[FC1] Insufficient rights when trying to shut down

Parameshwara Bhat pbhat at ongc.net
Thu Jun 3 17:58:46 UTC 2004


---- Original Message -----
> From: "Ow Mun Heng" <Ow.Mun.Heng at wdc.com>
> To: <fedora-list at redhat.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, June 02, 2004 11:15 AM
> Subject: Re: [FC1] Insufficient rights when trying to shut down


> On Wed, 2004-06-02 at 09:09, Muñoz Aparicio, Esther wrote:
> > Everything is working fine as root, but now, every time me or my
> > husband try to, for example, shut down the computer (when logged as
> > ourselves), Gnome complains that we have insufficent rights. The same
> > happens with any program that used to ask for root password when
> > invoked from Gnome: the pop-up message says "Insufficient rights" and
> > that's all.
>  That's cause to invoke the shutdown command,
> you have to be root! Unless of course you grant access
> to the "shutdown" command using sudo.
>  Alternatively, you can try "poweroff" or "reboot"
> which works w/o needing root admin rights.
>  (it's a security hazard but if it's your own PC, it's
> deemed ok)
>  HTH
>  cheers,
> ow

> Out of the box, you must be superuser to use "reboot" or "poweroff". In 
> run
> level 0 or 6 they call shutdown with the appropriate flag ie -h or -r. 
> Example
> output below:

> [mlm at paddles mlm]$ reboot
> reboot: must be superuser.
> [mlm at paddles mlm]$ poweroff
> poweroff: must be superuser.


> Mike
    My system is Fedora1 and I can shutdown from the Login page without 
questions being asked.Of-course I haven't tried to shutdown from Gnome 
session,but from the log-in page I have always shutdown (i.e.,being 
neither root,nor user).

I have suffered FR's strange (because irrational and unnecessary for a 
desktop PC) security logic a lot , but on this never.  But,this 
restriction is meaningless because you can always switch off at 
home,unlike a distant admission prohibited server room

Granting the above case,shouldn't it ask for super user password and if 
supplied,shut mouth and do the bidding ?Fedora developers appear to be 
just unable (or unwilling ) to acknowledge that Linux is no more a network 
/ server only OS and the security logic for a PC Desktop should be based 
on a different footing ? More delayed the hangover, longer rules the 
Redmond (does anybody who is somebody in RH reads this ?)

Parameshwara Bhat





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