Starting and stopping the system

Logging in as root

Many system maintenance tasks require you to log in as root. For example, you must be root to stop the system. Do not confuse the root login with running in single-user mode, as described in ``Changing to single-user state (system state s)''. The only similarity is that both require the use of the root password.

To log in as root, you must know the root password. If you do not know it, ask the administrator who installed your system. You also need to see the login: message on the screen. If you are using a character-based display and do not see this message, press <Ctrl>D until it appears.

WARNING: Take special care when you are logged in as root. In particular, be careful when deleting or modifying files or directories. This is important because root has unlimited access to all files, and it is possible to remove or modify a file that is vital to the system. Avoid using wildcard designators in filenames and keep track of your current working directory.

To log in as root:

When you see the login display, enter the root login name:
```
   login: root
```
Enter the root password when prompted. The system does not display the password as you enter it, so enter each keystroke carefully.

The system opens the root account. If you are using a graphical display, you see the Desktop of the root account. If you have logged in to a character-based display, you see the root prompt ``#''. You can exit at any time by pressing <Ctrl>D or by entering exit on the command line.