Fedora asks administator password for wrong user?

[yendis144]

Hi,

Recently, I decided to install Fedora because my girlfriend had some problems getting along with Ubuntu. Overall, it's been a great experience.. but I've got one problem that I can't seem to fix on my own.

I created my own account (administrator) and then added her account.. which I made administrator too because I want her to be able to install software etc. In System Settings -> User Accounts, both our accounts are listed as administrator.

Now when she log in and choses a package to install it asks her for her password and everything goes well. But when I login and try to install something, it asks me for the password of her account.. I can't seem to choose the administrator user I want to authenticate. Result is that now she is able to install software.. but I'm not.

Is there any way to fix this or work around this?

Thanks

Edit:
I'm using Fedora 15

[jroa1]

Ok, with Linux, there is only one "administrator" account, and it is called root. With Fedora, you can create as many user accounts as you want, and none of them should be able to do administrative tasks, like install packages. To do this, you need to switch to the super user account by typing "su -". Then, you enter the root password. In other Linux distros, like Ubuntu, by default, you have sudo powers that work with the user passwords, but not by default with Fedora.

So, it sounds to me like you have some problems with your view of your accounts. This is not Windows. You do not really have administrator and user accounts. You can either share the root account in order for both of you to install packages, or you can enable "sudoer" and add both of you to the list.

[yendis144]

Thanks for your response. Unfortunately, I'm still not quite getting it.

I'm not using the terminal to install my packages, but the program called "Add/Remove Software". I'm able to find the package I want so I check the box in front of it. Then I click apply and I get a popup saying "Authentication Required" (Authentication is required to install a signed package). This popup asks me for the password of the wrong account. I don't see an option to authenticate for either my own account or root.

[jroa1]

It is asking for your "root" password, not your user password. When you set up the operating system, you have to set up a root account and then your user account. If your girlfriend can install packages, then it sounds like you set her user account password the same as the root account password. Try using that password to see if you can install something. I can tell you how to change the passwords if you need me to.

[yendis144]

I just opened a terminal and did "su -" and I was able to change to the root account with my own password.

Then I went back to the Add/Remove Software and entered the root password there (multiple times). It's telling me "Authentication failure". Since it's displaying the user name of the other account above the password box I think it really wants me to enter that password.

[jroa1]

I use Fedora 13, and if you are using a different version, then it might be different. But, when I install a package, it asks for the root or admin password. Can you post a screen shot of the dialog box?

[yendis144]

Here's a screenshot:
http://www.yendis.org/Screenshot-1.png

You can see my username in the top right and another username in the popup.

[jroa1]

Like I said, I use F13 and the authentication box does not look anything like that. Mine asks for the root password. I would suppose that this is F15 and I am not qualified to help you. Sorry, but maybe someone else will be able to point you in the right direction.

[sonoran]

Yeah, jroa1, in their wisdom the Fedora devs created a new class of user for Fedora 15: Administrator. Corporate geeks in cubicles love stratification and classification. Apparently, judging by yendis144's screenshot, they haven't yet perfected this groundbreaking, mind-bogglingly complex concept, but that's what happens out here on the bleeding edge.

[DBelton]

Originally Posted by sonoran

Yeah, jroa1, in their wisdom the Fedora devs created a new class of user for Fedora 15: Administrator. Corporate geeks in cubicles love stratification and classification. Apparently, judging by yendis144's screenshot, they haven't yet perfected this groundbreaking, mind-bogglingly complex concept, but that's what happens out here on the bleeding edge.

I think it's a totally POS idea, myself. But, it's done the same way that has been available for quite awhile now. Fedora didn't really set up a new class of users, just let you set up one using means that have been there for awhile.

When you set up a user as an administrator user, it just adds that user to the "wheel" group and lets you use sudo.

There were also some changes to policykit, which may be what is causing this bug. They changed it to allow users in the wheel group to authenticate for some administrative tasks using their own password, an did away with the desktop_admin_r and desktop_user_r groups.

I believe the term "administrator user" is more of a Gnome 3 change rather than a Fedora change. Gnome is the only place you see the term administrator user.

[satanselbow]

Originally Posted by DBelton

I believe the term "administrator user" is more of a Gnome 3 change rather than a Fedora change. Gnome is the only place you see the term administrator user.

Pandering to the W7 generation me thinks ... They forgot the "familiarity breeds contempt" bit though

[DBelton]

well, the "administrator" user was started way back long before W7, but still the same generation, and still one of the big reasons that Windows has sooooo many security holes.

But I know what you are referring to with your comment, and sadly it is seeming that you are 100% correct

I did find a link to where the policykit change was being announced, though.

http://lists.fedoraproject.org/piper...ch/149613.html

[RHamel]

Well it sounds like a bug to me. Yendis144 should file it in Bugzilla.

[ftrotter]

I am having exactly the same problem with Fedora 16

Despite the fact that my user is also a wheel group user, an "authentication required" window keeps popping up, not asking for the root password, (which I know) but for another users password (which I do not and should not know).

Here is a bug that I submitted.
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=771278#c0

-FT

[Chilly Willy]

I put myself in the "WHEEL" group so I could mount my backup drive without it asking for authentication. Afterwards I noticed this behavior with certain things, too. So I would agree with DBelton that this is the cause & would expect that if your users are in there, removing them will reverse this.