Installation guide

Setting up a root account and password is one of the most important steps during your installation.
Your root account is similar to the administrator account used on Windows NT machines. The root
account is used to install packages, upgrade RPMs, and perform most system maintenance. Logging
in as root gives you complete control over your system.
Note
The root user (also known as the superuser) has complete access to the entire system; for this
reason, logging in as the root user is best done only to perform system maintenance or
administration.
Fig u re 17.16 . R o ot Passwo rd
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.
Red Hat Ent erprise Linux 5 Inst allat ion G uide
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