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Post by pproche on Jul 13, 2008 18:57:50 GMT
Hi Guys,
I have reinstalled leopard from scratch and went through all the screens to set myself up as a user etc... At no time did it ask me to setup a root password but sometimes i need to use it but i do not know what i is does anybody have any ideas please ? It is not my user password nor is it blank, I'm confused (again)
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Post by Forum Cat on Jul 13, 2008 19:54:38 GMT
Hi there pproche I have to confess that I am a little confused by your post.
Now bearing in mind that I am not an expert in this I will explain what I know.
There are three levels of access that OS X allows.
User, admin, and root.
Unless you are an expert, uber geek, unix genius you should never, ever gain root access. There are ways to do it but unless you are one of the above don't go there.
The Admin level allows you do do pretty much anything that Apple intends OS X to be used for. This is the level that you get automatically when you are the only user on a Mac. Mac OS X demands that there is always one user who is the Admin. If you want a lower level of access you need to set yourself (or your child etc) with another account on the same machine.
The general user account lets you do most things but won't let you make significant changes such as adding new software to the main applications folder. There are further restrictions that can be added to these accounts by the Admin if required.
I am guessing that it is the Admin level that you are wanting rather than Root. Am I right?
Cat
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Post by pproche on Jul 13, 2008 20:48:08 GMT
Mr Cat,
Thanks for the reply, It is root access I am after as i am looking to work in the BASH shell. I know you can do it with admin rights but i want to use shutdown scripts that require root access. I am a computer engineer that works with unix servers and i am basically practicing shell stuff at home rather than on clients servers (obviously not wise). I am also trying to hone my skills with the VI editor too, which i hate to use but it's necessary.
Cheers,
Paul Roche
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Post by Forum Cat on Jul 13, 2008 20:57:29 GMT
Ok Paul
As long as the general reader of these pages know the danger of Root access As you know messing with it can FUBAR your Mac.
If I remember correctly one way to get Root is as follows.
Boot up from the dvd that came with the Mac.
Follow your nose until you get the the first screen that has a menu bar running across the top in usual Mac fashion. When this shows look for the change password option from one of the options (sorry I have forgotten which one). There should be an option there to enable your own Root access too.
Forgive me for being vague, I have not had to do this myself. Let me know if I have remembered correctly.
Cat
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Post by pproche on Jul 13, 2008 21:06:19 GMT
Cheers Cat,
I'll give it a go now. I do agree that root access is not for everybody and shouldn't be used lightly, I don't consider myself an expert especially where macs are concerned but I am comfortable with the shell and unix commands.
You are right to point out the pitfalls and I would not encourage anyone who uses the GUI to seek root access.
Paul.
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Post by barryj21 on Jul 18, 2008 18:29:43 GMT
OSX doesn't have a *root* account as such (as say, Linux does) - you use sudo when you want root access. If your account has administrative privileges you type sudo, then the command. You'll be prompted for your password - enter your password.
For example,
sudo halt
will shutdown your machine after you've entered your password.
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Post by pproche on Jul 21, 2008 6:09:55 GMT
Hi Thanks for the reply, you can enable root access by following the steps laid out here > support.apple.com/kb/HT1528?viewlocale=en_US this enables you to su root in a shell and work as root which is what i was looking for. Obviously if you only use the GUI there is little point in doing this.
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