Overview #

In this guide, we’ll walk you through resetting a forgotten root password on a RELIANOID load balancer running Debian GNU/Linux. This process will restore your ability to log in as the root user and perform administrative tasks.

Password Recovery Procedure #

Restart the System #

First, power on or reboot your RELIANOID load balancer. During the boot process, the GRUB menu will appear.

Access GRUB Menu #

In the GRUB menu, highlight the first boot option and press the ‘e‘ key on your keyboard. This action will allow you to edit the boot parameters.

Edit GRUB Parameters #

In the GRUB editor, scroll down to the line that starts with linux, which specifies the kernel to boot. Move the cursor to the end of this line, just after ro quiet, and add the following parameter:

init=/bin/bash

Boot into Single-User Mode #

Press Ctrl + X or F10 to boot the system with the modified parameters. The system will boot into single-user mode with the root filesystem mounted as read-only.

Remount Filesystem as Read-Write #

To reset the root password, the filesystem needs to be writable. Remount the root filesystem with read-write permissions by running:

mount -n -o remount,rw /

Reset the Root Password #

Now, reset the root password using the passwd command:

passwd

You will be prompted to enter a new root password and confirm it. After successfully setting the new password, you should see a message indicating that the password has been updated.

Reboot the System #

Finally, press Ctrl + Alt + Del to reboot the system. Once the system restarts, you can log in as the root user with the new password you just set.

By following these steps, you will regain access to your RELIANOID load balancer as the root user on a Debian-based system.