"Root logins are not allowed" 3

[SamBones]

I just finished running through the installation of RedHat AS4. After the machine rebooted, I get the first login screen and try to log in as root. I get an error box saying "Root logins are not allowed".

I just installed it! Root is the only account on the machine! Am I doing something wrong?

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[gdvissch]

it could be a restriction of the graphical interface ...
have you tried to login in a terminal? (ctrl+alt+F1)
Login as root, then create a non root user for logging in via GUI

G.

 

[Kozusnik]

If you do something like CTRL+ALT+F2 (F3, F4, etc.), it should give you a shell to log into.

vi /etc/gnome/gdm/gdmrc (I use KDE, but it should be similar)
You can also use emacs, nano, whatever you have installed.

You should see a like like...
AllowRootLogin=false

Change to true. Stop and start gdm and try again.

Mark

 

[SamBones]

Awesome, thanks guys. Logging onto a text window did the trick. Apparently KDE doesn't allow root logins.

 

[happylinuxguy]

It's not just kde that doesn't allow this. It's standard practice in a lot of distributions now. Really, it's to discourage users from logging in as root, for sake of convenience. It's a pretty bad security risk browsing the internet or doing anything else always being root. The standard way of doing things is to login as a user and only su to root when absolutely necessary.

 

[SamBones]

Yeah, but there is something wrong when you do a fresh install of the OS and you can't log into it. The only account you have at that time is [tt]root[/tt] and you can't get in with that. IMHO, that's not security, that's poor implementation.

 

[geirendre]

Nope, logging in as root, thats bad practise.

 

[Grenage]

Indeed; I've yet to see a distro that rejected root GUI login and didn't ask you to create a standard user during the installation.

Then again, I have never installed RH, but it seems unlikely that they wouldn't include it.

"We can categorically state that we have not released man-eating badgers into the area" - Major Mike Shearer

 

[SamBones]

Nope, logging in as root, thats bad practise.

I disagree. Logging in as root is NOT bad practice. Logging in as root is necessary. Logging into root as your normal day to day user account is very bad practice. Logging in as root to complete an OS install and server setup, that's necessary.

Allowing root logins via the network is dangerous. Allowing root logins from the console is much safer because physical access can be controlled (these machines are in a raised floor data center with strict access controls.

I still think someone didn't think it through if during the OS install, only the root account is created and the password set, then you aren't allowed to log into it from the GUI at the console. Yes, I know it's for security reasons, but it's an annoyance that doesn't need to be there.

Just my opinion.

 

[chiph]

I'm also surprised that the install didn't ask for another user account + password. Because otherwise you've got to know the console trick, and not everyone does.

IOW, it violates the 'don't unpleasantly surprise the user' rule.

Chip H.


____________________________________________________________________
www.chipholland.com

 

[shoalcreek]

We all know how Linux loves unpleasant surprises. Then again, unpleasant surprises keep a lot of us in jobs.

 

[SamBones]

Then again, unpleasant surprises keep a lot of us in jobs.

A star to shoalcreek. It just struck me, the majority of my career has been as an "unpleasant surprise response person".

Hmmm, maybe I should have my business card changed.