This works if you've enabled root logins via ssh. If you're forced to disable remote root logins, like I am, it takes a bit more bouncing around. You may or may not require the -Y, though the programs I'm using do not and the security team frowns upon using it. Effectively, the difference (on systems where ForwardX11Trusted no) is straight -X only forwards the window, whereas -Y gives you access to all of the X extensions. Some apps don't work or are wonky without trusted x11 forwarding. As you can see, it's a deep rabbit hole, and dependent on the environment you're operating in. Praise unix for giving us options!

On Thu, Apr 19, 2018 at 5:06 AM, <kitepilot@kitepilot.com> wrote:

I just do:
ssh -fCXY root@turboviking /usr/bin/gnome-calculator
And get my banana... :)
ET

Mark Phillips writes:

There is an application I need to run as root on my Linode server, but it
has to run in a gui.
I have ssh and X11 forwarding set up between my Ubuntu 14.04 system and my
Linode (swordfish). It works just great for a non-root user (xcalc,
xconsole, the application I need to run, etc). However, when I try to run
the application on the server as root, I get the error message "X11
connection rejected because of wrong authentication." For xcalc running as
root, I get
X11 connection rejected because of wrong authentication.
Error: Can't open display: swordfish:10.0
I have tried all sorts of google solutions - copying the user's .Xauthority
to /root/ (also changing the ownership and permissions). But I just can't
seem to log into swordfish as a normal user using ssh -X, su to root, and
get the X11 forwarding to work.
I also went so far as to install vnc4server on the Linode, xfce window
manager, and vnc4viewer on my Ubuntu machine. That all works when I access
the vnc server as a normal user, but I can't get any X11 apps to run as
root (ie from a root command line in a terminal in the vnc window). The
error message when I try to run xcalc or other X11 apps is "No protocol
specified. Can't open display :1".
What are the special Linux guru magical incantations/spells to make X11
forwarding work for root?
Thanks!
Mark

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