[SOLVED] Unable to use X11 forwarding after Decrypting Encrypted Home Directory

keefaz · 05-02-2016, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by donald3.heckel

Hello Keefaz,

In regards to the X11 forwarding,

it seems as if it will only forward if I am logged in to a TTY or something to that effect. It keeps giving me those messages. It would be nice to be able to forward over SSH without having to log in locally on the machine.

I don't understand this part, X is forwarded to remote client or to local client?

For the runlevel you have to find a way to start X on runlevel 3 (startx command run as your user, not as root)

donald3.heckel · 05-06-2016, 09:16 AM

Hello Emerson and Keefaz,

I am attempting to forward applications from the server to (remote) client over WAN. I use it from time to time on my LAN, but the same issue persists. The main purpose is to forward graphical applications from my server to the outside of my home network. As for Keefaz, to forward entire X sessions instead of single applications, I close down lightdm on the client, start xinit, and then secure shell into my server and pull the desktop by using:

Code:

xinit # and then

exec startxfce4 # or
exec startlxde # or
exec startkde # and maybe even
exec enlightenment_start # However, I don\'t really use this one.

As for single applications:

Code:

ssh -C -X user@server -p 2222

xclock &
disown
xload &
disown
xtron &
disown
firefox &
disown

# Just an example of commands that I would run

I hope this explains it better. Thank you.

Sincerely,

donald3.heckel

donald3.heckel · 05-09-2016, 10:43 PM

Hello all,

It seems as if xauth times out right at login. I asked another guy about it and he might've said that I could write a script to decrypt my home directory, and set my environment variable to bash to establish an X connection.

The script is as follows:

Code:

#!/bin/sh

ecryptfs-mount-private
cd ~

/usr/bin/env bash

I then set this as a login shell using chsh. I am still working on that.

Any thoughts and/or suggestions?

Sincerely,

donald3.heckel

keefaz · 05-10-2016, 01:48 AM

Maybe you could put your ~/.Xauthority elsewhere on your system, in a non encrypted place, then symlink it from here to your encrypted home dir.
(ln -s /some/place/.Xauthority ~/)

edit:
...but xauth has to know where this file is...
I found a relevant post here (cool, same OS it seems)
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/2...g-in-via-ssh-x

edit2:
...but .ssh/rc won't be available at the time you login with ssh, no?
It's getting complicated, a simpler way would be to set up an user account in the server with a non-encrypted home directory for X forwarded sessions

donald3.heckel · 05-12-2016, 03:30 PM

Hello Keefaz,

The thought of moving over my .Xauthority and setting the variables accordingly did cross my mind. I will look into different ways of trying to implement that. Thank you very much. I will give it a try and let you know the results.

Sincerely,

donald3.heckel

donald3.heckel · 01-12-2019, 05:35 PM

Hello again gentlemen,

Sorry for the long delay, but I thought it would be good to post what I found out a long time after this in the event that others find it helpful.

This issue was actually a simple fix. You have to SSH in with a separate terminal and decrypt the directory first in order to forward X11.

I will close the thread as Solved. Thanks again gentlemen.

Sincerely,

D3H