Reset Password

[binface]

Is there any way to change a database's password?

[JimKnicely]

Hi,

You can change a user's password in the Vertica database using the ALTER USER statement:

Example:

Logged in as the admin, I'll create a user jim and then log in as the user jim:

Code: Select all

dbadmin=> create user jim identified by 'pluto';
CREATE USER
dbadmin=> \q
bash-3.2$ vsql -U jim -w pluto
SET
Welcome to vsql, the Vertica Analytic Database v5.0.11-0 interactive terminal.

Type:  \h for help with SQL commands
       \? for help with vsql commands
       \g or terminate with semicolon to execute query
       \q to quit

jim=> 

Now that I am logged in as user jim, I can change the password with the ALTER USER command but I have to also supply the old password to do so.

Like this:

Code: Select all

jim=> alter user jim identified by 'venus' replace 'pluto';
ALTER USER

If you are logged in as an admin. you can change the password for any user without supplying the old password.

Like this:

Code: Select all

dbadmin=> alter user jim identified by 'mars';
ALTER USER

[binface]

Thanks Jim, but I'm actually trying to change the DATABASE password, not a user password. Any ideas?

[jpcavanaugh]

There are only user passwords - no database level password.

[JimKnicely]

I believe that the "database password" is simply the database superuser's password.

If your superuser account is dbadmin, just use the ALTER USER statement:

Code: Select all

ALTER USER dbadmin IDENTIFIED BY 'newpassword';

[binface]

But how would I log into the database without this password?

[JimKnicely]

Did you forget the password?

You may be able to edit the vertica.conf file and change the client authentication to trust. By doing so you should be able to run vsql without a password because the OS has already authenticated the user (assuming you can get that far ).

Please check out the "Implementing Client Authentication" of the Administrator's Guide on page 106.

trust — Authenticates clients based on valid user names only. You might want to implement trust if a user connection has already been authenticated through some external means such as SSL or a fire wall.

Keep in mind that Vertica recommends not editing the vertica.conf file manually. It should be edited via the admintools.

I'd be careful to make backups prior to modifying any files!