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Simplicio

Member

Registered: 2017-04-21

Posts: 23  

SLiM - failed to execute login command - bug?

After installing a minimal system using the net install, I wanted to get to a full desktop.

Tried

apt install task-desktop

No errors reported, but after rebooting, if I attempt to log in with a valid non-root username and password, I am not logged in, and I get

failed to execute login command

Tried installing LXDE

apt-get install LXDE

pressing F1 allows me to cycle between XFCE, Openbox, and LXDE as a window manager, but all give 'failed to execute login command' with valid non-root credentials

if I log in as root, it succeeds, but obviously, that's not a long term solution.

non-root user's home directory has no .xinitrc (neither has root's)

What obvious thing have I missed?

Last edited by Simplicio (2017-06-26 22:55:45)

PeteGozz

Member

From: Woodside South Australia

Registered: 2017-06-21

Posts: 72  

Re: SLiM - failed to execute login command - bug?

I had this issue when I removed dbus., logind  and possibly other desktop level helpers.
(thats another story though)

As a guess and test see if reinstalling dbus or logind helps.

apt-get update
apt-get -f install
apt-get install --reinstall  libck-connector0 consolekit dbus -t jessie  

   
also

apt-get install xutils task-lxde-desktop

That may point out any issues with packages from ascii or ceres  sneaking in ???.
Assuming your install is not pure stable / jessie ?

apt-cache show slim

(reveals  dependencies )

apt-cache show task-desktop

## digressions 101 ######################################

meantime
startx   

should work for the system default BUT if you dont have any/much X yet this can get a little tricky.
configure a xinitrc so then you have options.
like
xinit openbox -- :2

e.g.

echo "exec openbox-session" >> ~/.xinitrc 

(startx is easier and it should use the system confs if they are about.)
(/etc/X11/ ish)

Last edited by PeteGozz (2017-06-27 06:01:48)

Simplicio

Member

Registered: 2017-04-21

Posts: 23  

Re: SLiM - failed to execute login command - bug?

Thank-you PeteGozz - I shall try your suggestions 'when I get the time', which might not be for a while. I very much appreciate your reply.

PeteGozz

Member

From: Woodside South Australia

Registered: 2017-06-21

Posts: 72  

Re: SLiM - failed to execute login command - bug?

Slim is an excellent Display Manager
However your not alone in it either refusing to startup or reporting "failed login" (or similar).

short version:
If you install lightdm
and IT works... then we can all go and fix slim
(cause it rocks ! doesn't support remote logins by default)

I suspect that this may be because:
1/  some part of the lower end X environment is not installed (as you move from a minimal system to a full Desktop environment) 
or
2/ It needs some Desktop level part of the Auth chain that gets left behind or breaks subtly.

I notice (from the slim source code) that it is built with _either_ pam modules as a front end to auth OR logind stuff.
That may not be flexible enough for many users ... or it could just be a bad guess.
And it does little to solve your problem.

try lightdm instead.

Apparently  its default is "ugly" but effective

Simplicio

Member

Registered: 2017-04-21

Posts: 23  

Re: SLiM - failed to execute login command - bug?

Ugly but effective sounds like a realistic description of me. <grin>

pepa65

Member

Registered: 2017-07-06

Posts: 6  

Re: SLiM - failed to execute login command - bug?

On my system with the same problem, I was then trying to start with startx, and it appeared the non-root users couldn't write a keyboard file to /tmp because the permissions were too restrictive. Fixed by:

sudo chmod a+w /tmp

PeteGozz

Member

From: Woodside South Australia

Registered: 2017-06-21

Posts: 72  

Re: SLiM - failed to execute login command - bug?

Thanks for that.
It not something I would have thought of.

vasilis74

Member

Registered: 2019-03-15

Posts: 3  

Re: SLiM - failed to execute login command - bug?

Thanks @pepa65 !
I had switched to another /tmp partition, but I did it using a live-usb, editing the /etc/fstab file of my system partition. Then I had the "failed to execute login command" problem... Now, after

chmod a+w /tmp

all users login normally.
So, are these the default permissions for /tmp?

drwxrwxrwx   9 root   root  4096 Apr 25 21:46 tmp

pepa65

Member

Registered: 2017-07-06

Posts: 6  

Re: SLiM - failed to execute login command - bug?

The most common default for /tmp is drwxrwxrwt

(The sticky bit is set for others, so people from outside the user/group can't delete other people's files from /tmp, see:
https://serverfault.com/questions/10353 … is-it-used)

vasilis74

Member

Registered: 2019-03-15

Posts: 3  

Re: SLiM - failed to execute login command - bug?

Is it possible that before I manually switched the /tmp partition, its permissions had the t sticky bit? Does t better exist?
I am not at all an expert, just using Linux and modifying my systems to my needs.

pepa65

Member

Registered: 2017-07-06

Posts: 6  

Re: SLiM - failed to execute login command - bug?

If you your permissions are now drwxrwxrwx you can set the sticky bit by sudo chmod o+t /tmp, I think it is better.