Steve Smith, host of your TQA Weekly, explains how to attain Root access within the Linux Terminal, the dangers, it's uses, and how to log out of Root.
Episode #2-33 released on May 13, 2012
So you want to be God of the Linux Terminal, and every single time you enter a command in the terminal, you find yourself unable to perform tasks because you do not have the permissions to use it. What is a person to do?
What you are, in fact, missing, is Root access. Root in Linux, is the same as Administrator in Windows and Mac. And accessing Root requires you have full access and one line of command which combined with your password allows you to unlock the terminal, and gives you Root access.
What is this command that allows you God mode, or Root access to the Linux Terminal?
sudo -i
This command has a short form, sudo, for short. And you place this before any command you want to selectively allow root access. Using sudo -i allows you to stay within a Root mode, and allows you complete freedom of access. This is important and dangerous access to have. You can terminate anything, access anything, and even give other applications Root access, so be careful.
Installing programs, updating your distribution, etc.. tasks that require root access and permissions. This is what you'd use this kind of command for. If you want to access private keys of encryption, you'd use this mode. Accessing commands like ftp, whois, finger, etc... commands that do not require root. Anything that does not modify your operating system doesn't warrant full access.
Now, how does one turn this off in the Terminal? Type the following, then click enter.
Exit
Next week, we talk about the procedure you should go through in order to get a great new computer, and I explain the different types some business may try to sell to you, and why, or why not they may be good or bad for you. The week after that, I'll dabble in the Voodoo of Linux and wireless networking, and explain a procedure you can use to get yourself a Linux Distribution that works with your Wireless cards, and explain the many issues that affect Wireless connections that have nothing to do with Linux in the first place.
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Host : Steve Smith | Music : Jonny Lee Hart | Editor : Steve Smith | Producer : Zed Axis Productions