string

Technical Notes
The rcp(1) and rsh(1) commands make a connection using sockets, which do not
support stty(1)’s TCGETS ioctl.
su: No shell
Cause
This message indicates that someone changed the default login shell for root to a
program that is missing from the system. For example, the final colon-separated field
in /etc/passwd could have been changed from /sbin/sh to /usr/bin/bash,
which does not exist in that location. Possibly an extra space was appended at the
end of the line. The outcome is that you cannot login as root or switch user to
root, and so cannot directly fix this problem.
Action
The only solution is to reboot the system from another source, then edit the
password file to correct this problem. Invoke sync(1M) several times, then halt the
machine by typing Stop-A or by pressing the reset button. Reboot single-user from
CD-ROM, the net, or diskette, such as by typing boot cdrom -s at the ok prompt.
After the system comes up and gives you a # prompt, mount the device
corresponding to the original / partition somewhere, such as with a mount(1M)
command similar to the one below. Then run an editor on the newly-mounted
system password file (use ed(1) if terminal support is lacking):
# mount /dev/dsk/c0t3d0s0 /mnt
# ed /mnt/etc/passwd
Use the editor to change the password file’s root entry to call an existing shell, such
as /usr/bin/csh or /usr/bin/ksh.
Technical Notes
To keep the "No shell" problem from happening, habitually use admintool or
/usr/ucb/vipw to edit the password file. These tools make it difficult to change
password entries in ways that make the system unusable.
176 Solaris Common Messages and Troubleshooting Guide ♦ October, 1998