Redmine

Hi Jonathan, this behavior suggests that the database might be corrupted, especially the users table or hashed password storage. Here’s how you can troubleshoot and possibly fix it within HeidiSQL (or any SQL editor):

1. Check for User Table Corruption
Run the following query in HeidiSQL to check if the users table is corrupted:

CHECK TABLE users;

If it reports corruption, attempt to repair it:

REPAIR TABLE users;

2. Reset Admin Password Directly in SQL
Try resetting the admin password manually in the database.
Here is an SQL query to insert the newadmin user into an existing Redmine database. It ensures that:¶

• The ID is unique – If ID 11 already exists, update it accordingly.
• The password is securely hashed – Redmine 4.x+ uses SHA1 with salt.
• The correct default values are set for a fresh admin user.

INSERT INTO `users` 
(`id`, `login`, `hashed_password`, `firstname`, `lastname`, `admin`, `status`, `last_login_on`, `language`, 
 `auth_source_id`, `created_on`, `updated_on`, `type`, `mail_notification`, `salt`, `must_change_passwd`, 
 `passwd_changed_on`, `twofa_scheme`, `twofa_totp_key`, `twofa_totp_last_used_at`, `twofa_required`)
VALUES
(11, 'newadmin', '1ea6bdce9715273b92a656075bd9dd95429e5bd7', 'New', 'Admin', 1, 1, NULL, 'en', 
 NULL, NOW(), NOW(), 'User', 'only_my_events', '60f96f3c62285937e1c5eb0e3e9f3658', 0, NOW(), 
 NULL, NULL, NULL, 0)
ON DUPLICATE KEY UPDATE
 `login` = VALUES(`login`),
 `hashed_password` = VALUES(`hashed_password`),
 `firstname` = VALUES(`firstname`),
 `lastname` = VALUES(`lastname`),
 `admin` = VALUES(`admin`),
 `status` = VALUES(`status`),
 `updated_on` = NOW(),
 `salt` = VALUES(`salt`);

Login Credentials

• Username : newadmin
• Password : newpassword

Hope it helps.
Michael from https://www.redmine-x.com/

Thanks for the response. I agree with your assessment that the SQL database got corrupted somehow.
I tried the CHECK TABLE users; and received a message that the table was "ok". When I tried a repair... it said nothing to repair.
I tried your recommended method to reset admin password, but this redmine instance is on version 2.6 and certain variables in the queries are not recognized.
My plan now is to create a new instance and accept that the old database is gone. We keep 7 days worth of backups which would have saved me, but I didn't notice the problem until after 7 days had already passed.

Hi Jonathan,
since you're using Redmine 2.6, the process should be even easier as Redmine 2.6 uses MD5 hashing with salt.

UPDATE users 
SET 
  hashed_password = MD5(CONCAT('abc123', 'admin')),
  salt = 'abc123' 
WHERE login = 'admin';

Then you should be able to login using admin / admin.

Ondrej from https://www.redmine-x.com/

Thanks Ondrej,
I gave that a try, ran those SQL queries, restarted the processes, but no change. Could not login with admin/admin... or any other user.

Hmmm... Strange. I guess the only option is to use a client such as PHPMmyAdmin and try to alter the hashed password and salt directly and inline.

Ondrej from https://www.redmine-x.com/