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Date:      Wed, 22 Mar 2006 12:46:45 -0800
From:      Bill Campbell <freebsd@celestial.com>
To:        freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: Remote Single User Mode?
Message-ID:  <20060322204645.GB52457@alexis.mi.celestial.com>
In-Reply-To: <20060322183001.GA23540@xor.obsecurity.org>
References:  <44219364.1070201@chrismaness.com> <20060322183001.GA23540@xor.obsecurity.org>

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On Wed, Mar 22, 2006, Kris Kennaway wrote:
>On Wed, Mar 22, 2006 at 10:11:48AM -0800, Chris Maness wrote:
>> In the make file for /usr/src it says I need to boot into single user 
>> mode.  Is this possible from a remote connection (I don't think it is)?  
>> Do I have to be in single user mode to do the following?:
>> 
>> # 5.  `reboot'        (in single user mode: boot -s from the loader prompt).
>> # 6.  `mergemaster -p'
>> # 7.  `make installworld'
>> # 8.  `mergemaster'
>> # 9.  `reboot'
>> 
>> I administer this box by remote.
>
>You absolutely need to in certain situations.  Sometimes (even often)
>you can get away without it, but sometimes your system won't reboot to
>multiuser mode unless you do those steps.
>
>Look into setting up a serial console; this is the "remote single user
>mode" you're looking for.

I have been able to work in single user mode on some systems by getting
somebody with physical access to the box to boot in single user then start
networking and secure shell manually.  Once the sshd daemon was running I
could get to the box from another machine on the LAN.

The last time I did this was on an SCO OpenServer box which started the
networking even in single user mode.  I would have to RTFM to figure out if
and how this can be done with FreeBSD.

Bill
--
INTERNET:   bill@Celestial.COM  Bill Campbell; Celestial Software LLC
URL: http://www.celestial.com/  PO Box 820; 6641 E. Mercer Way
FAX:            (206) 232-9186  Mercer Island, WA 98040-0820; (206) 236-1676

Democracy, n.:
	A government of the masses.  Authority derived through mass
meeting or any other form of direct expression.  Results in mobocracy.
Attitude toward property is communistic... negating property rights.
Attitude toward law is that the will of the majority shall regulate,
whether it is based upon deliberation or governed by passion,
prejudice, and impulse, without restraint or regard to consequences.
Result is demagogism, license, agitation, discontent, anarchy.
		-- U. S. Army Training Manual No. 2000-25 (1928-1932),
		   since withdrawn.



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