Become the root user and select a password
This guide will show you how to become the root user and create a password for the root account
Last updated 24th March 2022
Objective
To perform certain administrative functions on your server (e.g. installing packages), you'll need to have a high level of user access. On Linux servers, this access is called "root".
This guide explains how to become the root user and create a password for the root account.
Requirements
- A Public Cloud instance in your OVHcloud account
- Access to the OVHcloud Control Panel
Instructions
Setting the root password
First, establish an SSH connection to your server with your default user.
At the command line, set a password for the root user (for security reasons, the password will not be shown as you type it):
~$ sudo passwd root
Enter new UNIX password:
Retype new UNIX password:
passwd: password updated
successfully
Update the system (Debian/Ubuntu)
To update the installed software packages on your server, type the following command at the command line:
~$ sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
Update the system (CentOS/Fedora)
To update your server's operating system, type the following command at the command line:
~$ sudo yum update
Become root
To become the root user, type the following command at the command line:
~$ sudo su -
~#
Next, enter the root password.
Enable root login and password authentication
For connections via the built-in VNC console in the OVHcloud Control Panel
First, set the root password.
Next, access the VNC console on the manager:
Click on the ... button next to the corresponding instance and then click on Instance details.
Switch to the tab VNC console. At the command prompt, enter your login as root, then enter your password.
For connections using Linux terminals
First, set the root password.
Next, enable root login and password authentication in your sshd_config file:
~$ sudo sed -i 's/#PermitRootLogin prohibit-password/PermitRootLogin yes/g' /etc/ssh/sshd_config
~$ sudo sed -i 's/PasswordAuthentication no/PasswordAuthentication yes/g' /etc/ssh/sshd_config
Restart the SSH service:
~$ service sshd restart
Once done, you should be able to access your server with the root user and password set.
For connections using Putty
First, set the root password.
Next, enable root login and password authentication in your sshd_config file:
~$ sudo sed -i 's/#PermitRootLogin prohibit-password/PermitRootLogin yes/g' /etc/ssh/sshd_config
~$ sudo sed -i 's/PasswordAuthentication no/PasswordAuthentication yes/g' /etc/ssh/sshd_config
Restart the SSH service:
~$ service sshd restart
In the Putty authentication agent (pageant key list), remove your private SSH key.
Once done, you should be able to access your server with the root user and password set.
Go further
Join our community of users on https://community.ovh.com/en/.
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