gnome panel keeps freezing randomly

[_dan_]

Its is difficult to describe this Problem properly. Gnome Panel keeps freezing "sometimes", specially when update-manager is done updating and wants to display another icon in the systray, for example the "restart system" icon or the "information available". It appears to me that gnome-panel like sfreezing when systray items are added or generally layout of the panel changes a bit.
Any suggestions how i could track that bug more accurate?

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. Please try to obtain a backtrace following the instructions at http://wiki.ubuntu.com/DebuggingProgramCrash and upload the backtrace (as an attachment) to the bug report. This will greatly help us in tracking down your problem.

[pitwalker (pitwalker)]

I experience this or similar bug in Intrepid and Jaunty ca. 5 times.
With and without desktop effects.
I use vertical panels with 32pixel width.
Very annoying thing is: ALT+F2 don't works. (I like more gnome when run dialog is separated from gnome-panel.)
BUT in my case 2 active area left in panels, the bottom control: the user switch applet and the trash WORKS.

I login to gnome as normal user.
May be this occured by a crashed or malfunctioned application that start from gnome-panel

once after an upgrade

when last time I experience:
  gnome-terminal
  su
  gnome-control-center
  I change appearance, I edit users, I try to open vino-preferences
  --2minute--
  gnome-panel broken

workaround: killall gnome-panel (after a while automatically restarted)

[pitwalker (pitwalker)]

top says: gnome-panel eating sometimes 80% of CPU 60% of RAM!!
and now works the 2 control at the bottom

i save /proc/8388
27 file descriptors was open (mostly sockets and /dev/null) + 2 directory
the working directory was my home folder

i must kill it -> everything works fine

[pitwalker (pitwalker)]

last time in Intrepid: I add a icon (poweroff) to the left panel, I clicked, I close this dialog and then... upper areas not works anymore, gnome-panel starts eating the resources

[pitwalker (pitwalker)]

I think this is the:
http://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=513347
very old bug, easily reproducible for me

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

Thanks for the bug report. This particular bug has already been reported, but feel free to report any other bugs you find.

[_dan_ (dan-void)]

this is *not* a duplicate bug. The Bug i reported happens when the panel is horizontal and does not need several windows open. The duplicate bug has nothing to do with the Problem i reported, totally different description, only the outcome(freeze) is the same, why would you mark that duplicate?

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

the duplication was based on the previous comment

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. Please try to obtain a backtrace following the instructions at http://wiki.ubuntu.com/DebuggingProgramCrash and upload the backtrace (as an attachment) to the bug report. This will greatly help us in tracking down your problem.

[Chris B (viperborg)]

Agreed. This is not a duplicate. You need to read better.

Christopher Bosak
Sent from my iPhone

On Mar 11, 2009, at 16:53, hurga <email address hidden> wrote:

> *** This bug is a duplicate of bug 187540 ***
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/187540
>
> this is *not* a duplicate bug. The Bug i reported happens when the
> panel
> is horizontal and does not need several windows open. The duplicate
> bug
> has nothing to do with the Problem i reported, totally different
> description, only the outcome(freeze) is the same, why would you mark
> that duplicate?
>
> --
> gnome panel keeps freezing randomly
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/332563
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of a duplicate bug (via bug 187540).
>
> Status in “gnome-panel” source package in Ubuntu: Invalid
>
> Bug description:
> Its is difficult to describe this Problem properly. Gnome Panel
> keeps freezing "sometimes", specially when update-manager is done
> updating and wants to display another icon in the systray, for
> example the "restart system" icon or the "information available". It
> appears to me that gnome-panel like sfreezing when systray items are
> added or generally layout of the panel changes a bit.
> Any suggestions how i could track that bug more accurate?

[_dan_ (dan-void)]

Its hard to catch this bug, since it occures randomly. I am just an user, not a developer, i am happy to report bugs, but its asked a bitch much to constantly run the gdb when i should do work on my computer.
Still the Problem exists..

[Ciso (cisoprogressivo)]

Same problem here.
I just installed Ubuntu Jaunty and i had this problem 3 times in a day.
It occurs randomly. When it happens, i can't use panel (except for the fast-user-applet), I can't use Alt+F2, and when I try to logout it asks me to force closing Panel.

