Greeter shows guest account but requires password

[J. Bruce Fields]

Binary package hint: gdm-guest-session

0. I'm logged in as me.
1. I choose "guest session" from the fast-user-switch-applet menu.
2. I'm switched to a new guest session. It works fine.
3. I choose "new session" from the fast-user-switch-applet menu.
4. I click on my name to switch back to my previous login session.
5. From my login session, I choose "new session" again.
6. Back at the gdm menu, I choose "guest". gdm asks me for a password for guest.

At this point, I can't figure out how to get back to the guest session. Choosing "guest session" from the fast-user-switch-applet menu doesn't do anything.

Running karmic, with gdm-guest-session 0.11.

[Robert Ancell (robert-ancell)]

Expected behaviour in step 6:
- Return to guest session opened in step 2 and not prompted for any password

[Robert Ancell (robert-ancell)]

My testing shows:
1. The guest account is not shown in the GDM login screen for me even though the guest session is still open
2. Choosing "guest account" from the user switcher when the guest session is already open locks my screen then fails to switch to the guest session.

[Robert Ancell (robert-ancell)]

Additionally switching to the guest session using alt-ctrl-F keys shows the screen is locked and does not appear to be unlockable.

[Robert Ancell (robert-ancell)]

OK, one bug is in /usr/share/gdm/guest-session/guest-session-setup.sh, the following lines need to change from:

gconftool-2 --set --type bool /apps/gnome_settings_daemon/screensaver/start_screensaver False
gconftool-2 --set --type bool /apps/gnome_settings_daemon/plugins/screensaver/active False

to:

gconftool-2 --set --type bool /desktop/gnome/lockdown/disable_lock_screen True

to stop ConsoleKit from locking the guest session when switching users.

[Robert Ancell (robert-ancell)]

The guest user is now showing in my GDM when a guest session is opened (not sure what happened there - it may be because I had already autologged in?) but it prompts for a password instead of logging in without requiring one.

[Robert Ancell (robert-ancell)]

In summary, I think there are three problems here:
1. The guest session does not having locking disabled (see above) (gdm-guest-session)
2. GDM prompts for a password when changing selecting the guest account in the greeter (gdm)
3. Attempting to open a second guest session from the indicator applet locks that users screen and fails to open the session. It should switch to the already opened session. (gdm / indicator-applet)

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

see bug #439068 about the locking issue and indicator session

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package gdm-guest-session - 0.13

---------------
gdm-guest-session (0.13) karmic; urgency=low

  * gdm/guest-session-setup.sh: Update gconfiscation for disabling screensaver
    to the GNOME 2.28 world. Thanks to Robert Ancell! (LP: #425952)

 -- Martin Pitt <email address hidden> Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:41:31 +0200

[Rick Spencer (rick-rickspencer3)]

Three issues:
1. Screen lock would come on in the guest session, and ask for a password, which of course does not exist. [fixed]
2. Switch from User -> Guest -> User tries to open a second guest session, which fails.
3. Sometimes Guest session shows up in GDM menu.

[Robert Ancell (robert-ancell)]

Point 2 is covered in bug 450965

[Robert Ancell (robert-ancell)]

The changes in bug 427462 to hide system users means that guest is no longer displayed in the login screen