Magic Cookie - SSH Secure Shell

[Nicholas Fitzkee]

Hello!

I've enjoyed using Cygwin/X for a long time - thanks for helping it to work.
I'm writing because I recently tried installing Cygwin/X on a new Windows
8.1 Pro system.  The new xinit system has thrown me, and I'm writing for
some help.  

Typically, I start Xwin when I log in, and I rarely use the Cygwin terminal
to run programs.  Instead, I use an older SSH client (SSH Secure Shell
3.2.9), similar to PuTTY, to use X11 apps remotely.  I don't want to see any
xterms or menus when I start, and I need to listen for TCP connections from
my SSH app.

So far, I've created my own .startxwinrc file and set it to executable.  Its
contents are below:

--- snip ---

#!/bin/sh
sleep inf

-- snip -- 

In addition, I added the server args to my "XWin Server" shortcut.  The
complete shortcut target now reads:

D:\cygwin\bin\run.exe --quote /usr/bin/bash.exe -l -c "cd;
/usr/bin/startxwin -- -listen tcp -multiwindow -clipboard"

All seems to be well and good - when I start Cygwin Terminal and type
"export DISPLAY=:0.0" and then xeyes, the eyes come up.  Similarly, when I
use "export DISPLAY='localhost:0.0' and run xeyes from Cygwin Terminal, it
also works.

However, when I try logging into my remote server (X-connections are
forwarded) using the program, I get the following error messages, and I
can't run X11 apps remotely:

--- snip ---

Welcome to Ubuntu 12.04.5 LTS (GNU/Linux 3.2.0-79-generic x86_64)

... blah blah ...

Last login: ... blah blah ...
Invalid MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1 keyInvalid MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1 keyInvalid
MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1 keyInvalid MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1 keyxset:  unable to open
display "localhost:16.0"
Invalid MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1 keyInvalid MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1 keyInvalid
MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1 keyInvalid MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1 keyxset:  unable to open
display "localhost:16.0"
Invalid MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1 keyInvalid MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1 keyInvalid
MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1 keyInvalid MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1 keyxset:  unable to open
display "localhost:16.0"
Invalid MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1 keyInvalid MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1 keyInvalid
MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1 keyInvalid MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1 keyxset:  unable to open
display "localhost:16.0"
Invalid MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1 keyInvalid MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1 keyInvalid
MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1 keyInvalid MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1 keyxhost:  unable to open
display "localhost:16.0"

--- snip --- 

I have no idea how to fix this or what it means, but I think it may be
related to the following thread (regarding PuTTY), which doesn't appear to
have ever been resolved.  

https://cygwin.com/ml/cygwin-xfree/2015-02/msg00075.html

I will note that I can work around this using a shortcut target of:

D:\cygwin\bin\run.exe --quote /usr/bin/bash.exe -l -c "cd; Xwin -listen tcp
-multiwindow -clipboard"

However, this seems like a bit of a hack.  

Ultimately, I have graduate and undergraduate students who need to be able
to quickly set up their own Windows systems to run X11 apps on my linux
server.  These students are often not particularly tech-saavy, so I'd like
my tutorial for them to be as simple as posslble.  As an example, you can
see what I wrote for the old xinit at this link:

http://fitzkee.chemistry.msstate.edu/sites/default/files/bootcamp/session-03
_running-x11.pdf

Your assistance for fixing the problem would be greatly appreciated, as
would any explanation about why this is happening.

Thanks,
Nick



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