Red Hat ENTERPRISE LINUX 3 - FOR IBM S-390 AND IBM ESERVER ZSERIES, Installation Manual

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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.
Figure 2.14. Root Password
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
Set Root Password
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