K3B Configuration problems - SOLVED

[Windependent]

When I try to use k3b to burn a CD its painfully slow. I mean, it takes 4 hours or more for a 48x CDRW to burn the CD.

 

after performing a default installation of k3b, I get a couple of error messages on application startup:

 

1. "cdrecord does not run with root privileges"

2. "cdrdao does not run with root privileges"

 

naturally, the dialog boxes suggest that running the apps with root privs would add stability to the burning process and make the application run more smoothly. the dialog boxes suggest using k3bsetup to solve the problem. interestingly, i can't find a place in k3b setup to make these configuration changes.

 

so i have a few questions:

 

1. does this fix the problem?

2. where in k3bsetup can you make the changes, and

3. from a security standpoint, what do you think of letting these apps run with root privs?

 

oh, almost forgot:

k3b version 0.11.12

SuSE Linux 9.1 Pro

 

thanks!

 

[moved from Software by spinynorman]

[Ixthusdan]

Running setup and placing your user in the burn group takes care of all the issues. Just run the setup program.

[chris z]

1.  does this fix the problem?

2.  where in k3bsetup can you make the changes, and

3.  from a security standpoint, what do you think of letting these apps run with root privs?

as Ix said, run the k3bsetup. the last dialogue screen will give you an option to add users for burning/writing privileges.

 

to answer your questions.........

 

1. yes, that should fix the problem. all the Linux CD burning apps i've come across (so far) don't allow normal user's to burn, for security purposes. see 3. for more.........

 

2. see my very first statement up yonder.........

 

3. for a stand alone, home PC, used by yourself &/or family/people you trust, there is nothing wrong with allowing normal users burning privileges with burning apps, IMHO. it's kinda silly, i think. but, i can see how this default behaviour could be a benefit in a work place scenerio, where you might not want to allow employees access to burn company critical things to a CD for removal from the premises.

 

Chris

[Windependent]

thanks for the help, guys.

 

there must be something very different about the implementation of k3b in Suse vs. the other linux flavors. the options that you have mentioned do not seem to be available in Suse. maybe i'm missing something that should be obvious.

 

when installing k3b from YaST, i am not offered ANY options for configuring K3b. the installation program takes place transparently through YaST and I'm not offered any form of intervention and/or configuration. just to assure that i'm not goofing this up, i de-installed k3b and reinstalled it via YaST. there are no options during installation.

 

once k3b has been installed, no "setup" program or menu option is available. the closest thing that I can find is the "settings" menu within the k3b applicaiton itself. it has submenu headings entitled "writing, devices, programs, CDDB, notifications, plugins, themes, misc."

 

the last menu option, misc, offers the following menu selections:

default temp directory

check system config

GUI settings.

 

there doesn't appear to be anything related to a "burn group."

 

now i have to admit, the solution that you've mentioned seems so simple that i feel like a complete dolt in asking you to elaborate. on my PC, there does not appear to be a "setup" progam. are you referring to a separate executable application, or a menu option within k3b?

 

ideas? thanks!

[liquidzoo]

Try typing this in a console as root:

 

k3b<tab>

 

There should be something called k3bsetup

 

In distros other than Mandrake, this is not part of the k3b menus (for security reasons)

[Windependent]

Try typing this in a console as root:

 

k3b<tab>

 

There should be something called k3bsetup

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

the result?

 

"k3b: WARNING: KGenericFactory: instance requested but no instance name passed to the constructor!"

 

logging onto a SuSE system as root isn't as simple as it would seem. the default action is for SuSE to dump you into a session of YaST, and when you close the session, you're back to the user logon screen. to get to a shell or KDE you have to specifically choose that selection prior to logging on as root.

 

to make a long story short, i opened the shell window and typed in the k3b command as suggested. this opened an instance of k3b for the root user within the GUI interface. no new menu options were displayed compared to those displayed for the regular users. the only difference in invoking K3b from the shell command is that the aforementioned error message was displayed.

 

i feel like i'm stuck in a loop.

[liquidzoo]

When you press the tab key (indicated by the <tab> ), do any other commands come up?

 

Also, if SuSE installs things the same way Mandrake does, check /usr/bin for k3bsetup

[Bam]

In SuSE it's located here:

/opt/kde3/bin/k3bsetup

That's where it is in my 9.0 install anyway......... :D

 

Man Windependent....I feel your pain. I went through the same thing when I set up my SuSE box.

 

I had numerous permission problems with K3B. Creating a burning group & adding myself to it didn't work either. Finally I said the hell with it & edited my /etc/sudoers file to allow me to run k3b as root w/o a password.

