[SOLVED] Debian Stretch 9 - 'gdebi' & 'gksu' password problem.

Sector11 · 2017-06-24 19:51:19

SOLVED: DUH: gksudo - see post 2.

I installed Debian 9 via netinstall ... now maybe I didn't install something I should have, it's a possibility but I'm having problems with "gdebi" and other programs that need "gksu" access. IE: "gksu thunar" the password is not accepted.

sudo something in a terminal works just fine. As seen here:

sudo visudo

looks identical to what I have in BL:

# Allow members of group sudo to execute any command
%sudo   ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL
%sector11       ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL

because I used

sudo visudo

to set myself up in sudo group

I did install "sudo" and "gksu" and even re-installed them (as root) [ sudo su - ] to no avail.

I can open a terminal:

 24 Jun 17 @ 15:15:35 ~
   $ sudo su -
[sudo] password for sector11: 
root@DS89:~# gksu thunar

and it works - from the OB Menu - NO!

I can also open a terminal and:

sudo apt-get install /media/10/Kaivalagi-conky/conkymisc_1.06_all.deb
[sudo] password for sector11:

and that deb file will install no problem, pulling in the dependencies as well.

Anyone have an idea what I have done wrong or what I am missing?

I've been searching the web for days, that's how I found out about:

sudo apt-get install /must/indlude/path/to/some.deb

but nothing on why I cannot use 'gdebi' or 'gksu' directly.

Sector11 · 2017-06-24 20:15:32

That did it.

gksudo thunar

works fine.

I recall years ago using gksudo and then, at some point, had to change to gksu for some reason (everything in OB Menu reads 'gksu' for GUI apps). OH well I should have thought about that.

Thanks nobody.

Head_on_a_Stick · 2017-06-24 20:20:57

man gksu wrote:

Notice that all the magic is done by the underlying library, libgksu. Also
notice that the library will decide if it should use su or sudo as backend using
the /apps/gksu/sudo-mode gconf key, if you call the gksu command. You can force
the backend by using the gksudo command, or by using the --sudo-mode and
--su-mode options.

If preferred, you can carry on using plain old `gksu` by changing to the "sudo" Authentication Mode in

gksu-properties

Last edited by Head_on_a_Stick (2017-06-24 20:28:43)

Sector11 · 2017-06-24 20:35:09

Interesting, I looked at "man sudo" and nothing caught my eye ... and never thought about 'man gksu' because I found the work around on the net ... and now {snap} my OB menu.xml has been converted to gksudo

But it's good to know HoaS. Thanks.

johnraff · 2017-06-25 02:56:49

You can also change this by going to the Debian Alternatives (cli or galternatives from the menu).

The alternative libgksu-gconf-defaults can be set to /usr/share/libgksu/debian/gconf-defaults.libgksu.sudo.

That's the BL default - the netinstall sets it at the end of the script, and the iso... I've forgotten where that's done (if I ever knew) but it is, somewhere.

Sector11 · 2017-06-25 03:15:24

CRAP! here I go again ... password not working for galternatives from [Alt+F2] menu

gksudo galternatives works in a terminal but:

 25 Jun 17 @ 00:08:01 ~/convert-lua
   $ gksudo galternatives

(gksudo:10429): Gtk-WARNING **: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "xfce",

(gksudo:10429): Gtk-WARNING **: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "xfce",

(gksudo:10429): Gtk-WARNING **: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "xfce",

(gksudo:10429): Gtk-WARNING **: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "xfce",

(gksudo:10429): Gtk-WARNING **: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "xfce",

(gksudo:10429): Gtk-WARNING **: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "xfce",

(gksudo:10429): Gtk-WARNING **: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "xfce",

(gksudo:10429): Gtk-WARNING **: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "xfce",

(gksudo:10429): Gtk-WARNING **: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "xfce",

(gksudo:10429): Gtk-WARNING **: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "xfce",

(gksudo:10429): Gtk-WARNING **: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "xfce",

{sigh}

By doesn't work I did not use "gksudo" as I figured the box would come up, but it's a different box.
Time to hit the wiki's....

johnraff · 2017-06-25 04:40:04

I somehow doubt if those theme errors relate to the password thing (though I don't get any with the BL theme in Hydrogen).

'galternatives' in Alt+F2 for me pops up its own password box. I don't know where that comes from.
'gksu (or gksudo) galternatives' in a terminal pop up the usual gksu box.

What does

update-alternatives --display libgksu-gconf-defaults

show for you?

btw...

nobody wrote:

gksu != gksudo

But the executable, is the same - just symlinks:

john@bunsen1:~$ readlink -f $(which gksu)
/usr/bin/gksu
john@bunsen1:~$ readlink -f $(which gksudo)
/usr/bin/gksu

Maybe this is different on a system with a root pasword set?

Oh, and...

the iso... I've forgotten where that's done (if I ever knew) but it is, somewhere.

It's set by the debian Installer, in the user-setup module, by the user-setup-apply script. If there's no root login set up, it enables sudo for the user, and sets the gksu windows to sudo mode, via the above debian-alternatives setting. I don't know why it wasn't set that way for you, S11.

EDIT... one thought, when you did the netinstall, did you set a root password? If so, that would explain this behaviour. gksu, with its default setting, will be expecting the root password.

Last edited by johnraff (2017-06-25 04:52:14)

#1 2017-06-24 19:51:19

[SOLVED] Debian Stretch 9 - 'gdebi' & 'gksu' password problem.

#2 2017-06-24 20:15:32

Re: [SOLVED] Debian Stretch 9 - 'gdebi' & 'gksu' password problem.

#3 2017-06-24 20:20:57

Re: [SOLVED] Debian Stretch 9 - 'gdebi' & 'gksu' password problem.

#4 2017-06-24 20:35:09

Re: [SOLVED] Debian Stretch 9 - 'gdebi' & 'gksu' password problem.

#5 2017-06-25 02:56:49

Re: [SOLVED] Debian Stretch 9 - 'gdebi' & 'gksu' password problem.

#6 2017-06-25 03:15:24

Re: [SOLVED] Debian Stretch 9 - 'gdebi' & 'gksu' password problem.

#7 2017-06-25 04:40:04

Re: [SOLVED] Debian Stretch 9 - 'gdebi' & 'gksu' password problem.

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