starting remote firefox via SSH

[bruce]

Hi.

This is a "continuation" of the issue of starting firefox for a diff
user on a box.

If one logs into (SSH) into a remote box, and wants to start firefox
on the remote machine, such that all firefox operations occur on the
remote machine..

Different sites suggest setting the DISPLAY var, as well as xauth,
etc.. none of which seem to work.

The local/remote are both centos/fed.

The goal:
  To be able to SSH into a remote box, and run a py script that
initiates a py/selenium binding/process to use firefox.
  -This requires that the remote box be able to start/run firefox
    for the user that the SSH session was started as/under.

The SSH/Firefox issue:
 -How to SSH into the box, and start firefox?

(Already set up the keys, to allow ssh into the box vai ssh 192.168.1.4)

Tried:
 ssh 192.168.1.4
  foo@box1# DISPLAY=0: firefox
   ---ERROR: cannot open display: 0:

foo@box1# export DISPLAY=0:
  foo@box1# firefox
  ---No protocol specified
 ---ERROR: cannot open display: 0:

This has to be simple!

Any thoughts??

[Joachim Backes]

On 10/19/16 12:23, bruce wrote:
> Hi.
>
> This is a "continuation" of the issue of starting firefox for a diff
> user on a box.
>
> If one logs into (SSH) into a remote box, and wants to start firefox
> on the remote machine, such that all firefox operations occur on the
> remote machine..
>
> Different sites suggest setting the DISPLAY var, as well as xauth,
> etc.. none of which seem to work.
>
> The local/remote are both centos/fed.
>
> The goal:
>   To be able to SSH into a remote box, and run a py script that
> initiates a py/selenium binding/process to use firefox.
>   -This requires that the remote box be able to start/run firefox
>     for the user that the SSH session was started as/under.
>
> The SSH/Firefox issue:
>  -How to SSH into the box, and start firefox?
>
> (Already set up the keys, to allow ssh into the box vai ssh 192.168.1.4)
>
> Tried:
>  ssh 192.168.1.4
>   foo@box1# DISPLAY=0: firefox
>    ---ERROR: cannot open display: 0:
>
> foo@box1# export DISPLAY=0:
>   foo@box1# firefox
>   ---No protocol specified
>  ---ERROR: cannot open display: 0:
>
> This has to be simple!

Take "ssh -X" instead of "ssh". Thos will solve your problem!

Joachim Backes
> Any thoughts??
> _______________________________________________
> users mailing list -- [e-mail]
> To unsubscribe send an email to [e-mail]

[Gary Stainburn]

There are many pages on SSH X forwarding. I'd suggest a quick Google to find 
them.

However, very quickly, you need to ensure that you have

X11Forwarding yes

in your /etc/ssh/sshd_config file on the remote box

Be aware though that Firefox seems to try to be clever.  I use this technique 
from home to access intranet web sites by first making an inbound SSH 
connection. However, if I already have Firefox running locally, then try to 
start a remote Firefox via the SSH connection, it seems to want to action it 
via the local Firefox instance

On Wednesday 19 October 2016 11:23:32 bruce wrote:
> Hi.
>
> This is a "continuation" of the issue of starting firefox for a diff
> user on a box.
>
> If one logs into (SSH) into a remote box, and wants to start firefox
> on the remote machine, such that all firefox operations occur on the
> remote machine..
>
> Different sites suggest setting the DISPLAY var, as well as xauth,
> etc.. none of which seem to work.
>
> The local/remote are both centos/fed.
>
> The goal:
>   To be able to SSH into a remote box, and run a py script that
> initiates a py/selenium binding/process to use firefox.
>   -This requires that the remote box be able to start/run firefox
>     for the user that the SSH session was started as/under.
>
> The SSH/Firefox issue:
>  -How to SSH into the box, and start firefox?
>
> (Already set up the keys, to allow ssh into the box vai ssh 192.168.1.4)
>
> Tried:
>  ssh 192.168.1.4
>   foo@box1# DISPLAY=0: firefox
>    ---ERROR: cannot open display: 0:
>
> foo@box1# export DISPLAY=0:
>   foo@box1# firefox
>   ---No protocol specified
>  ---ERROR: cannot open display: 0:
>
> This has to be simple!
>
> Any thoughts??
> _______________________________________________
> users mailing list -- [e-mail]
> To unsubscribe send an email to [e-mail]

