This started happening on 12.3 and now 13.1… I’m logged into bash as root - not as me with su -, no sudo, I login as root. I issue a command such as reboot and I get this:
undertaker:~ # reboot
Absolute path to ‘reboot’ is ‘/sbin/reboot’, so running it may require superuser privileges (eg. root).
Can someone tell me why this is happening and how to correct it?
Thanks!
It just means the folder /sbin is not in your path as a normal user. Try using “sudo /sbin/reboot” if that is what you want to do.
Thank You,
Probably you don’t have /sbin in root’s $PATH.
You are not asked for superuser privileges, but “reboot” is not found, therefore the command-not-found script is run, which does find it in /sbin/ and prints that informational message. (at least I guess this is happening… 
)
Does it work if you run it with full path?
/sbin/reboot
Yeah, for some reason /sbin wasn’t in root’s path. I detest sudo.
Updated the path and we’re good to go 
Thanks!
This is strange. As you loged in as root (as you said, in the CLI I hope), you should have the root PATH variable set correct. The same BTW when use
su -
which isn’t that strange because it logs you in as root and then the first argument above is valid.
I do not see your fear for su -. First log in in the CLI as a normal user and then use su - to login as root. That is the rule of caution.
On 2013-11-29 19:36, hcvv wrote:
> I do not see your fear for su -. First log in in the CLI as a normal
> user and then use su - to login as root. That is the rule of caution.
No, login in directly in the CLI directly as root is perfectly correct,
the extra step of entering as user, then suing, is not necessary.
It is different when doing it in a graphical terminal because then you
want to avoid everything else running as root as well.
It is also different when using a remote session, because typically
remote login as root is disabled; if it were not, attackers can do a
dictionary attack against the known user name, root. If they have to
guess the user, it is way more difficult.
But when using the text none of those limitations apply. There is no
network access, and only one user task is running as root. When you
finally do the “su -”, you have the exact same powers. Besides, login as
user then suing means that home has to be mounted and used, which is a
dificulty for doing maintenance as root sometimes.
–
Cheers / Saludos,
Carlos E. R.
(from 12.3 x86_64 “Dartmouth” at Telcontar)
Your assumption is that this is a login at the real console of the system. Then you are correct that a direct login might be needed. And you are also correct then that is rather secure (eexcept for people standing behind you or using morrors).
But I have nowhere read above that that is the case for the OP. He only says he loged in as root. For me this leaves open: login in the GUI and remote login in GUI or CLI