SU and /etc/group: weird behaviour ......

From: Thomas Leitner <tom_at_finwds01.tu-graz.ac.at>
Date: Fri, 22 Nov 1996 13:54:25 +0100 (MET)

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Hi,

On an DEC 3000/600 running OSF1 V3.0, 358.78 I need to give certain
users the ability to su to root. The usual way for that is just to put
them in the system group in /etc/group.

Now: As soon as I do this, these particular users cannot login anymore
and I cannot even su to them:

    # head -1 /etc/group
    system:*:0:tom
    # su tom
    No shell
    # su - tom
    No directory

When I take him out of the system group, everything works as normal:

    # head -1 /etc/group
    system:*:0:
    # su tom
    $ ^D
    # su - tom
    {testbox}/home/tom>

I need to add, that there are several users with the same UID and GID
in /etc/passwd:

    tom:xxxxxxxxxxx:1033:26:tom:/home/tom:/bin/ksh
    tomlocal:xxxxxx:1033:26:Tom Local Acct:/home/tomlocal:/bin/ksh
    tomsys:xxxxxxxx:1033:26:Tom System Acct:/home/tomsys:/bin/ksh

and that the box is running in base (BSD) security but I don't think
that this makes any difference.

Any ideas anyone?

Thanks -- Tom

- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
T o m L e i t n e r Dept. of Communications
                                            Graz University of Technology,
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Fax : +43-316-463-697
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Received on Fri Nov 22 1996 - 14:29:27 NZDT

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