Can not keep the environment parameters when use “sudo xxxx”

Posted on June 25, 2009. Filed under: Linux |

sudo problem: can not keep the environment parameters when use “sudo xxxx”

For example:
“sudo doesn’t set HOME”

Solutions:
1. set the related environment in the file /etc/environment or /etc/bashrc or /etc/profile , this maybe work, but I did not try.

2. the command “sudo” from version 1.6.8p7-1.3 to 1.7.0 have the problem of the environment parameters, so maybe you can update the “sudo” to 1.7.0 or later

3. setting in the /etc/sudoers to keep the environment parameters when use “sudo”
    if you do not want to keep the parameters, add following line to the /etc/sudoers:
         Defaults env_reset
    if you want to keep the parameters, add the following lines, pay attention to the environments, add what you want/delete what you do not want:
         Defaults    env_keep = “COLORS DISPLAY HOSTNAME HISTSIZE INPUTRC KDEDIR \
                        LS_COLORS MAIL PS1 PS2 QTDIR USERNAME \
                        LANG LC_ADDRESS LC_CTYPE LC_COLLATE LC_IDENTIFICATION \
                        LC_MEASUREMENT LC_MESSAGES LC_MONETARY LC_NAME LC_NUMERIC \
                        LC_PAPER LC_TELEPHONE LC_TIME LC_ALL LANGUAGE LINGUAS \
                        _XKB_CHARSET XAUTHORITY”

4. How to check the environment parameters are kept or not:
    env >> currentenv
    sudo env >> sudoenv
    diff currentenv sudoenv

References:
http://linux.derkeiler.com/Mailing-Lists/Debian/2006-03/msg00537.html
http://linux.derkeiler.com/Mailing-Lists/Debian/2006-03/msg00498.html
http://ubuntuforums.org/archive/index.php/t-930500.html
http://blenderartists.org/forum/showthread?t=7412
http://lists.zenoss.org/pipermail/zenoss-users/2006/000439.html
http://www.gratisoft.us/pipermail/sudo-users/2005-August/002593.html
http://www.gratisoft.us/pipermail/sudo-users/2008-September/003734.html
http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-list/2006-April/379061.html
http://www.unix.com/unix-advanced-expert-users/97743-sudo-environment-setting.html