Bug #8256

Running pkexec in Jessie doesn't open the GNOME prompt

Added by anonym 2014-11-13 16:42:52 . Updated 2014-11-13 21:01:58 .

Status:
Resolved
Priority:
Normal
Assignee:
intrigeri
Category:
Target version:
Tails_2.0
Start date:
2014-11-13
Due date:
% Done:

100%

Feature Branch:
Type of work:
Code
Blueprint:

Starter:
Affected tool:
Deliverable for:

Description

Note that this only affects Tails based on Debian Jessie (feature/jessie)!

When running pkexec (like in the features/root_access_control.feature test) we do not get the GNOME password prompt, only a terminal prompt asking for the password. We install policykit-1-gnome, but polkit-gnome-autenticationagent-1 isn’t running in our session, which explains this. Manually starting it with sudo polkit-gnome-autenticationagent-1 brings the GNOME prompt back for pkexec.

So why doesn’t it autostart any more? It should be autostarted via XDG (@ /etc/xdg/autostart/polkit-gnome-authentication-agent-1.desktop), which has the following criteria, which may be related: AutostartCondition: GNOME3 unless-session gnome@

Subtasks

Related issues

Blocks Tails - Feature #7563: Update the automated test suite for Jessie ISO images Resolved 2014-11-26 2016-01-15

History

#1 Updated by anonym 2014-11-13 16:43:49

  • blocks Feature #7563: Update the automated test suite for Jessie ISO images added

#2 Updated by intrigeri 2014-11-13 18:21:08

anonym wrote:
> Manually starting it with sudo polkit-gnome-autenticationagent-1 brings the GNOME prompt back for pkexec.

The polkit prompt is supposed to be handled by GNOME Shell (which provides better security). At least it’s the case on my sid system, and I have no polkit authentication agent running.

> So why doesn’t it autostart any more? It should be autostarted via XDG (@ /etc/xdg/autostart/polkit-gnome-authentication-agent-1.desktop), which has the following criteria, which may be related: AutostartCondition: GNOME3 unless-session gnome@

Indeed, that’s why it is not started in GNOME Shell, which is right. So the question is rather: why isn’t GNOME Shell taking care of this?

We are installing a very stripped down version of GNOME, which probably explains things. I would apt install gnome-core, logout/login, and see if it fixes things, and then:

  • if it does fix things, try to find out which newly installed package was missing;
  • if it doesn’t fix things, retry with recommends enabled; if still not fixed, try harder and install task-gnome-desktops with recommends enabled.

#3 Updated by intrigeri 2014-11-13 20:02:20

  • Assignee set to intrigeri

Giving it a try.

#4 Updated by intrigeri 2014-11-13 20:18:55

Installing gnome-core and task-gnome-desktop, both with recommends enabled, doesn’t solve the problem. But this did not install recommends for packages that were installed already, I think.

#5 Updated by intrigeri 2014-11-13 21:01:58

  • Status changed from Confirmed to Resolved
  • % Done changed from 0 to 100

This was hidepid’s fault, disabled in commit 3ca79755.