[Bug 1084400] Reset root password when booting with init=/bin/bash crash the system

[Red Hat Bugzilla]

https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1084400

Stephen Wadeley  changed:

What    |Removed                     |Added
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             Status|ASSIGNED                    |MODIFIED

--- Comment #21 from Stephen Wadeley  ---
Please try this:

1.  Start the system and, on the GRUB 2 boot screen, press the e key
    for edit.

2.  Remove the rhgb and quiet parameters from the end, or near the end,
    of the linux16 line, or linuxefi on UEFI systems. Press Ctrl+a and
    Ctrl+e to jump to the start and end of the line, respectively. On
    some systems, Home and End might also work.

Important

The rhgb and quiet parameters must be removed in order to enable
    system messages.

3.  Add the following parameter at the end of the linux16 line, or
    linuxefi on UEFI systems:

init=/bin/sh

The Linux kernel will run the /bin/sh shell rather than the system
    init daemon. Therefore, some functions may be limited or missing.

4.  Press Ctrl+x to boot the system with the parameter. The shell
    prompt appears.

5.  To preserve the SELinux context of the files that are to be
    modified, load the SELinux policy into the kernel. Use the -i option
    as this is the first time the policy is being loaded since boot:

~]#     /usr/sbin/load_policy -i

6.  The file system is mounted read-only. You will not be allowed to
    change the password if the file system is not writable. Remount the
    file system as writable:

~]#     mount -o remount, rw /

7.  Run the passwd command and follow the instructions displayed on the
    command line to change the root password. Note that if the system is
    not writable, the passwd tool fails with the following error:

Authentication token manipulation error

8.  Remount the file system as read only:

~]#     mount -o remount, ro /

9.  Run the exec /sbin/init command to resume the initialization and
    finish the system boot. Running the exec command with another command
    specified replaces the shell and creates a new process; init in this
    case.
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Thank you