Sporadic gconf error messages

[Marc Deslauriers]

Since updating to Oneiric, evolution gives a gconf error message about once or twice a day. See the attached screenshot.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.10
Package: evolution 3.1.91-0ubuntu1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.0.0-10.16-generic 3.0.4
Uname: Linux 3.0.0-10-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 1.22.1-0ubuntu2
Architecture: amd64
Date: Mon Sep 12 15:26:22 2011
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhal" - Alpha amd64 (20110302)
SourcePackage: evolution
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to oneiric on 2011-08-16 (27 days ago)

[Marc Deslauriers (mdeslaur)]

Actually, I am seeing this with other applications also, not just evolution. Reassigning to gconf.

[Marc Deslauriers (mdeslaur)]

Similar issue in Bug #842648...

[Marc Deslauriers (mdeslaur)]

Similar issue also in Bug #831887

[Marc Deslauriers (mdeslaur)]

also bug 816460

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

Thank you for your bug report. Pedro could you send that to GNOME?

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Pedro Villavicencio (pedro)]

Thank you for your bug report. This bug has been reported to the developers of the software. You can track it and make comments at:
https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=659835

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

Could somebody try to get a "dbus-monitor --session > log" log and copy what happens when you get the issue?

[Jamie Strandboge (jdstrand)]

This happens to me as well, and seems to be whenever I use 'apt-get upgrade'. I'll look into this more and try to reproduce.

[Brandon Snider (brandonsnider)]

Four patches have appeared to deal with this issue:

https://bugzilla.gnome.org/attachment.cgi?id=199238
https://bugzilla.gnome.org/attachment.cgi?id=199239
https://bugzilla.gnome.org/attachment.cgi?id=199240
https://bugzilla.gnome.org/attachment.cgi?id=199241

I added them into the gconf scripts and built the binaries locally. So far, no error messages are appearing.

[Stanley Bartlett (stanlume)]

If this is the cure, then kindly explain how I "add them into the gconf scripts and build the binaries locally"? I do not know where I go to do this and how.

Thanks

Four patches have appeared to deal with this issue:

https://bugzilla.gnome.org/attachment.cgi?id=199238
https://bugzilla.gnome.org/attachment.cgi?id=199239
https://bugzilla.gnome.org/attachment.cgi?id=199240
https://bugzilla.gnome.org/attachment.cgi?id=199241

I added them into the gconf scripts and built the binaries locally. So far, no error messages are appearing.

[Jeremy Bícha (jbicha)]

Just a note that this bug is believed to break the workspaces feature in GNOME Shell as reported in bug 853582.

[Gianvito Cavasoli (janvitus)]

However, I have attached the log of dbus-monitor.

[Brandon Snider (brandonsnider)]

After using the patched version for a couple of days there are no error messages and no apparent ill effects, and bug 853582 doesn't happen.

[iMac (imac-netstatz)]

Upstream patches fixed this for me too.. happened every time evolution or gconf related package updates occurred.

[Bernhard Schmidt (berni)]

I've created a PPA with a fixed package (all four patches applied), it fixes the gnome-shell issue for me.

https://launchpad.net/~berni/+archive/ppa

Use at your own risk, there is at least one other package for oneiric in there (multi-arch libxp). Download the packages manually and/or remove the repository after you have upgraded.

There is also an updated gconf version in the semi-official gnome-shell PPA at https://launchpad.net/~ricotz/+archive/testing , you might want to use that instead. A fixed upstream version (3.2.1) should be released soon according to the gnome-bugs bugtracker.

[Chris Halse Rogers (raof)]

Hello Marc, or anyone else affected,

Accepted gconf into oneiric-proposed, the package will build now and be available in a few hours. Please test and give feedback here. See https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed for documentation how to enable and use -proposed. Thank you in advance!

[Chow Loong Jin (hyperair)]

Looks like it works. I just ran killall -HUP gconfd-2, and Banshee didn't go berserk.

[dewes (rdewes)]

I'm using the proposed version, so far so good

On Fri, Oct 28, 2011 at 03:37, Chow Loong Jin <email address hidden> wrote:

> Looks like it works. I just ran killall -HUP gconfd-2, and Banshee
> didn't go berserk.
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to a
> duplicate bug report (844881).
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/848198
>
> Title:
> Sporadic gconf error messages
>
> To manage notifications about this bug go to:
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/gconf/+bug/848198/+subscriptions
>

[Dmitry Shachnev (mitya57)]

@Jeremy: after update to 3.2.2, I keep getting crashes in gconf_database_set_sources, see bug 882678 (which is a duplicate of private bug 882525). I think it's a regression and this version should not be moved to updates yet.

[Gianvito Cavasoli (janvitus)]

gconf 3.2.2 works for me, no more messages from Evolution or GNOME Shell.

