Problem with su -

[Aaron Konstam]

On Mon, 2012-03-05 at 10:27 -0500, Bob Goodwin wrote: 
> On 05/03/12 10:16, Aaron Konstam wrote:
> > On Mon, 2012-03-05 at 09:39 -0500, Bob Goodwin wrote:
> >> I have an F-16 computer that was working normally a couple of
> >>          days ago when run this morning has an unusual [to me] problem.
> >>
> >>          When I su and type in the root password form the XCFE desktop it
> >>          spends about 20 seconds before displaying a prompt and then
> >>          instead of:
> >>
> >>              [bobg at box6 ~]$ su
> >>              Password:
> >>              [root at box6 bobg]# exit
> >>
> >>
> >>          I get a prompt:  bash-4.2#
> >>
> >>          If instead of bringing up the desktop with startx I "su" it
> >>          changes to root quickly after entering the password, also with
> >>          the  prompt "bash-4.2#."
> >>
> >>          Other than that it apparently works? But obviously something has
> >>          changed and I can't guess what?
> >>
> >>          Bob
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> > I am not sure what you really want to do, but if you want to become root
> > you need to execute su - not su.
> 
>         The computer is doing what I want it to do but the indications
>         are wrong.
>         The prompt should be [root at box6 bobg]# and I should get there
>         immediately not twenty seconds after pressing "Enter."
> 
>         Bob
> 

The only way you can get a prompt containig root is by using su - .
su will only produce a root prompt  by starting as root. It it not
posible to do this:

           [bobg at box6 ~]$ su
              Password:
              [root at box6 bobg]#

So what are you really doing?

-- 
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Life is one long struggle in the dark. -- Titus Lucretius Carus
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Aaron Konstam telephone: (210) 656-0355 e-mail: akonstam at sbcglobal.net