After resetting root password on FreePBX via init=/bin/bash, system stuck in -bash-4.2# and not booting normally or receiving DHCP IP

[faisalkhan]

Hi everyone,
I’m running FreePBX 16 Distro (Sangoma Linux 7 - CentOS 7 base) and recently I had to reset the root password.

I followed the usual method by editing the GRUB boot entry:

• Added init=/bin/bash at the end of the linux16 line
• Booted into bash-4.2#
• Ran these commands:

mount -o remount,rw /
passwd
sync

Password reset worked
Then I also ran these (to prepare for proper reboot):

mount -t proc proc /proc
mount -t sysfs sys /sys
mount -o bind /dev /dev

Problem:

Now, no matter what I do, the server always boots back into -bash-4.2# shell instead of the normal shell ([root@freepbx ~]#).

Also, after reboot:

• NetworkManager doesn’t start
• DHCP doesn’t assign a public IP
• FreePBX web UI is not accessible

What I Tried So Far:

Removed init=/bin/bash from GRUB
Rebuilt /etc/default/grub and ran:

grub2-mkconfig -o /boot/grub2/grub.cfg

Tried booting with:

systemd.unit=multi-user.target
instead of quiet

Tried running:
/sbin/init
…but it returns init: required argument missing

• How can I force the system to boot fully into normal shell mode (not bash-4.2#)?
• How can I fix DHCP or networking issue on boot?

[penguinpbx (C. Maj)]

@faisalkhan

I followed the usual method by editing the GRUB boot entry:

What tutorial/FAQ/wiki/KB did you review for these instructions ?

@faisalkhan

Added init=/bin/bash at the end of the linux16 line

Did you add the word single as well (to boot into single user mode) ?

And did you do this by editing the GRUB entry during initial boot by pressing ‘e’ key ?
Or, after the system was already running, you logged in, then edited the menu via /etc/default/grub modifications ? (The former at the boot screen with 'e’diting is temporary and preferred in this situation.)

@faisalkhan

Then I also ran these (to prepare for proper reboot):

Maybe instead of mounting proc/sysfs/dev, next time, try in full:

mount -o remount,rw /
passwd
sync
mount -o remount,ro /
exit

…might kernel panic at the end, but no big deal as disks are unmounted, so manually reboot it. Then, the system should come up normally.

@faisalkhan

grub2-mkconfig -o /boot/grub2/grub.cfg

Maybe compare your current GRUB menu with another fresh test install’s version ? Seems like there could be a typo lurking in there…