So what do you do as root? what should never be done as root?

[lullysing]

I'm very curious about this. What do the other unix/linux people do as root, and simply will never touch with a ten foot pole with the root user ? In which circumstances would you not recommend su over root access?

( Ok, i admit it's mostly got to do with SOMEONE ELSE not doing "<" when he should have done ">" and that simple detail making me rewrite a shell script from nothing. no i'm not bitter.)


_____________________________
when someone asks for your username and password, and much *clickely clickely* is happening in the background, know enough that you should be worried.

 

[sleipnir214]

Unless I am performing some action that specifically requires that I log in as root (installing software, configuring the system), I do not log in as another user.

Want the best answers? Ask the best questions!

TANSTAAFL!!

 

[lullysing]

you do not login as another user? or you mean you DO login as a regular user UNLESS you doing the configs or compiles?

_____________________________
when someone asks for your username and password, and much *clickely clickely* is happening in the background, know enough that you should be worried.

 

[Chacalinc]

sleipnir means: login as another user (not root) UNLESS the action you must do (command, software to install, hardware to add or modify, etc.) REQUIRES root account to do it.

Cheers.

 

[lullysing]

That's what i though made sense, but the comment he put was.. eu... hum... well... confusing.

Now this is what i mostly do on my own server, but sometimes when i su to root to do something, for some reason sometimes i do not have access to certain commands i would have if i had login as root.

PATH problems?

_____________________________
when someone asks for your username and password, and much *clickely clickely* is happening in the background, know enough that you should be worried.

 

[Chacalinc]

jejeje.. error is human.

May be the profile...

do you issu a "su" or "su -" (note the "-"). With "su" you get root user, but with "su -" you also load the root's .bashrc where you load the root's profile (Path, etc.)

 

[lullysing]

That's probably it. I was doing su root instead of su - . I guess this is yet another case of RTFM *grins*.

_____________________________
when someone asks for your username and password, and much *clickely clickely* is happening in the background, know enough that you should be worried.

 

[sleipnir214]

All:

Yeah, I see the source of confusion. Assume that my first post was supposed to read:

Unless I am performing some action that specifically requires that I log in as root (installing software, configuring the system), I log in as another user.


That'll teach me to proof-read my posts to make sure my interim edits have all been removed.

Want the best answers? Ask the best questions!

TANSTAAFL!!

 

[thedaver]

I like to play a game as root...

I like to 'cd /' and type 'rm -fr *' but NOT press enter.

Then I sit there and time myself while I stare at it... Eventually it bothers me so much that I have to erase the command.... My best time so far is 34 seconds...

hahahaha

Surfinbox.com Business Internet Services - National Dialup, DSL, T-1 and more.

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[KenCunningham]

You obviously like to live dangerously thedaver! Who among us hasn't typed such a command and then (by instinct) hit return, followed by much cursing and gnashing of teeth. The alternative scenario (and I don't want to scare you here) is that during the 34 seconds 'chicken time', that precariously balanced manual on your monitor decides it's time to fall onto your keyboard.

Seriously though, don't do things as root if it's at all possible not to and if you do, follow the advice of someone in these forums (sorry, can't recall who) "Think twice, press return once". Cheers.

 

[gbaughma]

Just for grins, here's a fun link, although there's only 97 for some reason...

http://www.unixgirl.com/humor/unix/100.things.sysadmin.says.html

 

[gbaughma]

<follow up>
In reading through that list, I've personally used 1, 3, 5, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 18 was said by my wife, about my laptop, 20, 23, 24, 25, 30, 35, 42 (more than once), 50, 51 (just recently), 61, 64 (Sigh), 71 (over and over again), 83, 92 and 93....

I guess it shows JUST what a computer geek I am.

--Greg