Who uses sudo?

sevenfourk · 2008-08-28 12:24:39

kensai wrote:

I come form the old school, I cannot get used to typing sudo and then my user password. I find it easier and simpler to just 'su' and then 'exit' the 'su' mode.

But you can add your user to the wheel group and turn off the pass typing.

I do use sudo, with some often used apps i use sudo mixed in aliases

Barrucadu · 2008-08-28 12:46:12

sevenfourk wrote:

But you can add your user to the wheel group and turn off the pass typing.

And what's the advantage of doing that over just su'ing?

iphitus · 2008-08-28 12:47:54

I dont know when, but I randomly started using sudo at some stage in time. For anything more than 2 commands I'll use su.

sevenfourk · 2008-08-28 12:58:47

Barrucadu wrote:

And what's the advantage of doing that over just su'ing?

Well, its much faster then using su

j.roszk · 2008-08-28 12:59:24

iphitus wrote:

For anything more than 2 commands I'll use su.

Actually, what is the difference between 'su' and 'sudo -s' (apart from the password you type in)?

Last edited by j.roszk (2008-08-28 12:59:46)

KimTjik · 2008-08-28 13:06:06

I'm no big fan of 'sudo'. For me it's more efficient to by 'su' have a root shell. As long as I'm in front of my computer I can't see any security risk of doing that.

Profjim · 2008-08-28 13:24:18

sudo xxx

will log $USER's use of "COMMAND xxx" in /var/log/auth.log.

su
xxx

won't.

sudo -s
xxx

won't log the xxx but will log the request for a shell.

sudo is also more configurable: with "visudo" you can fine-tune who's allowed to "sudo cmd" for which commands and when they need to supply a password to do it. If you don't fine-tune, but just, e.g., say that group wheel can do everything but has to give a password, then the main advantages of

sudo cmd

over the use of su, as I understand it, is just that
1. it may make you think twice (if you sudo cmd1; sudo cmd2; sudo cmd3, you'll have to keep re-typing sudo)
2. it logs
3. if you want to temporarily forego the extra typing, you can request a shell with

sudo -s

(foregoing advantage 2.)
4. it caches your password for default of 5 minutes, so if you realize later (after you'd have left your su shell) that you need to do another superuser command, you don't need to re-type the password.

Perhaps there are other important differences/advatanges. This is what I know about.

z0phi3l · 2008-08-28 15:03:17

I use both, depending on the situation

I never log into the root account

Arkane · 2008-08-28 15:46:12

I use sudo and a lot of sudo -i, and my root account is locked.

Zepp · 2008-08-28 16:14:23

B-Con wrote:

I just login as root, it saves time. For Internet I only use Firefox, and it's really secure so I see no problems running it as root.

I LOL'd, then sighed. Firefox is definitely not "really secure" and that is terrible terrible practice.

ArchArael · 2008-08-28 17:04:28

arael[~]$ps aux | grep mpd
mpd       2522  0.0  0.1  12484  2256 ?        S    19:03   0:00 /usr/bin/mpd /etc/mpd.conf
arael     2536  0.0  0.0   3536   820 pts/3    R+   19:03   0:00 grep mpd
arael[~]$

B-Con....if this was just a joke than sorry. I didn't understood.

Last edited by ArchArael (2008-08-28 17:06:08)

arch0r · 2008-08-28 18:30:36

sudo for shutdoen/reboot in openbox

azleifel · 2008-08-28 18:43:43

sudo and a locked root account.

sevenfourk · 2008-08-28 18:58:59

azleifel wrote:

Locked root account

Sorry, how i can do this?

ArchArael · 2008-08-28 19:02:36

Sorry, how i can do this?

just type as root:

passwd -l root

But first be sure to add your account in /etc/sudoers (use visudo command) otherwise you will block your root account and you will not be able to unlock it again without major privileges.
If this is obvious then sorry, I just wanted to prevent you annoyances.

Last edited by ArchArael (2008-08-28 19:12:20)

sevenfourk · 2008-08-28 19:08:49

ArchArael, thanks I'll be knowing this.

tonyisnt · 2008-08-28 21:20:28

ArchArael wrote:

But first be sure to add your account in /etc/sudoers (use visudo command) otherwise you will block your root account and you will not be able to unlock it again without major privileges.

