Can not run Programs that Require Root Access

[Ian Malone]

Ashley Pritchard wrote:
> hello,
> 
> I have recently installed Fedora 7 on my machine & got it working for the
> most part ie...adding DVD, mp3 support etc...but now when I login to my 
> user
> account from GDM into Gnome I am not able to use any programs that require
> root access. If the Package updater pops up with updates I click on view
> packages & it asks for my root password. I enter it & nothing happens & it
> does the same thing for all programs that need root access.

Something wrong there.  You evidently know the password since
you can get a login at the console.  What other programs that
need root access?

File a bug.  You need to find out why this is happening; everything
else is a workaround.

> I have tried disabling selinux, not installing selinux updates, deleting 
> the
> user account & creating a completely new user account with a different user
> name & I have also reinstalled the OS because of this issue and here I am
> back full circle. I have tried running the program through a terminal. 
> Loged
> in as root from my user account I tried running the command 'pup' for the
> package updater & I get the following info:
> 
> Xlib: connection to ":0.0" refused by server
> Xlib: No protocol specified
> 

<snip>

> 
> It was suggested to me from someone on a listserve to try this command

It was in fact this list.  Please avoid starting a new thread for the
same issue; people then have to go hunting for the previous discussion.

> 'xhost +localhost' & 'kdesu pup' so I did & got the following info:
> 
> [awp at localhost ~]$ xhost +localhost
> localhost being added to access control list
> [awp at localhost ~]$ su root
> Password:
> [root at localhost awp]# xhost +localhost
> Xlib: connection to ":0.0" refused by server
> Xlib: No protocol specified
> 

I'm not sure xhost +localhost is sufficient.  Incidentally
it's not expected that you then run it as root, you should
be trying to run pup at this point.  Is XAUTHORITY set?

> [root at localhost awp]# kdesu pup
> Xlib: connection to ":0.0" refused by server
> Xlib: No protocol specified
> 
> kdesu: cannot connect to X server :0.0
> so neither command resolved the issue.
> 

kdesu should be run as a normal user: it's the kde equivalent
to the gnome administrator password dialog, and semantically
equivalent to sudo.

> Then it was suggested to that I was actually logging into root the wrong
> way. Do not ask me how since 'su root' has been the way i logged into root
> since the old red hat days. So they said I should try 'su - root' so I did.
> Well it turns out that 'su - root' does the same thing as 'su root' 

It does not.  "su -" or "su -l" asks for a login shell,
environment variables like PATH will be set correctly,
not inherited from your existing shell.  "root" is taken
as read so 'su -l root' is equivalent to 'su -'.  However
I don't find that not using a login shell prevents X apps
from working here.  When changing shell to root you /should/
use 'su -' (or 'su - root' if you prefer), 'su root' is a
security risk as your environment variables will be unchanged.

Have you done anything odd to your hostname?  How are you
running the shell you use when su-ing to root?

-- 
imalone