Allowing a normal user to run a command (shutdown) as root
Hi everybody, I set up a PC for my parents to do their email on, with Mandrake 10 and Firefox/Thunderbird, but for some reason, their is no Shutdown item on the menu. I can't remember how to allow the normal user to run /sbin/shutdown as root (something in /etc/sudoers perhaps)? Can someone please shed some light on the situation. Cheers, Hugo.
Re: Allowing a normal user to run a command (shutdown) as root
Hugo Vincent wrote: Hi everybody, I set up a PC for my parents to do their email on, with Mandrake 10 and Firefox/Thunderbird, but for some reason, their is no Shutdown item on the menu. I can't remember how to allow the normal user to run /sbin/shutdown as root (something in /etc/sudoers perhaps)? Can someone please shed some light on the situation. Cheers, Hugo. Hi Hugo, The easiest way I've found ( stolen from an old Honeywell unix system over 15 years ago! ) is to create a shutdown user, and run shutdown as it's shell. You nay need to use vipw to set it all up, but I've found it's worth it. Cheers, Steve ( On that particular machine, switching the power off led to the following message on the system console, which still makes me laugh to this day... Power fa )
Re: Allowing a normal user to run a command (shutdown) as root
On Tue, 04 Jan 2005 22:45, Hugo Vincent wrote: Hi everybody, I set up a PC for my parents to do their email on, with Mandrake 10 and Firefox/Thunderbird, but for some reason, their is no Shutdown item on the menu. I can't remember how to allow the normal user to run /sbin/shutdown as root (something in /etc/sudoers perhaps)? Can someone please shed some light on the situation. Cheers, Hugo. On Mandrake 10 try the halt command if a user at the command line shell. If Mandrake 10 is set up for a graphical login Shut down the computer should be an option in the dialog box launched when the Logout menu item is selected . Cheers Ross Drummond
Re: Allowing a normal user to run a command (shutdown) as root
Hugo Vincent wrote: Hi everybody, I set up a PC for my parents to do their email on, with Mandrake 10 and Firefox/Thunderbird, but for some reason, their is no Shutdown item on the menu. I can't remember how to allow the normal user to run /sbin/shutdown as root (something in /etc/sudoers perhaps)? Can someone please shed some light on the situation. Cheers, Hugo. Use chmod u+s /sbin/shutdown then everyone can use /sbin/shutdown -h 0 or something. -- Happy Hacking +---+ |If you don't know what 'Happy Hacking' means, read | |the book 'Free as in Freedom', published under | |http://www.oreilly.com/openbook/freedom/index.html | +---+ |Use free software only. See| |http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html | +---+ |Please avoid sending me Microsoft Word attachments.| |For more information, see: | |http://www.fsf.org/philosophy/no-word-attachments.html | +---+
RE: Cheap way to get into embedded linux
The PSU is a standard wallwart kind of plug pack - it puts out 7.5v dc @ 100mA, so you'd probably need something in between this unit and a car power supply. It doesn't have audio, although you could use a USB audio card. However I think the CPU would be too underpowered for MP3 playback if that is what you had in mind. Could play raw audio happily (I believe, haven't actually got a USB audio card to confirm that). Andre On Mon, 2004-12-27 at 12:52 +1300, C. Falconer wrote: Interesting - what do you intend to use it for? Whats the PSU? Does it have audio? How powerful is the CPU in effective terms? I'm thinking car computer btw :) -Original Message- From: Andre Renaud [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, 23 December 2004 11:38 a.m. To: linux-users@it.canterbury.ac.nz Subject: Cheap way to get into embedded linux If anyone out there is interested in having a look at running linux on an embedded device, or making a cool linux gadget, there is a router board for sale from DSE, the XH1151 ...
Re: Allowing a normal user to run a command (shutdown) as root
Hi, And you can do ln -fs /sbin/shutdown /usr/bin/shutdown and then shutdown is in the typical users path, so the user just does shutdown -h now Derek. On Wed, 5 Jan 2005, Robert Himmelmann wrote: Hugo Vincent wrote: Hi everybody, I set up a PC for my parents to do their email on, with Mandrake 10 and Firefox/Thunderbird, but for some reason, their is no Shutdown item on the menu. I can't remember how to allow the normal user to run /sbin/shutdown as root (something in /etc/sudoers perhaps)? Can someone please shed some light on the situation. Cheers, Hugo. Use chmod u+s /sbin/shutdown then everyone can use /sbin/shutdown -h 0 or something. -- Derek Smithies Ph.D. This PC runs pine on linux for email IndraNet Technologies Ltd. If you find a virus apparently from me, it has Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]forged the e-mail headers on someone else's machine ph +64 3 365 6485 Please do not notify me when (apparently) receiving a Web: http://www.indranet-technologies.com/ windows virus from me..
