gnome-session: unable to launch gnome due to bad group/owner on .ICEauthority

Automatically imported from Debian bug report #325701 http://bugs.debian.org/325701

that's NOTABUG

Message-Id: <email address hidden>
Date: Tue, 30 Aug 2005 11:38:51 +0200
From: Olivier Schwander <email address hidden>
To: Debian Bug Tracking System <email address hidden>
Subject: gnome-session: unable to launch gnome due to bad group/owner on .ICEauthority

Package: gnome-session
Version: 2.10.0-6
Severity: grave
Justification: renders package unusable

Hello,
gdm fails to launch gnome.
The logfile .xsession-errors follows:
    /etc/gdm/PreSession/Default: Registering your session with wtmp and utmp
        /etc/gdm/PreSession/Default: running: /usr/bin/X11/sessreg -a -w
     /var/log/wtmp -u /var/run/utmp -x "/var/lib/gdm/:0.Xservers" -h
"" -l
":0" "olivier"
    /etc/gdm/PreSession/Default: Registering your session with wtmp and utmp
        /etc/gdm/PreSession/Default: running: /usr/bin/X11/sessreg -a -w
     /var/log/wtmp -u /var/run/utmp -x "/var/lib/gdm/:0.Xservers" -h
"" -l
":0" "olivier"
     /etc/gdm/Xsession: Beginning session setup...

          ** (gnome-session:7151): WARNING **: Unable to read ICE authority
file: /home/olivier/.ICEauthority

A solution is to change owner/group of the file .ICEauthority from root:root
to username:username.

I think it is a problem in the preinst script.
Thanks

-- System Information:
Debian Release: testing/unstable
  APT prefers unstable
  APT policy: (500, 'unstable')
Architecture: i386 (i686)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/dash
Kernel: Linux 2.6.12-1-k7
Locale: LANG=fr_FR, LC_CTYPE=fr_FR (charmap=ISO-8859-15) (ignored: LC_ALL set to fr_FR@euro)

Versions of packages gnome-session depends on:
ii desktop-base 0.3.15 common files for the Debian Deskto
ii gconf2 2.10.1-1 GNOME configuration database syste
ii gnome-control-center 1:2.10.1-6 utilities to configure the GNOME d
ii libatk1.0-0 1.10.1-2 The ATK accessibility toolkit
ii libbonobo2-0 2.10.0-1 Bonobo CORBA interfaces library
ii libc6 2.3.5-5 GNU C Library: Shared libraries an
ii libesd0 0.2.36-1 Enlightened Sound Daemon - Shared
ii libgconf2-4 2.10.1-1 GNOME configuration database syste
ii libglib2.0-0 2.8.0-1 The GLib library of C routines
ii libgnome2-0 2.10.1-1 The GNOME 2 library - runtime file
ii libgnomeui-0 2.10.1-1 The GNOME 2 libraries (User Interf
ii libgtk2.0-0 2.6.9-1 The GTK+ graphical user interface
ii libice6 6.8.2.dfsg.1-5 Inter-Client Exchange library
ii liborbit2 1:2.12.2-3 libraries for ORBit2 - a CORBA ORB
ii libpango1.0-0 1.8.2-1 Layout and rendering of internatio
ii libsm6 6.8.2.dfsg.1-5 X Window System Session Management
ii libx11-6 6.8.2.dfsg.1-5 X Window System protocol client li
ii libxmu6 6.8.2.dfsg.1-5 X Window System miscellaneous util
ii libxrandr2 6.8.2.dfsg.1-5 X Window System Resize, Rotate and
ii libxt6 6.8.2.dfsg.1-5 X Toolkit Intrinsics
ii xlibs ...

Message-Id: <email address hidden>
Date: Tue, 30 Aug 2005 08:54:30 -0300
From: Gustavo Noronha Silva <email address hidden>
To: <email address hidden>, Olivier Schwander <email address hidden>
Subject: Re: Bug#325701: gnome-session: unable to launch gnome due to bad
 group/owner on .ICEauthority

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Em Ter, 2005-08-30 =C3=A0s 11:38 +0200, Olivier Schwander escreveu:
> ** (gnome-session:7151): WARNING **: Unable to read ICE authori=
ty
> file: /home/olivier/.ICEauthority
>=20
> A solution is to change owner/group of the file .ICEauthority from root:r=
oot
> to username:username.
>=20
> I think it is a problem in the preinst script.

preinst scripts are not supposed to mess up with your home directory;
how did that .ICEauthority arrive at your home directory in the first
place?

