Backing up - how to solve after copying whole system - login incorrect

Question

Hello,
I have done an script to backup the whole filesystem and restore it. I am making tests before using forever.
For Windows I use ntfsclone and it works perfect, but for ArchLinux I am doing:
I use Knoppix cd-live to manage everything. I load the script from /dev/sda4 (data partition in ntfs) and the main commands to backup and restore are:
Without doing chroot (because it is not possible)
sudo mount /dev/sda5 /media/sda5 #This is the / of ArchLinux
sudo rsync -aAXv /media/sda5/* /media/sda4/seccopy/ --exclude={/media/sda5/dev/*,/media/sda5/proc/*,/media/sda5/tmp/*,/media/sda5/run/*,/media/sda5/mnt/*,/media/sda5/media/*,/media/sda5/lost+found,/media/sda5/home/*,/media/sda5/var/lib/pacman/sync/*}
cd /media/sda4/seccopy/
sudo tar -zcvf /media/sda4/arch_copy.tar.gz ./*
To restore:
sudo mount /dev/sda5 /media/sda5
sudo rm -r /media/sda5/*
sudo tar -zxvf /media/sda4/arch_copy.tar.gz -C /media/sda5
I can check that the files are copied correctly.
I can do (and really do) the same with the home partition, same process but changing sda5 by sda6, and instead of arch_copy.tar.gz, arch_home_copy.tar.gz
When I restart to boot in the new copied system... the problem:
I go to the normal grub option for Arch Linux and I try again to put the password for ussr1, and nothing.
I type it, enter, wait some seconds and prompt me again.
I try with the root user, and its password, and the same problem. Not access to the system.
I try in tty1, and the same problem, it says:
Login incorrect
First question: How to solve this situation?
I think maybe the problem is something about /etc/passwd or /etc/shadow, and also I try to make chroot to see if it works.
If I try to do chroot from Knoppix to the ArchLinux restored, it is not possible, everything goes ok from this wiki:
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Change_Root
but fails in this:
Note: If you see the error chroot: cannot run command '/bin/bash': Exec format error, it is likely that the two architectures do not match.
I don't know what is "architectures". I installed x86_64 in ArchLinux.
Second question: Is because the Knoppix 7.0.4 (debian based) uses other? Like i686?
I see in Internet this:
http://www.cyberciti.biz/tips/recoverin … -file.html
It is not my problem, but maybe it is a way to know if is correct or not,...-
mode "recovery", edit, add to linux line after "ro single": init=/bin/bash
Ctrl+x
Logged as root automatically:
Third question: Why is not prompted the password? And illegitimate user can see everything doing this.
$ mount -rw -o remount /
$ mount -rw -o remount /home
mount: /home not mounted or bad option
In some cases useful info is found in syslog -try
dmesg | tail or so
Fourth question: Why i cannot mount the home? It is in the /dev/sda6, but for the / it didn't say anything to me. I cannot see the /home directory.
$ cat /etc/passwd
#- Has the root user and the ussr1 user
$ cat /etc/shadow
#- Has the root and ussr1 password coded.
$ passwd
Enter new UNIX password:
Retype new UNIX password:
Fifth question: Why is not prompted for the before password?     (following the steps i can imagine that this doesn't work, so, is not a security problem)
$ passwd ussr1
Enter new UNIX password:
Retype new UNIX password:
$ sudo reboot:
sudo: /usr/lib/sudoers.so must be only be writable by owner
sudo: fatal error, unable to laod plugins
$ reboot
Failed to talk to init daemon.
$ exit
exit
[ 377.105707] Kernel panic - not syncing: Attempted to kill init! exitcode=0x00000100
[ 377.105707]
Sixth question: Why I cannot exit correctly? It also happen if I use the Arch in Live mode (and try to exit).
The only way to avoid this problem is unpluging from electrical power (not even with the power button).
I start the system again, I go to the normal grub option for Arch Linux and I try again to put the password for ussr1, and nothing.
I type it, enter, wait some seconds and prompt me again.
The same as first question: How to solve this situation?
My idea is only use Knoppix live-cd to use as backup/restore system, but if it is not possible, I would like to know how to solve.
The idea of using rsync instead of dd is because I want to save only the data, and not all the sectors (not enough space in the hard disk).
I don't mind to have to use arch linux usb installation media as it is "knoppix live-cd", the only thing I would like to use is the same media to do all the operations, because I want to teach normal users how to do it by themselves.

