How to force a user/password prompt to logon?

binary66 · 09-05-2006, 08:22 PM

Hi,

I have just installed Puppy Linux on my hard drive and notice that when the system is started it automatically logs in as root with no password or promting to logon via username and password.

I am going to be using my Puppy Linux system as a file server on and older piece of hardware but for security reasons I dont want people to be able to plug in a monitor, power cycle the machine and have root access at the console.

Can someone let me know if it's possible to force Puppy to prompt for a user id and password to logon with when it starts up?

Thanks...

liaty · 09-06-2006, 04:59 AM

You need to find the user management settings. Sorry not familiar with puppy, but there will be an option for autologin. Normally a check box.

binary66 · 09-07-2006, 12:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by liaty

You need to find the user management settings. Sorry not familiar with puppy, but there will be an option for autologin. Normally a check box.

Thanks liaty, good suggestion, but I had already tried looking for anything to do with user management, there doesn't seem to be anything at all. I'm thinking that because Puppy is one of those "minimal" distributions. From what I've read it's intended to run as root because it's generally used as a client O/S rather than a server O/S and it normally runs live from CD or USB stick etc. I have it installed on the hard drive though.

I think I might dump it and find something else. The only reason I got it is because I am trying to find a lite Linux version to run as a file server on an old P2 box with 128MB RAM. It runs beautifully on that box, Samba works fine, everything is great except security at the console.

liaty · 09-07-2006, 05:31 AM

Have you give Slackware a look. You can do a minimal install for a text based distro. And if you are wanting a gui there a alot of slim ones to chose from xfce wm also kde if your memory can take it.

GuestToo · 09-07-2006, 09:10 AM

you would probably have to edit /etc/inittab ... it's the respawn/autologin line that does it

to change inittab, you probably have to remaster Puppy ... inittab is not editable in older versions of Puppy (Puppy 1.x), i don't know if changes to inittab can be saved in Puppy 2.x or not, it would be more secure if it can't

binary66 · 09-08-2006, 05:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GuestToo

you would probably have to edit /etc/inittab ... it's the respawn/autologin line that does it

to change inittab, you probably have to remaster Puppy ... inittab is not editable in older versions of Puppy (Puppy 1.x), i don't know if changes to inittab can be saved in Puppy 2.x or not, it would be more secure if it can't

Thanks GuestToo you're a champ. Modifying inittab did the trick, it works perfectly now, prompting me to sign in when the system boots.

I have a hard drive installation, I'm not using the live CD, so I can modify inittab just fine.