I bet it is not a problem in gnome-session, but some other thing that
messed up by writing that file there. Any ideas?

See ya,

--=20
<email address hidden>: Gustavo Noronha <http://people.debian.org/~kov>
Debian: <http://www.debian.org> * <http://www.debian-br.org>

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Message-Id: <email address hidden>
Date: Tue, 30 Aug 2005 14:15:44 +0200
From: Josselin Mouette <email address hidden>
To: <email address hidden>
Cc: Olivier Schwander <email address hidden>
Subject: Re: Bug#325701: gnome-session: unable to launch gnome due to bad
 group/owner on .ICEauthority

Le mardi 30 ao=FBt 2005 =E0 08:54 -0300, Gustavo Noronha Silva a =E9crit :
> Em Ter, 2005-08-30 =E0s 11:38 +0200, Olivier Schwander escreveu:
> > ** (gnome-session:7151): WARNING **: Unable to read ICE autho=
rity
> > file: /home/olivier/.ICEauthority
> >=20
> > A solution is to change owner/group of the file .ICEauthority from root=
:root
> > to username:username.
> >=20
> > I think it is a problem in the preinst script.
>=20
> preinst scripts are not supposed to mess up with your home directory;
> how did that .ICEauthority arrive at your home directory in the first
> place?
>=20
> I bet it is not a problem in gnome-session, but some other thing that
> messed up by writing that file there. Any ideas?

It could be some GNOME program run as root with HOME=3D/home/olivier.
--=20
 .''`. Josselin Mouette /\./\
: :' : <email address hidden>
`. `' <email address hidden>
   `- Debian GNU/Linux -- The power of freedom

Message-ID: <email address hidden>
Date: Tue, 30 Aug 2005 14:45:46 +0200
From: Olivier Schwander <email address hidden>
To: <email address hidden>
Subject: Re: Bug#325701: gnome-session: unable to launch gnome due to bad
 group/owner on .ICEauthority

Josselin Mouette a =E9crit :
> Le mardi 30 ao=FBt 2005 =E0 08:54 -0300, Gustavo Noronha Silva a =E9cri=
t :
>=20
>>Em Ter, 2005-08-30 =E0s 11:38 +0200, Olivier Schwander escreveu:
>>
>>> ** (gnome-session:7151): WARNING **: Unable to read ICE auth=
ority
>>>file: /home/olivier/.ICEauthority
>>>
>>>A solution is to change owner/group of the file .ICEauthority from roo=
t:root
>>>to username:username.
>>>
>>>I think it is a problem in the preinst script.
>>
>>preinst scripts are not supposed to mess up with your home directory;
>>how did that .ICEauthority arrive at your home directory in the first
>>place?
>>
>>I bet it is not a problem in gnome-session, but some other thing that
>>messed up by writing that file there. Any ideas?
>=20
>=20
> It could be some GNOME program run as root with HOME=3D/home/olivier.

The problem appeared after an upgrade of gnome-session and a logout. But
  only one user is concerned: an .ICEauthority used by an other user
only with kde has a good owner.
I may have used Synaptic as root but I don't understand how it could
have bad $HOME. I tried with su and gksu but owner is preserved.
I know that I have not forced HOME=3D/home/olivier.