Re: Allowing a normal user to run a command (shutdown) as root
On Tue, 04 Jan 2005 22:45:53 +1300 Hugo Vincent [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hi everybody, I set up a PC for my parents to do their email on, with Mandrake 10 and Firefox/Thunderbird, but for some reason, their is no Shutdown item on the menu. I can't remember how to allow the normal user to run /sbin/shutdown as root (something in /etc/sudoers perhaps)? Can someone please shed some light on the situation. Why would id be needed? Afterall you say you have them using Firefox and Thunderbird. Why not use the logout option from the the main menu and at the next gui panel select Turn off Compter Now and click OK Seems a great simpler from my point of view. Mucking about with heaps of scripts to get around what I think is a 'standard' safety feature is not going to make any difference to your parents in the long term anyway, And! If you've converted them from Windows - they'll be used to the vey same sequence anyway! You young fellers have gotta start remembering that your parents' new idea processing skills are no way near as capabable as yours any more that your own can match the those capabilities if a say 5 year-old! KISS John pgpjinLAV4pYD.pgp Description: PGP signature
Re: Allowing a normal user to run a command (shutdown) as root
HI John, On 5/01/2005, at 9:29 AM, John Rye wrote: On Tue, 04 Jan 2005 22:45:53 +1300 Hugo Vincent [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hi everybody, I set up a PC for my parents to do their email on, with Mandrake 10 and Firefox/Thunderbird, but for some reason, their is no Shutdown item on the menu. I can't remember how to allow the normal user to run /sbin/shutdown as root (something in /etc/sudoers perhaps)? Can someone please shed some light on the situation. Why would id be needed? Afterall you say you have them using Firefox and Thunderbird. Why not use the logout option from the the main menu and at the next gui panel select Turn off Compter Now and click OK Seems a great simpler from my point of view. Mucking about with heaps of scripts to get around what I think is a 'standard' safety feature is not going to make any difference to your parents in the long term anyway, And! If you've converted them from Windows - they'll be used to the vey same sequence anyway! You young fellers have gotta start remembering that your parents' new idea processing skills are no way near as capabable as yours any more that your own can match the those capabilities if a say 5 year-old! KISS John Thats what I would have liked to do, but for some reason the menu options are not there! Selecting logout from the KDE desktop only allows you to log out (not shut down) and the kdm login screen does not have shutdown or restart buttons either - I don't know why - my other Mandrake installation had them by default. I suspect that they aren't there because I installed it with the High Security Level option (figuring that they are less likely to break anything then). I thought I could add a item on the KDE start menu that called shutdown -h now, but that didn't work (you must be root to do this). I will try the chmod u+s method suggested by Robert Himmelmann tonight. Thanks, Hugo.
Re: Allowing a normal user to run a command (shutdown) as root
On Wed, 05 Jan 2005 13:20:14 +1300, Hugo Vincent wrote: Mandrake installation had them by default. I suspect that they aren't there because I installed it with the High Security Level option Well there's your problem. Lighten up on the security (take it down one notch at a time until the shutdown option re-appears). (figuring that they are less likely to break anything then). I thought They are more likely to break something by turning the computer off without a proper shutdown. Without the root password there's very little they can muck up other than their own user profiles, and the highest security level won't even prevent that. I could add a item on the KDE start menu that called shutdown -h now, but that didn't work (you must be root to do this). I will try the chmod u+s method suggested by Robert Himmelmann tonight. Or you could try that instead -- ** WARNING to mailing list repliers ** Gmail over-rides Reply-To: field. Check your To: address before sending reply to this post.
Re: Allowing a normal user to run a command (shutdown) as root
Just done a test on my M10 install with level 3 startup and icewm. 1. ctl-alt-del to kill X 2. ctl-alt-bs to reboot. 3. you may have to shut down progs first if you wish to keep settings, or if confirmation is required. with M8.2 only 2 and 3 apply Will test with KDE later KIS Barry Hugo Vincent wrote: Hi everybody, I set up a PC for my parents to do their email on, with Mandrake 10 and Firefox/Thunderbird, but for some reason, their is no Shutdown item on the menu. I can't remember how to allow the normal user to run /sbin/shutdown as root (something in /etc/sudoers perhaps)? Can someone please shed some light on the situation. Cheers, Hugo.
Re: Allowing a normal user to run a command (shutdown) as root
Barry wrote: Just done a test on my M10 install with level 3 startup and icewm. 1. ctl-alt-del to kill X 2. ctl-alt-bs to reboot. I think I'd swap these two around if I were you (: Steve 3. you may have to shut down progs first if you wish to keep settings, or if confirmation is required. with M8.2 only 2 and 3 apply Will test with KDE later KIS Barry Hugo Vincent wrote: Hi everybody, I set up a PC for my parents to do their email on, with Mandrake 10 and Firefox/Thunderbird, but for some reason, their is no Shutdown item on the menu. I can't remember how to allow the normal user to run /sbin/shutdown as root (something in /etc/sudoers perhaps)? Can someone please shed some light on the situation. Cheers, Hugo.
