Gnome-panel freezes when starting an application on the secondary display

[thegve]

Binary package hint: gnome-panel

When I try to start any application from the gnome-panel on my secondary x-screen (I have a laptop with an external monitor), gnome-panel crashes (using 100% cpu) and I get a blank "error" screen, which I cannot close. Running software from the menu works fine.

I have configured the "seperate x-screen" setup using nvidia-settings, the rest of the xorg will be the "factory defaults", I installed this laptop freshly yesterday with Ubuntu 8.10.

My gnome-panel version is 1:2.24.1-0ubuntu2

[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.

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

the log has no crash

[thegve (thegve)]

Status "incomplete" suggests that you'd like me to add information to make this report complete. The program is freezing, and like described on https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Backtrace I had to press ctrl-c to complete the backtrace.

I have discovered what triggers the error. By default gnome-panel is only running 1 proces on my system. When I manually start a second gnome-panel process it works like it should. The fact that I would need 2 processes makes some sense to me, as I'm running 2 x screens.

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

the bug needs a crash stacktrace, your gdb log is empty

[thegve (thegve)]

Sorry, but I will not be able to produce this, as it freezes, and doesn't crash.

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

the bug title says it's crashing, you can get a gdb stacktrace on an hanging software too that will give indication on where it's hanging

[thegve (thegve)]

Here is a strace.

[gmerrick (at903)]

Hello, I just noticed that this bug is the same as the one I posted on 10/31/08. Bug number 291607. No-one has looked at the information that I submitted and this may assist you in determining where the problem is.

[gmerrick (at903)]

One interesting thing I have noticed is that in serperate X screen mode that when you open a places nautilus window that it opens up on the primary screen. This is behavior that should not happen.

[thegve (thegve)]

I can confirm on that last comment, but I think it should be reporteded as a new bug. I usually open nautilus by opening the waste bin on the bottom right of the screen, that one always opens ok, but from the menu it usually takes the "primary screen".
Furthermore, when I click on the volume thingie to change the sound volume, it also opens on my laptop screen, I work around this by either using my keyboard buttons or the amplifier for the sound, which work fine.

[Pedro Villavicencio (pedro)]

the report still needs a gdb backtrace of the hang, setting it as incomplete, waiting for that info, thanks.

[thegve (thegve)]

I have added a backtrace using gdb.

Please indicate what exactly I have to do different than what I have done already.

[Pedro Villavicencio (pedro)]

we need a backtrace not a strace log, and the gdb log you attached doesn't have any crash, please read the documentation available on https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DebuggingProgramCrash and get a new one, thanks in advance.

[Tristan Schmelcher (tschmelcher)]

I have this bug too and would like to help, but it's not clear what info you're asking for. As thegve said, the problem is 100% CPU usage, not a real crash, so what sort of backtrace is it that you want? Do you just need us to get a full backtrace of gnome-panel during its 100% CPU usage?

[thegve (thegve)]

Pedro:
I don't want to be rude, but please read the comments before commenting. I have already followed the link you sent and have provided both kinds of logs I can think of.

THERE IS NO CRASH - IT IS A HANG!

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

you can use gdb on an hanging software to get details on where it's hanging

[Tristan Schmelcher (tschmelcher)]

How? Do you just want a full backtrace during the 100% CPU usage, or something more?

[ddepue (evilnight)]

I can confirm this behavior. It is new in Intrepid, never seen it before.

I have an AMD64 system (Athlon X2 4800, Asus A8N32-SLI Deluxe) running Intrepid 8.10 AMD64 edition. It is a fresh install. I had assumed this problem was an unfortunate upgrade artifact of some kind, but alas, it is not.

I am using an EVGA Nvidia 7900GTX-512 GPU and I am using Nvidia's proprietary drivers (v177) on kernel 2.6.27-7.

This bug only occurs when multiple X servers are present on multiple monitors. When running various other X configurations that do not involve multiple X servers (TwinView, etc) this problem is not present.

Any applications launched from any non-primary display either cause this crash behavior (gnome-panel hang at 100% CPU), or launch correctly but on the primary (:0) monitor, NOT on the X server for the monitor where they were launched. The easiest way to get around it is to just create a desktop icon for xterm, and run "killall gnome-panel" after which gnome will bounce back nicely.

This behavior only occurs when accelerated graphics are enabled. Setting graphic acceleration to NONE under System-Preferences-Appearance-VisualEffects instantly resolves this problem, at least on my machine. I suggest this as a workaround for folks having this problem while we wait for this bug to be fixed - that or running under a single X server (not exactly ideal, but it is functional).

I suspect it is a problem that appeared between Gnome 2.22 and 2.24 as multiple X servers in this kind of configuration worked under 2.22, although I do remember a compiz bug that caused wickedly slow drawing of windows and menus on any non-primary X server. Gnome/Compiz have never handled multiple 3D-accelerated X servers well in my experience. That slow draw bug is gone now and this one seems to have replaced it.

I'll see about fishing up a backtrace when I have more time to put into it, probably after the Thanksgiving holiday.

