[SOLVED] New odd problem with Partition Manager - sudo not working?

[oshunluvr]

I have two KDEneon installs - one several months old on my desktop, one a few weeks old on a laptop. When using Partition Manager on the laptop top it works fine but it fails on the desktop and I don't know why. I recall that it worked before, but maybe not as I don't use it often.

Here's what I'm seeing on the desktop - when I launch Partition Manager from the menu, I get this:


but on the laptop I get this:


You can see there's a whole line of info in the laptop window that's not present on the desktop. The result is on the desktop, Partition Manager fails to open with these messages:



and then when I hit OK several times:



Attempting to launch Partition Manager from the command line gets this message:

[FONT=monospace][COLOR=#54FF54][B]stuart@office[/B][/COLOR][COLOR=#000000]:[/COLOR][COLOR=#54FFFF][B]~[/B][/COLOR][COLOR=#000000]$ partitionmanager[/COLOR]
Executing:  "/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libexec/kf5/kdesu" "-c KDE_FULL_SESSION=true XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=/run/user/1000 DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS=unix:path=/run/user/1000/bus partitionmanager
 --dontsu"
org.kde.kdesu: Daemon not safe (not sgid), not using it.

[ /workspace/build/src/suprocess.cpp : 135 ]  Conversation with su failed.

[/FONT]

Looking for suggestions.


EDIT: Launching for the command line on the laptop has this result:

[FONT=monospace][COLOR=#54FF54][B]stuart@Precision7730[/B][/COLOR][COLOR=#000000]:[/COLOR][COLOR=#5454FF][B]~[/B][/COLOR][COLOR=#000000]$ partitionmanager[/COLOR]
Executing:  "/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libexec/kf5/kdesu" "-c KDE_FULL_SESSION=true XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=/run/user/1000 DBUS_SESSION_
BUS_ADDRESS=unix:abstract=/tmp/dbus-tKBNPtu7Ai,guid=f33636d3e9fd9838dc9eb7855c2cba98 partitionmanager --dontsu"
org.kde.kdesu: Daemon not safe (not sgid), not using it.

[/FONT]

[Qqmike]

I get the same two windows you get. That is, " ... there's a whole line of info in the laptop window that's not present on the desktop" (so, I do agree -- there is a big difference, exactly as your two windows indicate, symbol for symbol).

However, upon entering my password, I can easily open KDE Partition Manager on BOTH the laptop and the desktop, no problems.

(Aside: on the laptop, it did take almost 1 minute for KDE PM to scan devices before showing me the final list of partitions it found ... probably because there is a Windows 10 on that laptop.)

[oshunluvr]

Same here with the longer scan on the laptop. It seems you're saying the missing part of the entry isn't the issue.

The problem is it simply doesn't work on the desktop EXCEPT when it does. A couple times now, when I get the "Conversation with su failed..." window, I click on "OK" several times and Partition Manager opens. Weird as heck. Most of the time it just fails or goes to the "run without administrative..." window. It even ran once from the command line OK only to fail again the next time. <Scratching head>

[Qqmike]

It seems you're saying the missing part of the entry isn't the issue.

Yes, that's what it looks like from here, anyway. I've tested this several times: no problem at all entering my PW and getting KDE PM to open on the desktop. I get the same dialog box you get on the desktop (your first graphic in Post #1).

[jglen490]

Hmmm, that's interesting. When I start KPartition Manager from the menu, all I get is a prompt for my password without all the other stuff. After hitting the button, KPartition Manager just starts. I'm not using Neon, just regular old 18.04.

It has been a couple of weeks, so I'll try again tonight when I get home, just to be sure.

[oshunluvr]

Hmmm, that's interesting. When I start KPartition Manager from the menu, all I get is a prompt for my password without all the other stuff. After hitting the button, KPartition Manager just starts. I'm not using Neon, just regular old 18.04.

