Ubuntu 16.04 and sudo Monday, 13 June 2016  
Not sure whether to laugh or cry. Ubuntu 16.04 is now the latest release. I grabbed a server ISO and decided to install - so I could do some dtrace fixes for the Linux 4.4 kernel.

I go through a routine of a base install, get my .profile/.bashrc, bin/ and various other things to make the VM my "home".

First thing is to create my login id as part of the install. Alas, over the years, my UID has been set out of bounds during an install. To make life easier, I ensure I have the same UID across all systems - despite it not really being relevant. But it helps.

First thing: sudo to root, vi /etc/passwd and change my UID to the preferred one. Then "chown -R fox ." on my home dir, logout, and login again. All is ready.

Alas, sudo has a naughty bug in it. Since I have my UID==GID, I also need to edit /etc/group.

Guess what I forgot to do? Yes. Forgot to edit /etc/group.

So now what? Well, "sudo" nicely core dumps on you when your group doesnt match. WTF?! Its 2016 !

Oh dear, am locked out of becoming root with out a reinstall.......

Ok, so lets boot to single user mode, vi /etc/group, and carry on.

Whew! All is resolved.


Posted at 22:13:03 by fox | Permalink