Su -l
From OLPC
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su - is a Linux command for substitute user or group rights while running a command within the Terminal Activity or a command console. In its default form, su - , it enables the root or admin or super user's power to modify the system (see root user).
[edit] Overview
It gives you a login shell, which affects the commands that are available.
Various instructions will direct you to type su -l (l being a lower-case L for login) or just su. On some laptops, the next prompt will be "Password:". If this happens, and you do not have a root password, type sudo sh instead.
See reference wiki, http://man-wiki.net/index.php/1:su
