root screensaver settings

[jgt157]

I use Kubuntu Intrepid at work, and for security purposes, need to set the screensaver settings for root to lock the screen in less than thirty minutes and require a password to unlock. Can someone tell me how i can set these settings for root since you can't log in as root on Kubuntu?

[flarson]

Re: root screensaver settings

sudo -s
will give you a root shell
passwd
will set the password for root and you will now have a root user, which is good because otherwise anyone could reboot the machine into rescue mode and have root.
sudo kate /etc/kde4/kdm/kdmrc
On line line 255 (Jaunty, might be different line in Intrepid) where it says
AllowRootLogin=false
change it to
AllowRootLogin=true
restart the xserver and you can login to KDE as root and set the screensaver.

It is good to have this forum back. The Ubuntu moderators would go through the roof over this post.

[dibl]

Re: root screensaver settings

how i can set these settings for root since you can't log in as root on Kubuntu?

I've always heard that *buntu root should not run the X server (i.e. kdm) -- if I ever knew the details of why not, I've forgotten, but I've always observed the rule. So, you have the ability to run "as root", via Alt-F2 "kdesudo konqueror" or "kdesudo kate" or whatever, if you want to run a GUI package in root mode, and work with system files.

Whatever you do, do NOT do anything with the files in your user's /home/user folder, while running the system as the root user -- that's the path to "login loop" for the user.

[flarson]

Re: root screensaver settings

Actually there is no real reason to run X as root, and it certainly is true that almost anything a person needs to do can and should be done through sudo, whether your linux is Ubuntu, Radhat or Slackware. I personally think the most secure way to have your Kubuntu linux machine is with a very good root password and leave the X login disabled.

Most important though is that anything should be done knowledgeably and openly. I think the defaults in Ubuntu are very reasonable and the rational behind them is important. It should be explained over and over till everybody understands it. It took less than a day on Ubuntu forums for me to run into a moderator over this issue.