Ola Thoresen wrote:
2006-01-22 G�nter Schmidt <gsc.news@online.de> wrote
  
Since the latest 'yum update' I cant execute 'su - root' anymore.
Even the combination Ctrl+Alt+F1 and login:root can login to root.

I can get root access only if I login as root into the graphical desktop.

gsc@erica(23)$ strace su - root
execve("/bin/su", ["su", "-", "root"], [/* 38 vars */]) = 0
    

<snip>

  
connect(3, {sa_family=AF_FILE, path="/var/run/nscd/socket"}, 110) = -1 
EACCES (Permission denied)
    

hmm..

  
open("/etc/passwd", O_RDONLY)           = -1 EACCES (Permission denied)
    

hmm!!


  
write(2, "user root does not exist", 24) = 24
    

Seems like you have some serious permission problems.
  
Yes, and I don't know how this happened, perhaps while I had Centos4 booted and accessed
the FC5 partition.
Have you checked the regular file permissions and selinux context for
these files?

(ls -lZ /etc/passwd and /var/run/nscd/socket)
  
No, not with -Z (I have to learn this option :-). The normal file permissions had been ok.
But after disabling selinux another 'yum update', touch /.autorelabel, reenable selinux
and reboot, 'su - root' is working again.
With selinux enabled, the error messages are not really usefull.

Regards,
Günter.