Login as ROOT on Kubuntu 8.10 / KDE 4.1 ?????

[insad]

It's an old topic, but how can I enable root login on Kubuntu 8.10

None of the postings I found in the forum could help me.

And please NO RESPONSES of the kind of "YOU DON'T NEED IT" etc. etc.

I'm a computer programmer, and I consider myself as a specialist, so I NEED AND WANT root login; and yes, I take absolutely own responsability for whatever I do wrong on my computer as a ROOT user...

Really I think Kubuntu is going the direction of Windows Server 2003 and other **** software, closing everything for the "stupid" user !!! And it's not amusing me anymore, after * sadly * upgrading to 8.10 I spent already several hours to try to figure this out

[shriramrs31]

Re: Login as ROOT on Kubuntu 8.10 / KDE 4.1 ??

that makes two of us.

I am trying for the past half hour to enable dolphin root mode atleast !

[toad]

Re: Login as ROOT on Kubuntu 8.10 / KDE 4.1 ??

There is no root login (never has been in the xxbuntus) 'cos there is no root

how about changing to a different tty, log in, do a sudo su and type startx? never tried 'cos... well, let's not start

[insad]

Re: Login as ROOT on Kubuntu 8.10 / KDE 4.1 ??

In KDE 3 I could perfectly login as root, changing the kdm config file...

I develop Java programs here, big part servlet stuff to run on a (linux) server, and really I'm pissed off when for instance I try to copy JAI libraries to the new Java JRE and I have no rights on the folder etc. ...
That's the same annoyance on Windows 2003 server where everything is closed on a fresh setup, and you spend hours and hours to open up the **** !!!! :-X :-X

[insad]

Re: Login as ROOT on Kubuntu 8.10 / KDE 4.1 ??

But i'm installing GNOME already ... I think bye bye KDE for now

[aged hippy]

Re: Login as ROOT on Kubuntu 8.10 / KDE 4.1 ??

that makes two of us.

I am trying for the past half hour to enable dolphin root mode atleast !

Try this - <Alt><F2> and type in kdesudo dolphin - it works on this installation.

[insad]

Re: Login as ROOT on Kubuntu 8.10 / KDE 4.1 ??

Well, GNOME and I could login as root and run my tests / Java profiling

KDE 4.1 goes into my list of big annoyances !!! Also because I really dislike the program manager, too much click and move and fuzz....

(Other things in that list: standard "firewall" in Windoos, "enhanced security" settings in Windoos Server - that make e.g. IE completely worthless out of the box, "auto-correction" features in fresh Windoos Office stuff, standard disabled ISAPI filters in Windoos IIS, .... )

[mia1dolfan]

Re: Login as ROOT on Kubuntu 8.10 / KDE 4.1 ??

WARNING running as root may lead to Death, Destruction and Despair!!!!!!

-----
Assign the root account a password
sudo passwd root

Modify /etc/kde4/kdm/kdmrc to allow root logins AllowRootLogin=true
-----

[tinker]

Re: Login as ROOT on Kubuntu 8.10 / KDE 4.1 ??

And please NO RESPONSES of the kind of "YOU DON'T NEED IT" etc. etc.

I'm a computer programmer, and I consider myself as a specialist, so I NEED AND WANT root login; and yes, I take absolutely own responsability for whatever I do wrong on my computer as a ROOT user...

A sophisticated user such as yourself should probably consider an operating system that is geared more to being a server than a desktop system. One such possibility is:
http://www.ubuntu.com/products/whati...tion/features/
It has the same default no root login as Kubuntu but it might be crafted to easier to convert for root login if you are going to be using it securely. No X but you could install that if you need it.

Or, perhaps you'd want to use Debian Sid, it is not setup to use sudo as Kubuntu is but it also has the newer features that you probably want. Setup a LAMP server for your development environment.