It has been a couple of weeks, so I'll try again tonight when I get home, just to be sure.

I have a couple KDEneon 18.04 installs and it only happens on one. I don't know what I did to cause it, but it's bugging me so I'd like to fix it.

[Qqmike]

Mine is a standard, stock 18.04, btw.

[Snowhog]

I see the command text in your second image, post #1, on my 18.04 Virtual Machine, which I find interesting, because the VM is running on my desktop iMac, but the command text is as yours on the laptop.

Added:

To be precise, the above was with my 18.04 btrfs VM. I just launched my 18.04 ext4 and launched KDE Partition Manager from the menu. This time I got the same command text as in Oshunluvr's first image, post #1. Does that suggest anything?

[jglen490]

I have a couple KDEneon 18.04 installs and it only happens on one. I don't know what I did to cause it, but it's bugging me so I'd like to fix it.

The old grey matter just ain't what it used to be. I get that string displayed in the password prompt dialog, but in my case, the text on my desktop unit is identical to your laptop text string. KDE Partition Manager just works, otherwise.

[jlittle]

I had this problem last year for several months. It was a problem with /etc/sudoers; years ago I'd put the insults and pwfeedback options in it, so that the first defaults line read:

Defaults        env_reset,pwfeedback,insults

It's the "pwfeedback" option that causes trouble; I've just reproduced the issue by re-entering it. Removing it with sudo visudo and no more "conversation with su failed" starting the partition manager.

[oshunluvr]

I had this problem last year for several months. It was a problem with /etc/sudoers; years ago I'd put the insults and pwfeedback options in it, so that the first defaults line read:

Defaults        env_reset,pwfeedback,insults

It's the "pwfeedback" option that causes trouble; I've just reproduced the issue by re-entering it. Removing it with sudo visudo and no more "conversation with su failed" starting the partition manager.

O. M. G. and W. T. F., that was it!

A week or so ago ago I added both password feedback and insults to sudoers. Removing pwfeedback fixed it toot sweet. You're a hero jlittle, lol.

I'd have spent weeks and quite a few hairs figuring that one out. Thanks. Owe you a beer or two!

[jlittle]

I'd have spent weeks and quite a few hairs figuring that one out.

I spent months working around this, mostly just using gparted. Then I got fed up, lost the hairs, tried a lot of stuff, then found a report that solved a similar problem by running visudo. I was sufficiently frustrated that when it worked, I didn't stop to work out what had done it, and moved on. I had to search my firefox history for clues to jog my memory today.

I should have been diligent and made some report somewhere, I'm sorry about that. I've just sent a message to the sudo user mailing list, and I hope that if someone searches for something like "kde partition manager conversation with su failed" they'll find that message, if they don't find this thread here.

[Snowhog]

O. M. G. and W. T. F., that was it!

A week or so ago ago I added both password feedback and insults to sudoers. Removing pwfeedback fixed it toot sweet. You're a hero jlittle, lol.

I'd have spent weeks and quite a few hairs figuring that one out. Thanks. Owe you a beer or two!

Which is/was why I kept/used to keep a log of everything I changed with the system (date and what was done). Relying on memory is a receipt for disaster, IMO.

[oshunluvr]

Now I'm curious as to why this happens and if there's a fix. Seems like a weakness of a sort with the "KDE su" elevation or something similar. The info to add password feedback has been out there for years but this is the first time I've encountered a problem with it. There was no issue in 16.04 that I recall but now I might have to boot into my 16.04 install and test it.

I supposed if you were determined to have password feedback in the terminal, you could add partitionmanager to sudoers and avoid the password entry. Frankly, not a bad idea anyway as partitionmanager isn't very useful unless you're sudo-ing. However, I tend to think of the sudo password entry as a reminder I'm about to do something potentially hazardous.

[Snowhog]

...I'm about to do something potentially hazardous.

For some, that's turning on the PC.
(Couldn't help myself!)