multiple simultaneous password changes?

fncll · n00b Joined: 08 Jul 2002 Posts: 28

I have a new gentoo linux box for use with some classes. An instructor experienced something she had never run into before: she was introducing the class to their accounts, had them all login using SSH. She then showed them how to change their passwords. If multiple users tried to change their password at the same time, she siad everything just "froze" up and they lost any response in their session.

I've not experienced this before when following the same procedure... is this some kind of problem locking the passwd file? Shouldn't the passwd program be smart enough to wait and make the changes in turn or something? I never noticed this problem on the old RedHat server in the same circumstances...

rac · Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2002 6:19 pm Post subject:

The first two questions I would ask are "what filesystem is /" and "which kernel sources"?
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fncll · n00b Joined: 08 Jul 2002 Posts: 28

Sorry, I should have been more specific. The partitions are EXT3, I am running: 2.4.19-gentoo-r7 -- pretty much a vanilla build using the 1.2 CD level 1, compiled about a month ago.

rac · Posted: Fri Sep 13, 2002 8:25 pm Post subject:

Would it be possible to drop a vanilla kernel in there and see if anything changes?
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fncll · n00b Joined: 08 Jul 2002 Posts: 28

I might be able to do that. The difficulty is testing this condition! I was hoping this would be some known issue or stupidity on my part...