Debian sudo
 

How do I set my main user account to have sudo privlages?

https://wiki.debian.org/sudo

EDIT: You will need to run these commands with root privileges.

Rather than log in as root, you can use:

Add the user to the sudo group:

sudo
https://wiki.debian.org/sudo

You can add your user to sudoers as described above.

Debian does not set up sudo by default. Most distros, other than Ubuntu and its clones, do not share Ubuntu's sudo fetish.

Use su.

The whole Ubunutu sudo thing I think is to focus on the European market compared to the American market. Not so well known in America, a lot of the European IT companies slap an admins hand for using the root user directly and prefer best practices to "sudo su" all the commands instead. Not saying I agree or disagree with it, just noting the different expectations of company policies of Europe verse America.

Or: open a "root windows" if you see one in the applications. You can open that windows from any user. Then you have to give the root password.. and you are in it.

Thanks all. If I plug my server up to the internet directly or through port forwarding I've read that I should have signing in under root via SSH turned off. If that's the case would making my primary username a sudo user be a security risk while making the SSH security measure irrelevant because now intuders wouldn't be able to log in under root but they would be able to log in directly under my username which would have the same privileges. Thanks again.

I love that question. If I wasn't on my phone I would likely type an essay contradicting itself. I would say it's better than having root exposed but, also, if you're going to be opening SSH to the internet then use public keys if you possibly can, for security, and change the port to a non-standard high port, for your sanity when you start looking at logs for hacking attempts.

I don't get that regional deal.

I'd think that one should limit access to root privileges. The use of sudo is a possible means to prevent various applications and services from starting unregulated.

Garrett85,
why change it(privalages) now? Have you not already exchanged keys?

Fred.