SUMMARY: Cannot open display

From: Javi Ortiz <osf_at_evalga.geneti.uv.es>
Date: Fri, 21 May 1999 11:27:27 +0200 (GMT+0200)

Sory for the delay (I was waiting a complete solution). My original
message was:

---------------------------
Date: Wed, 12 May 1999 12:59:33 +0200 (GMT+0200)
  
When I connect to my server (DU 4.0) from a PC using XDMCP, I can open
well '> dxaccounts' but I can't modify anything. Then I change to root
(su -) but when I call dxaccounts the following message appear:
 
                dxaccount: Cannot open display
---------------------------

The 'Cannot open display' is because 'su -' don't inherit the DISPLAY
variable. There is three solutions:

a) Use 'su' insteed of 'su -'.
b) 'su -' and then 'dxaccounts -d your.pc:0.0'
c) 'su -', 'export DISPLAY=your.pc:0.0' and 'dxaccounts'

But there is a second problem:

+++++++++++++++++++
From: MC.Vialatte_at_custsv.univ-bpclermont.fr
   2) set X-session key for root; see xauth(1)
        X-session key is computed at login time (as user), and
        until logout only applications which know the key are
        authorized to use the X-terminal.
        As you do 'su', later applications don't runs as root
        and don't know user X-session key.
   Note : another method is to use xhost(1) in place of xauth(1),
          but it is unsecure.
+++++++++++++++++++

The man of 'X' say that 'xauth' is vulnerable to sniffers.

Then I decide use only the console to manipulate users accounts.

Javi.
Received on Fri May 21 1999 - 10:26:26 NZST

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