non root user xfce4 does not start

[philo_neo71]

hello, i chose to install openBSD 6.5 with xfce4, in root mode xfce4 starts well.
when i use a non root user xfce4 does not start and returns me user rights errors.
how can i set the user rights so that xfce4 starts?

[jggimi]

You must either upgrade to the most recent release, or use xenodm(1). OpenBSD 6.5 does not permit non-root users to execute startx(1) or xinit(1).

This matter was discussed in the 6.5 Upgrade Guide:

Xorg(1). The Xorg binary is no longer installed setuid, so startx(1) can no longer be used by non-root users. The xenodm(1) display manager has to be used instead.

To set it up:

# rcctl enable xenodm
# rcctl start xenodm

If you wish to customize X you need to create an executable .xsession file.

[philo_neo71]

Customizing X for start xfce4 ?
what can i put in .xsession file for startxfce4 command ?

[jggimi]

The .xsession script file is similar to the .xinitrc script. Some admins use a linked filename, if these scripts happen to have the exact same contents.

From the xenodm(1) man page:

Then xenodm runs the Xsession script as the user. This system session file may do some additional startup and typically runs the .xsession script in the user's home directory. When the Xsession script exits, the session is over.

[shep]

From the xfce4 meta-package readme:

$OpenBSD: README-main,v 1.14 2019/08/15 07:16:48 landry Exp $

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------
| Running ${PKGSTEM} on OpenBSD
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------

The Xfce desktop is composed of 2 meta-packages:
    * xfce, for a base Xfce installation
    * xfce-extras, for a full Xfce installation.

Startup
=======
Xfce desktop environment is launched through the 'startxfce4' script.
Simply add '${LOCALBASE}/bin/startxfce4' to your .xinitrc/.xsession
script if you use startx, xenodm or slim.
If you use gdm or kdm, have a look at
https://wiki.xfce.org/faq#starting_xfce. An xfce4.desktop file is
provided for use by gdm.

Your ~/.xsession needs to be executable.

http://cvsweb.openbsd.org/cgi-bin/cv...ype=text/plain

[johnR]

Originally Posted by shep

Your ~/.xsession needs to be executable.

If the commands listed in ./xsession are executable, why does ./xsession itself need to be executable? IIUC it's just a configuration file.

[jggimi]

It is an executed script if executable, or called in a separate shell if not.

$ tail -20 /etc/X11/xenodm/Xsession

[johnR]

Originally Posted by jggimi

It is an executed script if executable, or called in a separate shell if not.

Thanks for the explanation.

[hitest]

bsd$ cat .xsession
exec ck-launch-session startxfce4

The above code works for me on XFCE4 and OpenBSD 6.6.

I edit /etc/group and add my regular user to the operator group so that I can use the XFCE4 shutdown button to turn off my laptop.

[CiotBSD]

You can just use into your personal .xsession:

startxfce4 --with-ck-launch

And, yes for the group operator; it's necessary!

[TheTKS]

Originally Posted by CiotBSD

You can just use into your personal .xsession:

startxfce4 --with-ck-launch

And, yes for the group operator; it's necessary!

Originally Posted by hitest

bsd$ cat .xsession
exec ck-launch-session startxfce4

The above code works for me on XFCE4 and OpenBSD 6.6.

I edit /etc/group and add my regular user to the operator group so that I can use the XFCE4 shutdown button to turn off my laptop.

As I understood it, hitest's code is the most recent recommendation from the README (it's the way I've set mine up and it works for me with Xfce 4 on OBSD 6.6 using xenodm), while Ciot's is an older way to do it (but if it works for you, fine... I don't know if there is anything wrong with it.)

TKS

[CiotBSD]

Hi.

What README?

I use it-as, segun pkg_readme file about Xfce, on 6.6. It's written:

$OpenBSD: README-main,v 1.14 2019/08/15 07:16:48 landry Exp $

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------
| Running xfce on OpenBSD
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------

(…)

Logging out and shutting down the computer
==========================================
If your installation supports complete shutdown, clicking on the logout
button on panel will permit you to either logout, rebooting or halt
the computer.

If your user is part of the operator group (and thus can execute
/sbin/shutdown), you should be able to shutdown/logout without further
configuration.
Otherwise, halting and rebooting require consolekit2 and polkit: you'll need to
run a systemwide D-BUS service (enable messagebus using rcctl) and pass
--with-ck-launch argument to startxfce4.

If you run a systemwide D-BUS service, have consolekit2/polkit installed and
don't use --with-ck-launch you will not be able to shutdown/reboot.

(…)

@shep: And no, the .xsession does not need to be executable. It's not necessary to put +x rights on.
As wrote @jggimi, read the bottom of Xsession file. ;-)

$ tail -20 /etc/X11/xenodm/Xsession

But I'm not agree with you, when you wrote:

The .xsession script file is similar to the .xinitrc script

Similar, yes; but different matter.
.xsession is to run after xenodm (or other), and .xinitrc is a tool after your loggin (without dm).

[TheTKS]

Originally Posted by CiotBSD

What README?