I hope you won't be Internet connected while you login as root, if you make a mistake and are compromised then you could be a threat to us all as a spam relay or worse. But, as a specialist, you already know that, I just wrote it for the unsophisticated reading this.

[aged hippy]

Re: Login as ROOT on Kubuntu 8.10 / KDE 4.1 ??

Toad was certainly right with that new thread he started.

[Snowhog]

Re: Login as ROOT on Kubuntu 8.10 / KDE 4.1 ??

It's an old topic, but how can I enable root login on Kubuntu 8.10

As all have advised - not recommended. That said,

If you want to enable root account (which is not recommended) enter the following command.
$sudo passwd root
This will prompt for a new root password and once you confirm it, you can start using the root account to login.
If you want to disable root account in ubuntu you need to lock the root account by using the following command
$sudo passwd -l root
If you want to work on a root console you’d better use the following command
$sudo -i
(from http://www.debianadmin.com/enable-an...-password.html)

After all, Linux, even the *buntu's, is still about choice.

[jglen490]

Re: Login as ROOT on Kubuntu 8.10 / KDE 4.1 ??

Yep, Linux is about choice. Had the OP simply typed in "root login" in the Search box on the top of any page, he would have about 20 pages of info from which to choose !!

[Snowhog]

Re: Login as ROOT on Kubuntu 8.10 / KDE 4.1 ??

I am constantly amazed at how many new posters don't take advantage of the search function here. In fact, when I visit a new site - forum, web site, etc. - I always take a bit of time to see what tools are available from the host. I don't think there is a forum out there that doesn't have it's own search tool.

[tinker]

Re: Login as ROOT on Kubuntu 8.10 / KDE 4.1 ??

Something that we might want to consider regarding this topic is this post from the Ubuntu Forum which I have copied here for those who haven't yet read it.

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=765414

Forum policy on log-in-as-root tutorials
Policy
Tutorials explaining how to enable the root account for a graphical login or autologin will not be supported on the forums and will be moved to the Jail. Although we believe people should have the freedom to run their computers however they want, we also believe in supporting Ubuntu's security model. You can find or post information elsewhere on the internet regarding graphical Ubuntu root logins; such tutorials do not have to be hosted on the Ubuntu Forums.

Users posting such tutorials after this announcement will be given a warning or infraction at the discretion of the staff.

Rationale
We believe in and offer technical support for Ubuntu's default security model, which uses sudo for temporary privilege escalation on particular tasks for particular users with a password authentication. Generally speaking, those who desire a graphical root login fall into one of three categories:
Users new to Linux who receive an error message telling them they need to be root in order to execute a certain command or who are trying to follow a tutorial for a non-Ubuntu Linux distribution in which they are instructed to log in as root.
Users new to Ubuntu who have experience with other *nix systems in which they are used to logging in as root.
*nix experts who have very specialized tasks that can be accomplished only through a root login.
The first group (users new to Linux) simply needs to be educated about how Ubuntu works, since all they want to do is accomplish a certain task they believe requires a root login. Once they realize the task can be accomplished more simply with Ubuntu's sudo, they should have no reason to still want a root login.

The second group (Linux vets new to Ubuntu) may theoretically know about sudo but is acculturated to logging in as root. Many of our forum staff and forum members started out this way as well and disliked sudo at first. However, once we got used to sudo, we liked it better than the traditional root/user model, and realized there were both security and usability benefits to Ubuntu's security model. In other words, give Ubuntu a fair chance.

The third group (experts who know of special situations that require a root login) definitely does not need a root login tutorial. If they're really experts, they can easily figure out on their own how to enable a root login. And if they can't figure it out, perhaps they're not the experts they think they are.

To sum it up, if you can't figure out how to log in as root in Ubuntu, then you should be educated on how to use Ubuntu's sudo security model properly; and if you can figure out how to log in as root in Ubuntu and want to, then you certainly don't need a tutorial on how to do it.

