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Re: Package update problem...

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On Sunday, 12/11/16 02:45:41 PM kamaraju kusumanchi wrote:
> On Fri, Dec 9, 2016 at 3:17 PM, Mark Neidorff <mark@neidorff.com> 
wrote:
> > I'm running Jesse 8.6 with a KDE desktop.
> > 
> > I get a desktop notification that there is one or more package 
updates
> > available.  I select the package(s) and then I'm asked for 
authentication.
> > I type in the root password, but it is rejected.  I also try my user
> > password, but that is also rejected. (Tried multiple times, so it doesn't
> > seem to be a typo problem)
> > 
> > If I go to the command line--as root--and do apt-get update and 
upgrade,
> > then the update installs correctly.
> > 
> > This sounds like something easy to fix, but I just don't know where to 
fix
> > and what fix to apply. Please let me know.
> 
> The technical term you are looking for is called "Privilege escalation".
> 
> On a Debian system, "administrative" privileges are required to
> install/upgrade/remove packages. When you run the command as root, 
you
> have all the necessary privileges. A normal user does not have them
> enabled by default. This explains why the commands fail unless they
> are run as root. One possible approach (I am only guessing here and
> have not tested this) is to grant the necessary privileges to this
> user and see if the KDE application respects that.
> 
> You can do this by modifying /etc/sudoers which is explained in
> https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-reference/ch01.en.html#_sudo_confi
> guration
> https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-reference/ch04.en.html#_sudo
> https://debian-handbook.info/browse/stable/sect.config-misc.html#sect.shari
> ng-admin-rights
> 
> The only caution is that /etc/sudoers can't be edited interactively in
> an editor. You need to use another program called visudo to do that.
> 
> You can accomplish some really complex tasks by tweaking the sudoers
> configuration file (see man sudoers for all the gory details). But for
> your use case, granting ALL permissions to one normal user should
> probably be sufficient.
> 
> hope that helps
> raju

Sorry to seem stubborn, but I don't consider giving a user account full 
administrative access acceptable, even if there is only one user on the 
system.  My reasoning is that by default if the user goes to a "naughty" 
web page and somehow downloads destructive software only the user's 
files are at risk.  But, with full administrative access, the entire system 
(plus any attached networks) are at risk.

Question: Is not allowing an administrative (software update)task to run 
when the root password is given a bug or is it by design?  If by design, why?  

I see two alternatives to your suggestion, neither of which is convenient.
1. When I get a notification, log off and then log in as root.  Then when the 
updates are downloaded and applied, log back in as the user.
2. When I get a notification, use "su" to change to the root user and then 
do the updates.

Both of these add more steps.  If I have to add these steps, then I have to.  
But, I have been using linux (and KDE) for a long time and up until now, 
when an update arrives I select to apply the update, give the root 
password, and the update is installed.  Now, when I get an update 
notification and supply the root password to apply the update, the update 
is not applied. (I am returned to the password prompt)

Thanks,

Mark  

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Thread

Package update problem... Mark Neidorff <mark@neidorff.com> - 2016-12-09 21:30 +0100
  Re: Package update problem... kamaraju kusumanchi <raju.mailinglists@gmail.com> - 2016-12-11 20:50 +0100
    Re: Package update problem... Mark Neidorff <mark@neidorff.com> - 2016-12-12 18:50 +0100
      Re: Package update problem... kamaraju kusumanchi <raju.mailinglists@gmail.com> - 2016-12-13 05:50 +0100
        Re: Package update problem...{***SOLVED***} Mark Neidorff <mark@neidorff.com> - 2016-12-13 20:30 +0100
          Re: Package update problem...{***SOLVED***} Henning Follmann <hfollmann@itcfollmann.com> - 2016-12-13 20:40 +0100
            Re: Package update problem...{***SOLVED***} Mark Neidorff <mark@neidorff.com> - 2016-12-13 20:50 +0100
          Re: Package update problem...{***SOLVED***} Lisi Reisz <lisi.reisz@gmail.com> - 2016-12-14 12:10 +0100
            Re: Package update problem...{***SOLVED***} Mark Neidorff <mark@neidorff.com> - 2016-12-14 17:20 +0100

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