Root login shell
^ I vvonder if you can help me. I’ve recently converted to the Linux way of thinking and installed Mandrake
8.0 onto my Computer. The process went extremely smoothly and ali the hardvvare has been detected and works fine (apart from the modem and scanner, but I understand that it’s quite normal to have this occur). But I have a small problem.
I have tried to install several different softvvare packages but, so far, I have been unable to do so. I understand the process of installing from “tarballs” (I’ve read the manuals!), but vvhenever I try, l’m told that the file or folder is unable to be created and that permission is denied.
I know it’s probably a very simple thing that l’m missing, but any help you give vvould be appreciated.
Hark t1erryweathe
1J Generally, when you want to install M softvvare, you need to be the ‘root’ user, *** 1 rather than a regular user. The alternative is to install softvvare in your home directory, so that you don’t need to be root to do it, but it’s a lot simpler to install it system-vvide as root.
The easiest way to become the root user is to use su, vvhich vvill ask you for the root passvvord, then you vvill be given a root prompt. Hovvever, this only changes your UID to root, and it does not behave as a ‘proper’ root login session. This means that you have to use the full path to access some programs, such as ifconfig, Idconfig and route, vvhich can become annoying. Instead, you can do su -, vvhich gives you a root login shell.
An alternative is to use sudo, vvhich allovvs you to run specifıc programs as root, as per the /etc/sudoers configuration file. As this asks for the user’s passvvord, rather than root’s, it’s somevvhat more secure, plus you can limit vvhat programs a particular user is allovved to run as root, so they don’t have free reign över the entire system.