Page 1 of 1
Lost my permissions to synaptic !
Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2009 8:45 pm
by Nana
Hello,
Following some probable half-hazardous manoeuvres setting up a lamp server, I cannot access Synaptic anymore. I just don't have the proper rights to it and have no clue as to what to do about it.
Could someone help ?
Thank you much in advance.
Re: Lost my permissions to synaptic !
Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 8:19 am
by Husse
What are the error messages - would be much easier if you included them
Re: Lost my permissions to synaptic !
Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 9:38 am
by Nana
Hi !
When I launch synaptic from the terminal, I just get a screen saying it opens without administration privileges, and that I won't be able to make any changes. but I can export selected modifications or create a script to download them. I guess I had an error message in the terminal first time I launched it but that was a couple of days ago, did not write it down.
The GUI just won't start from the menu.
Thank you again.
Re: Lost my permissions to synaptic !
Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 9:50 am
by proxima_centauri
If you're launching Synaptic from terminal, you need to ensure you start it with root privileges. i.e., something like
When did the menu entry stop working?
Re: Lost my permissions to synaptic !
Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 10:33 am
by Nana
Hi !
Of course, it launches correctly with sudo.
But from the menu, it does not.
I am not sure when it stopped working. Probably four or five days ago, and I can't remember doing anything but set a symbolic link for my lamp server to my a file in my home. I fiddled with permissions but only on cms files on the server.
Does it help ?
Re: Lost my permissions to synaptic !
Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 10:39 am
by proxima_centauri
Try using the menu editor and check the properties of the Synaptic launcher. What path is being supplied?
Re: Lost my permissions to synaptic !
Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 1:57 pm
by Nana
Hi, again.
Had to get off the computer for a while. Here it is :
Thank you again for your help.
Re: Lost my permissions to synaptic !
Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 2:38 pm
by proxima_centauri
So just so it's straight
When you click on the Synaptic icon in the menu, absolutely nothing happens.
And when you run that command (gksu /usr/sbin/synaptic) in terminal it works?
Re: Lost my permissions to synaptic !
Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 2:41 pm
by Nana
Hello again,
Yes. That is exactly what happens !
Any help to you ?
Re: Lost my permissions to synaptic !
Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 2:56 pm
by proxima_centauri
Can you please post the output of
Re: Lost my permissions to synaptic !
Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 3:33 pm
by Nana
Here it is :
Code: Select all
pascale@pascale-desktop ~ $ cat /etc/hosts
127.0.0.1 localhost
127.0.1.1 pascale-desktop
# The following lines are desirable for IPv6 capable hosts
::1 ip6-localhost ip6-loopback
fe00::0 ip6-localnet
ff00::0 ip6-mcastprefix
ff02::1 ip6-allnodes
ff02::2 ip6-allrouters
ff02::3 ip6-allhosts
pascale@pascale-desktop ~ $
Re: Lost my permissions to synaptic !
Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 3:43 pm
by proxima_centauri
Try editing hosts
and change it so it reads
Code: Select all
127.0.0.1 localhost pascale-desktop
127.0.1.1 pascale-desktop
Any change w/ Synaptic?
Re: Lost my permissions to synaptic !
Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 3:53 pm
by Nana
Sorry, it does not work.
Re: Lost my permissions to synaptic !
Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 4:00 pm
by proxima_centauri
I'll keep searching for an answer but I am pretty perplexed+stumped why Synaptic won't launch from the menu.
Are you using mintMenu? if so try adding the gnome main menu to the panel instead and see if you can launch it from that menu instead.
EDIT:
Also, do other programs that require a root password work from the menu??
Re: Lost my permissions to synaptic !
Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 4:25 pm
by Nana
You're right. Lots of apps won't launch.
I am not sure which usually require a root password but here is a list from the "administration" sub-section of the Mint Menu :
Don't launch :
Mint Assistant
Mint Nanny
Theme installation manager
Firewall config
Disk manager
Gparted
Launch :
Date and time
Users and groups
It is not exhaustive but I guess you can probably draw a "pattern".
The Gnome menu works fine.
(NB: I think I sent a separate message for this. Getting mixed up. Sorry)
Re: Lost my permissions to synaptic !
Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 4:28 pm
by Nana
Forgot the most important !
The Gnome menu works fine. Apparently, it is only the Mint menu and the "administration" sub-menu.
Hope it helps.
Re: Lost my permissions to synaptic !
Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 4:32 pm
by proxima_centauri
Perhaps you should post a new topic under the MintMenu subforum
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewforum.php?f=76
So what we know is that programs which require root priviledges from MintMenu do not launch.
These same programs launch from gnome-main-menu and also from the terminal.
Re: Lost my permissions to synaptic ! An error message
Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 8:25 pm
by Nana
Hello again,
I turned off the computer, restarted, launched synaptic from the terminal and got this error message :
Code: Select all
(synaptic:8074): Gtk-CRITICAL **: gtk_tree_view_unref_tree_helper: assertion `node != NULL' failed
Maybe that will help ?
Thank you again for your time and attention.
Re: Lost my permissions to synaptic !
Posted: Fri Feb 20, 2009 7:07 pm
by Husse
This seems to be a mintMenu problem
Right click the menu button > Load plugins
Now I think it should launch from the menu again
And please don't play with permissions - it can be hell to backtrack and fix
Re: Lost my permissions to synaptic ! [Fixed]
Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2009 10:25 am
by Nana
Hello !
Well, I fixed it by going into synaptic and checking all the mint packages pertaining to desktop.
Was late, so I did not test systematically but a mint-gnome package was not loaded. It must have gone during a "sudo apt-get autoremove" command (I tried a few mail clients and had to get rid of tons of unwanted software --probably will post about mail clients !).
So it's only a hunch that "autoremove" will kick off some mint desktop related packages.
As for playing with permissions, I agree there is no more hair-pulling stuff than permissions on linux, but that goes for end-users as well as developers ! (and what's a Linux desktop for if not for playing around some, huh ?)
