super user issue

rudra · External Since: Dec 19, 2010 Posts: 1

Hello friends,
which is the best option in *my* laptop to access root's power and
why?
1)use su directly ?

2) include myself in a group and allow the group to run all command as
## Allows people in group wheel to run all commands
# %wheel ALL=(ALL) ALL

3) allow myself to run all command as
## Allow root to run any commands anywhere
<my login> ALL=(ALL) ALL

B Sellers · External Since: Jul 05, 2009 Posts: 6

On 12/19/2010 09:56 AM, rudra wrote:
> Hello friends,
> which is the best option in *my* laptop to access root's power and
> why?
> 1)use su directly ?

This is the simplest option.
It can save you a lot of trouble that you
might encounter under common working conditions.
>
> 2) include myself in a group and allow the group to run all command as
> ## Allows people in group wheel to run all commands
> # %wheel ALL=(ALL) ALL

Do you have other users to make a group?

Are they all as knowledgeable as yourself?

>
> 3) allow myself to run all command as
> ## Allow root to run any commands anywhere
> <my login> ALL=(ALL) ALL

Well as long as no one else can
access your machine this might work but
to me it seems unnecessarily trusting of
the conditions under which you may be
working.

later
bliss

Sidney Lambe · External Since: Oct 29, 2010 Posts: 19

On comp.os.linux.setup, rudra wrote:
> Hello friends,
> which is the best option in *my* laptop to access root's power and
> why?
> 1)use su directly ?
>
> 2) include myself in a group and allow the group to run all command as
> ## Allows people in group wheel to run all commands
> # %wheel ALL=(ALL) ALL
>
> 3) allow myself to run all command as
> ## Allow root to run any commands anywhere
><my login> ALL=(ALL) ALL

I login as root and run as root except for internet apps that
can run as an ordinary user.

So I have 3 ordinary users configured, one for news, one for mail,
and one for web.

# su - <username>

The "-" means "make it a login shell".

When my window manager comes up, there are 5 core windows
created, 2 root, then news, web, and mail. And then a bunch of
windows with applications other than bash running in them.

Sid

Aragorn · External Since: Feb 22, 2009 Posts: 87

On Sunday 19 December 2010 18:56 in comp.os.linux.setup, somebody
identifying as rudra wrote...

> Hello friends,
> which is the best option in *my* laptop to access root's power and
> why?
> 1)use su directly ?

That's what it was designed for. Wink

> 2) include myself in a group and allow the group to run all command as
> ## Allows people in group wheel to run all commands
> # %wheel ALL=(ALL) ALL

In most distributions, one has to be a member of the "wheel" group in
order to be able to use "su". The idea is to restrict the number of
users in the "wheel" group.

Similarly, you may also want to consider adding yourself
to "/etc/sudoers" - read the manual first - which will allow you to
execute a single root-privileged command from within your own shell
using "sudo". It's a bit like "su", except that "sudo" will execute
one command only - and it will normally ask you for the password of
your user account, not the root password - and then you will drop back
to regular user privileges.

For instance...

sudo ls -lh /root

.... would then work, whereas as a normal user, you would not have access
to that directory.

The default "sudo" configuration is to ask for your own password, but
this can be changed, and if you invoke "sudo" several times in a row,
then if the second invocation happens within a certain timespan after
the first, you will not be prompted for your password again.

> 3) allow myself to run all command as
> ## Allow root to run any commands anywhere
> <my login> ALL=(ALL) ALL

Definitely not. That's a Windows'ism.

--
*Aragorn*
(registered GNU/Linux user #223157)

Nico Kadel-Garcia · External Since: Jul 05, 2009 Posts: 42

On Dec 19, 12:56 pm, rudra wrote:
> Hello friends,
> which is the best option in *my* laptop to access root's power and
> why?
> 1)use su directly ?
>
> 2) include myself in a group and allow the group to run all command as
> ## Allows people in group wheel to run all commands
> # %wheel ALL=(ALL) ALL
>
> 3) allow myself to run all command as
> ## Allow root to run any commands anywhere
> <my login> ALL=(ALL) ALL

Bill Marcum · External Since: Apr 28, 2010 Posts: 13

On 2010-12-19, Aragorn wrote:
>
>> 3) allow myself to run all command as
>> ## Allow root to run any commands anywhere
>> <my login> ALL=(ALL) ALL
>
> Definitely not. That's a Windows'ism.
>
This is the default configuration for the first user on Ubuntu and some
other distros. You're still required to use your password to run commands
as superuser. I have a few commands configured as NOPASSWD, but I'm
the only user on my system anyway.

--
A bureaucracy's success is determined by its rebels.

The Natural Philosopher · External Since: Jul 06, 2009 Posts: 186

Bill Marcum wrote:
> On 2010-12-19, Aragorn wrote:
>>> 3) allow myself to run all command as
>>> ## Allow root to run any commands anywhere
>>> <my login> ALL=(ALL) ALL
>> Definitely not. That's a Windows'ism.
>>
> This is the default configuration for the first user on Ubuntu and some
> other distros. You're still required to use your password to run commands
> as superuser. I have a few commands configured as NOPASSWD, but I'm
> the only user on my system anyway.
>
>

Thats rouhly how OS-X works as well. I configured it for a passordless
root access to my wife can install stuff without using a password.

Here? I have got a password. Its a keyclick to a root console and that
password is in a keyring somewhere., for the same reason. I am the
superuser.

I like to be aware that I am doing rootish things though, so its a
separate environment..