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Forgotten OPERATOR Password?

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The Question is:

 
Hi! I have recently aquired an old MicroVAX II from a surplus sale at a
local university. The machine runs VMS 5.5 and boots fine, although all the
licenses on the system have expired. I can get the system running
again with a hobbyist license no problem, but before I can do that, I need
to get administrative access to the system. Unfortunently, I do not have the
password for the OPERATOR account. I was wondering if you could
suggest how one could go about getting into the system and changing the
password from the system console.
 
Thanks in advance,
 -Sean Caron (root@diablonet.dynip.com)

The Answer is :

 
  OPERATOR is not a standard username found on OpenVMS, and will be
  assumed to be a site-specific username.
 
  Please see topic (496) here in Ask The Wizard -- that topic will point
  you to the OpenVMS Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), which will
  describe how to gain access to an OpenVMS system in an emergency.
 
  Once you have access to a privileged username, issue the following
  commands:
 
    $ SET DEFAULT SYS$SYSTEM
    $ SET PROCESS/PRIVILEGE=ALL
    $ RUN AUTHORIZE
    UAF> MODIFY OPERATOR/NOPWDEXP/PASSWORD=newpassword
 
  For alternatives, please see the "emergency" procedures in the OpenVMS
  System Manager's Manual, which is available via:
 
    http://www.openvms.compaq.com:8000/
    http://www.openvms.compaq.com/doc/
 
  Also see the information in the System Management and Security Manuals
  on using AUTHORIZE to manage usernames and passwords on an OpenVMS System.
 

  
     
     answer written or last revised on ( 1-MAY-2001 )
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