Just a quick tip on how to set the root (or System Administrators) password. I’ve had some questions from people reading the ISP in a box articles on how they could do this. Because after compiling the sourcecode you need to install the software as root user to get and set all the right privileges. During the installation of Mac OSX or when you first power on your new Mac there is no possibility to set the root password. As a normal or power user of a Mac you don’t really need the root password. You will be able to do all the things required by using an account that has administration rights.
To set or reset the System Administrators (or root for short) password yuo need the original Mac OSX install disc. Insert it into your drive and restart the computer. During the boot sequence (just before the boing sound) press the ‘C’ key on your keyboard and keep it pressed untill the spinning icon has dissappeared from the screen.
It will look like you are about to re-install your system but don’t panic. There is an item in the menu bar called Utilities, which contains an item ‘Reset Password’ in the drop down list. Select this menu item and a new window will appear.
It will show all available bootable discs connected at this time to your computer. Select the disc you are going to use for your server. Then in a drop down box beneath that you see all the configured accounts on that disc. Select the ‘System Administrator (root) from the list and type in the new password. You’ll have to enter it twice for confirmation and to make sure you typed it correct. Press the ‘Save’ button and your done. Quit the reset password utility by closing the window or select Quit from the menu.
Then close the installation screen and select the restart option. The computer will reboot and the root user will have a known password.
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December 9th, 2005 at 6:44 pm
Um. That is a very time-consuming way for such a simple task.
There are a couple of ways to do this, that don’t involve rebooting. The first is with NetInfo manager. Open it, Authenticate, and select ‘enable root user’ from the Security menu.
The easiest is just to type ‘sudo passwd’ in the Terminal. Enter your own password, and then the password you want for the root user twice and you’re done.
Really.. Rebooting to set a password?
December 18th, 2005 at 10:45 pm
Hum… I agree with Marco. But you need to type “sudo passwd root”, and not “sudo passwd” alone in the Terminal.
July 10th, 2007 at 8:44 am
Hmm… while I agree with the terminal part, I strongly disagree with enabling the root user. First, it is not necessary for resetting the password. Secondly, it is highly unlikely that it would be necessary for anything else since you could always use the sudo command (sudo -s if you need to keep using it so that you don’t have to retype your pw over and over). Third, it is a security threat, and again, not necessary.