xfce4 session stopped allowing multiple sessions?

merc68k · 2016-08-18 21:21:47

For a few years now I've been using Xfce as my desktop both at work and at home. When I work from home, I use x2go to connect to my work desktop, which starts a new session in parallel with the session still active on the console at work.

I upgraded to Fedora 24 on my work machine (at home it's Arch) and since then, I can't start a new session remotely if I have one active on the console, nor can I start one on the console if one is still active via X2Go. I have to kill the opposite session in order to be able to log in again.

Has something maybe changed in recent versions of XFCE that would explain this? I hacked xfce4-session so that it logs it output to a file on my work machine, and when I attempt to log in via XFCE I get:

xfce4-session: Another session manager is already running

Here are the XFCE RPMs installed on my work machine:

xfce4-cpugraph-plugin-1.0.5-9.fc24.x86_64
xfce4-systemload-plugin-1.1.2-4.fc24.x86_64
xfce4-settings-4.12.0-7.fc24.x86_64
xfce4-battery-plugin-1.0.5-11.fc24.x86_64
xfce4-dict-plugin-0.7.2-1.fc24.x86_64
xfce4-genmon-plugin-3.4.0-9.fc24.x86_64
xfce4-power-manager-1.6.0-4.fc24.x86_64
xfce4-fsguard-plugin-1.0.2-3.fc24.x86_64
xfce4-terminal-0.6.3-9.fc24.x86_64
xfce4-whiskermenu-plugin-1.5.3-1.fc24.x86_64
xfce4-eyes-plugin-4.4.5-1.fc24.x86_64
xfce4-weather-plugin-0.8.7-1.fc24.x86_64
xfce4-session-4.12.1-9.fc24.x86_64
xfce4-diskperf-plugin-2.5.5-3.fc24.x86_64
xfce4-verve-plugin-1.0.1-5.fc24.x86_64
xfce4-pulseaudio-plugin-0.2.4-4.fc24.x86_64
xfce4-session-engines-4.12.1-9.fc24.x86_64
xfce4-places-plugin-1.7.0-4.fc24.x86_64
xfce4-timer-plugin-1.6.0-3.fc24.x86_64
libxfce4ui-4.12.1-4.fc24.x86_64
xfce4-netload-plugin-1.2.4-4.fc24.x86_64
xfce-polkit-0.2-8.fc24.x86_64
im-chooser-xfce-1.6.4-8.fc24.x86_64
xfce4-mount-plugin-0.6.7-6.fc24.x86_64
xfce4-notifyd-0.2.4-9.fc24.x86_64
xfce4-screenshooter-1.8.2-6.fc24.x86_64
xfce4-datetime-plugin-0.6.2-7.fc24.x86_64
xfce4-appfinder-4.12.0-5.fc24.x86_64
xfce4-doc-4.8.3-6.fc17.noarch
xfce4-mailwatch-plugin-1.2.0-8.fc24.x86_64
xfce4-taskmanager-1.1.0-5.fc24.x86_64
xfce4-time-out-plugin-1.0.1-10.fc24.x86_64
gtk-xfce-engine-3.2.0-3.fc24.x86_64
xfce4-xkb-plugin-0.7.1-4.fc24.x86_64
xfce4-clipman-plugin-1.2.6-8.fc24.x86_64
xfce4-panel-4.12.0-5.fc24.x86_64
imsettings-xfce-1.7.1-1.fc24.x86_64
xfce4-dict-0.7.2-1.fc24.x86_64
xfce4-sensors-plugin-1.2.5-4.fc24.x86_64
libxfce4util-4.12.1-3.fc24.x86_64
xfce4-screenshooter-plugin-1.8.2-6.fc24.x86_64

Thanks in advance,

Arakis · 2017-02-11 02:29:20

Yes, i run into the same issue. I need to connect multiple times (sessions) to an terminal server running XFCE as the same user. My workarround in the moment is to use another desktop environment (LXDE). But i do not like LXDE for every day use.

ToZ, any comment, any idea?

merc68k · 2017-02-11 14:35:33

@Arakis

I did manage to find a workaround (more of a hack) to make this work, I should have posted it here. Unfortunately it stopped working when I upgraded my work machine again to Fedora 25. I've just been looking though and it may just be because the upgrade blew away my hack.

I'll see if I can recreate it again, but what I did, if I remember correctly, was to move aside the xfce4-session binary and put a shell script in its place that unset a few environment variables, having to do with sessions and dbus, and then called the original xfce4-session. That seemed to trick it into thinking there was not already a session running.

