su(1)                                                       su(1)



     NAME
          su - become super-user or another user

     SYNOPSIS
          su [-] [name[arg ...]]

     DESCRIPTION
          su allows one to become another user without logging off.
          The default user name is root (i.e., super-user).

          To use su, the appropriate password must be supplied (unless
          one is already root).  If the password is correct, su will
          execute a new shell with the real and effective user ID set
          to that of the specified user.  The new shell will be the
          optional program named in the shell field of the specified
          user's password file entry (see passwd(4)), or /bin/sh if
          none is specified (see sh(1)).  To restore normal user ID
          privileges, type an EOF (CONTROL-d) to the new shell.

          Any additional arguments given on the command line are
          passed to program invoked as the shell.  When using programs
          like sh(1), an arg of the form -c string executes string via
          the shell and an argument of -r will give the user a
          restricted shell.

          The following statements are true only if the optional
          program named in the shell field of the specified user's
          password file entry is like sh(1).  If the first argument to
          su is a -, the environment will be changed to what would be
          expected if the user actually logged in as the specified
          user.  This is done by invoking the program used as the
          shell with an arg0 value whose first character is -, thus
          causing first the system's profile (/etc/profile) and then
          the specified user's profile (.profile in the new HOME
          directory) to be executed.  Otherwise, the environment is
          passed along with the possible exception of $PATH, which is
          set to /bin:/etc:/usr/bin for root.  Note that if the
          optional program used as the shell is /bin/sh, the user's
          .profile can check arg0 for -sh or -su to determine if it
          was invoked by login(1) or su(1), respectively.  If the
          user's program is other than /bin/sh, then .profile is
          invoked with an arg0 of -program by both login(1) and su(1).

          All attempts to become another user using su are logged in
          the log file /usr/adm/sulog.

     EXAMPLE
               su paul

          would cause the system to prompt for Paul's password; if the
          password is typed in correctly, Paul's identity is
          substituted for yours, so far as the system is concerned.



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     su(1)                                                       su(1)



          To become user bin while retaining your previously exported
          environment, execute:

               su bin

          To become user bin but change the environment to what would
          be expected if bin had originally logged in, execute:

               su - bin

          To execute command with the temporary environment and
          permission of user bin, type:

               su - bin -c "command args"

     FILES
          /bin/su
          /etc/passwd
          /etc/profile
          $HOME.profile
          /usr/adm/sulog

     SEE ALSO
          env(1), login(1), sh(1), passwd(4), profile(4), environ(5).































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