[Pkg-sysvinit-devel] Bug#567703: [initscripts] Single User Mode is unusable if root login is disabled

[Borden Rhodes]

Package: initscripts
Version: 2.87dsf-8
Severity: normal

When one installs Debian, it is possible to disable root logging in and rely 
on sudo (similar to Ubuntu).  Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that the 
installation routine takes this into account when it sets up Grub because the 
when you select Single User Mode from Grub, you eventually get this prompt:

Give root password for system maintenance
(or type Control-D for normal startup): 

Which I can't do because I don't know the root password because I disabled 
root login.

I'm sure that there's a simple fix that I can add to the inittab file to make it 
drop directly into a root shell but the point is that the installer/Grub 
updater should be making this entry so when I'm already cursing Linux I don't 
have to do more workarounds!

--- System information. ---
Architecture: i386
Kernel:       Linux 2.6.30-2-686

Debian Release: squeeze/sid
  500 testing         www.debian-multimedia.org 
  500 testing         security.debian.org 
  500 testing         debian.yorku.ca 

--- Package information. ---
Depends                   (Version) | Installed
===================================-+-=================
libc6                      (>= 2.0) | 2.10.2-2
mount                  (>= 2.11x-1) | 2.16.2-0
debianutils             (>= 2.13.1) | 3.2.2
lsb-base                 (>= 3.0-6) | 3.2-23
sysvinit-utils     (>= 2.86.ds1-64) | 2.87dsf-8
sysv-rc                             | 2.87dsf-8
 OR file-rc                         | 
coreutils                 (>= 5.93) | 7.4-2


Recommends      (Version) | Installed
=========================-+-===========
psmisc                    | 22.10-1
e2fsprogs                 | 1.41.9-1


Package's Suggests field is empty.