I use it-as, segun pkg_readme file about Xfce, on 6.6. It's written:

CiotBSD, that is the README I meant, and you are right that it's written as you quoted here
/usr/local/share/doc/pkg-readmes/xfce

I was convinced that I read somewhere, after the README date of 2019/08/15, that both this startxfce4 change and adding the user to the operator group are needed, and that other changes were coming with xfce in 6.6, but I can't find it now (if I find it, I will post.)

It seems that either startxfce4 term still seem to work, but the operator step is definitely needed.

TKS

[victorvas]

What is better from security/performance point of view?
To make .xsession to be executable or not?

[shep]

What is better from security/performance point of view?
To make .xsession to be executable or not?

It has to execute the startxfce4 command.

As far as it being executable, xenodm(1) provides this guidance:

The user's .xsession file might look something like this example. Don't forget that the file must have execute permission.

#! /bin/sh
xrdb -merge "$HOME/.Xresources"
emacs -geometry +0+50 &
xbiff -geometry -430+5 &
xterm -geometry -0+50 -ls &
exec twm

[TheTKS]

So this is one of the references I was thinking of

https://marc.info/?l=openbsd-ports&m...0265131529&w=2

The main OpenBSD-specific change is
https://bugzilla.xfce.org/show_bug.cgi?id=14722 (needs testing !)
which will make the consolekit/policykit/messagebus dependency
completely optional, allowing an user in the operator group to shutdown
the machine (ie can run the shutdown binary), or suspend/hibernate if in
the wheel group (ie has access to apmdev), instead of relying on 3
daemons running as root. The previous mode of needing messagebus
running + spawning startxfce4 within consolekit should still work.


which, if I'm reading right, agrees with the text in the README.

So if I understand this right, if you put your user in group operator, you should be able to shut down from Xfce without

pkg_scripts="messagebus"

in /etc/rc.conf.local

but to launch Xfce from xenodm you still need to add

exec startxfce4 --with-ck-launch

(or the other command mentioned by hitest, which contrary to what I wrote earlier I now think is the older one but works - and to correct myself, I have --with-ck-launch, not ck-launch-session) - but the previous way should still work.

I need to read up on messagebus.

TKS

[hitest]

Originally Posted by TheTKS

but to launch Xfce from xenodm you still need to add

exec startxfce4 --with-ck-launch

(or the other command mentioned by hitest, which contrary to what I wrote earlier I now think is the older one but works - and to correct myself, I have --with-ck-launch, not ck-launch-session) - but the previous way should still work.

Thanks. Yes. The older version works. I've modified .xsession to the newer edit.

exec startxfce4 --with-ck-launch

[CiotBSD]

@shep: ok, ty!

@TheTKS: If I understand well, what Landry had written, with Xfce 4.14, into OpenBSD 6.6, we're not need to use consolekit2 or polkit, just only as operator to allow shutdown, and as wheel to suspend/hibernate, is'nt-it!?
If exact, then we need just to start xfce, as :

startxfce4

!!!

----

Why do you use `exec` before `startxfce4`?
My .xsession launch xfce4 without this function.
???

----

Other question: the xfce4-power-manager seems need consolekit2!
(this package 'xfce4-power-manager' is need only on laptop, not?!)

$ del consolekit2
can't delete consolekit2-1.2.1p8 without deleting accountsservice-0.6.42 colord-1.3.5p1 mate-1.22 mate-session-manager-1.22.2 mate-settings-daemon-1.22.1 mate-system-monitor-1.22.2 pulseaudio-13.0 xfce4-power-manager-1.6.5
Delete them as well ? [y/N/a] n

(del is just a personal alias for 'pkg_delete')

[jggimi]

Originally Posted by CiotBSD

Why do you use `exec` before `startxfce4`?

This question is one that I can answer. From the sh(1) man page:

     exec [command [arg ...]]
         Replace the shell with command (and any optional arguments), without
         creating a new process....

[TheTKS]

Originally Posted by CiotBSD

@TheTKS: If I understand well, what Landry had written, with Xfce 4.14, into OpenBSD 6.6, we're not need to use consolekit2 or polkit, just only as operator to allow shutdown, and as wheel to suspend/hibernate, is'nt-it!?

That’s what it sounds like to me, too, for shutdown and suspend/hibernate in Xfce.

If exact, then we need just to start xfce, as :

startxfce4

!!!

----

Why do you use `exec` before `startxfce4`?
My .xsession launch xfce4 without this function.
???

If it works for you, then you’re right about this as well. This is code I found somewhere, but I will look into what exec does and post what I find, and if it is not needed, I’ll delete it.

Other question: the xfce4-power-manager seems need consolekit2!
(this package 'xfce4-power-manager' is need only on laptop, not?!)

$ del consolekit2
can't delete consolekit2-1.2.1p8 without deleting accountsservice-0.6.42 colord-1.3.5p1 mate-1.22 mate-session-manager-1.22.2 mate-settings-daemon-1.22.1 mate-system-monitor-1.22.2 pulseaudio-13.0 xfce4-power-manager-1.6.5
Delete them as well ? [y/N/a] n

(del is just a personal alias for 'pkg_delete')

I use OpenBSD only on a desktop tower and don’t know the details of what power-manager does, so can’t help you with this one, but my guess from your output is that there are many other things that have consolekit2 as a dependency

Edit: jggimi beat me by one minute with the answer about exec. Thanks!

TKS