Use for questions where tasks usually considered as "system-administrative" are to be performed by a regular, non-admin user, and/or for tasks or configurations that should not be performed system-wide but only apply for one such user (e.g. local software installation). Don't use for questions about a specific way to gain root privileges if there is an appropriate tag for that available.
Questions tagged [non-root-user]
427 questions
256
votes
8 answers
Can I create a user-specific hosts file to complement /etc/hosts?
Is it possible to add a list of hosts that are only specific to a certain user? Perhaps a user-specific hosts file?
This mechanism should also complement the entries in the /etc/hosts file.
redspike
- 2,663
- 2
- 15
- 5
155
votes
4 answers
Where should a local executable be placed?
I have an executable for the perforce version control client (p4). I can't place it in /opt/local because I don't have root privileges. Is there a standard location where it needs to be placed under $HOME?
Does the File System Hierarchy have a…
user640378
- 1,843
- 3
- 14
- 12
117
votes
8 answers
How to install program locally without sudo privileges?
Assume I have ssh access to some Ubuntu server as user and I need some not system tools to be installed for convenience (mc, rtorrent, mcedit). I do not want to bother admins for these small programs.
Is there a way to install them (make them run)…
yura
- 1,317
- 2
- 10
- 8
113
votes
6 answers
How could we allow non-root users to control a systemd service?
With sysvinit, a sudoers entry like this would suffice:
%webteam cms051=/sbin/service httpd *
This would allow for commands such as:
sudo service httpd status
sudo service httpd restart
Now, with systemd, the service name is the final argument.…
Belmin Fernandez
- 9,347
- 15
- 46
- 50
112
votes
7 answers
Creating a user without a password
I'm trying to create a user without password like this:
sudo adduser \
--system \
--shell /bin/bash \
--gecos ‘User for managing of git version control’ \
--group \
--disabled-password \
--home /home/git \
git
It's created…
Erik
- 1,687
- 3
- 13
- 11
102
votes
3 answers
Why can't a normal user `chown` a file?
Why is the chown command root-only?
Why can't non-root users use chown to give away files they own?
phleg
- 1,021
- 2
- 7
- 4
82
votes
1 answer
Why doesn't my systemd user unit start at boot?
I'm trying to create a systemd user unit and have it start when the system boots. The service does start manually, however it does not start at boot.
From searching the Internet I learned that in order for user units to start at boot, I supposedly…
Michael Hampton
- 8,658
- 2
- 31
- 54
74
votes
10 answers
How to allow non-superusers to mount any filesystem?
Is it possible to allow some particular users (e.g. members of a group) to mount any filesystem without superuser privileges on Linux?
Another question might have been "in what ways a user can harm a system by mounting filesystems?"
user27225
63
votes
12 answers
Non-Root Package Managers
From my research, I seem to notice that all package managers insist on being used as a privileged user and must be installed into /.
Typically, what I like to do is create a throwaway account, compile some software, and install to $HOME for that…
elmt
- 732
- 1
- 6
- 6
55
votes
9 answers
Can I create override dns similar to writing in /etc/hosts without root access
I want to set a dns record that my browser will use, but I don't have root access, so I can't modify /etc/hosts. I need to do this for testing vhosts with apache, whose dns hasn't yet been set up. I have access to firefox, and chrome, so if there's…
xenoterracide
- 57,918
- 74
- 184
- 250
54
votes
5 answers
Where are userspace programs supposed to save their logs?
I am writing a script that I want to run without privileges. I want the errors that the script encounters to be logged to some log file. I do not not have privileges to write one to /var/log. And I do not want to have one in my home directory.
Is…
Lord Loh.
- 1,916
- 8
- 20
- 33
51
votes
3 answers
How to create a user with limited RAM usage?
So I have 4 GB RAM + 4GB swap. I want to create a user with limited ram and swap: 3 GB RAM and 1 GB swap. Is such thing possible? Is it possible to start applications with limited RAM and swap avaliable to them without creating a separate user (and…
myWallJSON
- 1,121
- 3
- 14
- 20
47
votes
3 answers
Install R in my own directory
How can I install a new version of R in my own directory, e.g., /local/data/project/behi.
user3925736
- 481
- 1
- 4
- 4
47
votes
7 answers
Read/Write to a Serial Port Without Root?
I'm writing an application to read/write to/from a serial port in Fedora14, and it works great when I run it as root. But when I run it as a normal user I'm unable to obtain the privileges required to access the device (/dev/ttySx). That's kind of…
iegod
- 495
- 1
- 4
- 4
38
votes
10 answers
How to resolve 'No protocol specified' for su user
I am trying to use an alternate user (non-admin) to execute graphical software on my system. This alternate user has been named and given a UID and GID to match a remote system user of the same name. The UID is 500 so I believe that makes the user a…
J Collins
- 1,105
- 2
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- 25