SOLVED What is the password for su?

[thriftee]

I would like to be able to run a terminal in su mode.

Thanks if anyone could post an answer...

[BALLOON a.k.a. Fu-sen.]

This appears in the past:
http://planetwatt.com/newforum/index.php?topic=47.0

Please check this forum well. There is the answer.
At first, please search it.

[thriftee]

Yes, thanks, I had spent a while searching for it, and because I've never used Ubuntu, I've never seen linux or unix without root before, so it didn't make sense.

I have it working now by doing the change sudo given and then going to an admin terminal to then call whatever progam is needed.
 
PS: I have no idea why my search didn't find the post from may.  Perhaps I miskeyed it.    Sorry to have asked it again.

[hinto]

sudo su works.
you can then set your su password with passwd.
Also sux will let you run GUI apps as su from the command line.
-Hinto

[thriftee]

Hinto,

I appreciate the suggestions, but for some unknown reason they aren't working like I would have expected on my pc.  Note that it gave me the authentication failure, but gave me a root login prompt anyway in this case.  If I was to just try su, it would not have given me the root login prompt.

Code: [Select]

bobc@dv9000a:~$ sudo su
[sudo] password for bobc:
su: Authentication failure
(Ignored)
root@dv9000a:/home/bobc#

It did not allow me to change the password, from the looks of it, perhaps because I tried to use the same password again

Code: [Select]

root@dv9000a:/home/bobc# passwd
Enter new UNIX password:
Retype new UNIX password:
passwd: Authentication token manipulation error
passwd: password unchanged
root@dv9000a:/home/bobc#


I get that same authentication failure from sux when I installed it and tried using it

Code: [Select]

bobc@dv9000a:~$ sux
Password:
su: Authentication failure
bobc@dv9000a:~$

I am ok now.  I do appreciate the suggestions because I have almost no experience with ubuntu methodologies, and am floundering in those areas, just trying to accomplish basic tasks to get up and running.

I am now using sudo roxterm from a terminal prompt and able to accomplish those needed tasks.  So I will mark this thread solved.

[hinto]

That's all standard Debian.
Unless WattOS created a root password, it will work.
sudo su
will ask you for sudo's password, which is yours if you have sudo rights.  Most distros create the initial user as a member of admin or sudoers.  Both of which usually are out-of-box can uses sudo.
-Hinto

[Maroman]

sudo su works but in a strange way. I have

Code: [Select]

maroman@asuma:~$ sudo su
[sudo] password for maroman:
su: Authentication failure
(Ignored)
root@asuma:/home/maroman#

maybe there is a problem with the lack of /etc/shadow ? records of /etc/passwd show - letter x as the second record field

Code: [Select]

cat /etc/passwd
root:x:0:0:root:/root:/bin/bash
daemon:x:1:1:daemon:/usr/sbin:/bin/sh
bin:x:2:2:bin:/bin:/bin/sh
sys:x:3:3:sys:/dev:/bin/sh
...

that encrypted passwords should be there. both sudo -s and sudo -i work without any issue.

cheers,