Logging in as the superuser
Many system maintenance tasks require you to log
in as the superuser. For example, you must be
logged in as the superuser to stop the system.
Do not confuse the superuser login with running in
single-user mode.
The only similarity is that both
require the use of the root password.
To log in as the superuser, you must know
the superuser password.
If you do not know the root password, ask the administrator who
installed your system.
You also need to see the
login: message on the screen.
If you are using a character-based display and do not see this message,
press <Ctrl>D until it appears.
WARNING:
Take special care when you are logged in as
the superuser. In particular, you should be
careful when deleting or modifying files or
directories. This is important because the superuser has
unlimited access to all files, and it is possible to
remove or modify a file that is vital to the system.
Avoid using wildcard designators in
filenames and keep track of your current working directory.
To log in as the superuser:
-
When you see the login display, enter the superuser login name:
login: root
-
Enter the superuser password when prompted.
The system does not display the password as you
enter it, so enter each keystroke carefully.
The system opens the superuser account.
If you are using a graphical display, you see the Desktop
of the root account.
If you have logged in to a character-based display,
you see the superuser prompt ``#''.
You can exit at any time by pressing
<Ctrl>D.
Next topic:
Understanding the hardware information displayed at boot time
Previous topic:
Using the haltsys command
© 2003 Caldera International, Inc. All rights reserved.
SCO OpenServer Release 5.0.7 -- 11 February 2003