What is the difference between "su" and "sudo" ?
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From: Nico Kadel-Garcia on 30 Dec 2009 18:04 On Dec 30, 1:15 pm, kmlincoln...(a)hotmail.com (Matthew Lincoln) wrote: > Sorry for this newbie question: > > at is the difference between "su" and "sudo" command ? > > Matthew Please read the manual pages on questions like this, first. If you don't have them at hand, they're online. 'su' basically allows a non-root user to gain root privileges, if they have the root password. 'sudo' is considerably more sophisticated and allows non-root users to have a sophisticated configuration in "/etc/ sudoers" that allows them to use their *own* password to get privileges, to execute certain root-level commands without typing a password, or to be permitted to use only a set of commands with their own password. sudo is far more powerful and sophisticated: su is lighter weight and always works, even if some fool screws up the /etc/sudoers configuraton file.
From: Douglas Mayne on 30 Dec 2009 18:11 On Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:15:21 +0000, Matthew Lincoln wrote: > Sorry for this newbie question: > > at is the difference between "su" and "sudo" command ? > > Matthew > One difference is that sudo gives rights to a specified subset of commands (as specified by the sudoers file) with the equivalent to the root users's permission, whereas, su gives complete access to the root account. sudo's approach is better in certain respects. First, there is more fine grained control to allowed commands. Second, sudo's security model is better. sudo users authenticate using their own password; whereas, su requires directly knowing the root password. Again, sudo's fine grained trust model is better because it avoids introducing a "shared secret" involving the root password. -- Douglas Mayne
From: Art Werschulz on 30 Dec 2009 19:35 Hi. Ryan McCoskrie <ryan.mccoskrie(a)invalid.invalid> writes: > Matthew Lincoln wrote: > >> Sorry for this newbie question: >> >> at is the difference between "su" and "sudo" command ? >> > > It's (mostly) a matter of the defaults. > By default su gives you a session as another user unless > given the -c switch, in which case it runs one command as > another user. With sudo you need to use the -i to have a > whole session as another user rather than just running one > command. You could also do (e.g.) "sudo bash". -- Art Werschulz (8-{)} "Metaphors be with you." -- bumper sticker GCS/M (GAT): d? -p+ c++ l++ u+ P++ e--- m* s n+ h f g+ w+ t+ r- Net: agw(a)dsm.fordham.edu http://www.dsm.fordham.edu/~agw Phone: Fordham U. (212) 636-6325, Columbia U. (646) 775-6035
From: Backpacker on 30 Dec 2009 20:44 Matthew Lincoln wrote: > at is the difference between "su" and "sudo" command ? With any shell command, you should be able to get information on what it does and how to use it by opening a shell window (also known as a console) and entering, e.g. "man su" (without the quotes, of course). When you've finished reading, press Q to quit. -- Backpacker
From: Robert Riches on 31 Dec 2009 00:30
On 2009-12-31, Art Werschulz <agw(a)dsm.fordham.edu> wrote: > Hi. > > Ryan McCoskrie <ryan.mccoskrie(a)invalid.invalid> writes: > >> Matthew Lincoln wrote: >> >>> Sorry for this newbie question: >>> >>> at is the difference between "su" and "sudo" command ? >>> >> >> It's (mostly) a matter of the defaults. >> By default su gives you a session as another user unless >> given the -c switch, in which case it runs one command as >> another user. With sudo you need to use the -i to have a >> whole session as another user rather than just running one >> command. > > You could also do (e.g.) "sudo bash". But, of course, only if the sudoers file allows it. -- Robert Riches spamtrap42(a)verizon.net (Yes, that is one of my email addresses.) |