Problem with su -

[Bob Goodwin]

On 05/03/12 09:39, Bob Goodwin wrote:
>        I have an F-16 computer that was working normally a couple of
>        days ago when run this morning has an unusual [to me] problem.
>
>        When I su and type in the root password form the XCFE desktop it
>        spends about 20 seconds before displaying a prompt and then
>        instead of:
>
>            [bobg at box6 ~]$ su
>            Password:
>            [root at box6 bobg]# exit
>
>
>        I get a prompt:  bash-4.2#
>
>        If instead of bringing up the desktop with startx I "su" it
>        changes to root quickly after entering the password, also with
>        the  prompt "bash-4.2#."
>
>        Other than that it apparently works? But obviously something has
>        changed and I can't guess what?
>
>        Bob
>
>
>
>
>

If I ssh into box 9 from this computer [box6] I see the following which 
appears to indicate an SELinux problem?

bash-4.2# cat /var/log/messages

Mar  5 10:07:52 box9 dbus[906]: [system] Activating service 
name='net.reactivated.Fprint' (using servicehelper)
Mar  5 10:07:52 box9 dbus-daemon[906]: dbus[906]: [system] Activating 
service name='net.reactivated.Fprint' (using servicehelper)
Mar  5 10:07:52 box9 dbus-daemon[906]: Launching FprintObject
Mar  5 10:07:52 box9 dbus[906]: [system] Successfully activated service 
'net.reactivated.Fprint'
Mar  5 10:07:52 box9 dbus-daemon[906]: dbus[906]: [system] Successfully 
activated service 'net.reactivated.Fprint'
Mar  5 10:07:52 box9 dbus-daemon[906]: ** Message: D-Bus service 
launched with name: net.reactivated.Fprint
Mar  5 10:07:52 box9 dbus-daemon[906]: ** Message: entering main loop
Mar  5 10:08:00 box9 dbus[906]: [system] Activating service 
name='org.fedoraproject.Setroubleshootd' (using servicehelper)
Mar  5 10:08:00 box9 dbus-daemon[906]: dbus[906]: [system] Activating 
service name='org.fedoraproject.Setroubleshootd' (using servicehelper)
Mar  5 10:08:02 box9 dbus[906]: [system] Successfully activated service 
'org.fedoraproject.Setroubleshootd'
Mar  5 10:08:02 box9 dbus-daemon[906]: dbus[906]: [system] Successfully 
activated service 'org.fedoraproject.Setroubleshootd'
Mar  5 10:08:04 box9 abrtd: Directory 'ccpp-2012-03-05-10:08:04-881' 
creation detected
Mar  5 10:08:04 box9 abrt[1761]: Saved core dump of pid 881 
(/usr/sbin/sedispatch) to /var/spool/abrt/ccpp-2012-03-05-10:08:04-881 
(520192 bytes)
Mar  5 10:08:05 box9 setroubleshoot: SELinux is preventing 
/usr/bin/xauth from write access on the None /root. For complete SELinux 
messages. run sealert -l 90fc420a-dec9-47ce-afa5-6132c99ec61d
Mar  5 10:08:05 box9 abrtd: DUP_OF_DIR: 
/var/spool/abrt/ccpp-2012-03-05-08:19:06-878
Mar  5 10:08:05 box9 abrtd: Problem directory is a duplicate of 
/var/spool/abrt/ccpp-2012-03-05-08:19:06-878
Mar  5 10:08:05 box9 abrtd: Deleting problem directory 
ccpp-2012-03-05-10:08:04-881 (dup of ccpp-2012-03-05-08:19:06-878)
Mar  5 10:08:06 box9 audispd: plugin /usr/sbin/sedispatch terminated 
unexpectedly
Mar  5 10:08:06 box9 audispd: plugin /usr/sbin/sedispatch was restarted
Mar  5 10:08:06 box9 setroubleshoot: SELinux is preventing 
/usr/bin/xauth from write access on the None /root. For complete SELinux 
messages. run sealert -l 90fc420a-dec9-47ce-afa5-6132c99ec61d
Mar  5 10:08:08 box9 setroubleshoot: SELinux is preventing 
/usr/bin/xauth from write access on the None /root. For complete SELinux 
messages. run sealert -l 90fc420a-dec9-47ce-afa5-6132c99ec61d
Mar  5 10:08:10 box9 setroubleshoot: SELinux is preventing 
/usr/bin/xauth from write access on the None /root. For complete SELinux 
messages. run sealert -l 90fc420a-dec9-47ce-afa5-6132c99ec61d
Mar  5 10:08:12 box9 setroubleshoot: SELinux is preventing 
/usr/bin/xauth from write access on the None /root. For complete SELinux 
messages. run sealert -l 90fc420a-dec9-47ce-afa5-6132c99ec61d
Mar  5 10:08:14 box9 setroubleshoot: SELinux is preventing 
/usr/bin/xauth from write access on the None /root. For complete SELinux 
messages. run sealert -l 90fc420a-dec9-47ce-afa5-6132c99ec61d
Mar  5 10:08:16 box9 setroubleshoot: SELinux is preventing 
/usr/bin/xauth from write access on the None /root. For complete SELinux 
messages. run sealert -l 90fc420a-dec9-47ce-afa5-6132c99ec61d
Mar  5 10:08:18 box9 setroubleshoot: SELinux is preventing 
/usr/bin/xauth from write access on the None /root. For complete SELinux 
messages. run sealert -l 90fc420a-dec9-47ce-afa5-6132c99ec61d
Mar  5 10:08:22 box9 dbus-daemon[906]: ** Message: No devices in use, exit

Not sure what to do ...

Bob