log in through root

[Michael Miles]

su root
password






On 03/28/2010 09:54 AM, Rick Sewill wrote:
> On 03/28/2010 03:29 AM, Rajanish Kumar wrote:
>    
>> Hi!
>>   I have already installed Fedora 12 .I have given root password...and
>> finally added a user name "rajanish"
>> .I am log in through "rajanish"but i have not accessing throgh root...I
>> want to log in through root because i want to learn administrative property.
>>   please help me to guide log in through root..
>>
>> Rajanish Kumar
>> Fedora User
>>
>>      
> Others will answer how to log in through root.
>
> I would express a different concern.
>
> Please forgive me if this sounds like a rant.
> I don't wish it to be such.  The following is what I believe.
>
> Linux has a different mindset from Windows.
>
> I think of Windows as being single-user focused.
> One user, at a time, does things on Windows.
> That user, is, for all intents and purposes, "god" on the PC.
> That user, invariably, runs with administrator privileges.
>
> I realize I am being unfair to Windows.
> One can have multiple Windows users "active" at the same time.
> One can leave one user active and log in as another user.
>
> Windows users can be restricted from administrator privileges.
>
> Windows users are coerced into running with administrator privileges.
> Windows users run programs that try to do upgrades automatically.
> Windows users visit websites that try to do installs immediately.
>
> Linux is multi-user.  People are expected to run as normal users.
> People should be root only long enough to do system things.
>
> Program developers create downloads with this in mind.
> People can download and compile and build programs as normal users.
> Only when people need to install, do people need to become root.
>
> For most things, people should run as a "normal" user.
> When I see a person running normal programs, as root, I shudder.
>
> People have arguments, which is more secure, Windows or Linux.
> I believe it is not the operating system that is secure or insecure.
> I believe it is the way people use the operating system.
>
> I believe one can take an insecure Windows operating system and make it
> secure.  One can argue, it will also be annoying to use, or unusable,
> but that is another discussion.
>
> I believe one can take a secure Linux operating system and make it insecure.
>
> What am I trying to say?
>
> Please be very, very careful what you do as root.
> You can make a terrible mess if you don't know what you are doing.
>
> This is the end of my rant...wishing it didn't sound like a rant.
>
> To help this person and me and others, can someone suggest some
> reasonable websites that explain how to keep Linux secure and how to be
> a Linux administrator for beginners?
>
> What I found, when searching the Internet, was rather dated.
>
> I'm not looking for information on selinux or the intricacies of iptables.
>
> I'd rather find a tutorial saying things like...
> only run services (chkconfig service ...) you need,
> only open firewall ports (iptables ...) you really want opened,
> only install software from sources you trust,
> don't run user programs or games as root,
> get a USB drive for backups and how to do backups,
> etc.
>
> I have a personal reason for asking for this information.
>
> My sister keeps bringing her Windows XP PC to me for fixing.
> It takes her less than a week to get viruses on her PC.
> I've reloaded from the factory partition twice already.
>
> The second time, she got viruses, really frustrated me.
> Before giving her back her PC, I made sure all the patches were in.
> I had Norton Utilities running with all updates.
> I made sure her firewall was enabled.
> Did me little good.
>
> Her PC currently has some viruses on it (this is the third time).
> Again, I made sure all patches were in and all updates were in.
>
> Norton Utilities can detect the viruses, but not remove them.
>
> I told her I wanted to install Linux on her PC.
> She is bucking.  She knows how to find notepad.
> She wants to be able to run a "Creative Memories" program.
> She has both Internet Explorer and firefox (I tried to get her to use
> firefox) set to go to her favorite website, as her home page.
>
> I only find out she has a problem when she can't do her usual routine.
> The first two times, I found out, because the malware was demanding
> money and wouldn't let her do anything with her PC.
>
> This last time, I found out, because, when she clicked the web browser
> icon, it went to the wrong web page, not her home page.
>
> Even if I force her to switch to Linux, I will have problems.
> She will fuss and fuss until I give her the root password.
> I won't want to give her the root password...for obvious reasons.
> She will take a "secure" Linux system and make it vulnerable.
> She won't know what she is doing.
>
> You may think I'm being unfair to her...and I am.
> She is not computer literate.  She is literate in other things.
> She calls her PC her brain because someone explained the PC was the
> brain.  She doesn't know what a hard disk is...she doesn't know the
> difference between program and data...she doesn't know how to find
> things unless those things are icons on the desktop...she needs help
> configuring her printer and ethernet.  Once configured, she is happy.
>
> As I say, I am being unfair to her...there are many things she knows
> that I don't know and don't wish to know...but she is not computer
> literate.  For this discussion, that is what matters.
>
> I was looking for the history of Linux and found an interesting URL from
> http://www.youtube.com/user/ComputerHistory
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVTWCPoUt8w
> This is the first time I saw an image of Linus Torvalds.
>
> If people could find tutorials on how to be an administrator for Linux,
> written for people who are not very computer literate, I would be
> appreciative.
>
>