[K12OSN] The "can't log in as root to fix the 'can't log in as root'" conundrum

[j.w. thomas]

David Hopkins wrote:
> Can you just use "su root" to get root ownership in a terminal session
> after logging in with your normal account?  I normally use su - root
> to get the full login environment, but su root should give you root
> privileges, right?

Yes, as will a plain "su".  The dash argument to su means "execute my 
start-up scripts and set up my environment."  Without the dash, you 
don't get that, meaning you also won't have root's path variable set. 
That means you'll hafta specify the path to things like /sbin/ifconfig 
(and other commands).

The other argument to su is the username.  Without a username specified, 
su assumes you mean root.


-- 
Jim Thomas            Principal Applications Engineer  Bittware, Inc
jthomas at bittware.com  http://www.bittware.com    (603) 226-0404 x536
Build a man a fire and he is warm for a day.
Set a man on fire and he is warm for the rest of his life.