Why do I see an "xauth: timeout error in locking authority file" message?

When you try to run an X application from an Xstart session using the SSH protocol or in Xshell, a timeout error message may appear and the X application may not start.

The issue may be occurring because of one of the following:

1. The .Xauthority lock files may already exist.
   If the .Xauthority-c, .Xathority-l files exist in the user's home directory, xauth cannot create this lock file. Delete these files first and try again.

   $ rm ~/.Xauthority-*

2. The .Xauthority file security settings or the user's home directory may be configured incorrectly in a security-enhanced environment with SELINUX.
   Change to the default security settings for SELINUX with the following command:

   $ /sbin/restorecon -v -v ~/.Xauthority
   $ /sbin/restorecon -v -v -R ~

3. The user's home directory does not have the appropriate access rights for the user or there is insufficient disk space to record files.