[SOLVED] How to run an application as root?

[Aang]

Hello, I have installed Kubuntu without a sudoer user. I have to use "su" instead "sudo".
Any application that needs root uses kdesudo to ask the password.
I tried to find and install a "kdesu" package to replace "kdesudo" but it is unavailable.

[Rog131]

Re: How to run an application as root?

I tried to find and install a "kdesu" package to replace "kdesudo" but it is unavailable.

The kdesu is part of the KDE. Try with the "update-alternatives".

man update-alternatives:

NAME
update-alternatives - maintain symbolic links determining default commands

SYNOPSIS
update-alternatives [options] command

DESCRIPTION
update-alternatives creates, removes, maintains and displays information about the symbolic links comprising the Debian alternatives system.

It is possible for several programs fulfilling the same or similar functions to be installed on a single system at the same time. For example, many systems have several text editors installed at once. This gives choice to the users of a system, allowing each to use a different editor, if desired, but makes it difficult for a program to make a good choice for an editor to invoke if the user has not specified a particular preference.

Debian's alternatives system aims to solve this problem...

=>

su update-alternatives --config kdesu

Earlier > Topic: Any x-terminal-emulator euavalent for kdesu?


With the Debian > HOWTO - get kdesu back to normal in KDE4

[wizard10000]

Re: How to run an application as root?

...deleted

[Aang]

Re: How to run an application as root?

There is a problem.
I used that command and I chose "/usr/lib/kde4/libexec/kdesu-distrib/kdesu 50 manual mode"
Now, when an application asks the password, the title bar shows KDE su, but it tells that the password is incorrect, the same password works with "su" on konsole.

[kubicle]

Re: How to run an application as root?

There is a problem.
I used that command and I chose "/usr/lib/kde4/libexec/kdesu-distrib/kdesu 50 manual mode"
Now, when an application asks the password, the title bar shows KDE su, but it tells that the password is incorrect, the same password works with "su" on konsole.

IIRC, kdesu can use either su or sudo as a backend (and on kubuntu, sudo would be the logical default choice)...again, IIRC, the config key for kdesu backend is "super-user-command".

Another thing is you may need to link /usr/lib/kde4/libexec/kdesu-distrib/kdesu to /usr/bin/ (or somewhere on your $PATH) if you wish to access kdesu from a terminal.

Would you mind sharing the reason why you wish to use su instead of sudo, there probably is a way to do things with sudo and avoid issues like this (sudo is much more versatile than su, for example, if one wants a separate password to access root account, sudo can easily be configured to ask for the root password instead of user's password.)

[Aang]

Re: How to run an application as root?

if one wants a separate password to access root account, sudo can easily be configured to ask for the root password instead of user's password.

Yes. I wanted to use su/kdesu because I want that any user that knows root's password be able to access root.

Please, how to configure sudo?

[kubicle]

Re: How to run an application as root?

if one wants a separate password to access root account, sudo can easily be configured to ask for the root password instead of user's password.

Yes. I wanted to use su/kdesu because I want that any user that knows root's password be able to access root.

Please, how to configure sudo?

Firstly, you need to set sudo to ask for the root password by editing /etc/sudoers (you'll need root access for that, but that shouldn't be a problem if you can use su)

Add 'rootpw' to the Defaults line (alternatively, you can use 'targetpw', which asks for the password of the user that is switched to if switching to a non-root user account)

Defaults env_reset,rootpw

Secondly, you can add all users you wish to have access to sudo to the 'admin' group (recommended) ...or you can give all users access to sudo by adding a line:

%admin ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL
ALL ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL

(/etc/sudoers also provides you with options for more fine grained privilege control, 'man sudoers' will tell you more, you should check it out)

I don't really recommend enabling the root account (setting a root password) to accomplish this. But I assume you know what you're doing.

[Aang]

Re: How to run an application as root?

Everything works now.

Thank you.