Arakis · 2017-02-11 22:51:46

Here's also a workarround: https://bugzilla.xfce.org/show_bug.cgi?id=7502

#!/bin/bash

env -i /bin/sh -c "export PATH=$PATH;
                   export XAUTHORITY=$XAUTHORITY;
                   export DISPLAY=$DISPLAY;
                   export HOME=$HOME;
                   export LOGNAME=$LOGNAME;
                   export USER=$USER;
                   /usr/bin/xfce4-session"

Call this script in .xinitrc instead of exec startxfce4. It works, but i found a glitch than:

On main session, my terminal looks normal (Opacity 85%). On the second session (started with the helper-script), my xfce4-terminal has a fully transparent (non existing) background. Looks really funny. The matter is, the "Opacity"-Value in Appearance of the xfce4-terminal is always zero.

jeff story · 2017-11-01 21:37:15

I've been waiting for a possible xfce4-session fix for this. I'll look into checking/filing a bug or a feature add after this. After much searching including the info here, I came up with the following. Please point out any errors, etc.

Running xfce4 on Arch. I experminted using several different approaches, checking session permissions along the way.
Source: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Ge … ermissions

I know dbus-launch is discouraged as an improper method on Arch, so I avoided it. I tried dbus-run-session, which seems to work ok. However, it very well may be the same as using dbus-launch. I have not checked into that possibility.

I start xfce via startx, using "exec startxfce4" in ~/.xinitrc (copied /etc/X11/xinit/xinit and modified)

First session results:

[jeff@Arch2014p9 ~]$ env | grep XDG_VTNR
XDG_VTNR=7

[jeff@Arch2014p9 ~]$ loginctl show-session $XDG_SESSION_ID
Id=c1
User=1000
Name=jeff
Timestamp=Mon 2017-10-30 18:27:22 PDT
TimestampMonotonic=45883681
VTNr=7
Seat=seat0
TTY=tty7
Remote=no
Service=login
Scope=session-c1.scope
Leader=387
Audit=0
Type=tty
Class=user
Active=yes
State=active
IdleHint=yes
IdleSinceHint=1509413256295429
IdleSinceHintMonotonic=59840071
LockedHint=no

Results calling my x2 script from vt to start a second session.

~/bin/x2:

#! /bin/bash
dbus-run-session startx -- vt$XDG_VTNR

[jeff@Arch2014p9 ~]$ env | grep XDG_VTNR
XDG_VTNR=4

[jeff@Arch2014p9 ~]$ loginctl show-session $XDG_SESSION_ID
Id=c5
User=1000
Name=jeff
Timestamp=Wed 2017-11-01 13:31:56 PDT
TimestampMonotonic=155119989591
VTNr=4
Seat=seat0
TTY=tty4
Remote=no
Service=login
Scope=session-c5.scope
Leader=31890
Audit=0
Type=tty
Class=user
Active=yes
State=active
IdleHint=no
IdleSinceHint=1509568384288763
IdleSinceHintMonotonic=155187833404
LockedHint=no

Results from post 4 script. I called script from ~/.xinitrc via "exec xx" rather than "exec startxfce4" The session permissions are not correct in this test.

[jeff@Arch2014p9 ~]$ env | grep XDG_VTNR


[jeff@Arch2014p9 ~]$ loginctl show-session $XDG_SESSION_ID
EnableWallMessages=no
NAutoVTs=6
KillUserProcesses=no
RebootToFirmwareSetup=no
IdleHint=no
IdleSinceHint=1509568244285429
IdleSinceHintMonotonic=155047830070
BlockInhibited=handle-power-key:handle-suspend-key:handle-hibernate-key:handle-lid-switch
DelayInhibited=sleep
InhibitDelayMaxUSec=5s
HandlePowerKey=poweroff
HandleSuspendKey=suspend
HandleHibernateKey=hibernate
HandleLidSwitch=suspend
HandleLidSwitchDocked=ignore
HoldoffTimeoutUSec=30s
IdleAction=ignore
IdleActionUSec=30min
PreparingForShutdown=no
PreparingForSleep=no
Docked=no
RemoveIPC=yes
RuntimeDirectorySize=837550080
InhibitorsMax=8192
NCurrentInhibitors=5
SessionsMax=8192
NCurrentSessions=4
UserTasksMax=10813

Any additional info appreciated. I believe adoption of using systemd introduced this issue. However, not sure if it would be considered a systemd or xfce issue at this point.

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#1 2016-08-18 21:21:47

xfce4 session stopped allowing multiple sessions?

#2 2017-02-11 02:29:20

Re: xfce4 session stopped allowing multiple sessions?

#3 2017-02-11 14:35:33

Re: xfce4 session stopped allowing multiple sessions?

#4 2017-02-11 22:51:46

Re: xfce4 session stopped allowing multiple sessions?

#5 2017-11-01 21:37:15

Re: xfce4 session stopped allowing multiple sessions?

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