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restricting boot of Linux

That "restricted" keywords was needed (something often overlooked in haste) but only to prevent people from adding arguments to the boot line. If you just wanted a boot password (which might let Windows boot without challenge but require a password to boot Linux, for example), you just added "password=mypassword" to lilo.conf (see Password protect LILO.)

Note that's plain text, so lilo.conf should be chmod 600.

Grub has a much more versatile method that can assign multiple users individual abilities. See Grub Security. Some distros have a simplified version that is more like LILO.

From: John Thompson <John.Thompson@attglobal.net>
Newsgroups: linux.redhat.misc
Subject: Re: Removing LINUX SINGLE
Date: Sun, 28 Nov 1999 07:33:04 -0600
Message-ID: <38412F10.D00F969A@attglobal.net> 
References: <3840a15a.216431939@news.enteract.com> 

"Steve ." wrote:
> 
> I have a machine running Redhat, and have an issue with people being
> able to use LINUX SINGLE to get into the system and change the root
> password.  I'm aware this machine should be in a more secure place.
> That is not an option.  Is there a way to eliminate the LINUX SINGLE
> access to the box, and floppy access if that is also possible to side
> track the login screen?  Thanks.

Check out the "restricted" option for lilo.conf

Eg, from "man lilo.conf:"

      restricted
              A password is only required to boot  the 
image  if
              parameters  are specified on the command line
(e.g.
              single).

-- 

-John (John.Thompson@attglobal.net)

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