" Su returned with an error " in KDE [SOLVED]

[JohnnyH]

Having just installed Knoppix 5.1.1 from the CD, I also get this error.

This error does not happen with either a Debian installation from Knoppix 5.0.1, nor with a 'pure' Debian installation of 'Etch'.
In all cases I am running with the same version of KDE libraries (3.5.5a.dfsg.1-5), which at the time of this posting applies to both 'testing' and 'unstable'.

This suggests that it may be a problem specific to Knoppix 5.1.1 rather than KDE (and I can't find it listed in the KDE Bug Reports).

For security reasons, I prefer to retain the enforcement of case-by-case log-on as superuser(root). This works if you use the Gnome equivalent gksu instead of kdesu (apt-get install gksu).
For many applications you have to create custom KDE Buttons with executables such as the following examples (note the single quotes ' where applicable) :-

 gksu 'konqueror --profile filemanagement'

 gksu kuser

If anyone finds out how to get kdesu working, that's even better !

[onemyndseye]

kdesu works for me ..... you should make sure your system is current by doing ` apt-get update ; apt-get upgrade ` .... that usually fixes any problems with kdesu doing weird stuff


Take Care,
-Justin
One Mynds Eye

[JohnnyH]

Thanks; apt-get update & apt-get upgrade has also worked for me in the past to ensure kdesu works on matching libraries.
But not this time, on an installation from the 5.1.1 CD.

This error does not happen with either a Debian installation from Knoppix 5.0.1, nor with a 'pure' Debian installation of 'Etch'.
In all cases I am running with the same version of KDE libraries (3.5.5a.dfsg.1-5), which at the time of this posting applies to both 'testing' and 'unstable'.

... these situations were achieved via apt-get update & apt-get upgrade.

It looks like a permissions issue somewhere in relation to how kdesu is managed which as we have seen can be worked-around by making the user(s) sudoers. Which is a work-around but not a secure cure, and I would prefer to find and correct the specific cause, if only to help the progress of Knoppix.

[onemyndseye]

(I should learn to read better ) hrmm... I have a couple different boxes... Maybe i can turn up something.

I running 5.1.0 and dont see that issue so it must be something with 5.1.1 specifically.


Thanks,
-Justin
One Mynds Eye

[JohnnyH]

Thanks for that gracious and useful posting; narrowing it down to a change between 5.1.0 and 5.1.1 might lead to a 'Eureka!' thought if somebody with detailed knowledge of the update chances to read this.
This prompted me to revisit the release notes for 5.1.1 :-
SNIP

* V5.1.1-2007-01-04 (see also: Release Notes at http://knopper.net/knoppix/knoppix51-en.html)
- Updated kicker and kdebase (while fixing a nasty bug that made kicker "disappear"
in all but the first desktop)
- Updated ntfs-3g (writing speed improvements)
- sudo helper for kdesu

END-OF-SNIP
Hmmm - interesting ! I'm beginning to think that this might justify raising a bug report - I'll give a little longer to see if any more information emerges.

[Rocket]

Thanks; apt-get update & apt-get upgrade has also worked for me in the past to ensure kdesu works on matching libraries.
But not this time, on an installation from the 5.1.1 CD.

This error does not happen with either a Debian installation from Knoppix 5.0.1, nor with a 'pure' Debian installation of 'Etch'.
In all cases I am running with the same version of KDE libraries (3.5.5a.dfsg.1-5), which at the time of this posting applies to both 'testing' and 'unstable'.

... these situations were achieved via apt-get update & apt-get upgrade.

It looks like a permissions issue somewhere in relation to how kdesu is managed which as we have seen can be worked-around by making the user(s) sudoers. Which is a work-around but not a secure cure, and I would prefer to find and correct the specific cause, if only to help the progress of Knoppix.

It seems to me, that kdesu in this version, is not automatically associated with the root user. See my previous post, on kdesu konqueror work around for details. I have found this on the dvd, as well as the cd varient of 5.1.1.

[onemyndseye]

Johnny-

I wonder if running say ` kdesu konqueror ` from a terminal window will give us a clue? .... also maybe ` strace kdesu konqueror >~/kdesu.out `

another idea...

if you can find the exact package (I started looking but didnt have time to finish) that kdesu is contained in....you may have luck doing something like:

apt-get --purge remove <package name> && apt-get install <package name>

since its likey to be a config issue that we are dealing with that might fix your problem by purging the config files and reinstalling them from scratch.... hard to say if it will cause some unforseen problem but it may work

Just remember my motto: Half the fun of fixing it is tearing it up again
-Justin
One Mynds Eye

[JohnnyH]

Justin,

I haven't yet managed to get anything that seems useful by running ` kdesu konqueror ` from a terminal window
Running under strace on the other hand produces a lot of output ~320KB - too much to post !

BTW /usr/bin/kdesu and /usr/bin/kdesud are in kdebase-bin
/usr/bin/kdesu_stub and /usr/lib/libkdesu.so.4.2.0 and /usr/lib/libkdesu.so.4 are in kdelibs4c2a

I've checked their release numbers and ownerships and permissions ; these are identical to those in the systems (Knoppix 5.0.1 and Debian Etch) where kdesu works perfectly.

Anyway it's worth a try to reconfigure ... dropped out of X to dpkg-reconfigure first ... no difference.
I might do a purge & re-installation as you suggest later when I have the time, as taking out those packages will take a lot of my installed system with them.

Keeping on brainstorming ... Johnny.

[bas]

I just installed Knoppix 5.1.1 to my HDD last night, and I am too having problems w/ superuser. I can do hardly anything. The workarounds posted in this topic provide a little help, but they always wind up making the apps appear in German. Is this an isolated incident? And is their anything to fix this?

[JohnnyH]

bas,
You're not alone; whilst superuser konqueror and kuser (as in my previous posting) come up in my KDE locale language (English GB - I have kde-i18n-engb installed), I have now also tried guarddog. Guarddog comes up in English for the normal user but in Deutsch for superuser.
Yet when I start X and KDE as root from a console, I have configured the KDE locale to English there as well.
And when I start guarddog from the root account it comes up in English.
So at the moment I do not have an explanation.