Error launching gnome apps as root: " Failed to contact configuration server"

Kropotkin · 07-23-2005, 03:22 PM

I am getting an error message launching gnome programs as root or launch programs which require root access:

Code:

An error occurred while loading or saving configuration 
information for gnome-network-preferences. Some of your 
configuration settings may not work properly.

Further information is supplied:

Code:

Failed to contact configuration server; some possible causes 
are that you need to enable TCP/IP networking for ORBit, or you have 
stale NFS locks due to a system crash. 
See http://www.gnome.org/projects/gconf/ for information. 
(Details -  1: IOR file '/tmp/gconfd-root/lock/ior' not opened successfully, 
no gconfd located: Input/output error 2: IOR file '/tmp/gconfd-root/lock/ior' 
not opened successfully, no gconfd located: Input/output error)

I took a look at the gnome.org page, but didn't find a clear answer. Likewise, Google didn't return any helpful any information.

Anyone have any idea what is going on?

sixerjman · 12-16-2005, 11:11 AM

I just starting receiving the message:

"gconfd failed to get lock for daemon, exiting: Failed to lock '/tmp/gconfd-<userid>/lock/ior': probably another process has the lock...<snip>"

Indeed, I had added a script to start VNCSERVER at INIT time and that process had the lock. Once I stopped VNCSERVER the problem went away and I was able to get all my app preferences as before.

Check '/var/log/messages' for gconfd errors and proceed from there. Hope this helps get you started in the right direction.