[PLUG] Ubuntu System Administration

[Ronald Chmara]

On Thu, Dec 1, 2011 at 3:01 PM, Rich Shepard <rshepard at appl-ecosys.com> wrote:
>   As you all know, I'm a Slacker and don't know the fine points of
> administering a ubuntu system.
>
>   Xubuntu-11.10 is now installed on the laptop, but I was not able to set
> the time zone (no instructions on how to do so and I blew it), and I missed
> the host name box so it has the computer model as a host name.

nano /etc/hostname

> I need to
> change those so the time is correct and so it works on the LAN.

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UbuntuTime

>   Also, it's been long enough that I don't remember how to create a root
> user and password; in Slackware that's done during installation. Sudo-ing to
> root to create root seems not likely to me.

root is created by default, with no password login capability.

>   Please help a non-ubuntu, non-professional SysAdmin correct the time, host
> name (/etc/hosts was changed but apparently didn't stick), and add user
> root.

If you
sudo su
You can take a look at /etc/passwd and /etc/shadow, the "!" in shadow
is the "don't allow this account to login" feature.

HTH,
-Ronabop