Run an app as root. Impossible!

mahdif · 08-24-2009, 05:15 AM

In mandriva 2009 I couldn't find any method to run a program as root. Even using the konsole window I can't launch any app as root using either sudo or su. Do you have the same problem?

colucix · 08-24-2009, 05:24 AM

Have you tried either one of the following?

Code:

$ su -    ### the - forces su to act  as a login shell
          ### so that the PATH environment variable is
          ### updated for root
$ su -c "/path/to/command"
          ### this should execute the given command as root

mahdif · 08-24-2009, 05:28 AM

Yes, it doesn't work!

colucix · 08-24-2009, 05:30 AM

Did you get some error message?

Crito · 08-24-2009, 09:57 AM

su -c doesn't use root's path environment variable like su -, it uses the users' path.

Code:

[surfer@localhost ~]$ su -c /sbin/ifconfig                                                      
Password:                                                                                       
eth0      Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr 00:E0:4D:27:A3:A6                                         
          inet addr:192.168.1.100  Bcast:192.168.1.255  Mask:255.255.255.0                      
          inet6 addr: fe80::2e0:4dff:fe27:a3a6/64 Scope:Link
          UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1
          RX packets:1077410 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:934414 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
          RX bytes:1145147190 (1.0 GiB)  TX bytes:126784109 (120.9 MiB)
          Interrupt:16 Base address:0xc000

lo        Link encap:Local Loopback
          inet addr:127.0.0.1  Mask:255.0.0.0
          inet6 addr: ::1/128 Scope:Host
          UP LOOPBACK RUNNING  MTU:16436  Metric:1
          RX packets:72764 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:72764 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:0
          RX bytes:4307825 (4.1 MiB)  TX bytes:4307825 (4.1 MiB)

[surfer@localhost ~]$ su -c ifconfig
Password:
bash: ifconfig: command not found
[surfer@localhost ~]$ su -
Password:
[root@localhost ~]# ifconfig
eth0      Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr 00:E0:4D:27:A3:A6
          inet addr:192.168.1.100  Bcast:192.168.1.255  Mask:255.255.255.0
          inet6 addr: fe80::2e0:4dff:fe27:a3a6/64 Scope:Link
          UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1
          RX packets:1077415 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:934420 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
          RX bytes:1145147514 (1.0 GiB)  TX bytes:126784632 (120.9 MiB)
          Interrupt:16 Base address:0xc000

lo        Link encap:Local Loopback
          inet addr:127.0.0.1  Mask:255.0.0.0
          inet6 addr: ::1/128 Scope:Host
          UP LOOPBACK RUNNING  MTU:16436  Metric:1
          RX packets:72764 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:72764 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:0
          RX bytes:4307825 (4.1 MiB)  TX bytes:4307825 (4.1 MiB)

[root@localhost ~]#

mahdif · 08-24-2009, 10:02 AM

It says it can't connect to X.

Crito · 08-24-2009, 10:05 AM

You're probably having some other problem. You might want try install Mandriva with Gnome instead of KDE as the new version is still a little too bleeding edge for production systems, IMVHO.

repo · 08-24-2009, 10:06 AM

As user

Code:

xhost +localhost
or
 xhost +local:

As root

Code:

export DISPLAY=:0
program name to execute

pwc101 · 08-24-2009, 10:09 AM

Use kdesu or gksu to launch graphical programs as root. It's why they were invented.