Sudoers

Summary

The /etc/sudoers file is used to give non-root users permission to use a select set of commands without logging in as root -- protecting the system from accidental damage.

Software and files

•  sudo -- home page of the sudo project
• /etc/sudoers  -- configuration file
  

Commands

For a list of allowed commands, see the configuration file /etc/sudoers, with some instructions. This can be used to finely regulate access at a low risk. It also allows us to create icons linked to scripts to automate tasks -- without requiring passwords.

I added this to /etc/sudoers, following the instructions from the wajig package and site:

Cmnd_Alias APT = /usr/bin/apt-get, /usr/bin/apt-cache, /usr/bin/dpkg,   \
                 /usr/bin/sensible-editor, /usr/sbin/dpkg-reconfigure,  \
                 /etc/init.d/*, /usr/sbin/update-alternatives,          \
                 /usr/lib/apt-move/fetch, /usr/bin/dselect

You can copy a master file to other machines -- just make sure you create one that has the right syntax. To edit a file, run visudo as root, save and exit.