`login.conf` - `path` and `setenv` not honored in `X`

uxer

Customized values from /etc/login.conf.d/${class} all work fine in tty, but in X started via xenodm:

I do get system limits set;
I don't get PATH and env variables.

In X environment when I do in a terminal as root: su -c theuser ("theuser" being my custom login class), I do get PATH set properly but not env variables.

The problem is being observed on 2 machines: amd64 and i386, both OpenBSD 7.1, the former has got quite a few customizations so I might have broken something myself, the latter has undergone only several tweaks.

Tried my customizations in both locations: /etc/login.conf.d/${class} & /etc/login.conf - same result.

Switched back chsh -s /bin/ksh <username> as I thought my fish shell might interfere with PATH etc. (I did some tinkering, so it did interfere) - nope, in ksh I get PATH=/bin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/usr/sbin:/usr/X11R6/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/local/sbin without my additions and no custom env vars from login.conf.

Tried not only re-login, but also reboot - same.

My custom pretty /etc/login.conf.d/theuser:

theuser| the user of the machine :    \
  :setenv=,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,\
,,,,RAKUBREW_HOME=/opt/raku/rakubrew/,\
,,,,PERLBREW_ROOT=/opt/p5/perlbrew/,,,\
,,,,PERLBREW_HOME=/opt/p5/.perlbrew/: \
  :path=                              \
    /opt                              \
    /opt/b1n                          \
    /opt/b1n.d                        \
    /opt/bin                          \
    /opt/bin.d                        \
    /usr/bin                          \
    /bin                              \
    /usr/sbin                         \
    /sbin                             \
    /usr/X11R6/bin                    \
    /usr/local/bin                    \
    /usr/local/sbin                   \
    /usr/games:                       \
  :datasize-max=12288M:               \
  :datasize-cur=4096M:                \
  :maxproc-max=1536:                  \
  :maxproc-cur=1024:                  \
  :openfiles-max=8192:                \
  :openfiles-cur=4096:                \
  :stacksize-cur=32M:                 \
  :tc=staff:

I also tried original formatting fearing my pretty one was not completely syntactically valid, no better:

theuser:\
	:setenv=RAKUBREW_HOME=/opt/raku/rakubrew/,PERLBREW_ROOT=/opt/p5/perlbrew/,PERLBREW_HOME=/opt/p5/.perlbrew/:\
	:path=/opt /opt/b1n /opt/b1n.d /opt/bin /opt/bin.d /usr/bin /bin /usr/sbin /sbin /usr/X11R6/bin /usr/local/bin /usr/local/sbin /usr/games:\
	:datasize-max=12288M:\
	:datasize-cur=4096M:\
	:maxproc-max=1536:\
	:maxproc-cur=1024:\
	:openfiles-max=8192:\
	:openfiles-cur=4096:\
	:stacksize-cur=32M:\
	:tc=staff:

rvp

uxer

The xdm thing looks like a long-standing bug affecting all the BSDs. The environment set by setusercontext here is not what's used in the execve here.
You can work around this by setiing the env. vars. in DisplayManager.exportList as described in the xenodm man-page. (But, if you really, really wish to use the setenv capability, let me know: I can prepare a patch for you.)
For su, pass the -l flag to sinulate a full login. (See here.)

uxer

rvp pass the -l flag

Requires an additional su, so it works in 3 steps:

su [-l]            # become root
su -c theuser -l   # gain setenv variables but not path
su -c theuser      # gain also path

rvp if you really, really wish to use the setenv capability, let me know: I can prepare a patch for you.

You are very kind. But I will not bother you on this - I am not disciplined enough to follow changes in the long run and troubleshoot c code when upstream gets changed.

But if you feel the issue is patchable, how has it happened that nobody has already patched it across BSDs?

rvp You can work around this by setiing the env. vars. in DisplayManager.exportList

Good to know, but actually, login.conf setenv was meant to be a workaround for the issue that I'd like my env variables be available:

in both X and tty,
in any shell

but its achievability is unknown to me. Options, none of which is good enough:

~/.profile provides env variables for ksh in tty, and being sourced by ~/.xsession, provides them for everything in X - but this way I don't get variables in fish shell in tty - fish doesn't source ~/.profile and it can't do so due to incompatible syntax: set VAR value vs VAR=value and set -x VAR value vs export VAR=value and set -e VAR vs unset VAR.
ENV variable file - can't have the same file for various shells due to incompatible syntax.
set all variables in fish config, lets you have them in both X and tty in fish, and other shells would inherit env variables from fish - but this is a bit departing from BSD base by deferring your config to an incompatible 3rd-party.
leave ksh be a default shell and add a command to auto fish which will inherit variables. And for the case I need ksh per se, make auto fish disableable by an argument - a bit perverted hacking approach and slower startup times
write a helper script that would translate settings from one config format to another - brittle, ugly workaround.
so, I tried it with login.conf setenv, which turned out has been long-broken, and furthermore it requires root to edit.

Is there an elegant centralized universal way to define env variables?

rvp

uxer it works in 3 steps:

Only 2, surely:

su root -c 'su -c theuser -l myuser'

uxer how has it happened that nobody has already patched it across BSDs?

Looking at the code some more, it looks like the setusercontext() stuff was only intended to bring in the other stuff (limits, etc) in /etc/login.conf. Certainly, neither PATH nor the env. vars. will get set the way they're doing it (for which they do provide resources: DisplayManager.DISPLAY.userPath, DisplayManager.DISPLAY.systemPath, ...)

uxer Is there an elegant centralized universal way to define env variables?

There is pam_env for this, but, I've only seen it on Linux systems. Should be easy to bring it into other systems if they use PAM...