[SunHELP] root shell

[James Lockwood]

On Mon, 10 Jun 2002, Craig T. Abram wrote:

> I know this has been a argument in the past about not changing root
> shell, what about now in solaris 8 ? any reasons for not changing the
> shell ? if so what's the best way or  safest way ?

As a general rule, I recommend against changing your root shell.

The reason for this is far more mundane than those usually given (shared
library dependence, consistancy, issues with scripts that assume sh).  I
recommend against it because there is a nonzero possibility that the
changer will somehow screw something simple up in the process (such as
selecting "/usr/bin/bash" on a system with no such file) and will then
come back with a series of questions about how to recover.

For reasons I have never fully grasped, RSBS (Root Shell Breakage
Syndrome) sharply increased in popularity around 1998 and has stayed high
since (as measured by a wasted lifetime reading Usenet).  Last I checked
it has remained the #1 frequently asked question in Solaris newsgroups.

If you feel comfortable disregarding this advice then by all means do so.

-James