problem when trying to install sudo

santiago ferreiro · 10-17-2018, 07:46 PM

I was trying to install sudo on my VM and when i used the code

Code:

apt install sudo

the output was this:
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (2), can someone tell me how to fix this?
I was using debian 9 and im already root

John VV · 10-17-2018, 07:51 PM

sudo is already installed BY DEFAULT and should be configured by default ( at time of the OS install

or you have set a "ROOT" password at time of install and are not using sudo but using " su - "

santiago ferreiro · 10-17-2018, 07:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John VV

sudo is already installed BY DEFAULT and should be configured by default ( at time of the OS install

or you have set a "ROOT" password at time of install and are not using sudo but using " su - "

I already checked and it is not installed I don't know why, I'm a high school student and i'm doing this for a project, i'm not very experienced with Linux

//sorry for the bad English it is not my native language //

John VV · 10-17-2018, 08:19 PM

then become "root" in a terminal and do a apt search

Code:

su -

---- type in the ROOT password ----

apt search sudo

if listed install it AS the ROOT user

but on debian sudo is part of the default base install and should be installed
( maby your user name is not in the sudoers list )

frankbell · 10-17-2018, 08:55 PM

Generally, sudo is in the base install of almost everything Linux.

Try this, as root:

Code:

$ updatedb
$ whereis sudo

Also, Debian does not configure sudo by default. It expects you to use su to assume root privileges. See man su for details.

The creepy sudo fetish is a *buntu thing.

ondoho · 10-19-2018, 03:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by santiago ferreiro

I was trying to install sudo on my VM and when i used the code

Code:

apt install sudo

the output was this:
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (2), can someone tell me how to fix this?
I was using debian 9 and im already root

is that all the output you get?

please show us the complete output.

how did you install debian?
did you do something to it subsequently?

frankbell · 10-19-2018, 09:16 PM

In my experience, only Ubuntu and its derivatives configure sudo by default. Every other distro I've used, including Debian, expects you to configure a root password at either install or first boot and use su to perform administrative tasks.

Debian includes sudo by default, but does not configure it. I checked my Debian box just to be certain. This, by the way, is the common practice outside of the *buntuverse.

hazel · 10-20-2018, 07:50 AM

As far as I can remember, Debian has a "sudo" group, which is set in sudoers to have full sudo rights. If you add yourself to this group, you should be able to use sudo.