"Resize the window to fit in remote resolution" can cause mis-display of remoted OS

[Jim Salter]

1) lsb_release -rd
Description: Ubuntu 14.04.1 LTS
Release: 14.04

2) apt-cache policy remmina
remmina:
  Installed: 1.0.0-4ubuntu3
  Candidate: 1.0.0-4ubuntu3
  Version table:
 *** 1.0.0-4ubuntu3 0
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ trusty/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

3) What is expected to happen when remoting into a Windows machine, example configuration for a scratch build of Microsoft Windows Vista Business x86 6.0.6002 Service Pack 2 Build 6002 with nothing installed at https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/remmina/+bug/998589/+attachment/4281799/+files/screenshot.png , is when one clicks the top left button "Resize the window to fit in remote resolution (Control_R + 1)" is the window is resized appropriately to the remote resolution.

4) What happens instead the window resizes to a height taller then the screen is vertically, and one of the following outcomes:
+ It resizes the remoted OS correctly.
+ Shows one half a black screen vertically at the top and the next half of the remoted operating system at the bottom.
+ A black screen as per https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/remmina/+bug/998589/+attachment/4281800/+files/screenshot2.png .

This is reported to be a regression from Oneiric to Precise. As well, it can have varying collateral effects based on the desktop environment. For example, right-clicking the window handle on the taskbar and maximizing will at least bring the display visible, but all the controls - including tabs to select different sessions - will still be missing until I close remmina and delete the preferences file from ~/.remmina/. After deleting the prefs file and restarting Remmina, things will be restored.

---
ApportVersion: 2.0.1-0ubuntu17.8
Architecture: amd64
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.04
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu-Server 12.04.1 LTS "Precise Pangolin" - Release amd64 (20120817.3)
MarkForUpload: True
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia zfs zcommon znvpair zavl zunicode
Package: remmina 1.0.0-1ubuntu6.3
PackageArchitecture: amd64
ProcEnviron:
 TERM=xterm
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.13.0-36.63~precise1-generic 3.13.11.6
Tags: precise running-unity
Uname: Linux 3.13.0-36-generic x86_64
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
UserGroups: adm cdrom dip libvirtd lpadmin plugdev sambashare sudo
---
ApportVersion: 2.14.1-0ubuntu3.2
Architecture: amd64
CurrentDesktop: Unity
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 14.04
InstallationDate: Installed on 2014-05-30 (199 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu-Server 14.04 LTS "Trusty Tahr" - Release amd64 (20140416.2)
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia zfs zunicode zavl zcommon znvpair
Package: remmina 1.0.0-4ubuntu3
PackageArchitecture: amd64
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.13.0-29.53-generic 3.13.11.2
Tags: trusty third-party-packages
Uname: Linux 3.13.0-29-generic x86_64
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
UserGroups: adm cdrom dip libvirtd lpadmin plugdev sambashare sudo
_MarkForUpload: True

[Jim Salter (jrssnet)]

Note: I switched to Unity. Remmina problem persists.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[vinyloup (vincent-loupien)]

This is also true under xubuntu 12.04, an update from 11.10 for this bug which didn't exist.

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Jim Salter, this bug was reported a while ago and there hasn't been any activity in it recently. We were wondering if this is still an issue with the latest version of remmina in Precise, or a later version of Ubuntu?

If so, please execute the following via a terminal as it will gather necessary debugging information:
apport-collect 998589

Thank you for your understanding.

Helpful bug reporting tips:
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ReportingBugs

[Jim Salter (jrssnet)]

apport information

[Jim Salter (jrssnet)]

Yup, still an issue in Precise with Unity desktop. Though it seems to be "less awful" - I still get a bizarrely vertically stretched window, but now it seems relatively normal aside from being catastrophically the wrong height. (The button does get the width correct, at least).

I'll also test from Trusty in a few minutes. AFAIK it's still broken there too.

[Jim Salter (jrssnet)]

apport information

[Jim Salter (jrssnet)]

apport information

[Jim Salter (jrssnet)]

Yep, still broken in Trusty as well. Horizontal width is correct, but AFAICT Remmina basically tries to create an infinite height window, but is constrained by what the DE is willing to let it do (I could be wrong about that, but that's what it looks like).

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Jim Salter, thank you for the quick response. What OS and version are you remoting into when the 1 button broken issue occurs?

[Jim Salter (jrssnet)]

"Windows Anything". Happens with Windows Server 2003 (SBS, Standard, and Datacenter), Windows 7 Pro (x86 and x64), Windows Server 2008 (SBS and Standard), Windows Server 2008 R2, and Windows Server 2012.

Interestingly, watching it again as I type this (and double-checking with Server 2012 as a target), I notice that for a split second after hitting the "1" button, it *correctly* resizes the height to the height desired - and *then* resizes it to the maximum height of the DE that Remmina is running in.

I am using "Custom Resolution" in the connection preferences (usually 1024x768); for what it's worth.

Also: when the window first opens, it almost invariably doesn't render any content (just stays solid black). I have to manually grab the window and resize it a few px (either horizontally or vertically works) before the content renders. This also happens on every target OS and on multiple source machines (I use Remmina extensively on my own four personal machines, and sporadically on 40-ish servers. All Ubuntu, either Precise or Trusty. All of them behave the same way.)

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Jim Salter, thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. However, I am closing it because the bug has been fixed in the latest development version of Ubuntu - Vivid Vervet.

This is a significant bug in Ubuntu. If you need a fix for the bug in previous versions of Ubuntu, please perform as much as possible of the SRU Procedure [1] to bring the need to a developer's attention.

[1]: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/StableReleaseUpdates#Procedure

[Mark Wilkinson (mhw)]

It looks like the fix [1] to the upstream issue [2] is pretty simple - would it be practical to apply it to the package in Trusty?

[1]: https://github.com/FreeRDP/Remmina/issues/63
[2]: https://github.com/FreeRDP/Remmina/commit/1901a1e9e5282c1deca2f5f98476e2c7e9243d35