[Jason (sirjasonr)]

Just confirming that this bug also exists in Jaunty with the standard ubuntu-desktop setup. I am using the nVIDIA 180.11 drivers supplied by the nvidia-glx-180 package on AMD64 with kernel 2.6.28-2-server.

[themuddler (mike-udall)]

I've tried to get a backtrace as requested. When I installed the yelp-dbgsym I couldn't specify the version I believe I was expected to (as per https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DebuggingProgramCrash) but I hope the output is of some use. If I've made an obvious mistake, feed me the command line I need to put in and I'll do it.

[Tristan Schmelcher (tschmelcher)]

Changing back to confirmed since themuddler provided a backtrace.

[Oliver Herrmann (oliver-herrmann80)]

Hey there,

i can confirm this bug too. With AMD64 nVidia7600GT and Ubuntu 8.10.
I also tried gnome-panel version 1:2.25.5.1-0ubuntu1 on this system and something changed. Now all applications started from menu appear on screen 0. Still gnome-panel hangs when using a shortcut on the panel.

If you need any testers just write a mail ... i'll be glade to help.

[Pedro Villavicencio (pedro)]

the trace is missing a lot of symbols, could you install libx11-6-dbgsym, libgtk2.0-0-dbgsym, liborbit2-dbgsym, libglb2.0-0-dbgsym, and get a new one ? thanks in advance.

[Oliver Herrmann (oliver-herrmann80)]

ok i will get this to work till the weekend to get some infomation on this.

i'll try start to follow this https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DebuggingProgramCrash howto and get some traces then

[Oliver Herrmann (oliver-herrmann80)]

So this is what i did:

Installed the libs you said (for libx11-6-dbgsym i had to downgrade some packages and libglb2.0-0-dbgsym could not be found, so i installed libglbsp3-dbgsym) hope this is ok ... if not just say so i'll do something different

then got the backtrace like explained in the howto. Is there anything more i can do?

[thegve (thegve)]

I switched to Debian Lenny in the meantime, and I no longer have this issue, so I guess it's either an issue in the Nvidia drivers (I may use another version now, have not checked, currently at 180.22), in Gnome ( 8.10 uses 2.24, Lenny is at 2.22 ) or in some Ubuntu modification.

[Oliver Herrmann (oliver-herrmann80)]

Walking away from the Problem does not solve it ...

If somebody has time to look into the code for this, it will be solved for sure!

[lime4x4 (lime4x4)]

HAs this ever been resolved yet?

[Oliver Herrmann (oliver-herrmann80)]

Hey there, not for now i think ...

Im working around the Problem with starting Applications through the applications menu.

Right now many things change in Open Source Software and many work is to be done by Canonical ...

Here is a German Link - http://www.golem.de/0902/65175.html

They talk about many changes in GUIs like Gnome and KDE... so maybe this Bug will still hold a while.

[Joseph Coffland (jcoffland)]

I have the same problem since upgrading to intrepid from hardy.

  Ubuntu: 8.10
  Metacity: 1:2.24.0-0ubuntu1
  gnome-panel: 1:2.24.1-0ubuntu2.1
  Dual Monitors

An interesting side note is that if you enable assistive technologies gnome-panel restarts instead of locking up. This behavior I find easier to deal with.

Clicking on launch buttons in the second display sometimes works.

This is really annoying.

(Sorry for the double post, but I got the wrong bug the first time.)

[Vincent Gerris (vgerris)]

I can confirm this bug on 8.10 with Nvidia 5500 Graphics card and 1.73 version of their driver on a dual X server setup.
It only happens when Visual appaearance is on normal.
When switching it to none and putting it back on normal, the problem does not appear.
only workaround on hang is to kill gnome-panel .

If anyone needs more info, i am more than willing to help.

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

the bug should be sent to the software writters on bugzilla.gnome.org by somebody having the issue

[Vincent Gerris (vgerris)]

Well, I am on 11.04 now, so impossible for me.
Maybe this bug can be abandoned?

[ddepue (evilnight)]

I'd say so. It's probably been fixed already with all of the changes
since this was filed and with driver updates.

On May 25, 2011, at 5:09 AM, Vincent Gerris
<email address hidden> wrote:

> Well, I am on 11.04 now, so impossible for me.
> Maybe this bug can be abandoned?
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/289241
>
> Title:
> Gnome-panel freezes when starting an application on the secondary
> display
>
> Status in “gnome-panel” package in Ubuntu:
> Incomplete
>
> Bug description:
> Binary package hint: gnome-panel
>
> When I try to start any application from the gnome-panel on my
> secondary x-screen (I have a laptop with an external monitor), gnome-
> panel crashes (using 100% cpu) and I get a blank "error" screen,
> which
> I cannot close. Running software from the menu works fine.
>
> I have configured the "seperate x-screen" setup using nvidia-
> settings,
> the rest of the xorg will be the "factory defaults", I installed this
> laptop freshly yesterday with Ubuntu 8.10.
>
> My gnome-panel version is 1:2.24.1-0ubuntu2
>
> To unsubscribe from this bug, go to:
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gnome-panel/+bug/289241/+subscribe

[Pedro Villavicencio (pedro)]

Thank you, closing the bug for now, please if you face the same sympton open a new bug report, thanks in advance.