Bug 253563

Summary:	utmp isn't updated after logging into X, so "who" isn't accurate
Product:	Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5	Reporter:	Steve Cleveland <steve.cleveland>
Component:	gdm	Assignee:	Ray Strode [halfline] <rstrode>
Status:	CLOSED ERRATA	QA Contact:	desktop-bugs <desktop-bugs>
Severity:	low	Docs Contact:
Priority:	low
Version:	5.0	CC:	richard.cunningham, sm, tao, t.h.amundsen
Target Milestone:	---
Target Release:	---
Hardware:	All
OS:	Linux
Whiteboard:
Fixed In Version:	RHBA-2008-0398	Doc Type:	Bug Fix
Doc Text:		Story Points:	---
Clone Of:
Clones:	740538 (view as bug list)		Environment:
Last Closed:	2008-05-21 16:01:16 UTC	Type:	---
Regression:	---	Mount Type:	---
Documentation:	---	CRM:
Verified Versions:		Category:	---
oVirt Team:	---	RHEL 7.3 requirements from Atomic Host:
Cloudforms Team:	---	Target Upstream Version:
Embargoed:
Bug Depends On:
Bug Blocks:	740538

Description Steve Cleveland 2007-08-20 16:28:26 UTC

Description of problem:

After logging into either KDE or Gnome, it doesn't appear that /var/run/utmp
gets updated with the logged in user.  This keeps apps like 'who' and 'w' from
seeing the users.  I don't know if this actually a gdm problem, but it's as
close as I can get.

Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable):

gdm-2.16.0-30.el5

How reproducible:

Easily

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Login to either KDE or Gnome
2. Open a remote SSH connection
3. Run 'who' or 'w'
  
Actual results:

The user that logged into Gnome or KDE doesn't show up in 'who'

Expected results:

The user that logged into Gnome or KDE should show up in 'who'

Additional info:

In RHEL4, when a user logs into Gnome or KDE (no extra applications running),
'who' would report like this (I'm logged in as root over ssh to generate this):

 09:13:47 up 16 days, 21:30,  2 users,  load average: 0.07, 0.03, 0.01
USER     TTY      FROM              LOGIN@   IDLE   JCPU   PCPU WHAT
root     pts/0    zen.engr.oregons 09:13    0.00s  0.04s  0.00s w
hardingt :0       -                09:12   ?xdm?  14:17   0.04s -/bin/csh -c
/usr/bin/ssh-agent /usr/bin/dbus-launch --exit-with-sessi

in RHEL5, that no longer happens:

 09:17:04 up 37 days, 18:28,  1 user,  load average: 0.04, 0.03, 0.00
USER     TTY      FROM              LOGIN@   IDLE   JCPU   PCPU WHAT
root     pts/0    zen.engr.oregons 08:52    0.00s  0.12s  0.00s w

If a user then opens a gnome-terminal, for instance, then they show up in 'who'.
 I'm thinking whatever mechanism is supposed to update utmp on login isn't working.

Bug report #244807 is basically the same as this one, but they asked that I open
a new bug report.

Comment 1 Sigurd Mytting 2007-10-01 12:35:23 UTC

I have the same problem, this is an urgent matter for us, it stops upgrade of
about 500 clients to RHEL5.  ("We" are the computer science department at the
largest University in Norway, we're running our own systems for tracking where
users log in, how long they use the terminal etc, using data from utmp.)

After digging into a RHEL4 workstation as well it seems to me that a
sessreg-section in $GDMROOT/PreSession/Default has been removed in RHEL5.  It
doesn't look intentionally since there still is exists a entry to remove the
login in the PostSession/Default-file.

I also see the same problem with xterm (as referenced in bug report #244807).

Comment 2 Ray Strode [halfline] 2007-10-01 14:02:06 UTC

Proposing bug for a future RHEL5 update.

Comment 3 RHEL Program Management 2007-10-16 03:46:36 UTC

This request was evaluated by Red Hat Product Management for inclusion in a Red
Hat Enterprise Linux maintenance release.  Product Management has requested
further review of this request by Red Hat Engineering, for potential
inclusion in a Red Hat Enterprise Linux Update release for currently deployed
products.  This request is not yet committed for inclusion in an Update
release.

Comment 5 Ray Strode [halfline] 2008-01-14 17:23:34 UTC

should be fixed in gdm-2.16.0-36.el5

marking MODIFIED for QA

Comment 7 Ray Strode [halfline] 2008-01-28 14:47:09 UTC

*** Bug 430497 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

Comment 10 errata-xmlrpc 2008-05-21 16:01:16 UTC

An advisory has been issued which should help the problem
described in this bug report. This report is therefore being
closed with a resolution of ERRATA. For more information
on the solution and/or where to find the updated files,
please follow the link below. You may reopen this bug report
if the solution does not work for you.

http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHBA-2008-0398.html