Matt Thompson wrote:
> 
> Hi, I picked up a new MicroVAX II yestrday, it has VMS V5.5-2 
> .. this is
> my first time trying to use VMS, and I need the system password to get
> in so I can make some TK50 boot disks for NetBSD/vax.  Is 
> there anything
> like a single user mode in VMS like UNIX has, where I can change the
> password?

What you need to do is do a conversational boot and give control to the
console instead of the system startup procedures. Then you rename the
system's username/password file and replace it with a Digital-supplied
template file instead. This file has a known SYSTEM password.

How-to (assuming DUA0 is your system disk):


Press the halt button if needed to get to the >>> prompt

>>> B/1 DUA0

SYSGEN> SET/STARTUP OPA0:
SYSGEN> C

... some messages are displayed ...
... you get the dollar prompt ...

$ SET NOON
$ SPAWN
$ SET DEFAULT DUA0:[VMS$COMMON.SYSEXE]
$ RENAME SYSUAF.DAT SYSUAF.OK
$ COPY SYSUAF.TEMPLATE SYSUAF.DAT
$ RUN OPCCRASH.EXE

... system halts ...

Press the halt button if needed to get back to the >>> prompt

>>> B/1

SYSGEN> SET/STARTUP SYS$SYSTEM:STARTUP.COM
SYSGEN> C

... system boots into the VMS equivalent of multiuser. You may get some
error messages if the system tries to start layered software that relies
on accounts that are no longer available.

You can now log in as user SYSTEM with password MANAGER (case
un-sensitive).

Gunnar

--
Gunnar Helliesen   | Bergen IT Consult AS  | NetBSD/VAX on a uVAX II
Systems Consultant | Bergen, Norway        | '86 Jaguar Sovereign 4.2
gunnar@bitcon.no   | http://www.bitcon.no/ | '73 Mercedes 280 (240D)