switching from user to root and revers (FreeBSD)

Question

I want to make some modification with root and then with my user, in fact I want to install sudo and he give me the error in the first step:

cd /usr/ports/security/sudo
make install clean

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/821/errorunix.png/

I was trying to log in with root in another session Alt+F2 but after entry the login and the password the system keep going to ask me to put again the user and the password .. so what is wrong??

I searched in the FreeBSD handbook http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/ but nothing!! how this is possible??

Later EDIT: apologize., that in fact here is 2 questions., one about how to switch from user to root and then from root to user and the problem with sudo, thank you

Solution

Try su, to gain a root shell as a user, enter root's password when asked. See man su for more info:

NAME su — substitute user identity

SYNOPSIS su [-] [-flms] [-c class] [login [args]]

DESCRIPTION The su utility requests appropriate user credentials via PAM and switches to that user ID (the default user is the superuser). A shell is then executed.

It also lets you switch from root to user, just use su - loginname

The ports error you posted comes from running make install as a non-root user, so using su first, everything should be fine. Be aware that you can also grab a binary packages via pkg_add -r sudo (as root).

Edit I just had a closer look, could it be that your root account's shell is set to /usr/local/bin/bash but that this file does not exist? If so, check this forum thread on how to resolve the "root shell messed up" issue, and give this a try:

 $ su -m root -c /bin/csh
 Password:  # <-- root password
 # chsh     # <-- change root shell

(But also read the hints on using the toor user as a better admin account while leaving root safe and intact.)

Comments

[pstnc]

is a very good answer sr_., but unfortunately i try su and then i put the password, i have the same pass to my 2 users - root and pstnc (pstnc is a user that i created manually) and give me the error: BAD SU pstnc to root, see the screenshot please., and thank you .. best regards

[pstnc]

the screenshot imageshack.us/photo/my-images/694/errunix2.png

[sr_]

Please see my edit :)

[pstnc]

hi again, i try it and is still not working .. i try the 3 solutions, 2 from the forum topic and yours, but unsuccessfully :( i attach the screenshot with my tests imageshack.us/photo/my-images/826/errorunix3.png .. Question: i dont now if have something to do with that yesterday i create 2 new sessions Alt+F2, Alt+F3 and for that reason is not working!?! just asking

[sr_]

Really try this, i.e. boot in single user mode etc., but change the root shell (chsh root) to /bin/csh, not /usr/local/bin/bash (since it doesn't exist).

[pstnc]

ohh i'm so sorry sr_ you came like a good man to solve a problem, but little by little i put you in a lot of problems of a strange situation that i have., right now is impossible to boot my virtual machine i attach the screenshot imageshack.us/photo/my-images/855/thisgotofar.png

[sr_]

I don't know how to use VMWare player, can't you just kill it? Using the virtual equivalent of pulling the plug? (if there's nothing unsaved to lose.)

[pstnc]

i try it in another pc and is work perfectly., for the rest of the problems i start a new topic, because something is wrong with what i have in my laptop.. thank you