I downloaded and installed latest Firefox browser on suse 9.1 pro. This is actually the first program I've tried to install on a linux machine. (ya, real n00b)

I will post specifics (OS kernel version, firefox version, etc..) after I get home today because thats where this particular machine is. But I'm anxious to know the fix so I'm posting now anyway with a general description of the problem in the hopes that it will be enough for the real linux users&gurus to know what the problem and resolution is.

I created the folder /opt/Firefox and intalled there (from suse's manual thats where I gathered it should be installed.. but i'm not sure). So it looks like all the files wound up in /opt/Firefox/Firefox-installer folder. (I was suprised to see it created the Firefox-installer folder?) I did this while logged in as root. Then launched firefox and all was good.

However, when I logged on as a regular user Firefox does not start. No error message appears. If I run it as root (kdesu or su) then it works fine?

I'm thinking someone here (or several people here) already know what the problem and resolution is based on what I've said so far.

I think the X server is denying my regular user account from launching firefox. I noticed an error message in one of the X logs indicating this happened. (again, I'll have to post back the details after I get home and get access to the machine... don't remember which log)

any help would be greatly appreciated.

I think that it sounds like a "permissions" thing. If you installed it via /root, then it's an application that is "owned" and "used" by root.

You'd have to change permissions to allow your user account to get at it as well.

Or, if you still have the original downloaded package in your /home/user (or if it's in /root, then move it to /home/user), you could uninstall it with your root login, then go back in as /user and run the installer again - if the system tells you to go away because you're not /root, then just open a terminal/konsole window in the user login and do

and when it asks, you apply the root password and run the installer, if I remember correctly it should then install it wherever suse tells it to. Then you should be able to make a short cut on your desktop for convenience.

regards

John

I do remember checking the permissions on the firefox file (the file that launches the program) and 'other' had read and execute permission. I'll check when I get home this evening. I'll also post the error from the x log.

thanks.

I'm back... same problem different machine. (no, original machine is not fixed either, I haven't used it) This time firefox is installed in my home folder. I was logged in as my regular user account but the install failed so I had to su to do the install. Same deal. Only runs as root. Here are some clips from X logs that indicate its an X server authentication problem.

1) how do I resolve this?
2) how do I prevent it from happening in the future when installing other software?

here are log snippets:
From /var/log/XFree86.0.log directly after trying to open firefox:
AUDIT: Mon Mar 14 11:35:35 2005: 3991 X: client 24 rejected from local host
Auth name: XDM-AUTHORIZATION-1 ID: -1

From /home/username/.xsession-errors:
Authentication failure
Xlib: connection to ":0.0" refused by server
Xlib: XDM authorization key matches an existing client!

(firefox-bin:4713): Gtk-WARNING **: cannot open display:
Xlib: connection to ":0.0" refused by server
Xlib: XDM authorization key matches an existing client!

(firefox-bin:4757): Gtk-WARNING **: cannot open display:

Dunno then djc, because by way of a little test, I thought I'd install firefox to see if I got any errors.

Which gives me a big fat zero (sure I'm using gentoo, and rather than get the firefox from "their" site, I just got it straight from the "gentoo portage tree" i.e. gentoo online sources). It installed ok (apparently), I just started it from a user login terminal, and then I just did a "link to application" for it on my desktop (KDE) which also starts it OK.

My only thoughts are, that the first part of your error look similar to when your X server isn't running properly (though the Authenication failure comment is still making me think of permissions) and that the second part might be telling you that there's a problem with the version of Gtk that you're running.

The only other thing that I can think of, is, Where did you get the "code" for firefox? Was it from "them" or via a SuSE source and installed using YaST ??? (I'm thinking along the lines of when I used to use mandrake, if I installed mandrakised RPM packages from a proper mandrake source using their URPMI installer, then I never had a problem, if I tried "normal" RPM's or ones optimised for a different RPM based distro, I had nothing but problems).

Sorry if that doesn't help much!

regards

John

thanks for the reply bigjohn. I installed from www.getfirefox.com's download to get the latest version. I did not install from suse YaST2. It was installed via firefox's own installation routine. I did later see that firefox was an option from my SuSE installation cd's but I wanted the latest version and more importantly to me is to understand how to install software without relying on distribution specific sources and methods. I want to learn the most standard ways so I can apply the knowledge to other distributions. I realize that can only be done to a certian extent since there is not always a real 'standard'. But I would like to do this as much as possible. I'm trying to gain an understanding and fundemental practical skill set to do basic linux system administration such as os installation, hardware/driver installation, software installation/management, etc... stuff you would need to know to really be able to use any operating system.

thanks again though. I appreciate your reply and you bring up a good idea... maybe I should install from suse source just to see what it does and where it goes. Then remove it and try to do the same thing manually with the new version. But again, my main goal is not just getting firefox working, its learning the fundementals to be able to get anything working. : )

Below errors happen to me only when
1) I run XDM (not GDM)
2) I try to launch a program from console as a different (usually root) user.

Always make sure you login as a real user, not as root. After that, you should not see messages like those below. "gksu" and "xsu"
should work if you need to launch and X application as a different user.

If that doesn't make firefox work then I'm out of ideas .

---

From /home/username/.xsession-errors:
Authentication failure
Xlib: connection to ":0.0" refused by server
Xlib: XDM authorization key matches an existing client!

(firefox-bin:4713): Gtk-WARNING **: cannot open display:
Xlib: connection to ":0.0" refused by server
Xlib: XDM authorization key matches an existing client!

(firefox-bin:4757): Gtk-WARNING **: cannot open display:

In truth, I've learned a lot since switching from Mandrake (like SuSE, rpm based), but I switched because I wanted to move away from the 6 month upgrade cycle.

Gentoo downloads the source and then compiles it for you system. Though it's a breeze to upgrade, install, etc etc. Maybe you should look at their installation handbook because if you think you can manage it, then it gives you many many options. Apart from anything else, the versions it installs, are usually the very latest ones - though if they're not, you can usually find them in the "unstable portage tree". My little "install experiment" was one command and it installed the 1.0.1 version of firefox (which I'll keep if only for testing xhtml rendering).

Erm, I'd recommend the stage 3 + GRP install, because that removes quite a big compile initially (kde or gnome - kde took me 15 hours the first time, never again! ) the stage 1 will take days (3 by my understanding).

regards

John