X as non-root

kc9udx

This should be simple and obvious but I don't see it. I have two Pinebooks Pro, running 10.99. One can only use X as non-root, and one (that I use where there's no internet) can only use X as root.

The latter is the only one that concerns me. It cannot find a console driver, unless I am root. Is there a simple solution for this?

rvp

kc9udx The latter is the only one that concerns me. It cannot find a console driver, unless I am root. Is there a simple solution for this?

Can you post the /var/log/Xorg.0.log from this machine?
Also, the output of: ls -l /usr/X11R7/bin/X*

nettester

While i don't have a straight answer to your question, i can say that from my limited experience the relationship between X and root privileges really isn't that obvious or "simple" (well, what one considers simple is kinda relative - at least in my opinion it isn't). While i have no experience with this on *BSD, it seems that at least on Linux running X without root privileges relies on some kind of login daemon (either provided by systemd or in a less monolitic configuration elogind). Without those running X without root privileges doesn't seem to work (admittedly this could also be a result of the build settings used by the specific distribution though - i didn't really look into it). At least that's what i remember from my quest to remove all those newfangled daemons from my desktop. I know that's not going to be a lot of help but maybe it can serve as clue on what directions might deserve further investigation.

kc9udx

I seem to recall in the past needing to be root to use X. But I'm on a machine now that certainly does not, in fact, I cannot use X from root. This is a Pinebook Pro running 10.99.2. The other one, which has the opposite behaviour, is running 10.99.X (I don't know). They both have a (unique to each) custom-built kernal, but neither should have any bearing on this, I don't think.

I could use xdm; but I really don't want the extra overhead. And, I just want to be able to startx when I need it. I've been using it as root for some time, and I guess I don't need to change; but it sure would be nice to use it without being root. I'm hoping that there's a real simple answer to this, only because I never so much as ran X -configure on either of these machines (that I can recall). It was just, install NetBSD, and run startx.

I do have one other machine that X should work on; I could probably see which way that one works later. But I seem to recall that X runs without root on that one, running 9.3, I think.

nettester

I think X without root is a rather newish thing (newish as in probably <= 5 years). Also don't quote me on this but i have a vague memory of startx not being an option without root but it's been quite long since i've dealt with this (when non root X became the default in Debian and it broke my config). I am not really sure anymore if i just didn't want elogind or if there was more to it (i am also - at least at the core - using startx) and since i've found how to restore the old suid X state i've never tried non root X again.

X runs as non-root on NetBSD but, surely you can run X as root also.

All processes launched within X, like common gui stuff, are also user owned on my machine. I can kill X, firefox, alacritty and others as user.

nettester i have a vague memory of startx not being an option without root

I launch startx as user here, no problem.

kc9udx

rvp possibly; I'll have to see what I can do. I might be limited currently to something as poor as a JPEG of it.

I can tell you that the error message is

`Fatal server error:

(EE) xf86OpenConsole: No console driver found
Supported drivers: pccons (with X support), syscons, pcvt
Check your kernel's console driver configuration and /dev entries(EE)`

Or rather something just like that.

rvp

kc9udx I can tell you that the error message is

Fatal server error:

(EE) xf86OpenConsole: No console driver found
        Supported drivers: pccons (with X support), syscons, pcvt
        Check your kernel's console driver configuration and /dev entries(EE)

That message makes no sense on NetBSD (I could understand on FreeBSD on which running those drivers would make sense).

Where is your Xorg from? Base or Modular? And does it match uname -a ie. you're not trying to run a very old version of X with a recent NetBSD, right?

kc9udx

rvp yes, that's what I could find similar but obviously the message in NetBSD suggests wscons.

It came with the official image for Pinebook Pro, from this year some time, I think.

kc9udx

It's apparently old, but I wouldn't say very old.

I apologise for the pictures but this is the best I can do at the moment. (I have no way to get files off or on this machine).

I suppose the simple solution is to update X.

rvp

kc9udx So, the X server tries various display-drivers starting with the best (modesetting) until it gets to the worst (wsfb), all of which fail to run. Has your X server lost its setuid bit? (Check using the ls command in my post #5)

nettester

rvp If i understand it correctly versions of X supporting rootless operation generally don't suid Xorg anymore. Those rather supply Xorg.wrap which is suid root and controlled by /etc/X11/Xwrapper.config to allow switching between old and new style execution. This information should obviously be taken with a grain of salt as my main desktop OS is Linux but i vaguely remember seeing the same construct during my short experiments with running a FreeBSD desktop so the wrapper could very well be part of the official X distribution.

Edit: According to https://forums.freebsd.org/threads/launch-xorg-in-a-non-interactive-console.74246/post-549035 Xwrapper.config actually seems to exist in FreeBSD at least.

kc9udx

rvp sorry, forgot to include that.

/usr/X11R7/bin/Xorg has it, but nothing else in that directory does; which seems right to me but maybe isn't.

nettester

kc9udx Like i said before i am not 100% sure how universal my observation is across different platforms but given FreeBSD actually seems to have Xorg.wrap (see the link in my final edit which likely wasn't there when you posted) i'd say a suid Xorg binary seems to somewhat point towards an old X version from before rootless X became a thing.

rvp

kc9udx /usr/X11R7/bin/Xorg has it

OK.

What's the output of:

echo $PATH
ls -l $(which X Xorg)
ls -l /dev/ttyE* /dev/dri/*

Can you run startx like this, then show the output (both stderr and Xorg.0.log--try copying the file(s) to a USB-stick)?

startx -- -logverbose 15 -verbose 15

Post any Xorg config. file you use. (/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/*, /etc/xorg.conf, /etc/X11/xorg.conf whichever you use--if any.)

nettester Like i said before i am not 100% sure how universal my observation is across different platforms

NetBSD doesn't have an Xorg.wrap. Xorg is setuid instead, and the server drops privs. once setup is done.

kc9udx

rvp

I'll see if I can get a way to get files off. I was recently granted the ability to use a limited amount of data for tethering on my phone plan; I might even be able to get that machine online (in a very limited way).

rvp

kc9udx OK, here's the problem (it was horses after all and not zebras):

-r-xr-sr-x  1 root  wheel  3041272 Jan 23  2021 /usr/X11R7/bin/Xorg

The binary is set-gid to wheel, not set-uid to root like it ought to be. This should fix your problem:

sudo chmod 4511 /usr/X11R7/bin/Xorg

kc9udx

You know, that doesn't look right. I'll have to try something...

kc9udx

rvp that's what I thought.

That was the problem, of course. But I must have wonky permissions all over the place. Now X starts, but I have no keyboard nor mouse in X (unless I'm root).

kc9udx

I have no idea how my permissions got munged, but they are all good now. I installed the sets for 9.3 and all is good. FWIW, USB tethering with a Moto G6 Play on H2O Wireless works well.

rvp

kc9udx I have no idea how my permissions got munged,

You can check this sort of thing pretty easily using mtree(1):

cat /etc/mtree/set.[bcg-x]* | sudo mtree -e -p /