999:7::: (I hope there's nothing confidential in that.) I deleted the `!', su'd with no password, and set up one. Then I checked /etc/securetty, and it was its ugly old self: root can login from pretty much anything physically attached to the system. So, the bug is either that it Does The Wrong Thing, or that the import of the question is obscure, to say the least. (In the ``what were they thinking'' department, what good is a machine you can't administer? Are you expected to install it perfectly, and to never touch anything again?) This happened two out of two installs. I'm installing on an HP Pavilion 7855 (32-bit x86), using a 12 December download of the installer's weekly snapshot. Please tell me if you need further information, or if I can help in any other way. Oh, yeah: thanks for a fabulous OS! :-) -- Best wishes, Max Hyre
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