no root passwd debian

[Brandon Sandrowicz]

On 11/20/07, Lennart Sorensen <lsorense-1wCw9BSqJbv44Nm34jS7GywD8/FfD2ys at public.gmane.org> wrote:
> 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


I was always under the impression that the 'su' command changed to
that user in 'single user' mode, hence the 'su' command.
--
The Toronto Linux Users Group.      Meetings: http://gtalug.org/
TLUG requests: Linux topics, No HTML, wrap text below 80 columns
How to UNSUBSCRIBE: http://gtalug.org/wiki/Mailing_lists