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When I try to install software updates using the "Software Update" GUI, I am asked for the root password. Although, I can 'su' in a terminal, the password is not recognized as correct in the GUI prompt. I believe this is due to the user account name being different from the root account name. How can I still use the GUI then?

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What Unix/Linux flavor is this? Have you tried with your password? – enzotib Apr 2 '12 at 15:16
My password does not work either. – wok Apr 2 '12 at 15:46
It is Fedora 14 with Gnome 2.32. – wok Apr 2 '12 at 15:46
Check /var/log/secure for errors. It might tell you why it is failing. – jsbillings Apr 2 '12 at 21:24
Why was this tagged sudo when it mentions su? Either this is about sudo or su — mixing both is a sure way to get lost among wrong credentials... Please double-check you are being asked the root password. There's no reason for the "user account name" to play a role here. If you can su in a terminal, you can su from a graphical application running under the same user, plain and simple as that. – njsg Apr 3 '12 at 6:45

1 Answer

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AFAIK, you need to use your own password, and be in the sudoers file. Can you run "sudo su" form a terminal? If you can't, that would be an indicator that you're not in the sudoers file, hence the password rejection.

Make sure you're listed in /etc/sudoers, or run man sudoers if you're not sure of the syntax.

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That's not how PackageKit works in Fedora. It uses the root password. – jsbillings Apr 2 '12 at 21:22
Are you sure? I used fedora from when version 12 was release up to version 15 (so it's been a couple of years now). I recall "yum" works that way, but I only used the GUI once. Does the GUI work differently from yum? – Hugo Apr 3 '12 at 1:23
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The graphical interface uses PackageKit, which does not use sudo in any way. There are ways to make it authenticate as the user instead of root, but it doesn't involve sudo. – jsbillings Apr 3 '12 at 16:34

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