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View Full Version : root pw = admin pw?


young
10-27-2003, 02:48 PM
does the root password have to be the same as the admin's password?
DirectAdmin Sales
10-27-2003, 05:48 PM
No, they are (and should be) seperate passwords. :)

Mark
thoroughfare
10-29-2003, 06:48 AM
Hi,

I understand that admin and root have different privileges (root having total privileges), and I understand they should both have different passwords.

But what are the differences in privileges *exactly*? What can't admin do that root can?

Cheers,
Matt
Jing
10-29-2003, 07:43 AM
root can remove the user admin, while user admin can't remove root? :rolleyes:
thoroughfare
10-29-2003, 07:46 AM
Surely there's more to it?

Cheers,
Matt :)
young
10-29-2003, 07:49 AM
if you ssh with the admin account you can't access some directories and files.

try find / and look at all the Permission Denied messages.
thoroughfare
10-29-2003, 08:00 AM
Thanks :)

Anyone have a more definitive answer? I've looked everywhere, but all the answers I can find are really vague.

Cheers,
Matt
DirectAdmin Support
10-29-2003, 10:07 AM
Hello,

Root is a godlike creature that lives on the server. He can do anything and everything and is required for 99% of the software installs. Without root, you can't change program settings or things like that. DirectAdmin is a portal to the things that root can do. For example, creating a virtualhost in the apache settings requires root access. DirectAdmin has root access so it can do it.

Admin is just any other "joe schmoe" user on the server. If you log into the server with ssh as admin, you wont' be able to do much. However, DirectAdmin grants the administrators on the server more root goodies to use to control the server *through* DA. (restart services, create users etc..). The thing to remember that the admin user himself (at a system level) has the same limited access rights as any other user on the server who gets an account, but DirectAdmin just acts as a middle man to the things that root will do.

John
thoroughfare
10-29-2003, 10:13 AM
Right, so the 'admin' user on a DA server has more privileges than a normal 'admin user' on a plain old linux box?

While we're at it, anybody know how to use PSFTP (Putty SFTP to transfer the whole of my VDS' drivespace onto my local machine?

Cheers,
Matt :)
DirectAdmin Support
10-29-2003, 10:59 AM
The admin user is the same person, but yes, through DA, the admin has more privileges.

John
thoroughfare
10-29-2003, 11:15 AM
Got ya. Thanks John! :D

Matt