# Unable  stop/start wowza from user

**URL:** <https://community.wowza.com/t/unable-stop-start-wowza-from-user/36553>\
**Category:** Wowza Streaming Engine\
**Created:** [January 19, 2015, 3:05pm UTC](https://community.wowza.com/t/unable-stop-start-wowza-from-user/36553 "2015-01-19T15:05:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Ars\_M](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e68b1a/32.png) [@Ars\_M](https://community.wowza.com/u/Ars_M)\
**Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 3:05pm UTC](https://community.wowza.com/t/unable-stop-start-wowza-from-user/36553/1 "2015-01-19T15:05:13Z")

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Unable stop/start WowzaStreamingEngine, WowzaStreamingEngineManager from user :

$ /etc/init.d/WowzaStreamingEngine restart

ERROR: Missing license file: (/usr/local/WowzaStreamingEngine/conf/Server.license)

You must first run Wowza Streamng Engine 4 in

standalone mode to enter a license key. Execute the

following commands to run in standalone mode:

cd /usr/local/WowzaStreamingEngine/bin

./startup.sh

but from root is ok

I am using ubuntu

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**Author:** ![Paul\_Shields](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/community.wowza.com/paul_shields/32/390_2.png) [@Paul\_Shields](https://community.wowza.com/u/Paul_Shields)\
**Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 11:55am UTC](https://community.wowza.com/t/unable-stop-start-wowza-from-user/36553/2 "2015-01-20T11:55:30Z")

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Hi,

Wowza by default is installed using root privileges and runs as the root user. If you are logged in as a non-root user you can prefix the command with sudo, and it will prompt you for your password.

Note that you can perform an [advanced configuration](https://www.wowza.com/docs/how-to-run-wowza-streaming-engine-as-a-named-user-linux-and-os-x%28Linux-and-OS-X%29) of Wowza to run the service as a named user.

Paul

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Ars\_M](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e68b1a/32.png) [@Ars\_M](https://community.wowza.com/u/Ars_M)\
**Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 10:08am UTC](https://community.wowza.com/t/unable-stop-start-wowza-from-user/36553/3 "2015-01-20T10:08:05Z")

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Paul\_S, the problem is: we need start/stop wowza as a non-root user.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Paul\_Shields](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/community.wowza.com/paul_shields/32/390_2.png) [@Paul\_Shields](https://community.wowza.com/u/Paul_Shields)\
**Post date:** [January 21, 2015, 4:20pm UTC](https://community.wowza.com/t/unable-stop-start-wowza-from-user/36553/4 "2015-01-21T16:20:48Z")

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Hi,

The link I posted in my previous reply demonstrates a framework for running Wowza as a non-root user. This needs to be carried out by hand after installation. The current default installation and execution on Linux/Unix operating systems is all carried out as the root user.

Paul