root password...[ubuntu 5.10 installation issues]

[David Hart]

On Sun, Dec 11, 2005 at 01:18:25PM -0500, Joe(theWordy)Philbrook wrote:
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> About the root password...
> During the install of ubuntu 5.10, I _WAS_ asked for a non-root username
> and password. (which I always set to a generic user that I only use until
> I can manually configure what I want in /etc/skel And then manually
> create my regular user accounts with specific user ID's that remain the
> same on ALL of my linux file systems...)
> 
> BUT it did _NOT_ ask me for a root password, nor did it ask me to take
> note of a default root password... thus I can't even su to root to
> make the configuration changes I need, in order to be able to stand
> ubuntu... such as force run level 3 booting and use startx to
> optionally fire up the gui etc... etc...
> 
> Is it normal for the installer to skip asking the user for the root
> password???
> 
> Is there a default root password on the ubuntu 5.10 default install?

Root is disabled.  The first user on the system (you, seeing as you
installed it) has root privs if you prefix any command with 'sudo'
(and then enter _your_ password when prompted).

If you really want to, you can enable root with 'sudo passwd root'.
But why not give it a go as it is and see if it works out for you
(at least until you've heard the arguments for and against).

I'd post a link that helps explain the the pros and cons but the
Ubuntu website is unavailable to me at the moment (connection refused).

-- 
David Hart <ubuntu at tonix.org>