Installation guide

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A root password is the administrative password for your Red Hat Enterprise Linux system. You should only log in as
root when needed for system maintenance. The root account does not operate within the restrictions placed on normal
user accounts, so changes made as root can have implications for your entire system.
Use the root account only for system administration. Create a non-root account for your general
use and su - to root when you need to fix something quickly. These basic rules minimize the
chances of a typo or an incorrect command doing damage to your system.
Tip
To become root, type su - at the shell prompt in a terminal window and then press
Enter. Then, enter the root password and press Enter.
The installation program prompts you to set a root password
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for your system. You cannot pro-
ceed to the next stage of the installation process without entering a root password.
The root password must be at least six characters long; the password you type is not echoed to
the screen. You must enter the password twice; if the two passwords do not match, the installa-
tion program asks you to enter them again.
You should make the root password something you can remember, but not something that is
easy for someone else to guess. Your name, your phone number, qwerty, password, root,
123456, and anteater are all examples of bad passwords. Good passwords mix numerals with
upper and lower case letters and do not contain dictionary words: Aard387vark or 420BMttNT,
for example. Remember that the password is case-sensitive. If you write down your password,
keep it in a secure place. However, it is recommended that you do not write down this or any
password you create.
Note
Do not use one of the example passwords offered in this manual. Using one of
these passwords could be considered a security risk.
Tip
To change your root password after you have completed the installation, use the
Root Password Tool.
Type the system-config-rootpassword command in a shell prompt to launch the
Root Password Tool. If you are not root, it prompts you for the root password to
continue.
23. Package Group Selection
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