[ale] strange behavior of remote X firefox

[James Taylor]

I've seen similar strange behavior with firefox. When I when I ssh -X into another server and run firefox, and download a file from a web or ftp site, it will sometimes save to the local server rather than to the remote server.
I've been scp'ing the file so I could move on, rather than troubleshooting. I deal with some many OPM's (other people's machines), so I can't track down every little nuance if I want to get anything done. As a result I sometimes miss clues.
Most of the servers I deal with are running kde with xdm, but I deal with a group that likes their gnome, so I do connect to servers that are using gdm, even when I run kde desktop.
I never connected that before. I'll bet it's gdm and/or gnome in some combination.
I'll pay more attention next time. 
-jt 


James Taylor
678-697-9420
james.taylor at eastcobbgroup.com



>>> Jim Kinney <jim.kinney at gmail.com> 3/28/2016 12:58 PM >>> 
A student was having issues with saving a file from firefox. It would
download and was told to save to the desktop. File didn't appear on the
desktop. Check the downloads on firefox and it could pull it up. Ah HA!
The firefox was the remote firefox he launched over a remote ssh -X
session.

Oops. Not exactly. He had a firefox launched over a remote X session
and used the LOCAL launcher to load a LOCAL firefox. It didn't. It
loaded another REMOTE firefox.

WTF?!?!?!?!?

Closed all firefox. launched a local firefox. Verified it's a local
(title bar has no remote machine and file saved where expected). Now
back to running remote ssh -X terminal window to launch a remote
firefox. Nope. Another LOCAL firefox launched instead.

WTF!?!?!?!?!

Hmm. Suspect gnome is being stupid. Remote system is a centos 6
workstation. Local is a centos 7 workstation.

Did a ssh -X to a different remote that actually had xterm. Launched
xterm and then launched firefox from xterm. Did a local launch of
firefox and got a local firefox. Remote system is NOT running gdm as
it's not a workstation.

Went back to other remote centos 6 system but it had no xterm. Loaded a
gnome-terminal and launched a remote firefox. Local firefox launch
loaded another remote one instead. 

Pretty certain this is a gnome problem.

Ideas and comments welcome. Not changing to KDE, though. Will rewrite
this and throw it at gnome, centos and rhel bugzillas. 

Hmm. did not test other applications.
-- 
James P. Kinney III

Every time you stop a school, you will have to build a jail. What you
gain at one end you lose at the other. It's like feeding a dog on his
own tail. It won't fatten the dog.
- Speech 11/23/1900 Mark Twain

http://heretothereideas.blogspot.com/