Answer 1

cfr wrote:What's the exit value when you run passwd? (man passwd will show what the exit values mean.)
value 0 -> success
cfr wrote:Have you tried changing the password to something *other* than the existing password?
tried for example with "something" for both, "root" and "ussr1"
but if I go to /etc/shadow, I see that the passwords coded for root and ussr1 are not the same, so must be coded with other things too.
cfr wrote:Have you tried creating a new user and logging in as that user?
I added another user, for example "try"
useradd -m -g users -s /bin/bash try
passwd try & echo "$?"
.. (something)
0
Ok, after just add the user, if I go to /home/ I can see some files created automatically, and if I compare those files with the files that I pasted in my ussr1 account, there are two that are missed:
.xinitrc
.xsession
xinitrc is executed by startx (so, it is because the X11..)
and..ok, xsession the same (xdm/gdm/kdm). So nothing here.
I also add "try" to the groups: lp, games, video, audio, optical, storage, scanner   with:
gpasswd -a try lp
cfr wrote:Have you run pwck and grpck to check the integrity of the files? (I doubt this is the issue but it seems an easy step to do just on the off chance.)
Ok, if I do:
$ pwck; echo "$?"
0
$ pwck /etc/passwd; echo "$?"
0
$ pwck /etc/shadow; echo "$?"
invalid password file entry
delete line 'root:ahskldfhajksdfkahsjkdhf...asdkfhjashdkfjh:15795::::::'?
invalid password file entry
delete line 'bin:x:14871::::::'?
so forth..with: root, bin, daemon, mail, ftp, http, uuidd, dbus and nobody
user 'ussr1': directory '7' does not exist
user 'polkitd': directory '7' does not exist
user 'usbmux': directory '7' does not exist
user 'mysql': directory '7' does not exist
invalid password file entry
delete line 'kdm:!:15793::::::'?
invalid password file entry
delete line 'avahi:!:15793::::::'?
user 'try': directory '7' does not exist
pwck: no changes
2
$grpck /etc/group; echo "$?"
0
$grpck /etc/gshadow; echo "$?"
invalid group file entry
delete line 'root:::root'?
invalid group file entry
delete line 'root:::root'?
invalid group file entry
delete line 'root:::root'?
...so forth
with: root, bin, daemon, sys, adm, tty, disk, lp, mem, kmem, wheel, ftp, mail, uucp, log, utmp, locate, rfkill, smmsp, http, games, lock, uuidd, dbus, network, video, audio, optical, floppy, storage, scanner, power, nobody, users, systemd-journal, polkitd, usbmux, mysql, kdm, avahi
grpck: no changes
2
So, cat /etc/gshadow | wc -l    = 40 lines
And grpck /etc/gshadow | wc -l  = 40 lines
And the same for /etc/shadow = 16 lines and the pwck were 11 "delete line" and 5 "directory '7' does not exist"
But as we see, even the try has some error... in this case with directory '7'.
I don't understand why errors... theoretically they were copied and pasted without modifications
NOTE** Ok, my fault, I have to execute the command like this: $ pwck -r /etc/passwd /etc/shadow; echo "$?"    and now it answers: 0         So, the integrity of both files are correct! And the same with group and gshadow
ewaller wrote:
Inside the chroot, run pacman -Qk | grep -v ", 0 missing"
And see if there are any packages that should be reinstalled.
If not, reinstall pam, just for good measure
With
$pacman -Qk | grep -v ", 0 missing"
no results.
I execute it without doing anything before with pacman, no updating, absolutely nothing.
pam?
i search for pam, and i find "pam mount", something like "encrypted home". But Was it activated by default?
Last edited by Zzipo (2013-03-31 21:57:57)