Re: [gentoo-user] mini-install-cd: default root password or other idea

[Michael]

On Thursday, 5 November 2020 15:45:40 GMT n952162 wrote:
> On 11/5/20 4:26 PM, Michael wrote:
> > On Thursday, 5 November 2020 15:18:43 GMT n952162 wrote:
> >> I know, of course, this doesn't exist, but why is screen(1) asking for
> >> it?
> >>
> >> I'm re-installing gentoo.  I booted off the image and ran screen.  Did
> >> everything find, with multiple screens, inclduding for ssh to other
> >> hosts.  I got to the point where I ran emerge-webrsync.  It  taking way
> >> too long, downloading into /mnt/gentoo/var/tmp/gentoo-20201104.* at a
> >> snails pace.  I closed all my other screens.  It kept downloading ...
> >>
> >> then, suddenly, the screen was erased (maybe I hit a key?) and I stuck
> >> at the top of the screen with
> >>
> >> "Screen used by root on live cd"
> >>
> >> "Password:"
> >>
> >> Am I going to have to kill the installation and start at least the
> >> webrsync all over?
> >
> > If it says root is using screen, so you haven't 'erased' it.  When you run
> > 'screen -r' from another console does it let you get in it?
>
> I can't get its attention.  It doesn't listen to any key (e.g. ctl-a).
> It seems that there's an overriding screen security mechanism.
>
> Some expert on the internet said: if such a password were fixed, it
> would be useless, but there are all kinds of security mechanisms built
> it that are not applicable,  e.g. during installation.  But they
> activate anyway.  That's why a default password would make sense.

'ps auxf' will show if screen is still running and under which user.  I always 
tend to set a root passwd asap when I start installations.

You can always set a root passwd on another console and see if you can get 
into it.  If however the session has crashed and there's no way you can 
recover it, then you may need to start all over again.