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Sudden Problems with SU logins in KDE: Kdesu?


Guest Tashe
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I'm suddenly having problems with su logins via KDE on the free version of Mandriva 2007. I can go to a terminal (Konsole), do an "su", and get to root just fine; but if I try to access, say, the package manager or anthing that requires a login from KDE I'm getting an invalid password error. For example, I can run the system manager ("Configure your computer") by doing an "su /usr/sbin/drakconf.real" in Konsole, but not through the login screen that comes up when I try to start it from the program menu item (in that case I get an incorrect password error). I also tried this in Konsole: "kdesu /usr/sbin/drakconf.real" and I get a popup login request that fails when I enter my password, which lead me to think that there might be something wrong somewhere in the kdesu process. So I researched that, and decided that perhaps the ".Xauthority" file might be corrupt; so I tried both renaming it and deleting it, and rebooting, and still got the password errors through kdesu regardless. And so now I'm stumped and need some help.

 

Any solutions, suggestions, thoughts would be appreciated.

 

Thanks,

Tashe

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Which password are you entering? It should be the password you supplied for the root account when you installed Mandriva.

Yes, that's all I've been using, and it's worked fine until it suddenly didn't. The only system change I made was to install Kaffeine just before the password thing started happening.

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Do you get asked the password when you type it "su" at a console prompt?

I get a password prompt when I do an "su" via Konsole, and it accepts my password--ie, I can get to root that way. If I do a "kdesu" via a console, a graphic window pops up, asking for my password. When I enter it I get an "incorrect password" error message--same password that works via an "su". Which is what makes me think there's something corrupt somewhere in the kdesu process.

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Just to see what would happen, and to explore the thing, I installed Smart Package Manager-- and discovered that I can open and log into the Smart gui interface with my normal root password, while I still can't log in to the MCC without going to a console and using a command line login. Why would I be able to log in to Smart and not into MCC using the GUI? Does Smart not use the kdesu process? I'm looking for some kind of clues here to help solve my login problems. Does this give anyone any ideas?

 

Thanks,

Tashe

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I also tried this in Konsole: "kdesu /usr/sbin/drakconf.real" and I get a popup login request that fails when I enter my password, which lead me to think that there might be something wrong somewhere in the kdesu process. So I researched that, and decided that perhaps the ".Xauthority" file might be corrupt; so I tried both renaming it and deleting it, and rebooting, and still got the password errors through kdesu regardless. And so now I'm stumped and need some help.

It sounds like you may have started a KDE app as root instead of using kdesu?

 

First, you should never do that... but if you have already done so, a few things happen:

 

you create a new authority file /root/.ICEauthority

you create (or overwrite) new directories, files and symlinks in /root that you do not need

you change ownership and perms in /home/whomever/.ICEauthority

 

The first two are a PITA to fix, and you may or may not need to fix them.

The 3rd can be done easily... as you 'have' done with the .Xauthority file.

 

Make a copy of the /home/xxx/.ICEauthority (just in case I'm wrong), then delete it from home.

Reboot your system... it 'should' create a new one.

 

Let use know if it works for you?

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I also tried this in Konsole: "kdesu /usr/sbin/drakconf.real" and I get a popup login request that fails when I enter my password, which lead me to think that there might be something wrong somewhere in the kdesu process. So I researched that, and decided that perhaps the ".Xauthority" file might be corrupt; so I tried both renaming it and deleting it, and rebooting, and still got the password errors through kdesu regardless. And so now I'm stumped and need some help.

It sounds like you may have started a KDE app as root instead of using kdesu?

 

First, you should never do that... but if you have already done so, a few things happen:

 

you create a new authority file /root/.ICEauthority

you create (or overwrite) new directories, files and symlinks in /root that you do not need

you change ownership and perms in /home/whomever/.ICEauthority

 

The first two are a PITA to fix, and you may or may not need to fix them.

The 3rd can be done easily... as you 'have' done with the .Xauthority file.

 

Make a copy of the /home/xxx/.ICEauthority (just in case I'm wrong), then delete it from home.

Reboot your system... it 'should' create a new one.

 

Let use know if it works for you?

 

Hi Greg,

No luck with the .ICEAuthority in /home/me/ -- I copied and deleted it, rebooted, and got the same kdesu password problem. So then, just for the hell of it, I tried the copy and delete again, rebooted, but didn't try any logins, then copied and deleted .Xauthority, rebooted, and still no change. By the way, the perms stayed the same-- read/write for the owner only. So now I'm looking at your PITA fixes. Do I want to go there? Wish there was some kind of "repair" function, like Winternals for Linux.

 

Thanks!

Tashe

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So now I'm looking at your PITA fixes. Do I want to go there?

Do you have a log from the terminal when (if) you did it?

 

If not I have a test box, I will do it for you?

 

It's the only way I know to find what damage you have done?

 

Let me know?

 

Greg

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