Like I was saying, live CDs come in handy from time to time.

ArchArael · 2008-08-28 22:35:12

tonyisnt wrote:

ArchArael wrote:
But first be sure to add your account in /etc/sudoers (use visudo command) otherwise you will block your root account and you will not be able to unlock it again without major privileges.
Like I was saying, live CDs come in handy from time to time.

I agree at 100% !!!

live CD is the point Archimede was asking for.

Susu · 2008-08-29 04:49:37

ArchArael wrote:

And sudo is not less secure than su -.
http://www.sudo.ws/sudo/readme.html

The sudoers.sample is very interesting. Never knew you can do so much with sudo (although I've been using it). Thanks for that!

tonyisnt · 2008-08-29 06:05:26

After thinking about it some I did unlock my root account again. However, it was confusing! I unlocked it, made a new password 3 or 4 times, but whenever I'd try su it'd tell me the account was disabled, or something to that effect.

So I looked into it and this was what was stored in my /etc/passwd file: root:x:0:0:root:/root:/sbin/nologin

Completely forgot I did that! However, if any of you want to completely disable your root account, that's one route.

ArchArael · 2008-08-29 10:36:49

Susu wrote:

ArchArael wrote:
And sudo is not less secure than su -.
http://www.sudo.ws/sudo/readme.html
The sudoers.sample is very interesting. Never knew you can do so much with sudo (although I've been using it). Thanks for that!

You are welcome.

TripleE · 2008-08-29 15:02:06

I only use it for package updates.

B-Con · 2008-08-29 20:01:00

ArchArael wrote:

B-Con....if this was just a joke than sorry. I didn't understood.

It was a joke, because, as Zeep points out:

Zepp wrote:

Firefox is definitely not "really secure" and that is terrible terrible practice.

Which is what -- in my eyes -- made it funny.

whargoul · 2008-08-29 21:21:04

I kinda use sudo all the time - even if type like 10 commands who needs root privilegies. It is just some kind of lazyness... Weird ehh?

Acecero · 2008-08-29 23:20:42

haxit wrote:

Well I am pleased to hear this. Many other people hate sudo :S

What's there to hate in a utility? If people don't like it, don't use it. It's simple.

Arch Linux

#26 2008-08-28 12:24:39

Re: Who uses sudo?

#27 2008-08-28 12:46:12

Re: Who uses sudo?

#28 2008-08-28 12:47:54

Re: Who uses sudo?

#29 2008-08-28 12:58:47

Re: Who uses sudo?

#30 2008-08-28 12:59:24

Re: Who uses sudo?

#31 2008-08-28 13:06:06

Re: Who uses sudo?

#32 2008-08-28 13:24:18

Re: Who uses sudo?

#33 2008-08-28 15:03:17

Re: Who uses sudo?

#34 2008-08-28 15:46:12

Re: Who uses sudo?

#35 2008-08-28 16:14:23

Re: Who uses sudo?

#36 2008-08-28 17:04:28

Re: Who uses sudo?

#37 2008-08-28 18:30:36

Re: Who uses sudo?

#38 2008-08-28 18:43:43

Re: Who uses sudo?

#39 2008-08-28 18:58:59

Re: Who uses sudo?

#40 2008-08-28 19:02:36

Re: Who uses sudo?

#41 2008-08-28 19:08:49

Re: Who uses sudo?

#42 2008-08-28 21:20:28

Re: Who uses sudo?

#43 2008-08-28 22:35:12

Re: Who uses sudo?

#44 2008-08-29 04:49:37

Re: Who uses sudo?

#45 2008-08-29 06:05:26

Re: Who uses sudo?

#46 2008-08-29 10:36:49

Re: Who uses sudo?

#47 2008-08-29 15:02:06

Re: Who uses sudo?

#48 2008-08-29 20:01:00

Re: Who uses sudo?

#49 2008-08-29 21:21:04

Re: Who uses sudo?

#50 2008-08-29 23:20:42

Re: Who uses sudo?

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