AIX

This is a rather problematic setting. What are you going to do if something fails and you need to access the system via the console window from the HMC?

set "rlogin=false" but leave "login=true" for the root account! Everything else will get you into very deep kimchi once something fails. "rlogin=false login=true" means that root cannot log on from the network but can still log on from the console.

The reason why the root account has a different environment when you log in and when you sudo su - is most probably because sudo clears the environment before issuing su. The DISPLAY variable is set via the ssh because of the (implied or explicitly set) -X switch. You can write a little wrapper script to read that variable, store its value in a temp file and then retrieve it once you switched to root, setting it again to that value (similar to what agent.kgb suggested, but automated).

I hope this helps.

bakunin

Thank you agent.kgb & Bakunin.

As you've mentioned,
we've already set "rlogin=false" & "login=true" for the root account! I understand that, root cannot log on from the network (ssh/telnet/etc) but can still log on from the HMC console.
we normally login with our USER accounts, and "su" to root (*provided we've the su capability & know root password)

So' I logged on to this particular test AIX LPAR using my "testaix" and were able to "su" to become root.
everything works as expected. If we need to login as root direcly, we normally use HMC console.


Issue is,

I can run xwindows using my user account "testaix" ; and I did su to root and not able to run xwindows as root.
I've tried agent.kgb's suggestion. It did not work for me.

Code:

[testaix@lpar]/home/testaix>echo $DISPLAY
localhost:10.0
[testaix@lpar]/home/testaix>su -
root's Password:
 
[root@lpar]/>echo $DISPLAY
displayed nothing

[root@lpar]/>export DISPLAY=localhost:10.0
 
[root@lpar]/>echo $DISPLAY
localhost:10.0
[root@dlpar]/>xclock
Xlib: connection to "localhost:10.0" refused by server
Xlib: PuTTY X11 proxy: Authorisation not recognised

Error: Can't open display: localhost:10.0

FYI
just for testing, enabled direct root login from network (ssh). it worked.


But I was looking for a solution, without even enabling direct root login.

Thank you for your ideas/suggestions. appreciate your time.

You did not say what X manager you were using

Code:

Xlib: connection to "localhost:10.0" refused by server
Xlib: PuTTY X11 proxy: Authorisation not recognised

to me is something is badly configured on the Xserver and as I see putty - I believe it on your PC... Have you enabled on Putty ( tick Enable X11 forwarding...) ?
I use reflection X and have no trouble.. even going through what is supposed to no work ( through PAM and bala...) only to get from the bastion machine to my server I have to use also

Code:

 ssh -X <severname>...

And using cmd.exe to typeipconfig on my PC to pick my current IP I have to enter

Sorry I am trying hard to correct what I type but I suffer from dislexia ... and some time its out of control...