[solved] Root password - Time in memory?

[PMB]

Good day . . .

Does anyone know how to eliminate the time period that the root password remains in memory. Apparently this is done to assist sudo so that the password is not continually asked for.

I have heard 5 minutes and 15 minutes. I don't know for sure.

I eventually want to separate the user and root passwords. I know. I have tried sudo passwd but it seems to only work in a terminal. I changed the root password in kcontrol. If I super user konqueror then my user password is still used after all these changes.

Any suggestions.

[Snowhog]

Re: Root password - Time in memory?

Beware of running Gutsy as root (if that is what you are ultimately going for). Read integr8e's Warning!!! You can run *buntu as root . . . on the damage that results.

[PMB]

Re: Root password - Time in memory?

Thank You for the quick reply. I appreciate all the assistance.

My earlier research including reading some of your comments elsewhere around here have increased my knowledge base on the subject. I am quite conversant with the pros and cons.

But back to the post . . .

My recent research suggests that /etc/sudoers can be modified with timestamp_timeout. If it is set to zerro then the password will not be saved. I tried adding timestamp_timeout 0 but the sudo function failed with a parsing error and all users were locked out of the sudo function. Fortunately I have a root login so I logged out, logged in as root, erased the /etc/sudoers file, restored the backup, logged out and logged in and Voila! we are all back in sudo's good graces.

Does anyone know how to 'properly' use the timestamp_timeout line in /etc/sudoers?

Thanks.

[Snowhog]

Re: Root password - Time in memory?

Edit the file as root. Modify the Defaults !lecture,tty_tickets,!fqdn, adding to the end, ,timestamp_timeout=0 so you have:
Defaults !lecture,tty_tickets,!fqdn,timestamp_timeout=0

[PMB]

Re: Root password - Time in memory?

Thank You for the reply. I appreciate it.

Placement is everything. I also did not use the equal sign.

This is on a secondary removeable hard drive. I load a distro, mess it up then reload another or the same one again. It is time consuming but I learn one helluva lot.

Couldn't be done on Windows. I would be well over my five count.

I knew nothing about sudoers this morning. Now I can visudo /etc/sudoers with some knowledge.

Thank You.

Now, how do I put solved on the thread? More to learn.

[Snowhog]

Re: Root password - Time in memory?

Thank You for the reply. I appreciate it.

You're more than welcome. As I learn, also shall I teach.

Now, how do I put solved on the thread? More to learn.

Go to your original post, click on modify and edit the subject line.

[SheeEttin]

Re: [solved] Root password - Time in memory?

the sudo function failed with a parsing error and all users were locked out of the sudo function

Aaaand that's why we use visudo, not edit /etc/sudoers directly...