Questions[cockpit](ubuntu)

Have a working installation of ubuntu server 20.04 with kvm/qemu and cockpit web-based interface. I want to use both cockpit browser based vnc console and external vnc desktop viewers (krdc and remmina).

The problem is when I set the vnc_password in /etc/libvirt/qemu.conf to allow external vnc viewers to connect, it breaks the browser based vnc console.

When I disable vnc_password in /etc/libvirt/qemu.conf the browser based vnc console works but all external vnc viewers are refused.

Vnc web console with password enabled in /etc/libvirt/qemu.conf shows connecting but does not load.

Vnc web console with password disabled in /etc/libvirt/qemu.conf allows connection.

I am using ubuntu 20.04.1 and installed the cockpit from the official backport. Cockpit login page loads (even if I put in wrong credentials it shows [Wrong user name or password]) but when I put the correct username and password, the login page reload itself.

below is the syslog

cockpit-ws[3405]: cockpit-ws: Failed to open certificate file /run/cockpit/tls/e3b0c44298fc1c149afbf4c8996bb92427ae41e4749b934ca495991b7852b855: No such file or directory
cockpit-session[3423]: **pam_ssh_add: Failed adding some keys**
cockpit-session[3423]: pam_unix(cockpit:session): session opened for user john by (uid=0)
systemd-logind[911]: New session 5 of user john.
systemd[1]: Started Session 5 of user john.
polkitd(authority=local)[900]: Registered Authentication Agent for unix-session:5 (system bus name :1.38 [cockpit-bridge], object path /org/freedesktop/PolicyKit1/AuthenticationAgent, locale en_US.UTF-8)
cockpit-ws[3405]: User john logged into session 5
cockpit-ws[3405]: cockpit-ws: Failed to open certificate file /run/cockpit/tls/e3b0c44298fc1c149afbf4c8996bb92427ae41e4749b934ca495991b7852b855: No such file or directory

And web browser console shows,

(index):265 GET http://as400i.com:9090/cockpit/login **401 (Authentication failed)**

Cockpit does not work for me on focal; it worked fine on bionic.

According to "apt install cockpit", version 215-1 is installed, and it presents the login screen on https port 9090, but it says wrong user name or password when I try to login. Using "tail -f /var/log/syslog" shows that the username and password are correct; cockpit-session invokes pam_ssh_add which loads my private keys.

Using "apt install cockpit/focal-backports" (version 218-1~ubuntu20.04.1) does not change things.

Edit 9-Jul-2020: version 223-1~ubuntu20.04.1 also fails.

May 16 22:14:04 joe-laptop cockpit-tls[3419]: cockpit-tls: gnutls_handshake failed: A TLS fatal alert has been received.
May 16 22:14:04 joe-laptop systemd[1]: Started Cockpit Web Service https instance factory (PID 3419/UID 124).
May 16 22:14:04 joe-laptop systemd[1]: Starting Socket for Cockpit Web Service https instance e3b0c44298fc1c149afbf4c8996fb92427ae41e4649b934ca495991b7852b855.
May 16 22:14:04 joe-laptop systemd[1]: Listening on Socket for Cockpit Web Service https instance e3b0c44298fc1c149afbf4c8996fb92427ae41e4649b934ca495991b7852b855.
May 16 22:14:04 joe-laptop systemd[1]: [email protected]: Succeeded.
May 16 22:14:04 joe-laptop systemd[1]: Started Cockpit Web Service https instance e3b0c44298fc1c149afbf4c8996fb92427ae41e4649b934ca495991b7852b855.
May 16 22:14:04 joe-laptop cockpit-ws[3574]: cockpit-ws: Failed to open certificate file /run/cockpit/tls/e3b0c44298fc1c149afbf4c8996fb92427ae41e4649b934ca495991b7852b855: No such file or directory
May 16 22:14:04 joe-laptop cockpit-session: pam_ssh_add: Identity added: /home/jms/.ssh/id_rsa (/home/jms/.ssh/id_rsa)
May 16 22:14:04 joe-laptop cockpit-session: pam_ssh_add: Identity added: /home/jms/.ssh/id_ecdsa (/home/jms/.ssh/id_ecdsa)
May 16 22:14:04 joe-laptop cockpit-session: pam_ssh_add: Identity added: /home/jms/.ssh/id_ed25519 (Joe@Joe-PC)
May 16 22:14:04 joe-laptop cockpit-ws[3586]: 3: Permission denied.

May 16 22:15:35 joe-laptop systemd[1]: cockpit-wsinstance-https@e3b0c44298fc1c149afbf4c8996fb92427ae41e4649b934ca495991b7852b855.service: Succeeded.
May 16 22:15:35 joe-laptop systemd[1]: cockpit-wsinstance-https@e3b0c44298fc1c149afbf4c8996fb92427ae41e4649b934ca495991b7852b855.socket: Succeeded.
May 16 22:15:35 joe-laptop systemd[1]: Closed Socket for Cockpit Web Service https instance e3b0c44298fc1c149afbf4c8996fb92427ae41e4649b934ca495991b7852b855.
May 16 22:15:35 joe-laptop systemd[1]: cockpit-wsinstance-https@e3b0c44298fc1c149afbf4c8996fb92427ae41e4649b934ca495991b7852b855.service: Succeeded.
May 16 22:15:35 joe-laptop systemd[1]: cockpit-wsinstance-https@e3b0c44298fc1c149afbf4c8996fb92427ae41e4649b934ca495991b7852b855.socket: Succeeded.
May 16 22:15:35 joe-laptop systemd[1]: Closed Socket for Cockpit Web Service https instance e3b0c44298fc1c149afbf4c8996fb92427ae41e4649b934ca495991b7852b855.

The directory /run/cockpit/tls is empty; no certificate.

Edit 28-Jul-2020: Searching the issues on github for Ubuntu brings up this tidbit:

"Login fails if user login shell is tcsh instead of bash #14060"

tcsh -c "exec cockpit-bridge >&3"
ws: Fix login with (t)csh   (1-Jul-2020)

I installed Ubuntu server 20.04 into a vm, to see how if I want upgrade my 18.04. I use cockpit for ease of use on my 18.04. Anyways the cockpit-docker deb is missing from the repository. Why is this? Was this an over site or is their some other reason for it not being part of 20.04?

I happened to chance upon a software project that is sponsored by RedHat, but what exactly is Cockpit and how do I install it?