Invalid user shell, login rejected

Initial Customer Description
The system administrator created an account for a new user. However, during login, the system displays an error message and immediately logs out the user.

Probable Causes

• corrupt password,shadow,or shell-starup files
• modification of the /etc/passwd file, resulting in an invalid shell entry
• system overload

Fault Insertion

Modify the /etc/passwd file to reflect either an improper shell or no shell for the new user, and then reboot the system.

Complete the following steps to edit the /etc/passwd file :

1. Set the TERM parameter:
2. Use the vi editor to open the /etc/passwd file.
3. Edit the /etc/passwd file

Before edit: user1;x:100:1::/home/user1:/bin/sh

After edit:user1:x:100:1::/home/user1:/sbin/csh

Possible Fixes

Log in as the root user, and correct the invalid shell entry in the /etc/passwd file.

Learning

Learn about the /etc/passwd file and the significance of the parameters specified in the file.