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Thread: switching user mode

  1. #1
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    switching user mode

    I am new to the Linux scene but I have been working with Mandrake and Redhat for about 10 hours a day for the last 3 days and I am getting the hang out it. However with my Mandrake 8.2 (I am upgrading to 10 as we speak) when I have a terminal open and then I try to switch to login as root is says "incorrect login." However if I open the terminal as a "superuser" it allows me to do so with the password.

    I have googled this and couldn't find anything. I have a theory but I am not sure so here it is. Could I not be allowed to switch from a user to a "superuser" without being in a SSH not sure but that is my idea.

    I just sorta wanna figure out the problem and if it is infact a problem.


    Thanks,

    Adiz
    Ultimately everyone will have their own opinion--this is mine.

    OOOUUUUCH! <throaty sound> That ain\'t cool baby.</throaty sound> (right before this I had made fun of the \'girl\' and she took it out on my balls... Luckily later on they were \"taken care of.\"

  2. #2
    Right turn Clyde Nokia's Avatar
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    Im not quite sure if this is what you mean, but to get root privaleges from being a user, open a konsole window then use the su command i.e, "su root", then just type the relevant password, you should now be root!

    As i said im not sure if this is what you ment!

  3. #3
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    You shouldn't even have to go "su root", but rather just "su",although you should always include the entire path for the su command, for security purposes, ie, "/usr/bin/su". This done in case someone writes a simple fake su program and dumps it in your home directory, although I doubt that is the case here.

    Happy su-ing.
    I\'m back.

  4. #4
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    No, I know how to get to login to root but if I open up a konsole as my normal user and type:

    Login root

    I am prompted for the password. I will then type the password and will receive and incorrect login error.

    So I am just curious it isn't harming my linux experience in anyway.


    Adiz
    Ultimately everyone will have their own opinion--this is mine.

    OOOUUUUCH! <throaty sound> That ain\'t cool baby.</throaty sound> (right before this I had made fun of the \'girl\' and she took it out on my balls... Luckily later on they were \"taken care of.\"

  5. #5
    @ÞΜĮЙǐЅŦГǻţΩЯ D0pp139an93r's Avatar
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    I belive that is a security feature?


    Only the super-user konsole can go su root?
    Real security doesn't come with an installer.

  6. #6
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    I don't think that's a security feature so much as it's a Mandrake fluke. While I can't really think of any reason you would go "login root" rather than "su", they both should work. Five bucks says that when you upgrade to Mandrake 10, you won't have that problem. Anything 8.2 or below was kinda flakey, in my opinion. Apparently the makers of Mandrake agreed, as you can't upgrade from anything 8.2 or below ( I think you have to do a fresh install...).
    I\'m back.

  7. #7
    Login root
    No no no, you simply can't do that. When opening up any terminal in your normal user, that term is being ran by your current user. IF you want to change (temporarily) the user within the terminal you open use the command su. login root won't work because you are already logged in on that terminal.

  8. #8
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    Meh - login root works on my machine, buddy.

    Parz:~ embro$ login root
    Password:
    Last login: Sun Feb 8 17:44:40 on ttyp2
    Parz:~ root#
    I\'m back.

  9. #9
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    pooh - It has to work because I can go backwards. If I log into root and go backwards to my user it allows me to do that.

    Ok, so it seems we are going to attribute it to a fluke. Cause it doesn't seem like a security feature.


    Thanks,

    - adiz
    Ultimately everyone will have their own opinion--this is mine.

    OOOUUUUCH! <throaty sound> That ain\'t cool baby.</throaty sound> (right before this I had made fun of the \'girl\' and she took it out on my balls... Luckily later on they were \"taken care of.\"

  10. #10
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    Originally posted here by adiz
    pooh - It has to work because I can go backwards. If I log into root and go backwards to my user it allows me to do that.


    - adiz
    Meh, as superuser, you own everyone, so permissions would allow you to go backwards, but not necessarily the other way around, so pooh has a point there. Maybe its a system-dependent thing.
    I\'m back.

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