Non-root users cannot login to CDE on an X86 system due to /etc/shell settings (Doc ID 1011743.1)

Last updated on JUNE 13, 2023

Applies to:

Symptoms

When logging into CDE as a non-root user, the user is kicked back out to the login screen after password has been validated.

$HOME/.dt/startlog shows
===
fbconsole: open /dev/console: Permission denied
stty: no such device or address
===

Doing "dtlogin -debug 10 > /tmp/debug.dtlogin" shows the following information when the user logs in:

===
	...
(:0) GREET_STATE_AUTHENTICATE
(:0) PamAuthenticate: prog_name=dtlogin
(:0) PamAuthenticate: display_name=:0
(:0) PamAuthenticate: user=<USER>
(:0) PamAuthenticate: line=console
(:0) PamAuthenticate: line_dev=/dev/console
(:0) PamAuthenticate: user passwd NULL
(:0) PamInit: LC_MESSAGES=C
(:0) PamInit: LANG=C
(:0) PamInit: NLSPATH=/usr/dt/lib/nls/msg/%L/%N.cat:/usr/dt/lib/nls/msg/C/%N.cat:/usr/dt/lib/nls/msg/%L/%N.cat:/usr/dt/lib/nls/msg/C/%N.cat:/usr/dt/lib/nls/msg/%L/%N.cat:/usr/lib/locale/%L/LC_MESSAGES/%N.cat:/usr/dt/lib/nls/msg/C/%N.cat:/usr/lib/locale/C/LC_MESSAGES/%N.cat:
(:0) PamInit: pam_start success
(:0) login_conv PROMPT: 'Password: '
(:0) nl_fd = -541719936
(:0) Got user prompt response
(:0) PamAuthenticate: return status = 0
(:0) GREET_STATE_TERMINATEGREET
(:0) GREET_STATE_EXIT
(:0) Greeter return status; exit = 21, signal = 0
(:0) waitVal - status is  21
(:0) Greeter returned name 'sja'
(:0) Verify(): sja
(:0) User information for sja acquired
(:0) setDt: 20
(:0) Start up file is /usr/dt/bin/Xsession
(main) select() returns -1.  Rescan: 0  ChildReady: 1
(main) Processing child death, pid = 1517
(main) Account: id=dt, user=NULL, line=NULL, pid=1517, type=DEAD_PROCESS
(main) PamAccounting: prog_name=dtlogin
(main) PamAccounting: display_name=:0
(main) PamAccounting: entry_id=d t
(main) PamAccounting: user=NULL
(main) PamAccounting: line=NULL
(main) PamAccounting: line_dev=/dev/NULL
(main) PamAccounting: pid=1517
(main) PamAccounting: entry_type=8
(main) PamAccounting: exitcode=11
(main) PamInit: LC_MESSAGES=C
(main) PamInit: LANG=C
	...
===

whereas it should show the following:

===
	...
(:0) GREET_STATE_AUTHENTICATE
(:0) PamAuthenticate: prog_name=dtlogin
(:0) PamAuthenticate: display_name=:0
(:0) PamAuthenticate: user=root
(:0) PamAuthenticate: line=console
(:0) PamAuthenticate: line_dev=/dev/console
(:0) PamAuthenticate: user passwd NULL
(:0) PamInit: LC_MESSAGES=C
(:0) PamInit: LANG=C
(:0) PamInit: NLSPATH=/usr/dt/lib/nls/msg/%L/%N.cat:/usr/dt/lib/nls/msg/C/%N.cat:/usr/dt/lib/nls/msg/%L/%N.cat:/usr/dt/lib/nls/msg/C/%N.cat:/usr/dt/lib/nls/msg/%L/%N.cat:/usr/lib/locale/%L/LC_MESSAGES/%N.cat:/usr/dt/lib/nls/msg/C/%N.cat:/usr/lib/locale/C/LC_MESSAGES/%N.cat:
(:0) PamInit: pam_start success
(:0) PamAuthenticate: return status = 0
(:0) line_dev = /dev/console
(:0) console= /dev/console
(:0) GREET_STATE_TERMINATEGREET
(:0) GREET_STATE_EXIT
(:0) Greeter return status; exit = 12, signal = 0
(:0) waitVal - status is  12
(:0) Greeter returned name 'root'
(:0) Verify(): root
(:0) User information for root acquired
(:0) login_defaults():
(:0) setLang ()
(:0) PamClose: closing pam handle
(:0) LANG=C
(:0) User environment:
(:0)     LOGNAME=root
(:0)     DISPLAY=:0
(:0)     HOME=/
(:0)     USER=root
(:0)     PATH=/usr/openwin/bin:/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/ucb:/usr/sbin
(:0)     SHELL=/sbin/sh
(:0)     TZ=US/Central
(:0)     LANG=C
(:0)     DTXSERVERLOCATION=local
(:0)     OPENWINHOME=/usr/openwin
(:0) setLang ()
(:0) PamClose: no pam handle found
(:0) LANG=C
(:0) System environment:
(:0)     TZ=US/Central
(:0)     DISPLAY=:0
(:0)     HOME=/
(:0)     USER=root
(:0)     PATH=/usr/openwin/bin:/etc:/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/ucb
(:0)     SHELL=/bin/sh
	...

Cause