Unable to set system time: helper refused

[Matt Zimmerman]

Binary package hint: gnome-panel

Clicking the "Set system time" simply closes the dialog with no further action. ~/.xsession-errors shows:

** (gnome-panel:4472): DEBUG: helper refused; returned polkit_result='auth_self_keep_always <-- (action, result)' and polkit_action='org.gnome.clockapplet.mechanism.settime'

ProblemType: Bug
Architecture: amd64
DistroRelease: /usr/bin/lsb_release:81: DeprecationWarning: the sets module is deprecated import sets Ubuntu 9.04
Package: gnome-panel 1:2.25.91-0ubuntu3
ProcEnviron:
 LC_COLLATE=C
 PATH=(custom, user)
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/zsh
SourcePackage: gnome-panel
Uname: Linux 2.6.28-8-generic x86_64

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

thank you for your bug report, what gnome-panel is running, did you restart recently? that's supposed to be fixed in the current version?

[Chris Coulson (chrisccoulson)]

That debug message is normal when you're not initially authorized to perform the action, by the looks of the gnome-panel code. What should happen next though is that the authentication dialog should appear. What is the output of "apt-cache policy policykit-gnome"?

[Chris Coulson (chrisccoulson)]

Out of interest, does it work if you execute "/usr/lib/policykit-gnome/polkit-gnome-manager" and then press the "Set system time" button straight afterwards (within 30seconds)?

[Matt Zimmerman (mdz)]

On Tue, Mar 03, 2009 at 10:16:32PM -0000, Sebastien Bacher wrote:
> thank you for your bug report, what gnome-panel is running, did you
> restart recently? that's supposed to be fixed in the current version?

I have 1:2.25.91-0ubuntu3 installed and had rebooted earlier the same day.

--
 - mdz

[Matt Zimmerman (mdz)]

perseus:[~] apt-cache policy policykit-gnome
policykit-gnome:
  Installed: 0.9-1ubuntu2
  Candidate: 0.9-1ubuntu3
  Version table:
     0.9-1ubuntu3 0
        500 http://archive.ubuntu.com jaunty/main Packages
 *** 0.9-1ubuntu2 0
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

[Matt Zimmerman (mdz)]

Running polkit-gnome-manager does not change the behaviour.

[Chris Coulson (chrisccoulson)]

Matt, could you please run "dbus-monitor | tee ~/dbus.log", then try to change the time and attach the file after you clicked the "Set System Time" button.

Thanks

[Matt Zimmerman (mdz)]

On Wed, Mar 04, 2009 at 05:32:51PM -0000, Chris Coulson wrote:
> Matt, could you please run "dbus-monitor | tee ~/dbus.log", then try to
> change the time and attach the file after you clicked the "Set System
> Time" button.

The only output is at the very beginning:

signal sender=org.freedesktop.DBus -> dest=:1.374 serial=2 path=/org/freedesktop/DBus; interface=org.freedesktop.DBus; member=NameAcquired
   string ":1.374"
method call sender=:1.374 -> dest=org.freedesktop.DBus serial=3 path=/org/freedesktop/DBus; interface=org.freedesktop.DBus; member=AddMatch
   string "type='method_call'"
method call sender=:1.374 -> dest=org.freedesktop.DBus serial=4 path=/org/freedesktop/DBus; interface=org.freedesktop.DBus; member=AddMatch
   string "type='method_return'"
method call sender=:1.374 -> dest=org.freedesktop.DBus serial=5 path=/org/freedesktop/DBus; interface=org.freedesktop.DBus; member=AddMatch
   string "type='error'"

There is no additional output when I click "Set System Time".

This happens in exactly the same way on both of my Jaunty systems. Is no one
else able to reproduce this?

--
 - mdz

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

setting the time or changing the current timezone works fine on both my desktop and laptop jaunty installations

[Chris Coulson (chrisccoulson)]

It works here too. The only thing I could possibly think of is a broken DBus policy, as I expected to see some messages exchanged with polkit-gnome-manager, but I suspect this is unlikely on 2 boxes.

Do you see a Policykit prompt when you do other actions that require authentication (eg, shutting down via FUSA when more than one session is active)?

[Matt Zimmerman (mdz)]

Yes I do (attached).

I also get this prompt for "Set system time" the first time I use it in the session. However, in that case as well, the dialog simply closes and I don't get the chance to change the time.

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

the dialog closing is "normal" (that's confusing but a known bug) it should set the time though, do you have any error in .xsession-errors?

[Matt Zimmerman (mdz)]

On Wed, Mar 11, 2009 at 03:04:37PM -0000, Sebastien Bacher wrote:
> the dialog closing is "normal" (that's confusing but a known bug) it
> should set the time though, do you have any error in .xsession-errors?

I think the problem is actually that I've completely misunderstood how the
dialog works. The button says "Set system time..." and the ellipsis
indicates to me that this should open a new dialog. Instead, it closes the
dialog.

I think the way it actually works is that you first set the time, and then
click the button to effect the changes. Is that correct? If so, I
apologize for the confusion and I think this is just a usability issue.

I'm sure it used to work differently in a previous release...

--
 - mdz

[Chris Coulson (chrisccoulson)]

Thanks Matt. Yes, the current behaviour it is really confusing. The usability issue is described in bug 191471.

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

right, until hardy we use to call time-admin rather than using the new upstream dialog