TIL articles on OS X Server: "wheel" group; telnet access

Wheel group An "old" Apple TIL article (60113: Mac OS X Server: About The Group Wheel) describes the nature and function of the group named "wheel." Although written about OS X Server, most of it appears still applicable to OS X 10.0.x. Wheel is a name that you will see as a group name in the Privileges pane of the Show Info window for many system files (see also previous coverage). The article states in part: "The special privileges granted to users in group wheel include the ability to use the <su> program to gain a root prompt and the ability to edit files which are otherwise restricted. Beware that users with such privileges may be able to compromise a system and obtain root-level access even without the administrator (root) password."

Telnet access A related TIL article describes (24649: Mac OS X Server: How To Access From a Telnet Session For Troubleshooting) explains how to get root access via a telnet session. This can be useful especially when a problem with Aqua prevents access to the machine via the GUI - and you want to troubleshoot prior to restarting.