RE: Debian 7.1 root password issue.
Cindy-Sue Causey butterflyby...@gmail.com wrote: On 2/2/15, Wayne Hartell w.hart...@ozemail.com.au wrote: Michael Collins wrote: Log in with the user account. Left-click the user account name (upper right corner), select system settings, select user, left-click Unlock. Enter the root password. Change the user account to an administrator. As a new Linux/Debian user I have been doing the not recommended thing (at least I think it says it's not recommended; it has been a while since my last install) thing of not setting a password for root. That way there's no hoops to jump through to the installer puts my intended user account into the sudoers list. Now the steps to do this manually are re-described above I realize that under Gnome it's not actually that hard to do (when making my install selections I had memories of the manual way trying to edit the sudoers file, which for a new user is a little daunting. I recall it taking me a few attempts to get it to work. The installer gave me an easy way out). That brings me to my point; due to my installer choices, I cannot log in under root on the three systems that I have installed so far. Right now I have no reason to believe that this is or ever will be an issue since I can use sudo and that feels safer to me. Does anyone have any different opinions on this? (These are home systems and predominantly for learning Linux/Debian at this point, as opposed to being core systems that are depended upon for daily use, although one day in the not too distant future I hope to change this). My apologies if this has already been suggested or if you've already mentioned you tried it, but have you tried: passwd root via command line as one of your users that has rights to do so? You enter a password, enter it again to confirm, and done deal. It seems a little too easy to do, actually. Every time I do it, my mind wanders off thinking how easy it is to change if someone gains control of one of our sudo enabled user accounts... I just gave that a whirl and yes it works like a charm! Regards, Wayne. Just thinking out loud :) Cindy :) -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: https://lists.debian.org/006b01d0402b$6d149060$473db120$@ozemail.com.au
Re: Debian 7.1 root password issue.
Wayne Hartell wrote: As a new Linux/Debian user I have been doing the not recommended thing (at least I think it says it's not recommended; it has been a while since my last install) thing of not setting a password for root. That way there's no hoops to jump through to the installer puts my intended user account into the sudoers list. I don't think that is not recommended at all. It is fully supported. It is a well behaved path. It isn't well known though and I think that may be what you are reading as not recommended. But those of us that know what it does do know what it does and it is just one of the choices available. Not being as well known as the mainstream path in this case doesn't make it less well tested because less well known is still quite well known and quite well tested. Also I will point out that Ubuntu does this by default. Ubuntu's default is one way and Debian's default is the other way. Now the steps to do this manually are re-described above I realize that under Gnome it's not actually that hard to do (when making my install selections I had memories of the manual way trying to edit the sudoers file, which for a new user is a little daunting. I recall it taking me a few attempts to get it to work. The installer gave me an easy way out). Debian creates a 'sudo' group. Any user in the sudo group has sudo access. This is done by the default /etc/sudoers config line: # Allow members of group sudo to execute any command %sudo ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL There is some history as to why that is done that way. For one thing it allowed a style of system config where that /etc/sudoers file is never modified. If it is never modified then the package manager can update it without any interaction from the user. The traditional /etc/sudoers config where individual modifications are made for each user requires the package manager to notify the admin upon every upgrade that the file is different in the new package and the admin must merge those together. That trips people sometimes such as when secure_path was added to the config. Admins that said keep their current config then had problems with PATH until they figured out that they were missing secure_path. They should have merged their custom config with the new config. It was a self induced problem but one that happens. By keeping the /etc/sudoers file package pristine that problem is avoided. I now recommend putting any custom config into something like /etc/sudoers.d/zz-sudoers-local instead. That will never be packaged and will never need a merge. That brings me to my point; due to my installer choices, I cannot log in under root on the three systems that I have installed so far. Right now I have no reason to believe that this is or ever will be an issue since I can use sudo and that feels safer to me. Does anyone have any different opinions on this? (These are home systems and predominantly for learning Linux/Debian at this point, as opposed to being core systems that are depended upon for daily use, although one day in the not too distant future I hope to change this). You probably don't realize it but you are asking a religious question. There is no single right answer. But people do feel very strongly about the issue and people do feel strongly that other people's opinions are wrong about it. If you search the archives there have been flamewars on it before. The sect that thinks allowing root logins is ultimately bad have some belief that because root isn't blocked from logging in that attackers can somehow magically actually log in as root. That just isn't true. For you in your environment I don't see it ever being a problem. You should definitely feel free to continue. You will even find people who believe blocking root is The One True Way. Anyone doing anything different they feel is doing something heinously wrong. For me in my environment I have often needed to log into remote server systems as root because the system was in trouble and needed a root login to take corrective action. I have many times had cases where logging in as a non-root user was ineffective because the non-root user was unable to fork sudo due to the system being sick and needing help. With the ability to log in as root I was able to diagnose the problems, take corrective action on the remote server, and get it back online. Most importantly diagnose problems. Without visibility I would only have been able to power cycle the server and would have had no diagnostic ability and no idea what it was doing. For me being able to log in as root is The One True Way. There is a huge difference and a large sameness between enterprise servers and your portable laptop. They can both be running exactly the same Debian system. It is the Universial Operating System after all. And yet your home desktop or laptop is not anything at all like an enterprise server system. It is interesting that they are so much the same and
Re: Debian 7.1 root password issue.
