Re: can't shut down

[Michael Rauch <mira.list@gmx.net>]

Kevin C. Smith wrote:
> On Mon, Jan 27, 2003 at 09:25:33AM -0400, Douglas Pollard wrote:
>
> > I'm a newby to debian linux and feeling pretty dumb. I have managed to partition my hard drive and install Debian but I can't figure out how to get into root in order to shut down my machine. If I am in Gnome how do I close Debian-linux down. If someone would walk me through from Gnome 
> > I would be thankful. At the present time I am shuting down with th off button on the front of my machine.
> >                                                Doug
>
>
> Find "log out", or maybe it's "log off", from one of the gnome menus.
> Gnome 2.4 it's on the top by default under "ACIONS".
>
> Gnome then logs out to GDM. Choose shutdown. You will need to know the
> root password in Debian to shutdown the machine. This a Debian default
> meant to improve security.
>
> Kevin

i don't consider it a security problem on my workstations to allow 
non-root users to shutdown from the GDM login screen (wouldn't allow it 
on a server machine ... but why should there be a gnome/kde/.. running 
anyway?).

to change the default behaviour, you have to edit /etc/gdm/gdm.conf. the 
relevant lines are:

SystemMenu=true
SecureSystemMenu=false

after editing the file, login as root (CTRL+ALT+F1 to change to a 
terminal) and restart GDM:

/etc/init.d/gdm restart

hth
#!mike