sudo pam_authenticate error

tehanomaly · 2008-03-23 21:25:27

Hi, I've been using Arch for nearly a year now and have solved every problem I've come across so far with reasonable ease, but this problem still eludes me:

sudo doesn't work - I type 'sudo umount /dev/sr0' as a general user for example, and then enter the root password and sudo refuses the password. I have tried this repeatedly to no success. ctrl+c is the only exit-back-to-bash route, which produces 'sudo: pam_authenticate: Conversion Error', presumably due to the control char. This is the scenario no matter what the command (e.g. 'touch /root/test')

My visudo has two lines:

root ALL=(ALL) ALL
%wheel ALL=(ALL) ALL

My general user is a member of the 'wheel' group.

I initially assumed there was a package mismatch, but updates to sudo, plus most of the major system (kernel, glibc, bash, shadow) have occured since I've had the problem, all having no effect.

My next logical stop was /var/log/auth.log the related contents of which are below:

Mar 23 20:59:41 UBER-III sudo: pam_unix(sudo:auth): authentication failure; logname= uid=0 euid=0 tty=/dev/pts/0 ruser= rhost=  user=steve
Mar 23 20:59:51 UBER-III sudo: pam_unix(sudo:auth): conversation failed
Mar 23 20:59:51 UBER-III sudo: pam_unix(sudo:auth): auth could not identify password for [steve]
Mar 23 20:59:51 UBER-III sudo:    steve : pam_authenticate: Conversation error ; TTY=pts/0 ; PWD=/home/steve ; USER=root ; COMMAND=/bin/umount /dev/sr0

I will note that su and su -c "<command>" both work fine, as does logging in as root from either the command prompt, gdm, or kdm.

If anyone can point me in the right direction or offer a resolve I would be grateful! (I have searched the forums for anything related to no avail )

bender02 · 2008-03-23 21:50:14

Aren't you supposed to use your user password with sudo?

tehanomaly · 2008-03-23 21:58:19

<_<

>_>

Yes, yes indeed you are... oh dear that's embarrassing!

I knew a girl once, and she always told me to look for the simple answers: in this case, are you using the damn program correctly!!!

Which I wasn't... thank you for that bender02... now I'll go sit in a corner for a while... lol

[case solved]

bender02 · 2008-03-23 22:47:56

No worries, happened to me as well

Arch Linux

#1 2008-03-23 21:25:27

sudo pam_authenticate error

#2 2008-03-23 21:50:14

Re: sudo pam_authenticate error

#3 2008-03-23 21:58:19

Re: sudo pam_authenticate error

#4 2008-03-23 22:47:56

Re: sudo pam_authenticate error

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