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Questions tagged [su]

The "substitute user" Unix command that changes the current user

188 questions
140
votes
2 answers

What's the difference between "su" with and without hyphen?

I'm quite new to Linux terminal and I'm not quite sure what the difference between su with a hyphen and su without a hyphen is, for example: su - username vs. su username. I looked into the documentation but in there, this was not mentioned. Could…
user574183
  • 1,519
67
votes
3 answers

Command: sudo su -

I understand what su - does logs you into root with the root environment (as opposed to su which logs you into root with your environment) And I understand what sudo does you are root for one command But I am unsure what this does: sudo su…
sixtyfootersdude
  • 8,449
54
votes
2 answers

Where did the term "superuser" originate?

Where did the term "superuser" originate? Is it a shortening of "supervisory user", or is it just an indicator of the level of power one such user holds in a system?
VortixDev
  • 1,214
24
votes
6 answers

Can't write to file /sys/class/backlight/acpi_video0/brightness (ubuntu)

I am trying to change the brightness by overwriting the value on this file: sudo echo 5 > /sys/class/backlight/acpi_video0/brightness -bash: /sys/class/backlight/acpi_video0/brightness: Permission denied It doesn't work even when using sudo.…
Kei Nivky
23
votes
3 answers

Sudo su vs su linux

If I enter in the password to su when prompted, it doesnt work while sudo su does. Also, when a command is executed using sudo (command), does sudo automatically execute it by root by default (since the man page says sudo, sudoedit - execute a…
agz
  • 8,438
19
votes
1 answer

How to create symbolic links in /usr/bin on a Mac?

Environment: OSX Sierra, Darwin Kernel Version 16.3.0 Root Problem: I want to use a bunch of shell scripts in a central repository, which have a #!/usr/bin/zsh. On my Mac, the zsh is in /bin/zsh. Attempted solution: I want to create a symbolic…
user1934428
  • 980
14
votes
2 answers

Difference between su -c and runuser -l -c

I need to run some command lines as particular user in a shell script. I've found (at least) two way: su user -c 'command' runuser -l user -c 'command' Is there a significant difference between this two commands?
Getz
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11
votes
4 answers

Is it possible for root to execute a command as non-root?

I am a root user, and suppose I want to run any application as another user. Is this possible, without switching to another user? Something like # google-chrome user=abc I am actually executing a CLI program as a non-root user. I have set the…
adnan kamili
  • 481
10
votes
1 answer

script to su with password in script without root

I have scripted a process that involves updating symbolic links on files located on 3 different machines. On those machines exists 4 users each, who each need to have these links updated. Using su, is there a way to pass the password argument to the…
Triplell89
  • 235
10
votes
2 answers

Switch user in Windows command line

Is there a similar Linux su command in Windows command line? If not, what about: in Powershell?; a workaround with a *.vbs script?; a workaround with some of the sysinternals tools like "psexec.exe"? Note: I am using a netcat remote shell…
f4d0
  • 233
9
votes
4 answers

Accessing an exit code outside of a su -m $USER -c ""

The below command prints "0" or "1" correctly depending on failure or not because i put $? inside the "su" command. sudo su -m $USER -c "./shutdown.sh &> /dev/null; echo \$?" However, if i do this: sudo su -m $USER -c "$BASE/bin/shutdown.sh &>…
Nick
  • 535
8
votes
1 answer

Debian - allow user to be root only for specific commands

We have several Linux boxes running Samba that are used 'locally', eg each branch gets their own Samba box to store and share files. The office managers need to be able to add and remove users for their branch and need to be root for this action…
Jake
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8
votes
3 answers

use gnu screen when ssh'ed as a user, but su as another

Below is what happens when trying to use gnu screen. Essentially, it all works fine until I su as another user. then I get a Cannot open your terminal '/dev/pts/7' - please check. error l413:~$ ssh sbird@example.com sbird@example.com password:…
Alexander Bird
  • 1,887
8
votes
6 answers

Allowing automatic command execution as root on Linux using SSH

What is a good setup that allows automatic execution of a command or a script on a remote server with root privileges using SSH? I'm aware (only vaguely for some the options) of the following options: Allowing a direct login by root…
Martin Prikryl
  • 24,007
7
votes
5 answers

Automating the "sudo su - user" command

I want to automate sudo su - user from a script. It should then ask for a password.
sam
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