Message-Id: <email address hidden>
Date: Tue, 30 Aug 2005 11:54:34 -0300
From: Gustavo Noronha Silva <email address hidden>
To: <email address hidden>, Olivier Schwander <email address hidden>
Subject: Re: Bug#325701: gnome-session: unable to launch gnome due to bad
 group/owner on .ICEauthority

--=-LrBrBCLbIFLd24YRd4Ou
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Em Ter, 2005-08-30 =C3=A0s 14:45 +0200, Olivier Schwander escreveu:
> Josselin Mouette a =C3=A9crit :
> > It could be some GNOME program run as root with HOME=3D/home/olivier.
>=20
> The problem appeared after an upgrade of gnome-session and a logout. But
> only one user is concerned: an .ICEauthority used by an other user
> only with kde has a good owner.
> I may have used Synaptic as root but I don't understand how it could
> have bad $HOME. I tried with su and gksu but owner is preserved.
> I know that I have not forced HOME=3D/home/olivier.

Might be... I created a new user here tro try gksu +
$some_GNOME_programs here. I tried nautilus, evolution; I even invoked a
full gnome-session as root using gksu to try it out and make sure.
No .ICEauthority was created at all.

gksu does leave some variables like USERNAME and LOGNAME untouched,
though, so a misbehaving program could be the problem there. I tried
synaptic, though, and it works without creating a .ICEauthority.

Haven't you tried to run something else as root, using other means,
maybe?

See ya,

--=20
<email address hidden>: Gustavo Noronha <http://people.debian.org/~kov>
Debian: <http://www.debian.org> * <http://www.debian-br.org>

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Message-ID: <email address hidden>
Date: Tue, 30 Aug 2005 19:07:59 +0200
From: Olivier Schwander <email address hidden>
To: <email address hidden>
Subject: Re: Bug#325701: gnome-session: unable to launch gnome due to bad
 group/owner on .ICEauthority

Gustavo Noronha Silva a =C3=A9crit :
> Em Ter, 2005-08-30 =C3=A0s 14:45 +0200, Olivier Schwander escreveu:
>=20
>>Josselin Mouette a =C3=A9crit :
>>
>>>It could be some GNOME program run as root with HOME=3D/home/olivier.
>>
>>The problem appeared after an upgrade of gnome-session and a logout. Bu=
t
>> only one user is concerned: an .ICEauthority used by an other user
>>only with kde has a good owner.
>>I may have used Synaptic as root but I don't understand how it could
>>have bad $HOME. I tried with su and gksu but owner is preserved.
>>I know that I have not forced HOME=3D/home/olivier.
>=20
>=20
> Might be... I created a new user here tro try gksu +
> $some_GNOME_programs here. I tried nautilus, evolution; I even invoked =
a
> full gnome-session as root using gksu to try it out and make sure.
> No .ICEauthority was created at all.
>=20
> gksu does leave some variables like USERNAME and LOGNAME untouched,
> though, so a misbehaving program could be the problem there. I tried
> synaptic, though, and it works without creating a .ICEauthority.
>=20
> Haven't you tried to run something else as root, using other means,
> maybe?
>=20
> See ya,
>=20
I tried to launch various gnome programs as root or not but there is no
=2EICEauthority file created.
The only way to obtain a .ICEauthority file is at the first launch of a
gnome session. The file has the good owner.
If I delete the file, it is never recreated.
I can't manage to find what program created this file.

Message-ID: <email address hidden>
Date: Sat, 3 Sep 2005 10:10:07 +0200
From: =?iso-8859-1?Q?Lo=EFc?= Minier <email address hidden>
To: <email address hidden>
Subject: bug is unreproducible, downgrading

severity 325701 important
tag 325701 + unreproducible
thanks

--=20
Lo=EFc Minier <email address hidden>
Come, your destiny awaits!

Message-ID: <email address hidden>
Date: Wed, 30 Nov 2005 15:47:05 +0800
From: Ashley Jennings <email address hidden>
To: <email address hidden>
Subject: Re: Bug#325701: gnome-session: unable to launch gnome due to bad group/owner on
 .ICEauthority

Hi Olivier,

Some information about this bug. I have fixed this same issue on a
Sarge install in the last couple of days and tracked it down to when I
ran

% sudo kwifimanager

it created this .ICEauthority in my user home dir which cause Gnome boot to=
 fail

  -rw------- 1 root root 362 2005-11-30 15:37 .ICEauthority

all the best

Ashley

PS this is my first time using the BTS and I am learning as I go. I
shall report this bug to kwifimanager too.