User being removed from video group (on update?)

ifif14 · 2017-11-14 10:31:09

Hello community,

I'm experiencing the issue describe in the subject, which causes xorg not being able to read /dev/fd0 and therefore won't start before I manually add my user to video group.

I though it could be a one-time update issue. But after the next system update my user has gotten removed from the video group again.

Does anyone have any information on this?

Thanks in advance

hcjl · 2017-11-14 11:07:26

Check you pacman.log, what happened during the updates.

Last edited by hcjl (2017-11-14 11:08:32)

Trilby · 2017-11-14 11:45:53

Nothing about this post makes any sense. Are you using archlinux or some other distro?

The video group was only relevant for pre-systemd systems in arch. If you are using arch linux, are you using an alternative init system?

Further, pacman does not touch user accounts ... ever. User accounts don't even need to exist. Updates may provide new versions of /etc/{passwd,shadow,gshadow} and the like as pacnew files, and if you botch merging of these it could lead to problems with your user account, but it most certainly wouldn't be limited to dropping one group.

Last edited by Trilby (2017-11-14 11:46:36)

ifif14 · 2017-11-15 11:44:29

hcjl wrote:

Check you pacman.log, what happened during the updates.

I couldn't find anything related other than

[2017-11-12 15:50] [ALPM] running 'systemd-sysusers.hook'...

Trilby wrote:

Nothing about this post makes any sense. Are you using archlinux or some other distro?
The video group was only relevant for pre-systemd systems in arch. If you are using arch linux, are you using an alternative init system?
Further, pacman does not touch user accounts ... ever. User accounts don't even need to exist. Updates may provide new versions of /etc/{passwd,shadow,gshadow} and the like as pacnew files, and if you botch merging of these it could lead to problems with your user account, but it most certainly wouldn't be limited to dropping one group.

I'm surely using arch with standard init system systemd (at least I was not intentionally installing any different). As well my system is up to date.
None of the groups were dropped. My user was removed from video or video group came new to the system. I wouldn't argue about relevance of video group due to lack of the knowledge in this topic. The fact is though, that i have following devices assigned to the video group in my system.

crw-rw---- 1 root video 29, 0 Nov 14 11:24 fb0
crw-rw---- 1 root video 242, 0 Nov 14 11:24 media0
crw-rw----+ 1 root video 81, 0 Nov 14 11:24 video0

I have read somewhere in the forums, that either sddm or xorg or plasma have been switched from being run from root to being run from user account. That could explain existence of video group in the system.

The only video related package, that was updated during both updates is the following.

[2017-11-11 22:44] [ALPM] upgraded xf86-video-intel (1:2.99.917+781+gc8990575-1 -> 1:2.99.917+797+g4798e18b-1)
[2017-11-12 15:50] [ALPM] upgraded xf86-video-intel (1:2.99.917+797+g4798e18b-1 -> 1:2.99.917+800+g37a682aa-1)

I hope that could give a clue of what is happening in the system.

Last edited by ifif14 (2017-11-15 11:57:12)

cfr · 2017-11-16 00:48:50

If you are using sddm, X is still running as root. If you are not using a display manager, it will run as your user. Neither has anything to do with any video group. On my system nobody is in this group and I can start X using either sddm or startx.

The listing you show from /dev is perfectly normal. It has nothing to do with your inability to start X.

You must have more than that in your pacman.log for an update. Please show the lines for a full update where you are in video before updating and not in video afterwards.

Please also use code tags when posting code. (You can edit your post to add them.)

systemd-sysusers creates new users and groups, but it should not do anything to ones which exist already. (It is hard to be sure because systemd is so fond of binaries where one might have hoped to find scripts, but I assume a lot more people would have a lot more problems if it fiddled with existing user accounts.)

Last edited by cfr (2017-11-16 00:52:25)

Arch Linux

#1 2017-11-14 10:31:09

User being removed from video group (on update?)

#2 2017-11-14 11:07:26

Re: User being removed from video group (on update?)

#3 2017-11-14 11:45:53

Re: User being removed from video group (on update?)

#4 2017-11-15 11:44:29

Re: User being removed from video group (on update?)

#5 2017-11-16 00:48:50

Re: User being removed from video group (on update?)

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