Logging In - Red Hat ENTERPRISE LINUX 3 - STEP BY STEP GUIDE Manual

6
Figure 1-9. A Shell Prompt
su and su -: The command
•
When you type
su
access to important system files that you can change (or damage if you are not careful). Logging in
with the command makes you root within the root account shell. Use caution when you are
su -
logged in as root.
X or X Window System: These terms refer to the graphical user interface environments. If you are
•
"in X" or "running X", you are working in a GUI rather than a console environment.
Although the emphasis throughout this book is on navigation and productivity using the graphical
desktop environment, both the graphical and shell prompt methods of logging in and using your Red
Hat Enterprise Linux system are discussed for your reference.

1.3. Logging In

The next step to using your Red Hat Enterprise Linux system is to log in. When you log in, you are
introducing yourself to the system (also called authentication). If you type the wrong user name or
password, you will not be allowed access to your system.
Unlike some other operating systems, your Red Hat Enterprise Linux system uses accounts to manage
privileges, maintain security, and more. Not all accounts are created equal: some accounts have fewer
rights to access files or services than others.
Note
Red Hat Enterprise Linux applications and files are case sensitive, which means that typing
refers to a different account than
superuser), or system administrator.
If you have already created and logged in to a user account, you can skip ahead to Chapter 2 Using the
Graphical Desktop. If you created only the root account, refer to Section 1.6 Creating a User Account
to learn how to set up a user account.
gives you access to the root account or other accounts on your system.
su
to switch to your root account while still inside your user account shell, you have
Root
. By default, refers to the root user (also known as the
root
Chapter 1. Getting Started
root