Running BOINC without an X-server (or with PrivateTmp=true in the service file) results in a crash

[Saikrishna Arcot]

[Impact]
* crash on non-X servers or with PrivateTmp systemd option set

[Test Case]
* run boinc with idle detection code enabled

[Regression Potential]
* none, just a NPE fixed.

Fixed in yakkety 7.6.32+dfsg-2~build1

When running BOINC without an X-server, or under systemd with PrivateTmp set to true, a crash occurs (after about 5 minutes). This is because the idle detection code is trying to open /tmp/.X11-unix, and the error case (the case where the directory doesn't exist or isn't accessible) isn't handled correctly.

This is documented upstream at https://github.com/BOINC/boinc/issues/1530, and fixed with the commit https://github.com/BOINC/boinc/commit/8416d8a1a423535fbc5d4e7416d6eac8ac5c050b, but hasn't made into a release yet.

This is under Ubuntu 16.04 (xenial), with version 7.6.31+dfsg-6.

[Gianfranco Costamagna (costamagnagianfranco)]

Hi, this is fixed in debian git, please ping me when the new version goes in yakkety and then I'll ask an update.

thanks

[Gianfranco Costamagna (costamagnagianfranco)]

I pushed on yakkety, debian git and trusty.

thanks for the fix and the useful bug report!

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package boinc - 7.6.32+dfsg-2~build1

---------------
boinc (7.6.32+dfsg-2~build1) yakkety; urgency=medium

  * debian/patches/8416d8a1a423535fbc5d4e7416d6eac8ac5c050b.patch:
    cherry-pick to fix crash on headless servers (LP: #1581029)

 -- Gianfranco Costamagna <email address hidden> Thu, 12 May 2016 17:25:55 +0200

[Martin Pitt (pitti)]

Hello Saikrishna, or anyone else affected,

Accepted boinc into xenial-proposed. The package will build now and be available at https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/boinc/7.6.31+dfsg-6ubuntu1 in a few hours, and then in the -proposed repository.

Please help us by testing this new package. See https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed for documentation how to enable and use -proposed. Your feedback will aid us getting this update out to other Ubuntu users.

If this package fixes the bug for you, please add a comment to this bug, mentioning the version of the package you tested, and change the tag from verification-needed to verification-done. If it does not fix the bug for you, please add a comment stating that, and change the tag to verification-failed. In either case, details of your testing will help us make a better decision.

Further information regarding the verification process can be found at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/QATeam/PerformingSRUVerification . Thank you in advance!

[Saikrishna Arcot (saiarcot895)]

Also verified that this fixes the bug (version 7.6.31+dfsg-6ubuntu).

LocutusOfBorg, thanks for doing the update into Yakkety and the SRU into Xenial.

[Gianfranco Costamagna (costamagnagianfranco)]

thanks to you for reporting it!

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package boinc - 7.6.31+dfsg-6ubuntu1

---------------
boinc (7.6.31+dfsg-6ubuntu1) xenial; urgency=medium

  * debian/patches/8416d8a1a423535fbc5d4e7416d6eac8ac5c050b.patch:
    cherry-pick to fix crash on headless servers (LP: #1581029)

 -- Gianfranco Costamagna <email address hidden> Thu, 12 May 2016 17:28:02 +0200

[Chris J Arges (arges)]

The verification of the Stable Release Update for boinc has completed successfully and the package has now been released to -updates. Subsequently, the Ubuntu Stable Release Updates Team is being unsubscribed and will not receive messages about this bug report. In the event that you encounter a regression using the package from -updates please report a new bug using ubuntu-bug and tag the bug report regression-update so we can easily find any regressions.