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    Can you even use sudo su -? Normally, su - should ask you for root's password. For that matter sudo *some command* will allow you to perform maintenance tasks on the server in question. I think you need this tip over at Google Chromium that relaxes sudo Commented Nov 20, 2014 at 22:37
  • @eyoung100 Yes I can use sudo su -, but it asks me for my user's password. Thanks for the link, I will check it out. Commented Nov 20, 2014 at 22:54
  • Then something is wrong, or your sudo configuration is non standard. sudo su asks for your password to account for sudo, but su - should ask for root's password. You aren't being asked for it because sudo is overriding it. What are you trying to do as root? Commented Nov 20, 2014 at 23:00
  • @eyoung100 by the time su - is run, you are already effectively root from sudo and as such, no additional password is needed. Root can run su with no password. Commented Nov 21, 2014 at 0:24
  • @eyoung100 I don't really know, but both commands ask me for my user's password. I have 64 machines just like this server, and I have to install in each of them some software. In order to do this, I set up a passwordless SSH and a bash script that installs the software in each machine. The thing is the software I need to install requires root permissions and if include in the bash command sudo su I have to write 64 times the same password each time that command appears in the script. So I need to enable ssh login with root somehow. Commented Nov 21, 2014 at 0:25