Thread: linux question

SUDO (superuser do) should do the trick, if you're not using any mainstream Desktop manager like KDE or Gnome (which would have the option in its 'start-like' menu). Just configure sudo to let some users/a user group to execute a command or series of commands. Then the box will ask his/hers password, not root's. Or no password at all.

Some more reading on SUDO (the linked archive page has many links to various pages about SUDO or SUDO configuration) [NetBSD Archives (a Linux question)]

Same as JEEB. Don't really have other idea.

Why am I always late for those questionning!!!!!

i tried that. but sudo keeps saying it can't find the shutdown command.

users supposed to be authorized: libbyp, dragonrider
hostname: DarkStar1 (variation on default, no network name for slackware)

Originally Posted by /etc/sudoers

# sudoers file.
#
# This file MUST be edited with the 'visudo' command as root.
#
# See the sudoers man page for the details on how to write a sudoers file.
#

# Host alias specification

# User alias specification
User_Alias PEOPLE = libbyp, dragonrider

# Cmnd alias specification
Cmnd_Alias SHUTDOWN = /sbin/shutdown, /sbin/halt, /sbin/reboot

# Defaults specification

# Runas alias specification

# User privilege specification
root ALL=(ALL) ALL
PEOPLE DarkStar1 = PASSWD: SHUTDOWN

# Uncomment to allow people in group wheel to run all commands
# %wheel ALL=(ALL) ALL

# Same thing without a password
# %wheel ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: ALL

# Samples
# %users ALL=/sbin/mount /cdrom,/sbin/umount /cdrom
# %users localhost=/sbin/shutdown -h now

now what am i doing wrong? i tried the man pages for sudo and got nothing. i'm more confused than i was before.

Read a bit of the SUDO Sudoers manual and saw that the path used for shutdown is:

Originally Posted by Sudoers Manual

...
Cmnd_Alias PRINTING = /usr/sbin/lpc, /usr/bin/lprm
Cmnd_Alias SHUTDOWN = /usr/sbin/shutdown
Cmnd_Alias HALT = /usr/sbin/halt
Cmnd_Alias REBOOT = /usr/sbin/reboot
...

/usr/sbin/shutdown as yours is just /sbin/shutdown. Don't know if that actually affects anything, though, since you could've moved the scripts yourself for added privacy/security (which would've needed a lot of custom scripting).

After that I see nothing weird. Could be that the structure is wrong or something (spaces instead of tabs somewhere). Try reading the sudoers manual further and see what happens if you (for example) remove the 'PASSWD:' part or something. Right now I have no other idea, but on a side note - I'm not a "professional" Linux user.