Unable to change FTP user password for a Subscription in Plesk: usermng: PAM password change failed

Symptoms

• Changing the FTP user password in Plesk > Domains > example.com > FTP Access > user_example results in the following error:

  PLESK_ERROR: Error: SysUser::update() failed: Unable to execute usermng: usermng: PAM password change failed: 20, Authentication token manipulation error Error description: Additional info: . usermng: Failed to set password for user 'user_example'

• Accessing File Manager fails with the following error in Plesk UI:

  PLESK_ERROR: Internal error:
  Unable to find the directory /var/www/vhosts/example.com/: filemng failed: filemng: Unable to getpwnam for user john_doe User john_doe not found move process 15503 to cgroup for user john_doe failed filemng: Unable to getpwnam for user john_doe filemng: User john_doe not found

Cause

The system user was deleted from the operating system but exists in the Plesk database.

Resolution

1. Connect to the server using SSH.

2. Run the following command to re-create FTP user using data from Plesk database:

   # MYSQL_PWD=`cat /etc/psa/.psa.shadow` mysql -u admin -Dpsa -Ns -e"select s.login, a.password, s.home, s.shell from sys_users s, accounts a where a.id = s.account_id AND s.login='john_doe'" | awk '{ print "PSA_PASSWD=\x27" $2 "\x27 /usr/local/psa/admin/sbin/usermng --add-user --user=" $1 " --homedir=" $3 " --shell=" ($4?$4:"/bin/false")}' | sh -x

   Where john_doe is the missing system user.

   If several system users are missing, run the same command for all users. Already existing users will not be re-created:

   # MYSQL_PWD=`cat /etc/psa/.psa.shadow` mysql -u admin -Dpsa -Ns -e"select s.login, a.password, s.home, s.shell from sys_users s, accounts a where a.id = s.account_id" | awk '{ print "PSA_PASSWD=\x27" $2 "\x27 /usr/local/psa/admin/sbin/usermng --add-user --user=" $1 " --homedir=" $3 " --shell=" ($4?$4:"/bin/false")}' | sh -x 1>/dev/null 2>&1

3. Repair file access permissions for /vhosts/ directories

   • Via Plesk UI:
     Log into Plesk and go to Tools & Settings > Diagnose & Repair > File System > click Repair

   • Via CLI:

     # /usr/local/psa/bin/repair --restore-vhosts-permissions