xdiagnose put plymouth:debug=1=1 into config

[Jon Bailey]

This is on boot, and is blocking appearance of the desktop.

ProblemType: Crash
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.04
Package: xdiagnose 2.1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.2.0-18.29-generic 3.2.9
Uname: Linux 3.2.0-18-generic x86_64
.tmp.unity.support.test.0:

ApportVersion: 1.94.1-0ubuntu2
Architecture: amd64
CompizPlugins: No value set for `/apps/compiz-1/general/screen0/options/active_plugins'
CompositorRunning: compiz
Date: Tue Mar 13 09:07:24 2012
DistUpgraded: Log time: 2012-03-12 08:42:06.155141
DistroCodename: precise
DistroVariant: ubuntu
ExecutablePath: /usr/bin/xdiagnose
GraphicsCard:
 Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] nee ATI RS780L [Radeon HD 3000] [1002:9616] (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. Device [1043:8388]
 NVIDIA Corporation G92 [GeForce GTS 240] [10de:0607] (rev a2) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: NVIDIA Corporation Device [10de:0736]
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 12.04 LTS "Precise Pangolin" - Beta amd64 (20120301)
InterpreterPath: /usr/bin/python2.7
MachineType: System manufacturer System Product Name
PackageArchitecture: all
ProcCmdline: /usr/bin/python /usr/bin/xdiagnose
ProcEnviron:
 TERM=linux
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-3.2.0-18-generic root=UUID=3d7d0e45-2569-4afc-b34e-c635e56d303b ro vesafb.invalid=1 drm.debug=0xe plymouth:debug
PythonArgs: ['/usr/bin/xdiagnose']
SourcePackage: xdiagnose
Title: xdiagnose crashed with RuntimeError in /usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/gi/overrides/Gtk.py: Gtk couldn't be initialized
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to precise on 2012-03-12 (1 days ago)
UserGroups:

dmi.bios.date: 08/24/2010
dmi.bios.vendor: American Megatrends Inc.
dmi.bios.version: 0802
dmi.board.asset.tag: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
dmi.board.name: M4A78LT-M
dmi.board.vendor: ASUSTeK Computer INC.
dmi.board.version: Rev X.0x
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: Asset-1234567890
dmi.chassis.type: 3
dmi.chassis.vendor: Chassis Manufacture
dmi.chassis.version: Chassis Version
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAmericanMegatrendsInc.:bvr0802:bd08/24/2010:svnSystemmanufacturer:pnSystemProductName:pvrSystemVersion:rvnASUSTeKComputerINC.:rnM4A78LT-M:rvrRevX.0x:cvnChassisManufacture:ct3:cvrChassisVersion:
dmi.product.name: System Product Name
dmi.product.version: System Version
dmi.sys.vendor: System manufacturer
version.compiz: compiz 1:0.9.7.0+bzr3035-0ubuntu1
version.ia32-libs: ia32-libs N/A
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.30-1ubuntu1
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 8.0.1-0ubuntu2
version.libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental: libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental N/A
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 8.0.1-0ubuntu2
version.xserver-xorg-core: xserver-xorg-core 2:1.11.4-0ubuntu6
version.xserver-xorg-input-evdev: xserver-xorg-input-evdev 1:2.6.99.901+git20120126-0ubuntu2
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:6.14.99~git20111219.aacbd629-0ubuntu2
version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.17.0-1ubuntu4
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:0.0.16+git20111201+b5534a1-1build2

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

Hmm, this is weird. xdiagnose is not invoked as part of the boot process.

Also, it doesn't look like a backtrace was collected for the failed xdiagnose run, so I'm not sure exactly where the failure was.

Can you elaborate further about the issue?

[Jon Bailey (hobart)]

Bryce, thanks for the followup.

"xdiagnose" (which, incidentally, needs to be invoked with "sudo" from the command prompt or fails silently) makes several changes to the boot-up configuration, intended to aid in letting people see more diagnostic messages when dealing with graphics problems (which otherwise leave the computer silently hung with inoperable video).

Xdiagnose itself completed its run (I had turned on all diagnostic options), and did not crash. The problems occurred with trying to boot up after having those values set.

[Jon Bailey (hobart)]

It appears that using xdiagnose effects config-file changes that the utility iteself does not properly undo when asked to.

These end up leaving several configuration problems with a desktop Precise system.

The changes it makes appear to not be properly reversed when you re-invoke "sudo xdiagnose" and uncheck the relevant check boxes.

The config changes leave the system (still not sure fully what config files are mangled - grub, plymouth, or xorg) with textmode debug messages flashing by on-screen after grub, but before the "ubuntu" loading splash, and after splash but before the desktop appears, and (haven't confirmed this but reasonably sure) it stops the desktop environment from coming up, even on a cleanly-added user account. (You get a blank desktop. Ctrl+shift+T can launch a terminal, and running "$ gnome-session-quit" can log you out, but the desktop components never come up.)

Unfortunately I don't have the resources available right this moment to try and simulate this all in a VM so I can provide full details, but hopefully the appropriate package maintainer (or team) responsible for xdiagnose can be made aware of the difficulty and verify it so other users don't end up in the same state. I'm going to wipe and reinstall this system from install media tomorrow, if there are more relevant config files I can gather before I do please let me know.

(after the most recent run of xdiagnose wherein I unchecked all debug options, /etc/default/apport had "enabled=0" and /etc/default/grub had "GRUB_GFXPAYLOAD_LINUX=None", and 'GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="plymouth:debug splash quiet plymouth:debug=1=1"')

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

This is the one bit that stands out as improper:

plymouth:debug=1=1

I can see if this reproduces symptoms such as you reported.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package xdiagnose - 3.4

---------------
xdiagnose (3.4) raring; urgency=low

  * bin/xrotate: Add new script to manually rotate screen and input.
    Designed for the Nexus 7 tablet; will need extended to support other
    devices.
  * bin/xedid: Add new script for viewing and installing EDID files into
    firmware.
    + Fixes situation where EDID is unavailable, corrupted, or invalid
      (LP: #575985)
    + Fixes situation where KVM corrupts the EDID the monitor provides.
      (LP: #992346)
  * bin/xpci: Fix two string issues so xpci will run.
    (LP: #1098390)
  * apport/source_xorg.py: Gracefully skip Xorg.0.log parsing if the
    parsing fails.
    (LP: #1098395)
  * apport/apport-gpu-error-intel.py: Gracefully skip DMI parsing if
    the parsing fails.
    (LP: #1062042)
  * xdiagnose/applet.py: Fix bug where a stray =1 gets added to
    GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT.
    (LP: #954123)
  * tests: Add sample Xorg.*.log files rather than using the on-disk one
 -- Bryce Harrington <email address hidden> Wed, 09 Jan 2013 18:17:24 -0800