[SOLVED] Can't "su", can't print, can't call cups's interface, can't update...

JZL240I-U · 07-26-2015, 12:33 PM

This is openSUSE 13.2, "uname -r" gives "3.16.7-21-desktop". General problem is that after the last general update root's password is not anymore accepted where and when needed, while I am logged in as normal user. I can log in as root, so it is not the wrong password. There come popups e.g. when calling yast, with the hint that maybe(!) the user should be member of the group "wheels". I added myself to "wheels" to no avail.

Upon calling the cups interface on 127.0.0.1:631 I get the main menu, but when I click on any item I get "404 - not found".

I'm completely out of my depth. Any ideas here?

Keith Hedger · 07-26-2015, 04:55 PM

Try logging in as root and create a new user with admin privileges and then login as that user and try the stuff you was havingbproblems with again.

JZL240I-U · 07-27-2015, 01:29 AM

Ah, thanks, but that is not really a solution. I have all my stuff in my home directory and can access it with normal privileges. It is only when I try to enter root's password (e.g. for starting yast or a root-shell) that I get this "error". Your suggestion (as I understand it) would just create a second "root". The first one is already working okay when I log in as root-user...

ferrari · 07-27-2015, 03:24 AM

1. Can we see your configured repos?

Code:

zypper lr -d

2. Might be worth checking/verifying package consistencies as well...

Code:

zypper ve

3. It would be useful to follow Keith's advice, just to see if a new user account behaves properly. BTW, don't ever log in as root. (That can result in bad things happening with user access in a graphical desktop environment.)

4. Which DE are you using? If you change DE at the login, does the same behaviour exist?

If KDE, can you launch yast2 successfully with the following?

Code:

kdesu yast2

Does that behave any differently?

If Gnome, try 'gnomesu...'

Keith Hedger · 07-27-2015, 05:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JZL240I-U

Ah, thanks, but that is not really a solution. I have all my stuff in my home directory and can access it with normal privileges. It is only when I try to enter root's password (e.g. for starting yast or a root-shell) that I get this "error". Your suggestion (as I understand it) would just create a second "root". The first one is already working okay when I log in as root-user...

No I just meant create another normal user so that you can see if it's a problem with your users permission's, if using a new user allows you to use commands that you cant at the moment then you know that the problem is with your user files not the system, this is probably going to be a permissions problem or somthing has been misconfigured, but this trivial test will help narrow down the options the new user can of course be removed afterwards.

JZL240I-U · 07-27-2015, 05:12 AM

I see. I'll do it in the evening and answer both posters, thanks in the meantime.

JZL240I-U · 07-27-2015, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ferrari

1. Can we see your configured repos?

Here they come:

Code:

zypper lr -d
#  | Alias                     | Name                               | Aktiviert | GPG-berprfung | Aktualisieren | Prioritt | Typ    | URI                                                             | Dienst
---+---------------------------+------------------------------------+-----------+-----------------+---------------+-----------+--------+-----------------------------------------------------------------+-------
 1 | ftp.gwdg.de-suse          | Packman Repository                 | Ja        | (r ) Ja         | Ja            |   90      | rpm-md | http://ftp.gwdg.de/pub/linux/packman/suse/openSUSE_13.2/        |       
 2 | libdvdcss repository      | libdvdcss repository               | Ja        | ( p) Ja         | Ja            |   97      | rpm-md | http://opensuse-guide.org/repo/13.2/                            |       
 3 | openSUSE-13.2-0           | openSUSE-13.2-0                    | Nein      | ----            | Nein          |   99      | yast2  | hd:///?device=/dev/disk/by-id/scsi-1InnostorInnostor-part2      |       
 4 | repo-debug                | openSUSE-13.2-Debug                | Nein      | ----            | Nein          |   99      | NONE   | http://download.opensuse.org/debug/distribution/13.2/repo/oss/  |       
 5 | repo-debug-update         | openSUSE-13.2-Update-Debug         | Nein      | ----            | Nein          |   99      | NONE   | http://download.opensuse.org/debug/update/13.2/                 |       
 6 | repo-debug-update-non-oss | openSUSE-13.2-Update-Debug-Non-Oss | Ja        | ( p) Ja         | Ja            |   99      | rpm-md | http://download.opensuse.org/debug/update/13.2-non-oss/         |       
 7 | repo-non-oss              | openSUSE-13.2-Non-Oss              | Ja        | ( p) Ja         | Ja            |   99      | yast2  | http://download.opensuse.org/distribution/13.2/repo/non-oss/    |       
 8 | repo-oss                  | openSUSE-13.2-Oss                  | Ja        | ( p) Ja         | Ja            |   99      | yast2  | http://download.opensuse.org/distribution/13.2/repo/oss/        |       
 9 | repo-source               | openSUSE-13.2-Source               | Nein      | ----            | Nein          |   99      | NONE   | http://download.opensuse.org/source/distribution/13.2/repo/oss/ |       
10 | repo-update               | openSUSE-13.2-Update               | Ja        | (r ) Ja         | Ja            |   99      | rpm-md | http://download.opensuse.org/update/13.2/                       |       
11 | repo-update-non-oss       | openSUSE-13.2-Update-Non-Oss       | Ja        | ( p) Ja         | Ja            |   99      | rpm-md | http://download.opensuse.org/update/13.2-non-oss/               |

2. Might be worth checking/verifying package consistencies as well...

Code:

zypper ve
Repository 'Packman Repository' ist veraltet. Sie knnen 'zypper refresh' als root ausfhren, um es zu aktualisieren.
Repository 'openSUSE-13.2-Update' ist veraltet. Sie knnen 'zypper refresh' als root ausfhren, um es zu aktualisieren.
Daten des Repositories laden ...
Installierte Pakete lesen ...

