Solaris9, bind9, chroot, "user 'named' unknown"

[Gregory Hicks]

> Date: Thu, 16 Mar 2006 21:22:29 -0800 (PST)
> From: Gregory Hicks <ghicks>
> 
> > Date: Thu, 16 Mar 2006 21:39:32 -0500
> > From: Kevin Darcy <kcd at daimlerchrysler.com>

[...]
> > >
> > >I'm trying to get Bind9 installed under chroot, but I'm running 
into 
> an
> > >odd problem with "user 'named' unknown".
> 
> User unknown errors are USUALLY caused when the user name is not 
> contained in the /etc/passwd file...

Further on this (and as Barry wrote later) re: "Does it use a lookup
facility like NIS?"

How this is looked up depends on the contents of /etc/nsswitch.conf.
If the /etc/nsswitch.conf passwd switch entry is

passwd:  files <some-other-naming-service

Then the local /etc/passwd file is searched first.  If the passwd
switch is

passwd: <some-other-naming-service> files

then the remote naming service is searched first then, if a negative
response (ie, name not found), the local file is searched.

Since you're trying to resolve a name for a chrooted FILE SYSTEM, you
probably need the name "named" in /etc/passwd.  If you are running
Solaris, some modern flavour of Linux, or ...  After you make the
passwd entry, you'll also need to run the command "pwconv" (usually
kept in /usr/sbin) to sync the passwd and shadow file.

Hope this helps.  (But this is kinda off topic for bind-users.  I'll be
glad to help more offline...)

Regards,
Gregory Hicks

> 
> > >
> > >I have everything in the /opt/named/ directory for the bind binary. 
I
> > >can run it just find w/out the -u named. I have only the named user
> > >within /opt/named/etc/passwd, /opt/named/etc/group and
> > >/opt/named/etc/shadow with those files with the exact same 
> permissions
> > >as the ones in /etc.
> > >
> > >I run with the command: chroot /opt/named /sbin/named -u named -c
> > >/etc/named.conf
> > >Error: named: user 'named' unknown.
> > >
> > >It works w/out using chroot (ie: using /etc/ files); it works in 
> chroot
> > >w/out using -u named. But I can't seem to get it working under the
> > >named user while under chroot.
> > >
> > >Any ideas?
> > >
> > Do you get the same results when using named's -t option instead of 
> > Solaris' "chroot" command?

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Gregory Hicks                           | Principal Systems Engineer
Cadence Design Systems                  | Direct:   408.576.3609
555 River Oaks Pkwy M/S 6B1             | Fax:      408.894.3479
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