How to Enable the root Login on Ubuntu 11.10

In this tutorial, we will guide you on how to enable root login on an Ubuntu 11.10 Linux server. This tutorial assumes that you have already installed Ubuntu 11.10 server and have created a user account, for instance, ‘ehowstuff’. We will be using this account to log into the Ubuntu 11.10 server.

Step 1: Logging into the Server

First, you need to log into your Ubuntu 11.10 server using your user account. In this case, we are using the ‘ehowstuff’ account. Upon successful login, you will be greeted with a welcome message and some system information.

login as: ehowstuff
ehowstuff@192.168.1.37's password:
Welcome to Ubuntu 11.10 (GNU/Linux 3.0.0-12-generic-pae i686)

 * Documentation:  https://help.ubuntu.com/

  System information as of Tue Apr  3 20:57:51 MYT 2012

  System load:  0.11              Processes:           66
  Usage of /:   6.5% of 13.50GB   Users logged in:     1
  Memory usage: 3%                IP address for eth0: 192.168.1.37
  Swap usage:   0%

  Graph this data and manage this system at https://landscape.canonical.com/
Last login: Tue Apr  3 20:54:22 2012
To run a command as administrator (user "root"), use "sudo ".
See "man sudo_root" for details.

ehowstuff@ubuntu11:~$ 

Step 2: Enabling Root Login

To enable the root login and create a root password, you need to enter the command “sudo passwd root” in the terminal. This command will prompt you to enter your login password (in this case, the password for the ‘ehowstuff’ account), followed by the new password for the root account.

Here is the command:

sudo passwd root

You will be asked to enter and retype the new UNIX password for the root account.

ehowstuff@ubuntu11:~$ sudo passwd root
[sudo] password for ehowstuff:
Enter new UNIX password:
Retype new UNIX password:
passwd: password updated successfully

Once the password is updated successfully, you can then directly log in as root either through Putty or the terminal.

Commands Mentioned

• sudo passwd root – This command is used to enable root login and set a new root password.

Conclusion

Enabling the root login on an Ubuntu 11.10 server is a straightforward process that involves logging into the server with a user account and running a specific command to set a new root password. This tutorial has provided a step-by-step guide on how to enable root login on an Ubuntu 11.10 server.

However, it’s important to note that the root account has full system access and should be used with caution. Always ensure that you have a strong root password to prevent unauthorized access to your server.

FAQs

1. What is the root account in Ubuntu?

   The root account in Ubuntu is the user with full administrative privileges. This account has the ability to modify system files, install software, and perform other system-level tasks.

2. Why would I need to enable root login?

   Enabling root login can be useful for performing administrative tasks that require full system access. However, it should be used with caution as it can potentially harm the system if used incorrectly.

3. What is the ‘sudo’ command in Ubuntu?

   The ‘sudo’ command in Ubuntu allows a permitted user to execute a command as the superuser or another user, as specified in the sudoers file.

4. What is Putty?

   Putty is a free and open-source terminal emulator, serialconsole, and network file transfer application. It supports several network protocols, including SCP, SSH, Telnet, rlogin, and raw socket connection.

5. What is the significance of the ‘passwd’ command in Ubuntu?

   The ‘passwd’ command in Ubuntu is used to change the user password. The root user can use this command to change the password of any user on the Ubuntu system.