 

add this line to the bottom of your /etc/sudoers file:

 

%users ALL = NOPASSWD: /opt/kde3/bin/k3b

 

Now run k3b by typing: sudo k3b

If that works fine for you, edit your k3b menu icon to use the sudo k3b command.

 

Regarding your slow burn times....Ensure you have DMA enabled for your CD burner. SuSE didn't enable it by default when I installed....Had the same problem you did until I enabled it.

(check YaST/Hardware/IDE DMA Mode).

Edited October 12, 2004 by Bam

[Windependent]

When you press the tab key (indicated by the <tab> ), do any other commands come up?

 

Also, if SuSE installs things the same way Mandrake does, check /usr/bin for k3bsetup

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks, LZ. Believe it or not, I really did press the "tab" key in the console as root, but no other commands came up. the cursor just moved over one space. now here's another funny thing -- /usr/bin doesn't have k3bsetup in it. i've even tried searching for the file, but i come up without a hit. it seems that there must be something different about SuSE 9.1...

 

In SuSE it's located here:

/opt/kde3/bin/k3bsetup

That's where it is in my 9.0 install anyway......... :D

 

Man Windependent....I feel your pain. I went through the same thing when I set up my SuSE box. 

 

well, i checked, and in SuSE 9.1 k3bsetup isn't there either.

 

i did follow your advice, though, and check the DMA settings for the CD-R/W. even though i had already enabled UDMA support for the hard disk, DMA support was turned off for both the DVD player and the CD-R/W. so i toggled each one of them on, and they defaulted to UDMA 33. I closed YaST and tried k3b again.

 

This time k3b was FAST! i tried simulating the burn of a clone copy music CD, and instead of taking 4 hours, the complete burn (reading from DVD to disk image and then burning to CD) took less than 5 minutes!

 

so it seems that i got k3b working at a reasonable performance level just by turning DMA on for the CD-R/W and DVD ROM. i didn't have to edit the sudoers file or run the k3b setup program. i still get the error messages at k3b startup, but from now on i think i'll just check the boxes that suppress the error messages.

 

now about SuSE 9.1 being a totally different animal -- it seems that k3bsetup may not be included in SuSE 9.1 -- at least i think that's why i haven't been able to find it on the hard disc. after completing my simulated burn i scanned through the debugging output for k3b and found this information buried in the pages of text:

Cdrecord-Clone-dvd 2.01a27 (i686-suse-linux) Copyright © 1995-2004 Jörg Schilling

Note: This version is an unofficial (modified) version with DVD support

Note: and therefore may have bugs that are not present in the original.

Note: Please send bug reports or support requests to http://www.suse.de/feedback

Note: The author of cdrecord should not be bothered with problems in this version.

 

so it appears that the SuSE people seem to have modified k3b somewhat. to me, at least, k3b appears to be a different animal on SuSE 9.1 and the conventional tweaks that work properly on every other distro may not be applicable to SuSE.

 

thanks everyone for your help!

[adamw]

well, that's not a change to k3b, that's a change to cdrecord. Most distros patch cdrecord now (you'll see a very similar message on MDK's cdrecord in any version from I think 9.2 onwards) in order to have DVD support. This functionality isn't in stock cdrecord, hence the message. I guess SuSE must've done something to k3b if k3bsetup doesn't exist, though...or maybe it's just in a separate package under SuSE? Maybe you could look in the SuSE package management tool for an actual k3bsetup package or something?

[Windependent]

fwiw, k3bsetup is NOT on the SuSE 9.1 DVD. a search for it in the YaST package manager comes up blank.

 

even though it seems at all of the distros including Mandrake patch cdrecord, this thread seems to have been exiled into the "other distros" category, even though it seems to be a software issue.

 

while we're on the subject of K3B, what's the difference between the "Normal Copy" mode and the "Clone Copy" mode?

 

thanks again for everyone's help!

[spinynorman]

even though it seems at all of the distros including Mandrake patch cdrecord, this thread seems to have been exiled into the "other distros" category, even though it seems to be a software issue.

You're trying to configure k3b on SuSE, so the thread belongs in Other Distros. The main forums are for Mandrake users: if we allowed other distros to be included, inexperienced users would get even more confused. :unsure:

 

If you want to discuss this further, please pm me. :)

[Windependent]

  The main forums are for Mandrake users: if we allowed other distros to be included, inexperienced users would get even more confused.  :unsure:

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

oh, I see the logic. thanks!