polkit-gnome-authentication-agent-1 fails to start after F17->F18 update

[Corinna Vinschen]

Hi,

I just updated a server machine from F17 to F18.  This server is
running a local VNC session which I connect to via SSH.  It's using
an XFCE4 desktop environment.

The machine is running a lot of virtual machines and so far there
was a virt-manager instance running in the VNC desktop.

After the upgrade to F18, virt-manager no longer starts:

Unable to connect to libvirt.

authentication failed: polkit: Authorization requires authentication
  but no agent is available.

So I checked and, yes, there's actually no agent running, there's no
polkit-gnome-authentication-agent-1 process, as usual.

In the XFCE4 Session settings, starting the PolicyKit Authentication
Agent is activated.  But polkit-gnome-authentication-agent-1 simply
doesn't start.  When I try to start it from the command line, I only
get an error message:

$ /usr/libexec/polkit-gnome-authentication-agent-1

(polkit-gnome-authentication-agent-1:5772): polkit-gnome-1-WARNING **:
  Unable to determine the session we are in: No session for pid 5772

I know next to nothing about polkit.  To get virt-manager working I added
a rule once:

$ cat /etc/polkit-1/rules.d/80-libvirt-manage.rules
  polkit.addRule(function(action, subject) {
    if (action.id == "org.libvirt.unix.manage"
    && subject.active
    && subject.isInGroup("libvirt")) {
      return polkit.Result.YES;
    }
  })

but that is taken from information on the net, and it obviously can't
help when there's no agent running.

So, how can I fix this?  How can I make polkit-gnome-authentication-agent-1
start in my VNC XFCE4 session again?

Thanks for any help,
Corinna

[Corinna Vinschen]

On Jun 22 16:28, Corinna Vinschen wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I just updated a server machine from F17 to F18.  This server is
> running a local VNC session which I connect to via SSH.  It's using
> an XFCE4 desktop environment.
>
> The machine is running a lot of virtual machines and so far there
> was a virt-manager instance running in the VNC desktop.
>
> After the upgrade to F18, virt-manager no longer starts:
>
> Unable to connect to libvirt.
>
> authentication failed: polkit: Authorization requires authentication
>   but no agent is available.
>
> So I checked and, yes, there's actually no agent running, there's no
> polkit-gnome-authentication-agent-1 process, as usual.
>
> In the XFCE4 Session settings, starting the PolicyKit Authentication
> Agent is activated.  But polkit-gnome-authentication-agent-1 simply
> doesn't start.  When I try to start it from the command line, I only
> get an error message:
>
> $ /usr/libexec/polkit-gnome-authentication-agent-1
>
> (polkit-gnome-authentication-agent-1:5772): polkit-gnome-1-WARNING **:
>   Unable to determine the session we are in: No session for pid 5772

The same message is in the vncserver log file, btw.  I'm starting the
XFCE4 desktop via `exec startxfce4 --with-ck-launch' and ck-launch-session
starts and runs.  What else can I do?!?

Thanks for any help,
Corinna

[poma]

On 22.06.2013 16:57, Corinna Vinschen wrote:
> The same message is in the vncserver log file, btw.  I'm starting the
> XFCE4 desktop via `exec startxfce4 --with-ck-launch' and ck-launch-session
> starts and runs.  What else can I do?!?
>
> Thanks for any help,
> Corinna

- yum erase ConsoleKit*
- rpmrebuild xfce4-session-4.10.1-1.fc18.src.rpm
  with *systemd-logind.diff
- $HOME/.vnc/xstartup
  #!/bin/sh
  startxfce4

poma

[Corinna Vinschen]

