How to set up the Super User access in Mac OS X
The Super user is a unix user that has total access to all files, permissions etc etc. It is the user who must be obeyed. It is needed if you are making system changes to things like the Apache web server.
I use superuser a lot, though this can be perilous at times. On Mac OS X the super user access needs to be turned on first. This is done from the utility NetInfo, located in the Applications > Utilities Folder.
Once there, access the Security Menu, and select the Enable Root Password option
Choose a password and your super user access is go.
To use the super user, from terminal at the prompt type
> su
enter your password and you have super user access. Its particularly handy for changing permissions and deleting stubborn files and editing system files such as the http config files for apache web server.
Be mindful, as you can delete your whole system in seconds, and can open up your system to attack.
Unless you are making changes to things like the http config files, then you can also get away without turning on root access (and thus adding a level of protection to your computer) and instead use the sudo command (super user do).
Type man sudo for more info in your terminal window.
Added: December 01, 2003
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