OpenVMS - How to recover SYSTEM Account password

Assuming the translation of the SYS$TOPSYS logical name is SYS0, the system is bootstrapping from the default system root and you will use one of the following commands to initiate a conversational

reboot:

on Alpha :

>>> b -fl 0,1

on IA64 :

Go to to Shell >  prompt and navigate yourself to below path.

fsn:\efi\vms> vms_loader -flags 0,1

NOTE : Where n represent boot partition

Once you have triggered a conversational bootstrap and have reached the SYSBOOT prompt, you will want to request that OpenVMS read the system startup commands directly from the system console. This, in place of reading the startup commands from the default OpenVMS system startup procedure, SYS$SYSTEM:STARTUP.COM. You will also want to disable the windowing system, if any, and you will want to request that the parameter changes not be recorded.

SYSBOOT> SET/STARTUP OPA0:

SYSBOOT> SET WINDOW_SYSTEM 0

SYSBOOT> SET WRITESYSPARAMS 0

SYSBOOT> CONTINUE

Though the following is not specifically required here, you will have to perform an additional step if you wish to completely disable the DECwindows startup procedures. In particular, you will have to define the following logical name within SYLOGICALS.COM:

$ DEFINE/SYSTEM/EXEC DECW$IGNORE_WORKSTATION TRUE

The CONTINUE command shown above will cause OpenVMS to continue the bootstrap. Eventually,

OpenVMS will issue a $ prompt on the console terminal. You must type the following two commands, exactly as shown:

$ SPAWN

$ @SYS$SYSTEM:STARTUP

The result of these two commands will be the invocation of normal system startup, but you will be left logged in on the console, running under a privileged username. Without the use of the SPAWN

command, you would be logged out when the startup completes.

If necessary, you can skip the invocation of the system startup temporarily, and perform tasks such as

registering license PAKs or various other "single-user" maintenance operations.

Use the following commands to reset the SYSTEM password:

$ SET DEFAULT SYS$SYSTEM:                     ! or wherever SYSUAF.DAT resides

$ RUN SYS$SYSTEM:AUTHORIZE

UAF> MODIFY SYSTEM /PASSWORD=newpassword

UAF> EXIT

$

These AUTHORIZE commands will change the SYSTEM password to the specified new newpassword password value. You can shut down the system and reboot with the new SYSTEM username, or potentially simply LOGOUT of the console session to allow the system startup to complete.