On Jun 23 13:23, poma wrote:
> On 22.06.2013 16:57, Corinna Vinschen wrote:
> > The same message is in the vncserver log file, btw.  I'm starting the
> > XFCE4 desktop via `exec startxfce4 --with-ck-launch' and ck-launch-session
> > starts and runs.  What else can I do?!?
> >
> > Thanks for any help,
> > Corinna
> yum erase ConsoleKit*
> rpmrebuild xfce4-session-4.10.1-1.fc18.src.rpm
> with *systemd-logind.diff
> $HOME/.vnc/xstartup
> #!/bin/sh
> startxfce4
>
> poma
> diff --git a/xfce4-session.spec b/xfce4-session.spec
> index 66e3650..520e881 100644
> --- a/xfce4-session.spec
> +++ b/xfce4-session.spec
> @@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
>
> Name:           xfce4-session
>  Version:        4.10.1
> -Release:        1%{?dist}
> +Release:        2%{?dist}
>  Summary:        Xfce session manager
>
> Group:          User Interface/Desktops
> @@ -73,8 +73,9 @@ Additional splash screen engines for the Xfce Session Manager.
>
> %build
>  %configure \
> -%if 0%{?rhel} > 6 || 0%{?fedora} > 18
> +%if 0%{?rhel} > 6 || 0%{?fedora} >= 18
>      --enable-systemd \
> --disable-legacy-sm \
>
> %else
>      --disable-systemd \
>  %endif

This appear to work nicely, btw.

Thanks,
Corinna
> -- 
> users mailing list
> [e-mail]
> To unsubscribe or change subscription options:
> https://admin.fedoraproject.org/mailman/listinfo/users
> Guidelines: http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Mailing_list_guidelines
> Have a question? Ask away: http://ask.fedoraproject.org

[poma]

On 22.06.2013 16:28, Corinna Vinschen wrote:
…
> I know next to nothing about polkit.  To get virt-manager working I added
> a rule once:
>
> $ cat /etc/polkit-1/rules.d/80-libvirt-manage.rules
>   polkit.addRule(function(action, subject) {
>     if (action.id == "org.libvirt.unix.manage"
>    && subject.active
>    && subject.isInGroup("libvirt")) {
>       return polkit.Result.YES;
>     }
>   })

…

https://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/users/2013-March/433561.html

poma

[Corinna Vinschen]

On Jun 23 15:12, poma wrote:
> On 22.06.2013 16:28, Corinna Vinschen wrote:
> …
> > I know next to nothing about polkit.  To get virt-manager working I added
> > a rule once:
> >
> > $ cat /etc/polkit-1/rules.d/80-libvirt-manage.rules
> >   polkit.addRule(function(action, subject) {
> >     if (action.id == "org.libvirt.unix.manage"
> >    && subject.active
> >    && subject.isInGroup("libvirt")) {
> >       return polkit.Result.YES;
> >     }
> >   })
>
> …
>
> https://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/users/2013-March/433561.html

Oh, wow, it was that simple?  Just removing the subject.active did it?

Thank you very much for this simple solution!

Btw., just for the records, I had found an ugly workaround in the
meantime, but it did the trick:

I started startxfce4 from ~/.Xclients via `ssh localhost'.  This
enforced a valid session, which made polkit-gnome-authentication-agent-1
start up normally.

But this is much better.  I'll now go and build xfce4-session with the
patch you provided in the other mail and play with that a bit.

Thanks again,
Corinna

[poma]

On 23.06.2013 17:01, Corinna Vinschen wrote:
…
> Btw., just for the records, I had found an ugly workaround in the
> meantime, but it did the trick:
>
> I started startxfce4 from ~/.Xclients via `ssh localhost'.  This
> enforced a valid session, which made polkit-gnome-authentication-agent-1
> start up normally.

…

/etc/systemd/system/vncserver@:<DISPLAY>.service
[Unit]
Description=Remote desktop service (VNC)
After=syslog.target network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
ExecStartPre=/bin/sh -c '/usr/bin/vncserver -kill %i > /dev/null 2>&1 || :'
ExecStart=/sbin/runuser -l <USER> -c "/usr/bin/vncserver %i -geometry
<WIDTH>x<HEIGHT> -fg"

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

- edit <DISPLAY> <USER> <WIDTH> <HEIGHT> and other vncserver parameters
  appropriately
- systemctl daemon-reload
- systemctl enable/start vncserver@:<DISPLAY>.service

Ref.
tigervnc-server,
/usr/lib/systemd/system/vncserver@.service
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=896648#c15

poma

[Saint Michael]

