On Apr 15, 2005, at 10:35 PM, der Mouse wrote:

>>> exec /sbin/init: error 20
>>> exec /sbin/oinit: error 20
>>> exec /sbin/init.bak: error 20
>>> init: not found
>>> panic: no init
>
> Is there any reason why the kernel doesn't prompt for an init path when
> the attempt to exec init fails, rather than panicking and making the
> user reboot with the appropriate flag?  That's always seemed to me to
> be much the more suitable response, and it isn't even very hard to do.
>
Totally, non-authoritative answer:  If init isn't there is a strong 
indication that
the file system is damaged, either by human or otherwise.

You could maybe make a link to /bin/sh as /sbin/init.bak, and get a 
shell.

Prompt for shell could lead to excess hardware damage, as users trying 
to to get
root, start hammering on the machine , hoping cause just the right 
amount of filesystem damage, in just right place ;-].

Incidentily, is there no sulogin available? In pkgsrc or otherwise?

Of course, the lack of it, may make going to pam easier, as if was used 
sulogin was and it pam'ed, then pam problems would lock one out of 
single user as well... I think
I hit that with linux maybe 6 years after a pam upgrade...







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