Problem: appdata(firefox.appdata.xml), bentigt von application:Firefox-.noarch, wird von keinem Repository angeboten
Lsung 1: Deinstallation von application:Firefox-.noarch
Lsung 2: application:Firefox-.noarch beschdigen durch Ignorieren einiger Abhngigkeiten

Whlen Sie aus den obigen Lsungen mittels Nummer oder brechen Sie a(b). [1/2/b] (b):

I choose b) since I can't call zypper as root right now

. Sorry for the german text, just two repositories have to be rerfreshed (usually done by yast here).

Quote:

Originally Posted by ferrari

3. It would be useful to follow Keith's advice, just to see if a new user account behaves properly.

Will do, see below.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ferrari

4. Which DE are you using? If you change DE at the login, does the same behaviour exist?

Urgs. Will try after posting this

. <edit> Done. Same behaviour. </edit>

Quote:

Originally Posted by ferrari

If KDE, can you launch yast2 successfully with the following?

Code:

kdesu yast2

Does that behave any differently?

No, root's password will not be accepted.

I'll test Gnome now (I hope, it is installed

). <edit> It is not. I used IceWM. To no avail. </edit>

JZL240I-U · 07-27-2015, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keith Hedger

No I just meant create another normal user so that you can see if it's a problem with your users permission's, if using a new user allows you to use commands that you cant at the moment then you know that the problem is with your user files not the system...

Did it. User "test" failed dismally too

, no root password accepted by any program like yast, su, kdesu...

But. This is a multi-boot system. So I booted into old SUSE 12.3 (nice girl) who uses the same home as the problematic 13.2 -- and everything worked as it should. So, to my fragmentary understanding this means the problem is somewhere within the 13.2 installation. Any ideas where?

Keith Hedger · 07-27-2015, 01:35 PM

Well at least you now now it's not a problem with your normal user, that's one variable eliminated.

astrogeek · 07-27-2015, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JZL240I-U

So I booted into old SUSE 12.3 (nice girl) who uses the same home as the problematic 13.2 -- and everything worked as it should.

This is a big clue I think...

Differing versions of distro and applications sharing the same home can cause many ghostly problems due to mishandled or unrecognized user configs/cache.

That might make it not so much a problem with 13.2, but an incompatibility between versions due to shared user files.

This also means that system configs, groups, sudoers, etc. are potentially different for the different versions, even if uids and gids are same (are they).

I have shared home before with some success, but usually with more subtle difficulties than was worth - FWIW.

JZL240I-U · 07-28-2015, 01:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by astrogeek

...Differing versions of distro and applications sharing the same home can cause many ghostly problems due to mishandled or unrecognized user configs/cache...That might make it not so much a problem with 13.2, but an incompatibility between versions due to shared user files.

I agree when it concerns different distros. With different versions of (open)SUSE I never had any hassle.

Quote:

Originally Posted by astrogeek

...This also means that system configs, groups, sudoers, etc. are potentially different for the different versions, even if uids and gids are same (are they)...

Yes, uids and gids are the same. This setup worked since 13.2 was published and even before with the older versions. As far as I remember the problem cropped up after the last system update a few days ago.

ferrari · 07-28-2015, 04:02 AM

Have a read of this openSUSE thread as I think it may well be relevant to your situation. In particular, examine the following:

Code:

grep PERMISSION_SECURITY /etc/sysconfig/security

and

Code:

ls -l `which su` `which passwd`

For reference, I get

Code:

PERMISSION_SECURITY="easy local"

and

Code:

-rwsr-xr-x 1 root shadow 51200 Sep 28  2013 /usr/bin/passwd
-rwsr-xr-x 1 root root   31744 Jul  6 07:34 /usr/bin/su

JZL240I-U · 07-28-2015, 04:27 AM

Thanks for the link, ferrari. I'll try it tonight when I get home (in the hope that it will not bee that late)

.

JZL240I-U · 07-28-2015, 04:18 PM

Code:

grep PERMISSION_SECURITY /etc/sysconfig/security

yields

Code:

PERMISSION_SECURITY="easy local"

but

Code:

ls -l `which su` `which passwd`

produces

Code:

-rwxr-xr-x 1 me users 51200 25. Sep 2014  /usr/bin/passwd
-rwxr-xr-x 1 me users 31808 13. Mr 13:33 /usr/bin/su

Uh, oh.

So, enter that link.

Code:

ls -l /etc/passwd /etc/shadow
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root   1898 27. Jul 20:21 /etc/passwd
-rw-r----- 1 root shadow 1098 27. Jul 20:21 /etc/shadow

So, all is well, here.

Let's then cure /usr/bin/passwd and /usr/bin/shadow by hand (I did not use chkstat) ... done. AND IT WORKS AGAIN (except for printing --> tomorrow. Good night).

Thanks, ferrari, solved.

ferrari · 07-28-2015, 05:23 PM

Glad to have been of help!