How to Reset Root Password in HP-UX Operating System

In this article, We will learn how to recover or reset the root password in HP-UX operating system.

If you lost the root password on system running on HP-UX operating system, Please follow the below procedure step by step.

1. In the first step, please power on the HP-UX machine and boot the server into single user mode.

To boot the server in single user mode their is several way. Please find the simple way as described below.

Selecting a system to boot. To stop selection process, press and hold the ESCAPE key

Auto boot from primary boot path enabled. To override, press any key within 10 seconds.

Type boot pri isl at the prompt:
boot pri

At the ISL> prompt:, type
hpux -is /stand/vmunix

OR

hpux -is

Here, In above example, the -i option is used to make the system come up in run-level s, for single user mode of operation.

2. In second step while system booting into single user mode you need to interrrupt while booting the server. Once you interrupt the server you will get the HP-UX prompt so you can boot it in single user mode.

hpx:/>boot -is

3. In this step , you need to mount the "/usr" file system on HP-UX operating system server.

hpx:/>mount /usr

4. If it is trusted system on HP-UX operating platform then you need to run the below command on trusted system.

hpx:/>/usr/lbin/tsconvert -r


5. Now, in this step we will reset the root password. For this process we have two method to reset the root password on HP-UX operating system.

Method 1:

hpx:/>passwd root
using above command we can normally reset the root password and set the new password.

Method 2:

hpx:/> vi /etc/passwd

null the password field for root user, so root password will be reset.

6. If root user is locked then unlock using below command.

hpx:/>/usr/lbin/modprpw -k root

7. Once server is up in runlevel 3 again u need to convert as trusted systems.

hpx:/>/usr/lbin/tsconvert

So using above method you can reset the root password on HP-UX operating system server. Please comment on the post if you are facing any issue related to this post.