[Alejandro Arcos (aarcos)]

hi everyone,

after each update appear

 "GConf error: Configuration server couldn't be contacted: D-BUS error: Method "Set" with signature "s(ib)" on interface "org.gnome.GConf.Database" doesn't exist"

I can help

[Mdavies5 (mdavies5)]

At the risk of duplication I also get the following message in Oneiric. After logging on, running update, opening Evolution. I then ran a backup and the message kept appearing. I eventually had 9 windows to close:
GConf error: Configuration server couldn't be contacted: D-BUS error: Method "Set" with signature "s(ii)" on interface "org.gnome.GConf.Database" doesn't exist

[Marc Deslauriers (mdeslaur)]

The regression was fixed in 3.2.3. The package in proposed needs to be updated.

[Jeremy Bícha (jbicha)]

I packaged 3.2.3 now; just waiting for it be accepted into oneiric-proposed. Thanks!

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package gconf - 3.2.3-0ubuntu1

---------------
gconf (3.2.3-0ubuntu1) precise; urgency=low

  * New upstream release.
    - Fixes gconf crasher regression in 3.2.2 (LP: #882525)

gconf (3.2.2-0ubuntu1) oneiric-proposed; urgency=low

  * New upstream release.
    - Fixes gconf errors affecting GNOME Shell & Evolution, especially
      seen after a system upgrade (LP: #848198)
    - Build fix for -Werror=format-securiy
    - Avoid crash when there is no reply to messages in
      gconf_engine_notify_remove
    - Clean-up ORBit vs DBus logic
  * debian/watch: Removed extra \d
 -- Jeremy Bicha <email address hidden> Tue, 01 Nov 2011 08:48:09 -0400

[Quinta Helmer (qhelmer)]

After not having seen the error message for a couple of weeks it just popped up again:
GConf error: Configuration server couldn't be contacted: D-BUS error: Method "LookupExtended" with signature "ssb" on interface "org.gnome.GConf.Database" doesn't exist

I use Ubuntu Onieric and have installed all updates until now. How do I check which version of gconf I run?

[Jeremy Bícha (jbicha)]

Quinta, run apt-cache policy gconf2 to see which version is installed.

[Martin Pitt (pitti)]

Hello Marc, or anyone else affected,

Accepted gconf into oneiric-proposed, the package will build now and be available in a few hours. Please test and give feedback here. See https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed for documentation how to enable and use -proposed. Thank you in advance!

[Jeremy Bícha (jbicha)]

The fix still works for me with the new version.

[Quinta Helmer (qhelmer)]

I still get the error after updating to gconf 3.2.3-0ubuntu0.1. It happens only the first time I do something in evolution after installing updates (i.e. once a day for me).

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

if the fix works for some users and doesn't break anything for others it should maybe not be failed there

[Jeremy Bícha (jbicha)]

Quinta, did you try rebooting before testing if the proposed gconf works?

[Quinta Helmer (qhelmer)]

Nope, I did not reboot (I try to do that as little as possible). I am willing to give that a try, but we will have to wait till the next evolution or gconf related update to know if it works.

[Jeremy Bícha (jbicha)]

You can get a gconf trigger by installing or uninstalling any app that uses gconf. Here's one example:

sudo apt-get remove gconf-editor
sudo apt-get install gconf-editor

I suggested you reboot because I still had the bug until I rebooted. There might be another way to completely stop and start gconf but rebooting was simple.

[Quinta Helmer (qhelmer)]

I have rebooted now, but I can still trigger the error message by reinstalling gconf-editor as in Jeremy's example and doing anything in evolution (for example opening a message) after that.

I let you decide if it is necessary to change the tags.

[Santiago Roland (santiago-roland)]

This error affects me every time (or at least almost) that i check mail in evolution. It prompts a message "GConf error: Configuration server couldn't be contacted: D-BUS error: Method "LookupExtended" with signature "ssb" on interface "org.gnome.GConf.Database" doesn't exist"

Regards,

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package gconf - 3.2.3-0ubuntu0.1

---------------
gconf (3.2.3-0ubuntu0.1) oneiric-proposed; urgency=low

  * New upstream release.
    - Fixes gconf crasher regression in 3.2.2 (LP: #882525)

gconf (3.2.2-0ubuntu1) oneiric-proposed; urgency=low

  * New upstream release.
    - Fixes gconf errors affecting GNOME Shell & Evolution, especially
      seen after a system upgrade (LP: #848198)
    - Build fix for -Werror=format-securiy
    - Avoid crash when there is no reply to messages in
      gconf_engine_notify_remove
    - Clean-up ORBit vs DBus logic
  * debian/watch: Removed extra \d
 -- Jeremy Bicha <email address hidden> Tue, 01 Nov 2011 08:48:09 -0400