no root passwd debian

[Lennart Sorensen]

On Mon, Nov 19, 2007 at 01:14:36PM -0500, Chris Aitken wrote:
> Jamon Camisso wrote:
> >On November 18, 2007 04:56:02 pm chris-n/jUll39koHNgV/OU4+dkA at public.gmane.org wrote:
> >  
> >>I just installed ubuntu. It never asked for a root password. It asked
> >>me to create a user but never a root password. Now I can't do
> >>administrative tasks without it.
> >>
> >>This is my first ever debian experience.
> >>
> >>!?
> >>    
> >
> >Two things:
> >1) Ubuntu != Debian
> >  
> Does that mean "Debian /really/ equals ubuntu"?
> >2) sudo passwd root, you'll then be able to use su to become root.
> Okay that did it - thanks.
> 
> >You 
> >can also use sudo -i now, without setting a root password, just use 
> >your regular user's password for sudo.
> >  
> I read the man page for sudo (really). I'm still confused. Is sudo for 
> doing administrative tasks without becoming root?

It is for doing things as root.  su = switch user.  do = do, so 
sudo blah = switch user and do 'blah' and by default it switches to
root.  If you are setup to have sudo access to root to run all commands
then you are essentially root, except only when you say sudo in front of
something and type your password, which means applications can't just go
and be root without asking you first.

--
Len Sorensen
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