LTSP5 ThinClient Setup: Weird problem with flash-nonfree making Firefox crash (only on thin client, works fine on server itself)

[Master One]

Fresh Edubuntu Gutsy 32bit (LTSP5) server installation, updated to the latest package versions after first login, and just flash-nonfree added, nothing else additionally installed or configured.

Logged in directly on the server:

Open Firefox and visit www.tv.com, press "play" in the flash-videoplayer on the right upper side, video plays fine (of course no sound, because no libflashsupport installed yet), console output (repeating al the time, as long as video plays):

-----
*** PULSEAUDIO: Unable to connect: Connection refused
ALSA lib pcm_hw.c:1351:(_snd_pcm_hw_open) Invalid value for card
-----

Logged in on a thin client:
Open Firefox and visit www.tv.com, press "play" in the flash-videoplayer on the right upper side, firefox crashes instantly, terminal output:

-----
~$ firefox
firefox-bin: pcm_params.c:2351: sndrv_pcm_hw_params: Assertion `err >= 0' failed.
Aborted (core dumped)
-----

Nothing specific concerning this issue is to be found in .xsession-errors, except "Error: could not open /proc/asound/cards" (but this is already there before I start Firefox after a new login, and it's the same, if logged in on the server directly or on a thin client).

It is not a general flash problem, because other flash content (and videos on youtube) just play fine. I don't know, what's different with that flash-videoplayer on tv.com, but most likely this specific problem with firefox crashing will happen on other websites as well. At least it is 100% reproducible on tv.com.

This problem has nothing to do with libflashsupport, because Firefox is not supposed to crash due to libflashsupport missing, and I also tried different versions of libflashsupport, which did not change anything concerning this specific problem (after installing libflashsupport video+audio on youtube just fine, but Firefox still crashes the same way, once "play" is clicked on www.tv.com).

I also tried it on a fresh Edubuntu Gutsy 64bit (LTSP5) setup, and this problem does NOT exist when testing with Firefox 64bit + nspluginwrapper + flash-nonfree 32bit plugin (of course, once again no libflashsupport, no sound)!

Of course this problem also does not exist on a normal *ubuntu desktop installation (otherwise it would be obvious, that it's a bug in the flash-nonfree plugin).

[Oliver Grawert (ogra)]

no idea what to do here, but i surely can reproduce it with www.tv.com

[Oliver Grawert (ogra)]

it seems the videoplayer on www.tv.com doesnt work with virtual alsa devices, as a workaround you can start firefox directly attached to teh puseaudio network transport:

padsp firefox

that way it wont crash

[Prakash J Kokkatt (pjkonweb)]

I am using gutsy and pulse audio.i uses latest libflashsupport and flash9beta9.0 r115.
below is the stack trace via bug-buddy.

[Prakash J Kokkatt (pjkonweb)]

I am using Ubuntu gutsy gibbon and Debian Sid,both using [L=Pulse Audio Server]http://pulseaudio.org[/L] instead of old esd(enlightened sound daemon)

pulse audio version:0.9.8-1 below is the terminal and stack trace when on epiphany gecko based browser:
prakash@localhost:~$ epiphany-browser
epiphany-browser: pcm_params.c:2351: sndrv_pcm_hw_params: Assertion `err >= 0' failed.
Aborted
stack trace when epiphany-browser (gecko based) crashed when I tried pressing "settings" option in flash9beta3.
[code]
[New Thread 0xadaffb90 (LWP 3880)]
[Thread 0xadaffb90 (LWP 3880) exited]
[New Thread 0xadaffb90 (LWP 3892)]
[New Thread 0xad1dab90 (LWP 3893)]
epiphany-gecko: pcm_params.c:2351: sndrv_pcm_hw_params: Assertion `err >= 0' failed.

Program received signal SIGABRT, Aborted.
[Switching to Thread 0xadaffb90 (LWP 3892)]
0xffffe410 in __kernel_vsyscall ()
(gdb) Quit
(gdb) thread apply all bt full

Thread 16 (Thread 0xad1dab90 (LWP 3893)):
#0 0xffffe410 in __kernel_vsyscall ()
No symbol table info available.
#1 0xb707b477 in poll () from /lib/i686/cmov/libc.so.6
No symbol table info available.
#2 0xaf85af72 in ?? () from /usr/lib/libpulse.so.0
No symbol table info available.
#3 0x087d6f50 in ?? ()
No symbol table info available.
#4 0x00000002 in ?? ()
No symbol table info available.
#5 0xffffffff in ?? ()
No symbol table info available.
#6 0x00000001 in ?? ()
No symbol table info available.
#7 0x0874a098 in ?? ()
No symbol table info available.
#8 0x00000005 in ?? ()
No symbol table info available.
#9 0x00000000 in ?? ()
No symbol table info available.

---Type <return> to continue, or q <return> to quit---
Thread 15 (Thread 0xadaffb90 (LWP 3892)):
#0 0xffffe410 in __kernel_vsyscall ()
No symbol table info available.
#1 0xb6fd9eb5 in raise () from /lib/i686/cmov/libc.so.6
No symbol table info available.
#2 0xb6fdb831 in abort () from /lib/i686/cmov/libc.so.6
No symbol table info available.
#3 0xb6fd308e in __assert_fail () from /lib/i686/cmov/libc.so.6
No symbol table info available.
#4 0xae5439d7 in ?? () from /usr/lib/libasound.so
No symbol table info available.
#5 0xae59d80c in ?? () from /usr/lib/libasound.so
No symbol table info available.
#6 0xae5a4c65 in ?? () from /usr/lib/libasound.so
No symbol table info available.
#7 0x0000092f in ?? ()
No symbol table info available.
#8 0xae5a4e2c in ?? () from /usr/lib/libasound.so
No symbol table info available.
#9 0x00000000 in ?? ()
No symbol table info available.

Thread 12 (Thread 0xae4eeb90 (LWP 3878)):
---Type <return> to continue, or q <return> to quit---
#0 0xffffe410 in __kernel_vsyscall ()
No symbol table info available.
#1 0xb71ffd05 in sem_wait@@GLIBC_2.1 () from /lib/i686/cmov/libpthread.so.0
No symbol table info available.
#2 0xb12728d8 in ?? () from /usr/lib/mozilla/plugins/libflashplayer.so
No symbol table info available.
#3 0xb71f94fb in start_thread () from /lib/i686/cmov/libpthread.so.0
No symbol table info available.
#4 0xb708560e in clone () from /lib/i686/cmov/libc.so.6
No symbol table info available.

Thread 11 (Thread 0xaeeffb90 (LWP 3877)):
#0 0xffffe410 in __kernel_vsyscall ()
No symbol table info available.
#1 0xb71fdaa5 in pthread_cond_wait@@GLIBC_...

[Prakash J Kokkatt (pjkonweb)]

messages from /var/log/user.log:
Hello, the same problem is there with latest flash9beta9.0 r115 also.below is the contents of debian sid's/gutsy /var/log/user.log for a boot session:

[code]
Dec 21 11:53:43 localhost pulseaudio[3167]: main.c: Called SUID root and real-time/high-priority scheduling was requested in the configuration. However, we lack the necessary priviliges:
Dec 21 11:53:43 localhost pulseaudio[3167]: main.c: We are not in group 'pulse-rt' and PolicyKit refuse to grant us priviliges. Dropping SUID again.
Dec 21 11:53:43 localhost pulseaudio[3167]: main.c: For enabling real-time scheduling please acquire the appropriate PolicyKit priviliges, or become a member of 'pulse-rt', or increase the RLIMIT_NICE/RLIMIT_RTPRIO resource limits for this user.
Dec 21 11:53:43 localhost pulseaudio[3167]: main.c: setrlimit(RLIMIT_NICE, (31, 31)) failed: Operation not permitted
Dec 21 11:53:43 localhost pulseaudio[3167]: main.c: setrlimit(RLIMIT_RTPRIO, (9, 9)) failed: Operation not permitted
Dec 21 11:53:43 localhost pulseaudio[3167]: alsa-util.c: Device (null) doesn't support 44100 Hz, changed to 48000 Hz.
Dec 21 11:53:43 localhost pulseaudio[3167]: alsa-util.c: Device (null) doesn't support 44100 Hz, changed to 48000 Hz.

[/code]

[code]
prakash@localhost:~$ pulseaudio --version
N: main.c: Called SUID root and real-time/high-priority scheduling was requested in the configuration. However, we lack the necessary priviliges:
N: main.c: We are not in group 'pulse-rt' and PolicyKit refuse to grant us priviliges. Dropping SUID again.
N: main.c: For enabling real-time scheduling please acquire the appropriate PolicyKit priviliges, or become a member of 'pulse-rt', or increase the RLIMIT_NICE/RLIMIT_RTPRIO resource limits for this user.
pulseaudio 0.9.8
[/code]

[Ricardo L. Febrero (rlfebrero)]

I have been trying to make it work in my LTSP, with no good result. I
can watch many animations (usually advices, so I'm not really
interested), but when it comes to playing Youtube videos, it slows
down everything, and does weird things, like slowing down Firefox, or
even freezing it, with no error message.

2007/12/21, Prakash J Kokkatt <email address hidden>:
> messages from /var/log/user.log:
> Hello, the same problem is there with latest flash9beta9.0 r115 also.below is the contents of debian sid's/gutsy /var/log/user.log for a boot session:
>
> [code]
> Dec 21 11:53:43 localhost pulseaudio[3167]: main.c: Called SUID root and real-time/high-priority scheduling was requested in the configuration. However, we lack the necessary priviliges:
> Dec 21 11:53:43 localhost pulseaudio[3167]: main.c: We are not in group 'pulse-rt' and PolicyKit refuse to grant us priviliges. Dropping SUID again.
> Dec 21 11:53:43 localhost pulseaudio[3167]: main.c: For enabling real-time scheduling please acquire the appropriate PolicyKit priviliges, or become a member of 'pulse-rt', or increase the RLIMIT_NICE/RLIMIT_RTPRIO resource limits for this user.
> Dec 21 11:53:43 localhost pulseaudio[3167]: main.c: setrlimit(RLIMIT_NICE, (31, 31)) failed: Operation not permitted
> Dec 21 11:53:43 localhost pulseaudio[3167]: main.c: setrlimit(RLIMIT_RTPRIO, (9, 9)) failed: Operation not permitted
> Dec 21 11:53:43 localhost pulseaudio[3167]: alsa-util.c: Device (null) doesn't support 44100 Hz, changed to 48000 Hz.
> Dec 21 11:53:43 localhost pulseaudio[3167]: alsa-util.c: Device (null) doesn't support 44100 Hz, changed to 48000 Hz.
>
> [/code]
>
> [code]
> prakash@localhost:~$ pulseaudio --version
> N: main.c: Called SUID root and real-time/high-priority scheduling was requested in the configuration. However, we lack the necessary priviliges:
> N: main.c: We are not in group 'pulse-rt' and PolicyKit refuse to grant us priviliges. Dropping SUID again.
> N: main.c: For enabling real-time scheduling please acquire the appropriate PolicyKit priviliges, or become a member of 'pulse-rt', or increase the RLIMIT_NICE/RLIMIT_RTPRIO resource limits for this user.
> pulseaudio 0.9.8
> [/code]
>
> --
> LTSP5 ThinClient Setup: Weird problem with flash-nonfree making Firefox crash (only on thin client, works fine on server itself)
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/173845
> You received this bug notification because you are a member of Edubuntu
> Bugsquad, which is a bug contact for ltsp in ubuntu.
>

--
Néstor Amigo Cairo
[phone]
<email address hidden>

[Oliver Grawert (ogra)]

you need the libflashsupport packge for sound support over networked connections (i.e. ltsp clients) with flash
in hardy that package is included in the archive, for pre-hardy you need the package pointed out in
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/EdubuntuFAQ

note that pulseaudio on the server *has NOTHING to do* with thin client sound ...
server sided the session sees a virtual alsa device.
pulse is *only* used as the network transport endpoint *on the client* poking around on the server with any pulse settings _wont gain you anything_.

[Alkis Georgopoulos (alkisg)]

Gutsy is not supported anymore, if the problem still happens with some newer Ubuntu version please file a new bug report.