Mir server graphics driver crashes don't leave core files (no error report to Canonical)

[Daniel van Vugt]

Exceptions from mesa-kms graphics driver don't leave core files (not debuggable, errors never reported).

If my Mir server fails to start for some reason:

ERROR: /build/mir-pkdHET/mir-0.21.0+16.04.20160330/src/server/graphics/default_configuration.cpp(133): Throw in function mir::DefaultServerConfiguration::the_graphics_platform()::<lambda()>
Dynamic exception type: boost::exception_detail::clone_impl<boost::exception_detail::error_info_injector<std::runtime_error> >
std::exception::what: Exception while creating graphics platform
ERROR: /build/mir-pkdHET/mir-0.21.0+16.04.20160330/src/platforms/mesa/server/common/display_helpers.cpp(256): Throw in function int mir::graphics::mesa::helpers::DRMHelper::open_drm_device(const std::shared_ptr<mir::udev::Context>&)
Dynamic exception type: boost::exception_detail::clone_impl<boost::exception_detail::error_info_injector<std::runtime_error> >
std::exception::what: Error opening DRM device
22, "Invalid argument"

then Canonical should get an error report by virtue of a core dump. But Mir does not leave a core for such errors.

The user's machine is left unusable and Canonical is never notified there is a problem that needs fixing.

[Alan Griffiths (alan-griffiths)]

The lack of a core is an option configured by the application using Mir (QtMir?)

You can override this by setting MIR_SERVER_ON_FATAL_ERROR_EXCEPT (or pass --on-fatal-error-abort on the command line).

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

Environment variables and command line options won't do. We need reliable and automatic always-on crash reports.

[Mir CI Bot (mir-ci-bot)]

Fix committed into lp:mir at revision None, scheduled for release in mir, milestone 0.24.0

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

https://code.launchpad.net/~alan-griffiths/mir/fix-1577106/+merge/293876/comments/754054

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

Dropped severity. I'm not sure how many of these are left but we haven't hit any for a while.

[Alan Griffiths (alan-griffiths)]

This no longer seems to be an issue

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for Mir because there has been no activity for 60 days.]