Re: [Ltsp-discuss] NFTS on ltsp client

[Jim K. <ji...@wi...>]

> > Assuming this is all being done on a Debian based server and probably
> > LTSP5.. Can you "sudo cp /etc/apt/sources.list
> > /opt/ltsp/i386/etc/apt/sources.list" then "chroot /opt/ltsp/i386" then
> > "sudo apt-get update" then "sudo apt-get install foo"?
> >
> > If this isn't using LTSP5 and my suggestion is way off, provide a little
> > more detail so those with some knowledge on the list can better help you
> > :-)
> 
> I thought that the point, the whole point and nothing but the point of the 
> chroot environment was so that you could (your choice of package management 
> tool) apt-get install wossname. 
> (after chroot)
> 
> So loading wosname on to the server first is wrong.
> Trying to run a server without root passwd is dumb (sudo bla bla etc)
> [actually I've never even tried chroot except as root. Can it be done ?]
> James

My mistake above.  This should have read "sudo cp /etc/apt/sources.list
/opt/ltsp/i386/etc/apt/sources.list" then "sudo chroot /opt/ltsp/i386" then "apt-get
update" then "apt-get install foo".  Once you have done sudo chroot you are now in the
chroot as "root" so there is no need to use sudo anymore.

Running without a root password is safer than running with.  No hacker can try to hack
the password for the all too common "root" account.  This is why many distros have
disabled root by default and gone to sudo.  If you don't like doing "sudo bla bla etc"
than simply "sudu su" once and you are now running as a root user and don't have to sudo
bla bla etc anymore.  When done exit out of the superuser mode and go on.  Sudo also
gives an administrator much more control over what users can and can't do.  Say I have a
group of teachers that I want to be able to run "Thin Client Manager" but TCM requires
root privileges and I don't want to let teachers have full permissions to the server. 
Now in the /etc/sudoers file I can say Teachers can have root permissions only to TCM
which will allow them to run that app as root, but not control the whole system.

So I wouldn't say running without a root passwd is dumb, just different, and provides
more options.  You can always set a password for root and bypass sudo if you really want.

Jim

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