[bruce]

aha...

ok.. think i've got a partial solution.

as root
 xhost +
 --not exactly sure what this does -- need to reseach,
   but it appears to allow other users/processes access to the
   x env.. (this explanation is prob waaaaay wrong!!)

login as user foo
  su - foo

do a 'firefox -p -no-remote"
 -create a "new" profile to use as user foo, check the box to use this when
  firing up firefox
 -save

from the cmdline
 do "export DISPLAY=:0"

you can now from a term for user foo...
 simply do
   firefox & and it should display

Need to check the bashrc (or whatever gets used at startup) to have this
 done each time ssh is used/foo is logged in..

On Wed, Oct 19, 2016 at 6:29 AM, Gary Stainburn
 wrote:
> There are many pages on SSH X forwarding. I'd suggest a quick Google to find
> them.
>
> However, very quickly, you need to ensure that you have
>
> X11Forwarding yes
>
> in your /etc/ssh/sshd_config file on the remote box
>
> Be aware though that Firefox seems to try to be clever.  I use this technique
> from home to access intranet web sites by first making an inbound SSH
> connection. However, if I already have Firefox running locally, then try to
> start a remote Firefox via the SSH connection, it seems to want to action it
> via the local Firefox instance
>
> On Wednesday 19 October 2016 11:23:32 bruce wrote:
> > Hi.
> >
> > This is a "continuation" of the issue of starting firefox for a diff
> > user on a box.
> >
> > If one logs into (SSH) into a remote box, and wants to start firefox
> > on the remote machine, such that all firefox operations occur on the
> > remote machine..
> >
> > Different sites suggest setting the DISPLAY var, as well as xauth,
> > etc.. none of which seem to work.
> >
> > The local/remote are both centos/fed.
> >
> > The goal:
> >   To be able to SSH into a remote box, and run a py script that
> > initiates a py/selenium binding/process to use firefox.
> >   -This requires that the remote box be able to start/run firefox
> >     for the user that the SSH session was started as/under.
> >
> > The SSH/Firefox issue:
> >  -How to SSH into the box, and start firefox?
> >
> > (Already set up the keys, to allow ssh into the box vai ssh 192.168.1.4)
> >
> > Tried:
> >  ssh 192.168.1.4
> >   foo@box1# DISPLAY=0: firefox
> >    ---ERROR: cannot open display: 0:
> >
> > foo@box1# export DISPLAY=0:
> >   foo@box1# firefox
> >   ---No protocol specified
> >  ---ERROR: cannot open display: 0:
> >
> > This has to be simple!
> >
> > Any thoughts??
> > _______________________________________________
> > users mailing list -- [e-mail]
> > To unsubscribe send an email to [e-mail]
>
> --
> Gary Stainburn
> Group I.T. Manager
> Ringways Garages
> http://www.ringways.co.uk

[Tim]

On Wed, 2016-10-19 at 11:29 +0100, Gary Stainburn wrote:
> Be aware though that Firefox seems to try to be clever.  I use this
> technique from home to access intranet web sites by first making an
> inbound SSH connection. However, if I already have Firefox running
> locally, then try to start a remote Firefox via the SSH connection, it
> seems to want to action it via the local Firefox instance

That can be avoided by using "firefox -no-remote" as your command to
start Firefox.  While the name of the option sounds counter-intuitive,
think of it as your command to run a new instance of Firefox, as opposed
to remotely controlling an already running instance (such as loading a
new address in a tab).

When you run Firefox, you don't actually run it directly, you're calling
its handler program.  That handler is making a decision about how to use
Firefox.

