setting up root and user accounts

[IAmNotMyName]

I am probably going to put a larger drive in my macbook sometime soon, and I will most likely do a clean install of OS X at that time.

Rather than the way it is now configured, with my user account having full admin rights, I'd like to set up accounts UNIX/Linux style - a root account with full privileges and my user account with limited privileges, and use su or sudo for admin type duties.

Is there a simple way to set up OS X this way at install time, or to configure it right after I do the install?

 

[72930]

I hope you realise that you can open NetInfo Manager at any time to give root access. It is really not recommended on OSX, as you can do some real serious damage

 

[killmoms]

You could just leave your admin user as admin and then create a "Standard" user account once you get all the apps you want available system-wide installed. You can still authenticate in the Standard account with your admin username and password. There's no reason to turn on the actual "root" account on an OS X box.

 

[Mr.Texor]

even administrator users do not have full root access.. what they have is sudo to make it work. That's why it asks for your password when you are trying to change anything that would have an impact to all users and the system.

What you can do if, if you dont fell that's the way to go, is to create an admin user account, call it Administrator.. and a limited account. Just use the limited account for everything, except, well.. administration stuff

 

[IAmNotMyName]

killmoms - that sounds like it would do just what I want.

psychofreak - now I'm wondering, is there anything about the root account on OS X that is more dangerous than on a UNIX/Linux style system?

 

[killmoms]

psychofreak - now I'm wondering, is there anything about the root account on OS X that is more dangerous than on a UNIX/Linux style system?

No, just that it's on by default. OS X ships with it turned off as a little extra security, makes it a bit harder to casually crack. This is also probably because of the differing userbase—a UNIX/Linux geek will know that their root account needs to have a STRONG passphrase (not just a password), whereas the average Apple user might not. Plus, since it's easy to simply authenticate when needed (in the GUI when prompted or in the Terminal with sudo) there's no real reason to turn it on.

 

[SC68Cal]

Don't enable root.

sudo

or

sudo -s

are recommended.

 

[SC68Cal]

Root is DANGEROUS. If you get what root really is, you'll understand what I'm saying.

If not, read this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principle_of_least_privilege

 

[IAmNotMyName]

Root is DANGEROUS. If you get what root really is, you'll understand what I'm saying.

Yes, I am aware of this. I use Linux, Solaris, BSD quite a lot. First thing I do after setting up a machine is create a users account, put myself into the sudoers file, and stay out of root's account most of the time.

sudo; cd /; rm -rf *

 

[SC68Cal]

Yes, I am aware of this. I use Linux, Solaris, BSD quite a lot. First thing I do after setting up a machine is create a users account, put myself into the sudoers file, and stay out of root's account most of the time.

sudo; cd /; rm -rf *

Does that play solitaire? I want to try it!