**** Sorry Posted it in wrong forum pls move if poss thanks****


Hi , i got an old 500mhz PC that i got from work and so i got redhat v 9.0 on it, im a total beginer so u hav bin warned.

The problem i got is that i cannont exicute commands from the console when i log in using my profile i created on installing, if however i log in as root (bad i know ) then i can run them fine. im talking about the commands located in the sbin dir's such as ifconfig and the like. i can use ping and ls fine, but noit the more intresting ones and i wanna get dug in a see what the commands do. i just dont wanna be exicuting em as root when i do know wot im doing. Maybe for all i know is that it should b like this only that root can exicute these more complex commands, is tats the case can i change attrib's on files to enable other profiles to exicute them, or upgrate my accound a lil?
thanks
andy

in a console, type:
su (then hit enter)
enter root's pass word (then hit enter)

at the prompt you should see a $ when the console first opens, th a # when you run su. The # means you are running as superuser/root. The commands should now be available.

You sir are correct. Don't change attributes (if you even can) Those binaries are for root only. Just do as the other poster suggested and su to root when you need to run those particular commands. After all you won't learn enough by being afraid of hosing your install. I did it this morning and am finally back up and running after I went a bit haywire with apt and totally screwed myself. So you have re-install, blah, who cares. This is how we all learn.

Good Luck!

Hey, sorry guys, i should have mentiond before in my first post, i did try the su command and still get the same, it telling me the command is not found even when im in the su root mode, copy from console here.

[achesman@tuxxx achesman]$ ifconfig
bash: ifconfig: command not found
[achesman@tuxxx achesman]$ su
Password:
[root@tuxxx achesman]# ifconfig
bash: ifconfig: command not found
[root@tuxxx achesman]#

I have even tried this in the sbin dir where the command ersides, and still the same. I can only exicute em by actually logging into the GUI on start up.
Thanks for ya help guys
Andy

Ahhh, that is b/c it is not in you path. try:
#./ifconfig
while in the sbin dir to let bash know you are expecting it to look in the present working dir. Like so:

[bignate@redbox3 bignate]$ cd /sbin/
[bignate@redbox3 sbin]$ ifconfig
bash: ifconfig: command not found
[bignate@redbox3 sbin]$ ./ifconfig
eth0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr....................

Cheers fellas

Will be dropping by this site alot i imagne

Andy

No problem...I can remember when I first started and I was trying to compile and run a C program I wrote. Man I found the damn thing it it still wouldn't run. Well a nice guy on a mailing list I belong to tipped me to using ./ What a difference a little info can make. Glad to be able to pass it on. Good luck and see you around the forums.