This is the most crucial decision point for the security of your GNU/Linux system: you must enter the root password. Root is the system administrator and is the only user authorized to make updates, add users, change the overall system configuration, and so on. In short, root can do everything! That's why you must choose a password which is difficult to guess: DrakX will tell you if the password you chose is too simple. You're not forced to enter a password, but we strongly encourage you to do so. GNU/Linux is just as prone to operator error as any other operating system. Since root can overcome all limitations and unintentionally erase all data on partitions by carelessly accessing the partitions themselves, it is important that it be difficult to become root.

The password should be a mixture of alphanumeric characters and at least 8 characters long. Never write down root's password — it makes it far too easy to compromise your system.

One caveat: don't make the password too long or too complicated because you must be able to remember it!

The password won't be displayed on screen as you type it. To reduce the chance of a blind typing error you will need to enter the password twice. If you do happen to make the same typing error twice, you will have to use this “incorrect” password when you try to connect as root, at least for the first time.

You can change the way users are authenticated on your computer by clicking on the Authentication method button. The following authentication methods are available:

If you select a method other than Local file, you will be asked to provide some parameters, which vary from one method to the other. If you don't know those parameters, you should ask your network administrator.