Unable to launch due to symbol lookup error

[creutz]

When trying to launch Timeshift, it reports this error:

timeshift: symbol lookup error: /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libmirprotobuf.so.3: undefined symbol: _ZNK6google8protobuf11MessageLite25InitializationErrorStringB5cxx11Ev

Additional information:
- Currently using Kubuntu 15.10. I'm unsure whether I upgraded from 15.04, or installed 15.10 from scratch. It has worked before, though I'm unsure whether it did on 15.10.
- I am unsure whether I've installed something which changed the libmirprotobuf3 version, if that's possible. The other programs I'm using, which rely on libmirprotobuf3, all seem to work properly.

[Ev Dolzhenko (dolzenko)]

I have similar issue, except in `zenity` component after 15.10. I likely had some version of protobuf library installed from the source before. Any ideas?

[Peter Phillips (r-u1-h)]

I had the same undefined symbol problem as @dolzenko with the `zenity` component too after a 15.10 upgrade. This caused Mir not to start (black screen) and no access to terminal either without going into recovery mode. I had also installed version 2.6.1 of the google protobuf library from source (github).

I fixed my system by manually uninstalling the google protobuf library from /usr/local/ and then re-installing libmirprotobuf. Upon reboot 15.10 then started working normally.

Not sure why, but the installation of google protobuf causes libmirprotobuf not to be subsequently installed / upgraded correctly.

[Rohith (rohith-karthika)]

I am also getting the same error when i am trying to start the session . lightdm-gtk-greeter is not starting up.

I got into this after updating the ubuntu from 15.04 to 15.10.

lightdm-gtk-greeter: symbol lookup error: /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libmirprotobuf.so.3: undefined symbol: _ZNK6google8protobuf11MessageLite25InitializationErrorStringB5cxx11Ev
I am getting this error while starting the session.

I just bypassed the login by typing lightdm-session in console.(I am able to open the console ).But some apps are not able to open up due to this problem

Somebody please tell me how to fix this issue.

[B. (b-deactivatedaccount-deactivatedaccount)]

same issue on 15.10 after last package update

evolution
evolution: symbol lookup error: /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libmirprotobuf.so.3: undefined symbol: _ZNK6google8protobuf11MessageLite25InitializationErrorStringB5cxx11Ev

virt-manager
** (process:3051): WARNING **: Failed to load shared library 'libgtk-3.so.0' referenced by the typelib: /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libmirprotobuf.so.3: undefined symbol: _ZNK6google8protobuf11MessageLite25InitializationErrorStringB5cxx11Ev

** (process:3051): WARNING **: Failed to load shared library 'libgdk-3.so.0' referenced by the typelib: /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libmirprotobuf.so.3: undefined symbol: _ZNK6google8protobuf11MessageLite25InitializationErrorStringB5cxx11Ev
must be an interface: Could not open display: :0.0

[B. (b-deactivatedaccount-deactivatedaccount)]

Try
sudo apt-get --reinstall install libprotobuf-lite9v5

If not working try
sudo apt-get purge libprotobuf-lite9v5
sudo apt-get install libprotobuf-lite9v5
N.B. you need to reinstall all software which as been removed by the purge

See
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/mir/+bug/1527137