switching users in a script

NGraphiX · 09-24-2002, 09:37 AM

A bash script question:

I'm trying to write a script that among other things has to have
root access at some point. so I wrote:

#!/bin/bash
echo "entering root.. "
su
echo "you are now root"
...

The problem is that after running "su" the rest of the script
dosn't execute . I guess this is because I switched users in the
middle. but anyway, is there a way a script can switch users,
and still continue running?
ThanX, NGraphiX

acid_kewpie · 09-24-2002, 09:47 AM

well firstly it's an amazingly bad idea to do somethign like this, BUT you can go along the lines of

su -c 'ls'

i presume you do understand why your script fails completely?

NGraphiX · 09-24-2002, 10:02 AM

yes actually :-)
I'll try the -c option. thanks.

stickman · 09-24-2002, 10:48 AM

When you su in the script you are jumping into another shell. The commands after the su won't get executed (and probably fail due to insuffient privelages) until after you exit from the su. I'd recommend either using the -c switch or su'ing before running the script.

born4linux · 09-24-2002, 10:53 AM

why not use sudo?

NGraphiX · 09-25-2002, 02:34 PM

what's sudo?

RijilV · 09-25-2002, 03:44 PM

http://open-systems.ufl.edu/docs/sudo/sudo.html

note, running shell scripts with root permissions that aren't solely owned by root and not readable by other users (or writable) is a Bad Idea.

NGraphiX · 09-25-2002, 04:20 PM

thanks again