This recovery procedure can be useful in two specific situations: if the root password has been forgotten, or if the firmware has become damaged by a partial upgrade (which is possible when upgrading from build 3801 or earlier due to a change in the C library version).
If this procedure is not able to recover your unit, then it is possible to return the disks to Güralp Systems for re-building. Please note that we will also offer a free-of-charge upgrade to a SATA solid state drive for any NAM with a Compact Flash or USB file-system if it fails. Please contact for details and to arrange an RMA Return Material Authorisation. An RMA is permission to return goods for any reason. Our Goods-In team may refuse to accept any item received without an RMA number clearly marked on the outer packaging so, please, always ensure that you have an RMA before despatching anything to us. For more details, please see our Warranty and Repairs policy.
Physical access to the unit will be required.
Equipment required:
For a multi-port NAM, the case must be opened to gain access to the VGA and PS/2 connectors. This requires the four small Torx screws on the uppermost plate (towards the power supply end) to be removed.
Ensure the monitor and keyboard are plugged in. Reboot the system using either the reboot button or by removing and then restoring power. After a few seconds, there should be a screen with the message GNU GRUB version 0.97 at the top, and a large box with one entry Platinum inside. If the system boots too fast for this screen to show up, then reboot and repeatedly press the down arrow key once a second until the screen is visible.
At this screen, press E. Using down-arrow, scroll down to the second line which should look something like:
Press E once more. Type a space, and then type rw init=/bin/bash followed by enter
Now press b and wait for the system to boot to a shell prompt (should only take a couple of seconds). If the system does not boot to a shell prompt (in particular if there are kernel panic messages or messages about being unable to mount a root file-system) then the disk(s) will need to be returned to Güralp Systems for re-building.
If the system has booted successfully, then a prompt similar to:
should be displayed.
It is generally not possible to recover the value of a lost password, as the value itself is not stored. However, it is possible to set a new one. Simply use the command:
To change the root password to a new value. Once this is done, you can use the reboot command and the system will behave normally, and you can use the freshly-set password to log in.
If an upgrade was only partially successful (e.g. release note instructions were not followed after a FATAL: kernel too old message), it is possible to complete the process by running the commands:
After the system has rebooted it should once again be functioning normally, although it may be sensible to run a further upgrade just to be sure the file-system is completely intact.
The above instructions provide for the most common recovery scenarios, but advanced users may be able to achieve other types of change or recovery using this special boot mode (single-user mode). The following commands may be helpful: