Fail to access the shared content if app starts before connect interface

[Renato Araujo Oliveira Filho]

Snapd fails to mount the content shared directory if the app starts before connect the interface.

Same happens if you install a new version of the snap package. The directory does not get mounted correct.

HOW TO REPRODUCE:

1- Install ubuntu-app-platform
2- Install any app that uses the 'ubuntu-app-platform'
3- Launch the app (app will complain about the missing connection)
4- Connect the interface to your app
5- Launch the app

Expected:
App launches correct

Current:
The shared directory still empty

[Zygmunt Krynicki (zyga)]

This will require the live namespace mutation tool that we designed but didn't implement. I'll work on getting this fixed in snapd.

[Jamie Strandboge (jdstrand)]

FYI, a less painful workaround to reinstalling the snap is while waiting for the proper fix is:

1. stop your snap
2. do the snap connect command
3. $ sudo /usr/lib/snapd/snap-discard-ns <snapname>
4. start your snap

[Kyle Fazzari (kyrofa)]

Note that I've had this happen to me between installs as well:

1. Install snap
2. Snap connect
3. Use (works fine)
4. Hack on snap
5. Install again (over the top)
6. Interface is still connected
7. Mount doesn't happen and requires a run of `snap-discard-ns`.

[Jamie Bennett (jamiebennett)]

Added this as priority to the Snappy Team's roadmap. Will update the bug shortly on when this fix is expected to land.

[Kyle Fazzari (kyrofa)]

@Jamie, any update here?

[Jamie Strandboge (jdstrand)]

Marking as In Progress since I know Zygmunt has been working on it.

[Pat McGowan (pat-mcgowan)]

Note lp:1670371 in case its related

[Jim Hodapp (jhodapp)]

Did anything ever happen on fixing this bug?

[Lucy Llewellyn (lucyllewy)]

This is especially relevant with the effort to include the gnome-3-24/gnome-platform snap and it's interface in multiple consuming snaps. While there is a quest to get that particular interface auto connected it will be an issue for any other similar projects that are more third-party efforts.

[Zygmunt Krynicki (zyga)]

This should be fixed now. Can you please try with snapd 2.26.14 (just use stable channel) and report back if it is a problem for you?

[Lucy Llewellyn (lucyllewy)]

On my offline install of corebird (an experiment to add gnome-3-24 support via the platform snap) it still fails to connect after the snap has been run:

$ sudo snap install --dangerous corebird_1.5.1_amd64.snap

$ corebird
You need to connect this snap to the gnome platform snap.

$ sudo snap connect corebird:gnome-3-24-platform gnome-3-24:gnome-3-24-platform

$ corebird
You need to connect this snap to the gnome platform snap.

[Lucy Llewellyn (lucyllewy)]

the message "you need to connect..." is from the desktop-launch script which detects whether the platform snap is mounted in ${SNAP}/gnome-platform. it reports that message when the platform is not mounted.

[Lucy Llewellyn (lucyllewy)]

Just to ensure everyone is on the same page, there's also discussion of this particular issue affecting the gnome-platform interface on the forums: https://forum.snapcraft.io/t/content-interface-connection-issues/1585

[Zygmunt Krynicki (zyga)]

As indicated on the forum, the actual fix was released with 2.27.2, it landed in master after the long-standing release branch 2.26.x was forked.