On 2/2/15, Wayne Hartell w.hart...@ozemail.com.au wrote: Michael Collins wrote: Log in with the user account. Left-click the user account name (upper right corner), select system settings, select user, left-click Unlock. Enter the root password. Change the user account to an administrator. As a new Linux/Debian user I have been doing the not recommended thing (at least I think it says it's not recommended; it has been a while since my last install) thing of not setting a password for root. That way there's no hoops to jump through to the installer puts my intended user account into the sudoers list. Now the steps to do this manually are re-described above I realize that under Gnome it's not actually that hard to do (when making my install selections I had memories of the manual way trying to edit the sudoers file, which for a new user is a little daunting. I recall it taking me a few attempts to get it to work. The installer gave me an easy way out). That brings me to my point; due to my installer choices, I cannot log in under root on the three systems that I have installed so far. Right now I have no reason to believe that this is or ever will be an issue since I can use sudo and that feels safer to me. Does anyone have any different opinions on this? (These are home systems and predominantly for learning Linux/Debian at this point, as opposed to being core systems that are depended upon for daily use, although one day in the not too distant future I hope to change this). My apologies if this has already been suggested or if you've already mentioned you tried it, but have you tried: passwd root via command line as one of your users that has rights to do so? You enter a password, enter it again to confirm, and done deal. It seems a little too easy to do, actually. Every time I do it, my mind wanders off thinking how easy it is to change if someone gains control of one of our sudo enabled user accounts... Just thinking out loud :) Cindy :) -- Cindy-Sue Causey Talking Rock, Pickens County, Georgia, USA * Sid's down the street at the local hotel-motel-boatel right now. We're trying to patch things up. * -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: https://lists.debian.org/cao1p-kdkkn_pxkv_6glpnrbc3oxkmlnsnlsut37o2iaougn...@mail.gmail.com
Re: Debian 7.1 root password issue.
SANG KIM sangkim8986 at msn.com writes: I recently installed debian 7.1 and I reinstalled it at least five times. I've tried installing it with a root password created and without and Debian still won't let me log in as root. It says authentication failed after I type in the root password. I've tried reinstalling it without creating a root password and it still won't let me log in. I get the same message as before. I can log in as another user, but not as root. I've checked the passwords entered and every time the password is correct, but Debian says that it's not. How can I fix these issues. I've tried to use the password command to remove whatever password I created/didn't create and I get an error message that the password command cannot be found in BASH. Is there something wrong with the Debian 7.1? I can't even install updates to the OS. Thank you. Log in with the user account. Left-click the user account name (upper right corner), select system settings, select user, left-click Unlock. Enter the root password. Change the user account to an administrator. What a pita! Regards, MC
Re: Debian 7.1 root password issue.
On Monday 02 February 2015 14:17:30 Michael Collins wrote: SANG KIM sangkim8986 at msn.com writes: I recently installed debian 7.1 and I reinstalled it at least five times. I've tried installing it with a root password created and without and Debian still won't let me log in as root. It says authentication failed after I type in the root password. I've tried reinstalling it without creating a root password and it still won't let me log in. I get the same message as before. I can log in as another user, but not as root. I've checked the passwords entered and every time the password is correct, but Debian says that it's not. How can I fix these issues. I've tried to use the password command to remove whatever password I created/didn't create and I get an error message that the password command cannot be found in BASH. Is there something wrong with the Debian 7.1? I can't even install updates to the OS. Thank you. Log in with the user account. Left-click the user account name (upper right corner), select system settings, select user, left-click Unlock. Enter the root password. Change the user account to an administrator. I've never had a problem installing with a root password during installation. Why a pita? Lisi -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: https://lists.debian.org/201502021623.02529.lisi.re...@gmail.com
RE: Debian 7.1 root password issue.