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

you can attach gdb to the hanging software when getting the issue

[Michael (m-gruys)]

Yes this bug occurs a after a random time.
Very annoying.
When it happens I have a very clumsy solution for it:
CTRL-ALT-F1(or F2, F3,....)
login as root
pkill gnome-panel
And then CTRL-ALT F7 or CTRL-ALT F9 (depending where the graphical X session is)
Then you have a working desktop again.
$ lsb_release -a
No LSB modules are available.
Distributor ID: Ubuntu
Description: Ubuntu 9.04
Release: 9.04
Codename: jaunty

uname -a
Linux 2.6.28-11-generic #41-Ubuntu SMP Wed Apr 8 04:38:53 UTC 2009 i686 GNU/Linux
$ apt-cache showpkg gnome-panel
Package: gnome-panel
Versions:
1:2.26.0-0ubuntu6 (/var/lib/apt/lists/nl.archive.ubuntu.com_ubuntu_dists_jaunty_
main_binary-i386_Packages) (/var/lib/dpkg/status)
Description Language:
File: /var/lib/apt/lists/nl.archive.ubuntu.com_ubuntu_dists_jau
nty_main_binary-i386_Packages
MD5: 02085226815ba9e6a5733ab8ea00c173

[Michael (m-gruys)]

I promise to attach gdb info the next time when it occurs again.
The instructions I follow to accomplish this I found at https://wiki.edubuntu.org/Backtrace
I know the article applies for Edubuntu.
I hope this is not a problem?
Thanks Mr. Sebastien Bacher for your response on gdb for hanging software.
I assume that 'hanging' software is the same as 'running' software. Both has a pid....?

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

right if the software it's hanging it's also still running

[Michael (m-gruys)]

Unfortunately it has not occurred since i started with the trace this afternoon.
I have posted at http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=7078638&postcount=10 a couple of simple steps to follow
to report this bug.
If more people try to reproduce this bug with these steps maybe there is a change to solve it before the release of Jaunty
Thank you

[Michael (m-gruys)]

It just happened again, but unfortunately a pressed ctrl+c and the gdb aborted. I should not have pressed ctrl+c because the gdb was already stopped with error :

Program received signal SIGPIPE, Broken pipe.
[Switching to Thread 0xb6bc8970 (LWP 27323)]
0xb7f23430 in __kernel_vsyscall ()
(gdb)

The only thing I should have done was backtrace full,
instead I pressed ctrl+c

I give up.
In my root crontab I place the command pkill gnome-panel every 15 minutes.
I lousy solution.

Maybe someone else will ever try to reproduce this bug.

[Michael (m-gruys)]

Info:
This gnome-panel bug has NOT occurred anymore since 1:2.26.0-0ubuntu7

the prior (buggy) gnome-panel version was 1:2.26.0-0ubuntu6

(command used to show version: apt-cache showpkg gnome-panel )

[Michael (m-gruys)]

please don't close this report yet.
just happened again.
I will attach gdb to the hanging software when getting the issue

[rosy27 (rosy27)]

To me, it also still happens randomly with a vertical panel on jaunty.

[Ciso (cisoprogressivo)]

It's not happening to me anymore, in the last week, so I think it's completely random

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

the vertical layout issue could be bug #187540 and due to tasks

[Michael (m-gruys)]

Hereby the gdb attach of the 'hang' of gnome-panel.
I hope it finally helps to reveal the cause of this mean randomly gnome-panel freeze thing.

[Geraldo (geraldoamaral)]

I was plagued by this random bug several times with Ubuntu 8.10, and it is a bit better with 9.04. I use a vertical panel on the right side 32 pixels wide.

I was so upset when it happend on Ubuntu 8.10 that I removed the clock app. But after calming down I added it again and set it to show the seconds, to make it easier to see if its frozen.

Last time my panel froze was right after an update via the "update manager". The clock freezes but you can still right click it and get the properties dialog. And if you switch back an forth the state of "show seconds" it unfreezes.

[3esmit (3esmit)]

Im making this bug as duplicate of https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gnome-panel/+bug/187540 since this is not about what position the panel is, and due to the impossibility of adding an resource (icon) to the bar, then it enter in a eternal loop.
When they fix the "vertical panel bug", this one will be fixed too. If you still