ISPConfig requires access to a MySQL instance to function. It seems ISPConfig is built to use a login/password specified during installation of ISPConfig. Seems the login/password details are compiled into files 'httpd/libexec/libphp5.so' and 'php/bin/php'. My ISP gave me a dedicated server with ISPConfig pre-installed. He also gave me the initial root password for MySQL. Of course, I would like to change the root password for security reasons. However, it seems ISPConfig will not allow me to do that. I will either have to re-install ISPConfig from scratch, or leave the password open to my ISP. Is this what you meant when you said "virgin system" in http://www.howtoforge.com/forums/showthread.php?t=835&#post4109 ? Please advice?
Mysql passwords cannot be compiled into a PHP binary. Open the ISPConfig config file /home/admispconfig/ispconfig/lib/config.inc.php with an editor and change the mysql password there for ISPConfig.
Done. Thanks! I don't know how the former root passwords turn up in a `grep' in those binary files, though. Odd.