I only store.records.that connect.
I añ.xdiving
On Jun 23, 2013 12:22 PM, "poma"  wrote:
> On 23.06.2013 17:01, Corinna Vinschen wrote:
> …
> > Btw., just for the records, I had found an ugly workaround in the
> > meantime, but it did the trick:
> >
> > I started startxfce4 from ~/.Xclients via `ssh localhost'.  This
> > enforced a valid session, which made polkit-gnome-authentication-agent-1
> > start up normally.
>
> …
>
> /etc/systemd/system/vncserver@:<DISPLAY>.service
> [Unit]
> Description=Remote desktop service (VNC)
> After=syslog.target network.target
>
> [Service]
> Type=simple
> ExecStartPre=/bin/sh -c '/usr/bin/vncserver -kill %i > /dev/null 2>&1 || :'
> ExecStart=/sbin/runuser -l <USER> -c "/usr/bin/vncserver %i -geometry
> <WIDTH>x<HEIGHT> -fg"
>
> [Install]
> WantedBy=multi-user.target
> edit <DISPLAY> <USER> <WIDTH> <HEIGHT> and other vncserver parameters
> appropriately
> systemctl daemon-reload
> systemctl enable/start vncserver@:<DISPLAY>.service
>
> Ref.
> tigervnc-server,
> /usr/lib/systemd/system/vncserver@.service
> https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=896648#c15
>
> poma
>
> --
> users mailing list
> [e-mail]
> To unsubscribe or change subscription options:
> https://admin.fedoraproject.org/mailman/listinfo/users
> Guidelines: http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Mailing_list_guidelines
> Have a question? Ask away: http://ask.fedoraproject.org

[poma]

On 23.06.2013 18:54, CDR wrote:
> I only store.records.that connect.
> I añ.xdiving

Skydiving or sea diving? :)

poma

[Corinna Vinschen]

On Jun 23 18:21, poma wrote:
> On 23.06.2013 17:01, Corinna Vinschen wrote:
> …
> > Btw., just for the records, I had found an ugly workaround in the
> > meantime, but it did the trick:
> >
> > I started startxfce4 from ~/.Xclients via `ssh localhost'.  This
> > enforced a valid session, which made polkit-gnome-authentication-agent-1
> > start up normally.
>
> …
>
> /etc/systemd/system/vncserver@:<DISPLAY>.service
> [Unit]
> Description=Remote desktop service (VNC)
> After=syslog.target network.target
>
> [Service]
> Type=simple
> ExecStartPre=/bin/sh -c '/usr/bin/vncserver -kill %i > /dev/null 2>&1 || :'
> ExecStart=/sbin/runuser -l <USER> -c "/usr/bin/vncserver %i -geometry
> <WIDTH>x<HEIGHT> -fg"
>
> [Install]
> WantedBy=multi-user.target
> edit <DISPLAY> <USER> <WIDTH> <HEIGHT> and other vncserver parameters
> appropriately
> systemctl daemon-reload
> systemctl enable/start vncserver@:<DISPLAY>.service

Thanks, but... what are you trying to tell me?  I already started
vncserver as service along the lines of the above

-Type=simple
-ExecStart=/sbin/runuser -l <USER> -c "/usr/bin/vncserver %i -geometry <WIDTH>x<HEIGHT> -fg"
+Type=forking
+-ExecStart=/sbin/runuser -l <USER> -c "/usr/bin/vncserver %i -geometry <WIDTH>x<HEIGHT>"

for a long time, but it did not start a valid session and thus
polkit-gnome-authentication-agent-1 didn't start.  My .vnc/xstartup then
calls /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc and my .Xclient calls startxfce4 (with
--with-ck-launch until yesterday).  I don't see anything in the above
which would change that behaviour.

Corinna

[poma]

On 24.06.2013 09:53, Corinna Vinschen wrote:
…
> Thanks, but... what are you trying to tell me?  I already started
> vncserver as service along the lines of the above

…

With aforementioned lines I completed my working setup example.
That may be useful information for other people, too, right. ;)

poma

[Corinna Vinschen]

On Jun 24 11:58, poma wrote:
> On 24.06.2013 09:53, Corinna Vinschen wrote:
> …
> > Thanks, but... what are you trying to tell me?  I already started
> > vncserver as service along the lines of the above
>
> …
>
> With aforementioned lines I completed my working setup example.
> That may be useful information for other people, too, right. ;)

Yes, indeed.

Thanks,
Corinna