Arch Linux User Repository

As part of a possible solution to make howdy work with python3 and delete python2 once and for all, I followed the links @imahaja suggested and wrote the PKGBUILD for the aforementioned fork pam-python-git. It's a fork not an upstream development, but since upstream's last push was on 2020-11-10 I think I safely assumed that castLabs's fork should work better in our situation.

If someone want to use @mika.cousin's patch, it's possible to edit the PKGBUILD directly and let makepkg handle it by itself by adding a patch file (here py3.patch):

source=(
        "https://github.com/boltgolt/howdy/archive/v${pkgver}.tar.gz"
        "https://github.com/davisking/dlib-models/raw/master/dlib_face_recognition_resnet_model_v1.dat.bz2"
        "https://github.com/davisking/dlib-models/raw/master/mmod_human_face_detector.dat.bz2"
        "https://github.com/davisking/dlib-models/raw/master/shape_predictor_5_face_landmarks.dat.bz2"
        "py3.patch"
)
sha256sums=('f3f48599f78fd82b049539fcfc34de25c9435cad732697bdda94e85352964794'
            'abb1f61041e434465855ce81c2bd546e830d28bcbed8d27ffbe5bb408b11553a'
            'db9e9e40f092c118d5eb3e643935b216838170793559515541c56a2b50d9fc84'
            '6e787bbebf5c9efdb793f6cd1f023230c4413306605f24f299f12869f95aa472'
            '1b9a8a75d4b1467c9bf7f0dc850705acbe3aff8b9014738dd6827f572e7802ef')
prepare() {
        patch --directory="$pkgname-$pkgver" --forward --strip=0 --input="${srcdir}/py3.patch"
}

With the same content as @mika.cousin's:

--- src/pam.py.orig 2022-09-28 08:52:52.688215296 +0200
+++ src/pam.py      2022-09-28 08:53:34.032714076 +0200
@@ -7,10 +7,10 @@
 import syslog

 # pam-python is running python 2, so we use the old module here
-import ConfigParser
+import configparser

 # Read config from disk
-config = ConfigParser.ConfigParser()
+config = configparser.ConfigParser()
 config.read(os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)) + "/config.ini")

With that all seems to work fine but now I have 3 lines of warnings each time I'm using the IR camera for authentication:

[ WARN:0@0.200] global /build/opencv/src/opencv-4.6.0/modules/videoio/src/cap_gstreamer.cpp (2401) handleMessage OpenCV | GStreamer warning: Embedded video playback halted; module source reported: Could not read from resource.
[ WARN:0@0.200] global /build/opencv/src/opencv-4.6.0/modules/videoio/src/cap_gstreamer.cpp (1356) open OpenCV | GStreamer warning: unable to start pipeline
[ WARN:0@0.200] global /build/opencv/src/opencv-4.6.0/modules/videoio/src/cap_gstreamer.cpp (862) isPipelinePlaying OpenCV | GStreamer warning: GStreamer: pipeline have not been created

As anyone got the same and was able to fix this? I might be interested!

@iyanmv I was able to use howdy without python2:

• Install pam-python-git which uses python3,

• After, patch /lib/security/howdy/pam.py with

---pam.py.orig 2022-09-26 20:43:15.801319200 +0200
+++ pam.py 2022-09-26 20:37:29.315681336 +0200
@@ -7.10 +7.10 @@
  import syslog

  # pam-python is running python 2, so we use the old module here
-import ConfigParser
+import configparser

  # Read config from disk
-config = ConfigParser.ConfigParser()
+config = configparser.ConfigParser()
  config.read(os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)) + "/config.ini")

• Don't forget to edit files in /etc/pam.d/ to use pam_python3.so rather than pam_python.so

@iyanmv Yes it is possible to install pam-python with python3. As mentioned here, the branch py3 of fork by anders_blomdell supports installing the library using python3.

This is the only package that is preventing me from deleting python2. Can something be done about pam-python?

Consider adding python-ffmpeg as an optional dependency for the ffmpeg recording_plugin in config.ini?

It was reported to me that building with Bazel breaks when howdy is installed. After I looked into it, I realized it's because during the build process Bazel tries to scan /usr/bin, and when it tries to follow the howdy symlink into /lib/security/howdy/cli.py it fails due to the very strict permissions.

1) Is there any reason why howdy's directory should be chowned to 600? It should at least be 700 (it is a directory after all), and optimally it should be 755 so other applications like the aforementioned Bazel can properly access its contents, especially since it is symlinked from within the very commonly accessed /usr/bin.

2) Actually, is there any reason for howdy's binary to reside in /lib/security? Not only does it use the long-deprecated /lib prefix instead of the current /usr/lib one, but /usr/lib/security is also hardly suitable for housing application binaries. The binary's location should probably be changed to either /usr/bin or to something like /usr/lib/howdy.

3) Not that it matters as far as Bazel is concerned, but generally speaking all the stuff this package installs would be better off residing in /usr/lib/howdy instead of /usr/lib/security/howdy.

I have installed the latest Howdy version from AUR and there was no problem installing it, I was also able to add faces, and take snapshots and the howdy test also works as expected. But I still don't see any howdy msgs during login or sudo. I am a bit confused here about what to do. I use manjaro.

No issues installing it here. All dependencies work :)

Linux arch 5.15.31-1-lts #1 SMP Wed, 23 Mar 2022 09:55:25 +0000 x86_64 GNU/Linux

<gnome-version>
 <platform>41</platform>
 <minor>5</minor>
 <micro>0</micro>
 <distributor>Arch Linux</distributor>
 <!--<date></date>-->
</gnome-version>

error: target not found: pam-python
error: target not found: python-dlib
error: target not found: python-face_recognition
error: target not found: python-face_recognition_models
==> ERROR: 'pacman' failed to install missing dependencies.
==> Missing dependencies:
  -> opencv
  -> hdf5
  -> pam-python
  -> python-pillow
  -> python-dlib
  -> python-face_recognition
  -> python-face_recognition_models
  -> python-click
  -> python-numpy
  -> python-opencv
==> Checking buildtime dependencies...
==> ERROR: Could not resolve all dependencies.

For those having issues with KScreenLocker, this is the relevant issue: https://github.com/boltgolt/howdy/issues/551

And a workaround: sudo chmod u+s /usr/lib/kcheckpass

I will probably open a bug at KDE's bugtracker.