CentOS - Jun 2015 - more newbie questions -- init 5 works, init 3 doesn't for "normal" users

On 06/11/2015 08:28 AM, m.roth at 5-cent.us wrote:
> Kay Schenk wrote:
>> On 06/10/2015 10:06 PM, Gordon Messmer wrote:
>>> On 06/10/2015 05:25 PM, Kay Schenk wrote:
>>>> I get /home/<username> not found when it's there and
>>>> setup with correct permissions -- well here I am using it
>>>> in run level 5 just fine!
>>>
> <SNIP>
>>> The file "startx.trace" will have a list of all of the
>>> commands run, and all of their output (including errors).
>>>
>>> /var/log/X* might be interesting as well.
>>
>> OK, this last bit sounds promising although this works as expected for
>> root -- starts up gnome flawlessly. My previous setup imported settings
>> to use a display manager, etc. So, I need to check on this.
>>
>> Right now, one of my main concerns is that my old /home
>> partition/direction is supposedly associated WITH current users I setup
>> and yet...NOT! The system does not recognize this association even
>> though it asked me about setting it up when I created my first real
user
>> on installation. I had to go in and reset uids but that's no biggie
and
>> this process has worked fine before.  I can't help but think this
is
>> related to the startx issue.
> 
> I missed parts of this thread: are any of them mounted NFS? From root, su
> - user, and then do ls -laF, and check the ownership and group,
> *including* of ./ (the current directory).
> 
> I mention NFS because of issues we've been having here, but we're
> connected to AD, and I need to fix /etc/idmapd.conf to have our domain.
> 
>          mark
Thanks for everyone's help. It seems the not locating /home for users
was related to startx problem.

The /home partition in question had been an old one, ext3, and requested
not to format. All that was well. Partition mounted, etc. Unfortunately,
I had inadvertently installed selinux (OK, I saw that but didn't'
understand the consequences) and this was what was causing my odd
non-root user login behavior (couldn't locate /home) AND the startx
problems from init 3 level. After talking to an RH admin colleague, all
fine now. On to more fun items as I get up to speed on CentOS! :)


-- 
--------------------------------------------
MzK

"We can all sleep easy at night knowing that
 somewhere at any given time,
 the Foo Fighters are out there fighting Foo."
                          -- David Letterman

Kay Schenk wrote:
> On 06/11/2015 08:28 AM, m.roth at 5-cent.us wrote:
>> Kay Schenk wrote:
>>> On 06/10/2015 10:06 PM, Gordon Messmer wrote:
>>>> On 06/10/2015 05:25 PM, Kay Schenk wrote:
>>>>> I get /home/<username> not found when it's there
and
>>>>> setup with correct permissions -- well here I am using it
>>>>> in run level 5 just fine!
>>>>
>> <SNIP>
>>>> The file "startx.trace" will have a list of all of
the
>>>> commands run, and all of their output (including errors).
>>>>
>>>> /var/log/X* might be interesting as well.
>>>
>>> OK, this last bit sounds promising although this works as expected
for
>>> root -- starts up gnome flawlessly. My previous setup imported
settings
>>> to use a display manager, etc. So, I need to check on this.
>>>
>>> Right now, one of my main concerns is that my old /home
>>> partition/direction is supposedly associated WITH current users I
setup
>>> and yet...NOT! The system does not recognize this association even
>>> though it asked me about setting it up when I created my first real
>>> user
>>> on installation. I had to go in and reset uids but that's no
biggie and
>>> this process has worked fine before.  I can't help but think
this is
>>> related to the startx issue.
>>
>> I missed parts of this thread: are any of them mounted NFS? From root,
>> su
>> - user, and then do ls -laF, and check the ownership and group,
>> *including* of ./ (the current directory).
>>
>> I mention NFS because of issues we've been having here, but
we're
>> connected to AD, and I need to fix /etc/idmapd.conf to have our domain.
>
> Thanks for everyone's help. It seems the not locating /home for users
> was related to startx problem.
>
> The /home partition in question had been an old one, ext3, and requested
> not to format. All that was well. Partition mounted, etc. Unfortunately,
> I had inadvertently installed selinux (OK, I saw that but didn't'
> understand the consequences) and this was what was causing my odd
> non-root user login behavior (couldn't locate /home) AND the startx
> problems from init 3 level. After talking to an RH admin colleague, all
> fine now. On to more fun items as I get up to speed on CentOS! :)
>
Check to see if the setroubleshoot package is installed. If not, do it.
It'll generate log entries with sealerts, which will help you figure out
how to shut up selinux.... Run it in permissive mode, in the meantime.

         mark "one of my permanent goals: shutting up selinux"

On 06/11/2015 05:27 PM, m.roth at 5-cent.us wrote:
> Kay Schenk wrote:
>> On 06/11/2015 08:28 AM, m.roth at 5-cent.us wrote:
>>> Kay Schenk wrote:
>>>> On 06/10/2015 10:06 PM, Gordon Messmer wrote:
>>>>> On 06/10/2015 05:25 PM, Kay Schenk wrote:
>>>>>> I get /home/<username> not found when it's
there and
>>>>>> setup with correct permissions -- well here I am using
it
>>>>>> in run level 5 just fine!
>>> <SNIP>
>>>>> The file "startx.trace" will have a list of all
of the
>>>>> commands run, and all of their output (including errors).
>>>>>
>>>>> /var/log/X* might be interesting as well.
>>>> OK, this last bit sounds promising although this works as
expected for
>>>> root -- starts up gnome flawlessly. My previous setup imported
settings
>>>> to use a display manager, etc. So, I need to check on this.
>>>>
>>>> Right now, one of my main concerns is that my old /home
>>>> partition/direction is supposedly associated WITH current users
I setup
>>>> and yet...NOT! The system does not recognize this association
even
>>>> though it asked me about setting it up when I created my first
real
>>>> user
>>>> on installation. I had to go in and reset uids but that's
no biggie and
>>>> this process has worked fine before.  I can't help but
think this is
>>>> related to the startx issue.
>>> I missed parts of this thread: are any of them mounted NFS? From
root,
>>> su
>>> - user, and then do ls -laF, and check the ownership and group,
>>> *including* of ./ (the current directory).
>>>
>>> I mention NFS because of issues we've been having here, but
we're
>>> connected to AD, and I need to fix /etc/idmapd.conf to have our
domain.
>> Thanks for everyone's help. It seems the not locating /home for
users
>> was related to startx problem.
>>
>> The /home partition in question had been an old one, ext3, and
requested
>> not to format. All that was well. Partition mounted, etc.
Unfortunately,
>> I had inadvertently installed selinux (OK, I saw that but
didn't'
>> understand the consequences) and this was what was causing my odd
>> non-root user login behavior (couldn't locate /home) AND the startx
>> problems from init 3 level. After talking to an RH admin colleague, all
>> fine now. On to more fun items as I get up to speed on CentOS! :)
>>
> Check to see if the setroubleshoot package is installed. If not, do it.
> It'll generate log entries with sealerts, which will help you figure
out
> how to shut up selinux.... Run it in permissive mode, in the meantime.
>
>          mark "one of my permanent goals: shutting up selinux"
>
> _______________________________________________
> CentOS mailing list
> CentOS at centos.org
> http://lists.centos.org/mailman/listinfo/centos
You probably want to execute

# semanage fcontext -a -e /home /PATHTOYOURHOME
# restorecon -R -v /PATHTOYOURHOME

This tells SELinux to label content under /PATHTOYOURHOME as if it was
under /home, and should fix most of your problems.