Michael Collins wrote: SANG KIM sangkim8986 at msn.com writes: I recently installed debian 7.1 and I reinstalled it at least five times. I've tried installing it with a root password created and without and Debian still won't let me log in as root. It says authentication failed after I type in the root password. I've tried reinstalling it without creating a root password and it still won't let me log in. I get the same message as before. I can log in as another user, but not as root. I've checked the passwords entered and every time the password is correct, but Debian says that it's not. How can I fix these issues. I've tried to use the password command to remove whatever password I created/didn't create and I get an error message that the password command cannot be found in BASH. Is there something wrong with the Debian 7.1? I can't even install updates to the OS. Thank you. Log in with the user account. Left-click the user account name (upper right corner), select system settings, select user, left-click Unlock. Enter the root password. Change the user account to an administrator. What a pita! Regards, MC As a new Linux/Debian user I have been doing the not recommended thing (at least I think it says it's not recommended; it has been a while since my last install) thing of not setting a password for root. That way there's no hoops to jump through to the installer puts my intended user account into the sudoers list. Now the steps to do this manually are re-described above I realize that under Gnome it's not actually that hard to do (when making my install selections I had memories of the manual way trying to edit the sudoers file, which for a new user is a little daunting. I recall it taking me a few attempts to get it to work. The installer gave me an easy way out). That brings me to my point; due to my installer choices, I cannot log in under root on the three systems that I have installed so far. Right now I have no reason to believe that this is or ever will be an issue since I can use sudo and that feels safer to me. Does anyone have any different opinions on this? (These are home systems and predominantly for learning Linux/Debian at this point, as opposed to being core systems that are depended upon for daily use, although one day in the not too distant future I hope to change this). Cheers. -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: https://lists.debian.org/000f01d03f67$e938cea0$bbaa6be0$@ozemail.com.au
Re: Debian 7.1 root password issue.
Dňa 26.06.2013 04:11 SANG KIM wrote / napísal(a): I recently installed debian 7.1 and I reinstalled it at least five times. I've tried installing it with a root password created and without and Debian still won't let me log in as root. It says authentication failed after I type in the root password. In Debian 6.x i was similar problem, which was caused by keyboard - i was the Slovak keyborad in the installer choose, but the installer used the English keyboard (for the root password). For me this was problem with numbers in password - easy solved by the NumPad. I do not tried to install the 7.x yet. -- Slavko http://slavino.sk signature.asc Description: OpenPGP digital signature
Re: Debian 7.1 root password issue.
El 25/06/13 23:11, SANG KIM escribió: ied to use the password command to remove whatever password I created/didn't create and I get an error message that the password command cannot be found in BASH. Is there Hello SANG KIM. Never happen to me. But, when you login with a user account, you don tried to probe with: $ su - And if you start with a liveCD/USB for make a chroot to the previously installed Debian and try to change the root password from outside?: # mkdir /target # mount /dev/installed-linux-partitition /target # mount --bind /dev /target/dev # mount --bind /proc /target/proc # mount --bind /srv /target/srv # mount --bind /sys /target/sys # chroot /target # passwd (your password) (your password again) # exit # umount /target/sys ; umount /target/srv # umount /target/proc ; umount /target/dev # umount /target # reboot enjoy! Greetings!!! -- Pablo Alejandro Hamann Soporte Informático Hospital de Urgencias signature.asc Description: OpenPGP digital signature
Re: Debian 7.1 root password issue.
On 26/06/13 03:11, SANG KIM wrote: I recently installed debian 7.1 and I reinstalled it at least five times. I've tried installing it with a root password created and without and Debian still won't let me log in as root. It says authentication failed after I type in the root password. I've tried reinstalling it without creating a root password and it still won't let me log in. I get the same message as before. I can log in as another user, but not as root. I've checked the passwords entered and every time the password is correct, but Debian says that it's not. How can I fix these issues. I've tried to use the password command to remove whatever password I created/didn't create and I get an error message that the password command cannot be found in BASH. Is there something wrong with the Debian 7.1? I can't even install updates to the OS. How did you try to log in as root? Was it from the Desktop login, text console or by ssh? The desktop doesn't allow root logins, so you need to do it from a terminal. The command to change a password is passwd it should be in /usr/bin. -- Dom -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/51ca7ef9.1030...@rpdom.net
