On Thu, 23 Nov 2006 12:24:38 +0100, Igor Sobrado wrote: > I guess that remote root logins are allowed by default to simplify > management of small network appliances that do not have user accounts > on them.
I have no clue on why root logins are actually disabled, but I can tell you one thing: if they were not, I'd be screwed ! Why ? Because I do some remote installs / administration. Since the install routine does not offer user account creation, I'd be effectively locked out. So what you'd do instead, you reboot after your install, yes, ssh into the system as root, create an account (wheel !), vi /etc/sshd_config, kill -HUP `cat /var/run/sshd.pid` and you are exactly where you propose to be. Uwe
