# cannot remotely log in after pulling FreeBSD source to /usr/src via sysinstall



## shva (Oct 2, 2010)

I was trying to follow FreeBSD Handbook to create a jail. So I first pulled down the source file to /usr/src by 


```
sysinstall
```

choosing *Configure*, then *Distributions*, then *src*, and then everything under that (downloading via ftp). However, after I finished and logged out, I found myself not able to remotely log back in. I then physically attached a monitor and a keyboard to see what I could do, surprisingly finding I did not need a password to log in as root: the root password was reset to empty. Also, it seemed that the /etc/passwd had also been reset, since I could not find previously existing users in it. 

Fortunately the user home directories were not erased so I just recreated these user account and everything was back to normal. But what on earth was happening?


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## DutchDaemon (Oct 2, 2010)

Sounds more like you *installed base* (roughly, /, /boot, /bin, /sbin, /etc, /usr/bin, /usr/sbin).


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## shva (Oct 2, 2010)

Shouldn't *base* only install things inside */usr/src*? Here is a screenshot I got when doing sysinstall -> Configure -> src 







I selected all of them, but somehow it wrote something outside /usr/src (e.g. /etc/passwd). I don't know what happened.


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## da1 (Oct 2, 2010)

Are you 100% sure you didn't select some other option before hitting "OK" ?

Because what you describe, really sounds like you *installed* the "base" distribution and not *copied* the "base" src distribution.

Can you reproduce this behavior ? I for one, cannot.


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## Beastie (Oct 2, 2010)

Yes, I suspect you chose *Configure* > *Distributions* > *base* instead by accident.
Extracting the source will definitely not touch anything outside /usr/src.


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## SirDice (Oct 3, 2010)

Another reason not to use sysinstall for such a simple task. It's quite easy to screw up your installation. Use sysinstall only for the first install, then learn to use the OS to change what you want/need and forget sysinstall ever existed.


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