How to root an appliance

Linux Security System Administration Hardware Root Access

We often deal with appliances during our daily struggles. They provide a solution to a particular problem, and they come as a package. In the sense of administration, they usually offer management panels. You can't access the root account on these devices. Not being a superuser on a server I manage irritates us intensely. Having root means being able to operate the equipment after the warranty.

Understanding Linux 02: Everything is a File

Linux Tutorial System Administration Unix Philosophy File System

One of the core philosophies lies behind the Unix operating system is "Everything is a file". This design provides a uniform interface for applications and users. This means everything in the system from processes, files, directories, sockets, pipes are represented by files. This ghost from the past still heavily affects the inner workings of the modern Linux distributions.