can use sudo but not su

[tbobker]

I have a xubuntu 8.04 intall.

When i try and type commands that need su rights i cannot promote myself to super user because it says authentication fails however if i simply just use sudo in front of my command instead and type the same password it works?

Is this a problem and does anyone know why this is happening?

[lloyd_b]

I have a xubuntu 8.04 intall.

When i try and type commands that need su rights i cannot promote myself to super user because it says authentication fails however if i simply just use sudo in front of my command instead and type the same password it works?

Is this a problem and does anyone know why this is happening?
This is *normal*. *buntu (Ubuntu, Xubuntu, Kubuntu) do not have a "root" user (at least, not one you can log into), so it's impossible to "su" to root. Instead, it uses the "sudo" mechanism to provide access to superuser commands.

If you *really* want a root shell, "sudo su" does the trick...

Lloyd B.