[ubuntu-uk] webmin

[Avi Greenbury]

Dave Hanson wrote:
> I have just installed webmin on 11.04 server, but I'm having trouble
> logging in. I'm guessing I need to set a password for root [*sudo
> passwd root] *as that's the only solution I can find on the web

Yeah, I think webmin always needs to be able to be root, but you can 
make other settings able to perform Webmin's root operations. So you 
could create, say, an 'admin' Webmin user and tell Webmin that this user 
is effectively root, to get round people trying to log in with the 
predictable 'root' username ('admin' should be avoided for the same reason).

> Are there any security implications to doing that, I would have
> thought so?

If root cannot ssh in, I can't see that as being any different to any 
sudoer and more secure than the default of being able to ssh in as 
someone who can then sudo anything.

> I only want to try it out really as I'm sure most things can be done
> with a terminal, but if I like it I may keep it, that's why i'm
> concerned.

Well, everything Webmin can do can be done in a terminal. But Webmin's 
probably also a nice easy fallback for repairing something that you got 
wrong on the terminal :)

-- 
Avi