[NTLUG:Discuss] Linux beginner list?

[Steve Baker]

Wayne Dahl wrote:
> 
> Hi all.

> ...from a shell command line, I
> would log in from my normal account to an su, which requires the same
> password as root.  I was under the impression that logging in as su would
> be the same as a root login.  Glint would not even start when I was logged
> in as su.

It does switch your current privilages to be those of 'root'...but
there are some subtle distinctions compared to actually logging in
as 'root'.

Running just 'su' makes your 'effective' user ID be 'root' - that sets
your permissions up to be the same as 'root' - but it doesn't
change your 'real' user ID (the one you logged in as) - and it doesn't
run root's '.login' or '.profile' scripts or change you to his home
directory.

You can instead type 'su -' and then the root password - and that's
just like logging in as 'root' - that should suffice for running
'rpm' to install things.

>  Having read some of your posts, it's obvious to me that I'm in
> way above my head here right now.  That doesn't mean I'll leave, it just
> means I don't want to bother you folks with what you would probably
> consider painfully elementary questions.

I don't think such questions are out of place here...and at least it
gives me some questions I can actually *answer* :-)
 
> I appreciate the responses to the last question.  I figured I would
> probably hear "upgrade your system" and I will shortly.  I don't leave the
> machine on when I'm not sitting in front of it as it's not on a UPS and
> this Windoze machine I'm using right now is getting even quirkier than M$
> can be because our power sucks here and goes off without warning.  Happened
> just yesterday and this machine was on while I was in the living room.  I
> REALLY need to get a couple of UPS's.

If that happens to you a lot then you may also want to consider switching
to a 'journalling file system' when you upgrade Linux.  That will allow
your machine to reboot after a power failure without waiting for FSCK to
painfully test all of your disk drives.
 
----------------------------- Steve Baker -------------------------------
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