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CloudLinux error: "su: cannot open session: Cannot make/remove an entry for the specified session"

Eric Delorme
  • Updated

Symptoms

When trying to su into a user's shell, you receive an error similar to the following.

[root@server ~]cPs# su -l cpusername -s /bin/bash
Error: user or UID cpusername does not exist 
su: cannot open session: Cannot make/remove an entry for the specified session

Additionally, files or folders under the cPanel user's .cagefs folder are not owned by the cPanel user.

 

Description 

This issue occurs due to one or more files or folders under the user's .cagefs folder having incorrect ownership, preventing a shell session from being established.

 

Workaround

  1. Access the server's command line as the 'root' user via SSH or "Terminal" in WHM.
  2. Run the following command to locate files and folders not owned by the cPanel user and correct the ownership. 
    user="$cpusername"; find /home/$user/.cagefs -path /home/$user/.cagefs/tmp -prune -o ! -user $user -exec chown $user. {} \;

    Please note that "$cpusername" must be replaced with the cPanel user's username.

    Also note that the tmp folder under .cagefs must be excluded because it contains socket files that should not be owned by the cPanel user.

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