Startup fails: symbol lookup error: /usr/sbin/lightdm-gtk-greeter

[c.monty]

I have installed lightdm 1.8.6-1 and lightdm-gtk-greeter 1.6.1-5.
But starting of lightdm fails.

There are different config-files:
/usr/share/lightdm/lightdm.conf.d/01_debian.conf
# Debian specific defaults
#
# - use lightdm-greeter session greeter, points to the etc-alternatives managed
# greeter
# - hide users list by default, we don't want to expose them
# - use Debian specific session wrapper, to gain support for
# /etc/X11/Xsession.d scripts

[SeatDefaults]
greeter-session=lightdm-greeter
greeter-hide-users=true
session-wrapper=/etc/X11/Xsession

/etc/lightdm/lightdm-gtk-greeter.conf
#
# background = Background file to use, either an image path or a color (e.g. #772953)
# theme-name = GTK+ theme to use
# icon-theme-name = Icon theme to use
# font-name = Font to use
# xft-antialias = Whether to antialias Xft fonts (true or false)
# xft-dpi = Resolution for Xft in dots per inch (e.g. 96)
# xft-hintstyle = What degree of hinting to use (none, slight, medium, or hintfull)
# xft-rgba = Type of subpixel antialiasing (none, rgb, bgr, vrgb or vbgr)
# show-language-selector (true or false)
# show-indicators = semi-colon ";" separated list of allowed indicator modules (e.g. libsoundmenu.so)
# show-clock (true or false)
# clock-format = strftime-format string, e.g. %H:%M
# keyboard = command to launch on-screen keyboard
#
[greeter]
background=/usr/share/images/desktop-base/login-background.svg
theme-name=Adwaita
#icon-theme-name=
#font-name=
xft-antialias=true
#xft-dpi=
xft-hintstyle=hintfull
xft-rgba=rgb
show-language-selector=true
#show-indicators=
#show-clock=
#clock-format=
#keyboard=

/etc/lightdm/users.conf
#
# User accounts configuration
#
# NOTE: If you have AccountsService installed on your system, then LightDM will
# use this instead and these settings will be ignored
#
# minimum-uid = Minimum UID required to be shown in greeter
# hidden-users = Users that are not shown to the user
# hidden-shells = Shells that indicate a user cannot login
#
[UserAccounts]
minimum-uid=500
hidden-users=nobody nobody4 noaccess
hidden-shells=/bin/false /usr/sbin/nologin

In /etc/lightdm/lightdm.conf all parameters are disabled (commented out).
In /etc/lightdm/keys.conf all parameters are disabled (commented out).

Checking the different logfiles indicate a problem caused by /usr/sbin/lightdm-gtk-greeter.

lightdm.log

    [+0.00s] DEBUG: Logging to /var/log/lightdm/lightdm.log
    [+0.00s] DEBUG: Starting Light Display Manager 1.8.6, UID=0 PID=4993
    [+0.00s] DEBUG: Loading configuration from /usr/share/lightdm/lightdm.conf.d/01_debian.conf
    [+0.00s] DEBUG: Loading configuration from /etc/lightdm/lightdm.conf
    [+0.00s] DEBUG: Using D-Bus name org.freedesktop.DisplayManager
    [+0.00s] DEBUG: Registered seat module xlocal
    [+0.00s] DEBUG: Registered seat module xremote
    [+0.00s] DEBUG: Registered seat module unity
    [+0.00s] DEBUG: Registered seat module surfaceflinger
    [+0.00s] DEBUG: Adding default seat
    [+0.00s] DEBUG: Seat: Starting
    [+0.00s] DEBUG: Seat: Creating greeter session
    [+0.00s] DEBUG: Seat: Setting XDG_SEAT=seat0
    [+0.00s] DEBUG: Seat: Creating display server of type x
    [+0.00s] DEBUG: Seat: Starting local X display
    [+0.00s] DEBUG: Could not run plymouth --ping: Failed to execute child process "plymouth" (No such file or directory)
    [+0.00s] DEBUG: Using VT 7
    [+0.00s] DEBUG: DisplayServer x-0: Logging to /var/log/lightdm/x-0.log
    [+0.00s] DEBUG: DisplayServer x-0: Writing X server authority to /var/run/lightdm/root/:0
    [+0.00s] DEBUG: DisplayServer x-0: Launching X Server
    [+0.00s] DEBUG: Launching process 5002: /usr/bin/X :0 -auth /var/run/lightdm/root/:0 -nolisten tcp vt7 -novtswitch
    [+0.00s] DEBUG: DisplayServer x-0: Waiting for ready signal from X server :0
    [+0.01s] DEBUG: Acquired bus name org.freedesktop.DisplayManager
    [+0.01s] DEBUG: Registering seat with bus path /org/freedesktop/DisplayManager/Seat0
    [+0.89s] DEBUG: Got signal 10 from process 5002
    [+0.89s] DEBUG: DisplayServer x-0: Got signal from X server :0
    [+0.89s] DEBUG: DisplayServer x-0: Connecting to XServer :0
    [+0.90s] DEBUG: Seat: Display server ready, starting session authentication
    [+0.90s] DEBUG: Session: Setting XDG_VTNR=7
    [+0.90s] DEBUG: Session pid=5022: Started with service 'lightdm-greeter', username 'lightdm'
    [+0.91s] DEBUG: Session pid=5022: Authentication complete with return value 0: Success
    [+0.91s] DEBUG: Seat: Session authenticated, running command
    [+0.91s] DEBUG: Session pid=5022: Setting XDG_VTNR=7
    [+0.91s] DEBUG: Session pid=5022: Running command /usr/sbin/lightdm-gtk-greeter
    [+0.92s] DEBUG: Session pid=5022: Logging to /var/log/lightdm/x-0-greeter.log
    [+0.94s] DEBUG: Activating VT 7
    [+0.99s] DEBUG: Session pid=5022: Greeter closed communication channel
    [+0.99s] DEBUG: Session pid=5022: Exited with return value 0
    [+0.99s] DEBUG: Seat: Session stopped
    [+0.99s] DEBUG: Seat: Stopping; failed to start a greeter
    [+0.99s] DEBUG: Seat: Stopping
    [+0.99s] DEBUG: Seat: Stopping display server
    [+0.99s] DEBUG: Sending signal 15 to process 5002
    [+1.46s] DEBUG: Process 5002 exited with return value 0
    [+1.46s] DEBUG: DisplayServer x-0: X server stopped
    [+1.46s] DEBUG: Releasing VT 7
    [+1.46s] DEBUG: DisplayServer x-0: Removing X server authority /var/run/lightdm/root/:0
    [+1.46s] DEBUG: Seat: Display server stopped
    [+1.46s] DEBUG: Seat: Stopped
    [+1.46s] DEBUG: Required seat has stopped
    [+1.46s] DEBUG: Stopping display manager
    [+1.46s] DEBUG: Display manager stopped
    [+1.46s] DEBUG: Stopping daemon
    [+1.46s] DEBUG: Exiting with return value 1