Variations on the second and third groups are those who falsely believe sudo security model to be less secure than the traditional root/user model. You can find out more about Ubuntu's reasons for using sudo and the pros and cons of both security models here:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/RootSudo

Quick reference: popular ways to accomplish tasks people think they need a root login for
If a website instructs you to log in as root and then run a certain command (e.g., apt-get update), then instead of logging in as root, you simply preface the command with the word sudo:
Code:
sudo apt-get update
and when prompted for a password, enter your own password.

If you have several commands you want to run as root, and you're tired of typing the word sudo, you can assume temporary root access without activating the root account. So instead of typing
Code:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get remove kubuntu-desktop
sudo apt-get autoremove
sudo apt-get install amarok
you can type
Code:
sudo -i
apt-get update
apt-get remove kubuntu-desktop
apt-get autoremove
apt-get install amarok
exit
If you want to drag and drop files to system folders, you can run one of the following commands to launch a file browser as root. You can run the command from the Run dialogue by pressing Alt-F2. You can run it from the terminal. Or you can run it as keyboard shortcut or launcher command.

For Ubuntu
Code:
gksudo nautilus
For Kubuntu
Code:
kdesu konqueror
for Xubuntu
Code:
gksudo thunar
FAQs
I don't want to be "educated." I know the risks and want to enable the root account. Why can't I run my computer the way I want?
You can run the way your computer the way you want the same way we can run these forums the way we want. We do not want to support you in subverting Ubuntu's security model. If you want to find help outside of these forums, you're welcome to do so.

But what if I want to use the graphical interface instead of the terminal?
You can accomplish graphical root tasks by using gksudo or kdesu in front of the application names. For example, gksudo synaptic launches the graphical package manager Synaptic with root privileges. If you don't like repeatedly typing gksudo in front of a command, create a keyboard shortcut or launcher icon for the command.

But aren't there situations in which a root login is necessary?
Apart from using Ubuntu's recovery mode (which logs you in as root to fix a problem), anyone who has use for such situations should be able to figure out how to log in as root without the need for Ubuntu Forums-hosted tutorials on the subject.

Isn't knowledge power? What's the harm in having these tutorials posted?
Let's say you put your money into a bank and the bank gives you an ATM card allowing you to withdraw money if you enter a password in. You decide, however, that you don't want to have to enter a password. You'd rather just be able to put the card into the ATM machine and withdraw cash with just the card and no password. Let's also say that there is a way to tweak the card so as to no longer require a password. If you know the tweak, do you have the right to use it? Well, you probably wouldn't, but let's say the bank's policies on this matter were a little lax. Does the bank have to host tutorials on the card tweak? Absolutely not. The bank wants you to use the ATM with a password and supports that method of security.

Likewise, we on the forums support Ubuntu's security model. If people are able to set up Ubuntu in other ways and still be secure, they can find ways to do that without the forum providing those ways.

What potential problems come up for the forums when a root account is enabled? Surely there's no problem with users enabling the root account, right?
Security aside, from a strictly support perspective, root logins complicate support in a couple of ways. One situation is users enabling a root account and forgetting their root password. It's come up more than once that when a user has enabled the root account and forgotten her root password, she is unable to boot into recovery mode, and then alternate means of recovering the Ubuntu installation have to be employed (more complicated means).

[Snowhog]

Re: Login as ROOT on Kubuntu 8.10 / KDE 4.1 ??

tinker -

Not completely sure why you posted a policy from the Ubuntu Forum here. The Kubuntu Forums is wholly owned by Open Source, and has no affiliation with Ubuntu Forums, which IMS, is owned by Canonical. A member here asks a question, and within the bounds of reason, if an answer exists, will usually be provided.

Yes, *buntu distros have the root account disabled 'by design.' But it was never intended that a user should never be able to enable it - should the user have a desire to do so, for what ever reason. Even when one temporarily assumes the power of root, they still do so at their own risk.