Can't enter passphrase in su session.

[mike _]

2009/5/21 Steven W. Orr <steveo at syslang.net>:
>
> This topic is getting far more complicated than you might expect.

I'm familiar with the differences between bash_profile and bashrc and
when they are or at not read. Or least I believe I am.

> If you use su then you do not go through the .bash_profile unless you use
> the - option. i.e., "su - bob" will go through bob's .bash_profile but
>
> "su bob" will only go through the .bashrc .

I'm using 'su -'


As I said:
- There is nothing, nothing, in /etc/bash* or /etc/profile*, or the
equivalents in bob's home directory, that has anything to do with
setting up environment variables to for gpg. Bob doesn't even have a
.bash_profile.
- When I log in via ssh there is no GPG_AGENT_INFO variable set.
- When I log in via ssh and sign the file I am prompted to enter the
passphrase. There's no GPG_AGENT_INFO variable set, yet I'm still
prompted to enter the passphrase.
- The output of env in both sessions is almost identical, saving those
differences I previously mentioned which I don't see have anything to
do with gpg.
- Even if I manually invoke gpg-agent as a deamon and set the
GPG_AGENT_INFO variable in the 'su -' session, I am still not prompted
to enter the passphrase.


Perhaps I'm missing something and need it spelling out to me. but
given the above, I really don't see how the problem of not being
prompted to enter the passphrase whilst logged in under 'su -'  can be
related to a problem with the parsing, or lack of, of bash config
files.


thanks,

mike