SAS High-Performance
Computing Management Console is installed from either an RPM or from
a tarball package and must be installed and configured with the root
user ID. The root user account must have passwordless secure shell
(SSH) access between all the machines in the cluster. The console
includes a web server. The web server is started with the root user
ID, and it runs as the root user ID.
The reason that the
web server for the console must run as the root user ID is that the
console can be used to add, modify, and delete operating system user
accounts from the local passwords database (/etc/passwd and /etc/shadow).
Only the root user ID has Read and Write access to these files.
Be aware that you do
not need to log on to the console with the root user ID. In fact,
the console is typically configured to use console user accounts.
Administrators can log on to the console with a console user account
that is managed by the console itself and does not have any representation
in the local passwords database or whatever security provider the
operating system is configured to use.