See:  man firefox

[Rick Stevens]

On 10/19/2016 07:35 AM, Tim wrote:
> On Wed, 2016-10-19 at 11:29 +0100, Gary Stainburn wrote:
> > Be aware though that Firefox seems to try to be clever.  I use this
> > technique from home to access intranet web sites by first making an
> > inbound SSH connection. However, if I already have Firefox running
> > locally, then try to start a remote Firefox via the SSH connection, it
> > seems to want to action it via the local Firefox instance
>
> That can be avoided by using "firefox -no-remote" as your command to
> start Firefox.  While the name of the option sounds counter-intuitive,
> think of it as your command to run a new instance of Firefox, as opposed
> to remotely controlling an already running instance (such as loading a
> new address in a tab).
>
> When you run Firefox, you don't actually run it directly, you're calling
> its handler program.  That handler is making a decision about how to use
> Firefox.
>
> See:  man firefox

I've done this before. Essentially:

1. Ensure "X11Forwarding yes" is set in the REMOTE system's
    /etc/ssh/sshd_config file and make sure sshd has been restarted
    to read it.

2. Run "xhost +" as root on the LOCAL system to permit everyone
    to make connections to the LOCAL system's X server.

2. "su - unprivileged-user-name" on the LOCAL machine.

3. "ssh -X user@REMOTEHOST" to log into the REMOTE machine.

4. Verify you have a DISPLAY variable set by doing
    "echo $DISPLAY" on the REMOTE machine. You should get a value
    like "localhost:10.0", indicating you have X forwarded.

5. Run "firefox" on the REMOTE machine. The display should pop
    up on your local machine.

This has worked for me for a long time.
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[Roberto Ragusa]

On 10/19/2016 06:38 PM, Rick Stevens wrote:
> Ensure "X11Forwarding yes" is set in the REMOTE system's
>
> /etc/ssh/sshd_config file and make sure sshd has been restarted
>    to read it.
> Run "xhost +" as root on the LOCAL system to permit everyone
>
> to make connections to the LOCAL system's X server.
>
> "su - unprivileged-user-name" on the LOCAL machine.
>
> "ssh -X user@REMOTEHOST" to log into the REMOTE machine.
>
> Verify you have a DISPLAY variable set by doing
>
> "echo $DISPLAY" on the REMOTE machine. You should get a value
>    like "localhost:10.0", indicating you have X forwarded.
> Run "firefox" on the REMOTE machine. The display should pop
>
> up on your local machine.

I'm not sure that step 3 will be able to use the local X as
"su -l" could have unset the DISPLAY variable, you may
need "export DISPLAY=:0".

At step 2.5 you can check if you are able to open windows on your X
e.g. by doing:
  xclock
or
  DISPLAY=:0 xclock
If only the second one works, you need "export DISPLAY=:0" before proceeding.

Anyway, step 2 is a little too permissive.
Better:
  xhost +SI:localuser:xxxxx
where xxxxx is your unprivileged-user-name.

Regards.

[Tim]

Allegedly, on or about 19 October 2016, Rick Stevens sent:
> I've done this before. Essentially:
>     1. Ensure "X11Forwarding yes" is set in the REMOTE system's
>     /etc/ssh/sshd_config file and make sure sshd has been restarted
>     to read it.
>
>     2. Run "xhost +" as root on the LOCAL system to permit everyone
>     to make connections to the LOCAL system's X server.
>
>     2. "su - unprivileged-user-name" on the LOCAL machine.
>
>     3. "ssh -X user@REMOTEHOST" to log into the REMOTE machine.
>
>     4. Verify you have a DISPLAY variable set by doing
>     "echo $DISPLAY" on the REMOTE machine. You should get a value
>     like "localhost:10.0", indicating you have X forwarded.
>
>     5. Run "firefox" on the REMOTE machine. The display should pop
>     up on your local machine.
>
> This has worked for me for a long time.

It's an issue with Firefox, chiefly.  It tries to be clever, and use an
already (locally) running Firefox instance if there is one.

Sure, if there isn't any Firefox running at the time, then issuing the
command will run Firefox on the remote computer displaying on the local
machine.  But, if if Firefox was already running locally, then any
attempt to run Firefox, will (usually) re-use the local one.