I'm logging in remotely via SSH with a local account and when I SU to get to root I get the following error: bash: service: command not found.

After logging into the server via the console as root I'm able to restart the service. Any ideas?

Here's just a guess:

su changes user ID but not environment. The "-" option gives you the environment of the new user. "su earl" gives you the user ID "earl" but not earl's environment. "su - earl" gives you the user ID "earl" along with earl's environment.

When you run su without the "-" you do, indeed, get root privelege but not the root environment - not root's PATH, for example. So, try "su -". That'll give you root privelege and root's environemnt. Service is in /sbin or /usr/sbin or some place like that that isn't on a typical user's PATH, but is on root's PATH.

That was it, thank you!! Is the path the only thing that would have changed from not having roots environment? What else would have been different.

Thanks again!!

A user's environment includes a variety of things--I can't get to a terminal at the moment, but I think the "env" command shows the whole picture.

Understood. Thank you all for your quick replies!!

The biggest difference I ever notice between su and su - is access to the commands in /sbin.
If I can't access it, then I think oops did I su -?

this of course depends on how your PATH variable is setup---right?