root password failed when configuring cinnamon [solved]

Ptitjack · 2023-10-24 15:18:31

Hello all,

Coming from Gentoo but still using it, I am completely a newbie with Archlinux, so be kind ! :-)

Here is my problem.
- Archlinux base installation => OK
- french locales and keyboard => OK
- root password => OK
- user password => OK
- cinnamon installation => OK
- Lightdm displaymanager and user login => OK

When i want to configure cinnamon (ie : users and groups) requiring root privilege, my root password doesn't work !

Same issue when launching gparted from cinnamon menu.
gparted works with root password in console.

Thanks in advance for your help !

Cheers,

Ptitjack

Last edited by Ptitjack (2023-10-25 15:46:05)

seth · 2023-10-24 15:51:22

so be kind ! :-)

I'll try.
Maybe

First, please don't paraphrase and see https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=57855
Second, the issue is most likely not the root password, but polkit - do you have a https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Polkit … ion_agents installed and running?

Awebb · 2023-10-24 15:53:48

Do those polkit agents read the sudoers file? Nothing sudoers related in OP's checklist.

seth · 2023-10-24 15:56:49

Nope, polkit and sudo are disjunct.
gparted will try to self-elevate when run as regular user and I'm pretty sure (bold for "iirc") it uses polkit.

The OP primarily lacks a description on what actually is going on and what not (pw dialog) and how it fails (pw rejected, user unknown, account locked, …)

Awebb · 2023-10-24 16:35:21

How to tell polkit your user is fine? Wheel group?

seth · 2023-10-24 16:43:18

That depends on the actual action, some are fine w/ being the active seat, others might grant you access if you're in a special group and some will require root authentication and some just your own password.

Gparted has

    <defaults>
      <allow_any>auth_admin</allow_any>
      <allow_inactive>auth_admin</allow_inactive>
      <allow_active>auth_admin</allow_active>
    </defaults>

and /usr/share/polkit-1/rules.d/50-default.rules has

polkit.addAdminRule(function(action, subject) {
    return ["unix-group:wheel"];
});

So you have to authenticate as root or a user in the %wheel group.

Ptitjack · 2023-10-25 09:12:38

seth wrote:

so be kind ! :-)
I'll try.
Maybe
First, please don't paraphrase and see https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=57855
Ok, message received !
Second, the issue is most likely not the root password, but polkit - do you have a https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Polkit … ion_agents installed and running?

polkit-123-1 is installed and polkitd launched with systemctl
I looked at /etc/xdg/autostart and i get this :

t-spi-dbus-bus.desktop                         cinnamon-settings-daemon-color.desktop                cinnamon-settings-daemon-screensaver-proxy.desktop  print-applet.desktop
caribou-autostart.desktop                       cinnamon-settings-daemon-housekeeping.desktop         cinnamon-settings-daemon-smartcard.desktop          pulseaudio.desktop
cinnamon-settings-daemon-a11y-settings.desktop  cinnamon-settings-daemon-keyboard.desktop             cinnamon-settings-daemon-wacom.desktop              xapp-sn-watcher.desktop
cinnamon-settings-daemon-automount.desktop      cinnamon-settings-daemon-media-keys.desktop           cinnamon-settings-daemon-xsettings.desktop
cinnamon-settings-daemon-background.desktop     cinnamon-settings-daemon-power.desktop                geoclue-demo-agent.desktop
cinnamon-settings-daemon-clipboard.desktop      cinnamon-settings-daemon-print-notifications.desktop  nm-applet.desktop

is this correct ?

Well, for cinnamon configuration, i think that i (user) am the administrator, so i have to type the user password instead of root password. Right or wrong ?

For Gparted :
I launch gparted in a console :
- root password is required and refused
I get the message :

localuser:root being added to access control list
Error executing command as another user: Request dismissed
localuser:root being removed from access control list

When i type my user password, it works

localuser:root being added to access control list
GParted 1.5.0
configuration --enable-libparted-dmraid --enable-online-resize
libparted 3.6
localuser:root being removed from access control list

ICheers

V1del · 2023-10-25 12:27:01

That's correct. If you want to use the root password rather than the user password, see the second rule mentioned in: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Polkit … identities

Ptitjack · 2023-10-25 12:35:50

V1del wrote:

That's correct. If you want to use the root password rather than the user password, see the second rule mentioned in: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Polkit … identities

Thank you for your link, V1del !
I'll have a look at it and will make the change.

Cheers,

Ptitjack

seth · 2023-10-25 14:36:12

Fwwi:

i think that i (user) am the administrator

Let's see:

id

polkit-123-1 is installed and polkitd launched with systemctl

polkit doesn't imply a polkit agent, but if some dialog pops up and asks you for a passwort, there's some agent running. Otherwise, tbs

pacman -Qs polkit

Ptitjack · 2023-10-25 15:45:30

After reading the wiki given by V1del, i added the rules /etc/polkit-1/rules.d/49-rootpw_global.rules

* Always authenticate Admins by prompting for the root
 * password, similar to the rootpw option in sudo
 */
polkit.addAdminRule(function(action, subject) {
    return ["unix-user:root"];
});

to seth

pacman -Qs polkit gives

local/polkit 123-1
    Application development toolkit for controlling system-wide privileges
local/polkit-gnome 0.105-10
    Legacy polkit authentication agent for GNOME

Now, it works fine. I can access to gparted or other app neading root password.

Thanks to both of you !

Cheers

Arch Linux

#1 2023-10-24 15:18:31

root password failed when configuring cinnamon [solved]

#2 2023-10-24 15:51:22

Re: root password failed when configuring cinnamon [solved]

#3 2023-10-24 15:53:48

Re: root password failed when configuring cinnamon [solved]

#4 2023-10-24 15:56:49

Re: root password failed when configuring cinnamon [solved]

#5 2023-10-24 16:35:21

Re: root password failed when configuring cinnamon [solved]

#6 2023-10-24 16:43:18

Re: root password failed when configuring cinnamon [solved]

#7 2023-10-25 09:12:38

Re: root password failed when configuring cinnamon [solved]

#8 2023-10-25 12:27:01

Re: root password failed when configuring cinnamon [solved]

#9 2023-10-25 12:35:50

Re: root password failed when configuring cinnamon [solved]

#10 2023-10-25 14:36:12

Re: root password failed when configuring cinnamon [solved]

#11 2023-10-25 15:45:30

Re: root password failed when configuring cinnamon [solved]

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