x-0-greeter.log

    /usr/sbin/lightdm-gtk-greeter: symbol lookup error: /usr/sbin/lightdm-gtk-greeter: undefined symbol: lightdm_greeter_authenticate_autologin

x-0.log

    X.Org X Server 1.14.5
    Release Date: 2013-12-12
    X Protocol Version 11, Revision 0
    Build Operating System: Linux 3.2.0-4-amd64 i686 Debian
    Current Operating System: Linux pc1-gigabyte 3.12-1-686-pae #1 SMP Debian 3.12.9-1 (2014-02-01) i686
    Kernel command line: BOOT_IMAGE=/vmlinuz-3.12-1-686-pae root=UUID=b46355f1-6766-431b-8879-9fb19ec01e94 ro single
    Build Date: 13 December 2013 10:45:09AM
    xorg-server 2:1.14.5-1 (Maarten Lankhorst <email address hidden>)
    Current version of pixman: 0.32.4
       Before reporting problems, check http://wiki.x.org
       to make sure that you have the latest version.
    Markers: (--) probed, (**) from config file, (==) default setting,
       (++) from command line, (!!) notice, (II) informational,
       (WW) warning, (EE) error, (NI) not implemented, (??) unknown.
    (==) Log file: "/var/log/Xorg.0.log", Time: Sat Feb 8 11:39:49 2014
    (==) Using config file: "/etc/X11/xorg.conf"
    (==) Using system config directory "/usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d"
    Initializing built-in extension Generic Event Extension
    Initializing built-in extension SHAPE
    Initializing built-in extension MIT-SHM
    Initializing built-in extension XInputExtension
    Initializing built-in extension XTEST
    Initializing built-in extension BIG-REQUESTS
    Initializing built-in extension SYNC
    Initializing built-in extension XKEYBOARD
    Initializing built-in extension XC-MISC
    Initializing built-in extension SECURITY
    Initializing built-in extension XINERAMA
    Initializing built-in extension XFIXES
    Initializing built-in extension RENDER
    Initializing built-in extension RANDR
    Initializing built-in extension COMPOSITE
    Initializing built-in extension DAMAGE
    Initializing built-in extension MIT-SCREEN-SAVER
    Initializing built-in extension DOUBLE-BUFFER
    Initializing built-in extension RECORD
    Initializing built-in extension DPMS
    Initializing built-in extension X-Resource
    Initializing built-in extension XVideo
    Initializing built-in extension XVideo-MotionCompensation
    Initializing built-in extension SELinux
    Initializing built-in extension XFree86-VidModeExtension
    Initializing built-in extension XFree86-DGA
    Initializing built-in extension XFree86-DRI
    Initializing built-in extension DRI2
    Loading extension GLX
    Loading extension NV-GLX
    Loading extension NV-CONTROL
    Loading extension XINERAMA
    The XKEYBOARD keymap compiler (xkbcomp) reports:
    > Warning: Type "ONE_LEVEL" has 1 levels, but <RALT> has 2 symbols
    > Ignoring extra symbols
    Errors from xkbcomp are not fatal to the X server
    (EE) Server terminated successfully (0). Closing log file.

From a terminal I can start desktop without issues.

[Robert Ancell (robert-ancell)]

You appear to have an old version of liblightdm-gobject installed (<1.4) so the greeter can't access the symbol lightdm_greeter_authenticate_autologin. Could you check your versions?