gnome-wm erroneously detects card as compiz capable

[Alejandro Mery]

Binary package hint: gnome-session

sessions started from ldm (LTSP) crash immediatelly as it tries to use compiz in not compatible hardware.

both systems are up-to-date "Ubuntu 10.10".

.xsession-errors shows:

Initializing nautilus-gdu extension
(nautilus:13081): GConf-CRITICAL **: gconf_value_free: assertion `value != NULL' failed
** (nautilus:13081): WARNING **: Can not calculate _NET_NUMBER_OF_DESKTOPS
** (nautilus:13081): WARNING **: Can not calculate _NET_NUMBER_OF_DESKTOPS
** (nautilus:13081): WARNING **: Can not get _NET_WORKAREA
** (nautilus:13081): WARNING **: Can not determine workarea, guessing at layout
Unable to find a synaptics device.
/usr/bin/compiz (core) - Fatal: Support for non power of two textures missing
/usr/bin/compiz (core) - Error: Failed to manage screen: 0
/usr/bin/compiz (core) - Fatal: No manageable screens found on display localhost:11.0
Error del gestor de ventanas: Unable to open X display localhost:11.0
x-session-manager: Fatal IO error 11 (Recurso temporalmente no disponible) on X server localhost:11.0.
gnome-power-manager: Fatal IO error 11 (Recurso temporalmente no disponible) on X server localhost:11.0.
gnome-settings-daemon: Fatal IO error 11 (Recurso temporalmente no disponible) on X server localhost:11.0.
gnome-panel: Fatal IO error 11 (Recurso temporalmente no disponible) on X server localhost:11.0.

** (gnome-panel:13083): WARNING **: panel-applet-frame.c:1273: failed to load applet OAFIID:GNOME_ShowDesktopApplet:
System exception: IDL:omg.org/CORBA/COMM_FAILURE:1.0
canberra-gtk-play: Fatal IO error 11 (Recurso temporalmente no disponible) on X server localhost:11.0.
nautilus: Fatal IO error 0 (Éxito) on X server localhost:11.0.
polkit-gnome-authentication-agent-1: Fatal IO error 11 (Recurso temporalmente no disponible) on X server localhost:11.0.
bluetooth-applet: Fatal IO error 11 (Recurso temporalmente no disponible) on X server localhost:11.0.

and the world falls apart.

`sudo gconftool-2 --direct --config-source xml:readwrite:/etc/gconf/gconf.xml.mandatory --type string --set /desktop/gnome/session/required_components/windowmanager metacity`

works around the issue.

# LANG=C apt-cache policy gnome-session
gnome-session:
  Installed: 2.32.0-0ubuntu1
  Candidate: 2.32.0-0ubuntu1
  Version table:
 *** 2.32.0-0ubuntu1 0
        500 http://cl.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ maverick/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

Server (where the apps run) uses fglrx, and client (where the xserver runs) a humble chrome

[1447274.084] (--) fglrx(0): Chipset: "ATI Radeon HD 4200" (Chipset = 0x9710)
[ 1447.677] (--) CHROME(0): Detected VIA VT3122 (CLE266)-EPIA M/MII/.... Card-Ids (1106|3122)

at #ltsp they say it's a very common problem but no one reports the bug.

[GideonRomm (gideon)]

From the LTSP development side, if we could have:

1. A compiz script that returns true/false if the local client is compiz-capable AND
2. An environment variable to tell the server on the desktop NOT to use compiz (the inverse of SKIP_CHECKS)

We could resolve the bug on the LTSP client side.

[Alkis Georgopoulos (alkisg)]

I just saw that problem in a normal, non-LTSP installation with:
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: VIA Technologies, Inc. P4M890 [S3 UniChrome Pro] [1106:3343] (rev 02)
 Kernel modules: viafb

If it's a problem with the "detect if compiz can run on that card" code, then AFAIK it should be solved in gnome-wm or in compiz, not in LTSP.
If it's a problem with the UniChrome driver, then it should probably be forwarded there.

Attaching Xorg.0.log and glxinfo from the standalone Ubuntu installation.

[Alkis Georgopoulos (alkisg)]

glxinfo for the above openchrome card.

Btw to get past the login screen I replaced "gnome-wm" with "metacity" using gconftool-2 as specified in the first message.

[Alkis Georgopoulos (alkisg)]

I see that gnome-wm chooses compiz when `xdpyinfo` contains "Composite" , so I'm also attaching the output of xdpyinfo for that card that indeed contains "Composite".

So if "Composite" is enough to run compiz, maybe then it's a bug in the UniChrome module or in compiz itself?

[Alejandro Mery (amery)]

The error in the log on top is about "non power of two textures" support. I really doubt that is "required" for "Composite". from my PoV, gnome-wm is been lazy and greedy... and after all having good GL support will soon be a *requirement* to run Ubuntu.

[gcc (chris+ubuntu-qwirx)]

Same here. Works fine without compiz, but usually cannot log in with compiz enabled. Sometimes, randomly, it works and I can log in.

[gcc (chris+ubuntu-qwirx)]

The gconf2 command given in the bug description also fixes it for me:

sudo gconftool-2 --direct --config-source xml:readwrite:/etc/gconf/gconf.xml.mandatory --type string --set /desktop/gnome/session/required_components/windowmanager metacity

[Baiki (dot-baiki)]

Problem:
Installed LTSP on my Ubuntu Desktop 9.10 (December 2010). Installation succeeded wo/ any problems. Once LDM startet, only known users (before and during installation) are able to login. Users created after said installation aren't able to login. Even tough your sshd says all is fine with this user (sshd[5316]: Accepted password for test from 192.168.0.22 port 41780 ssh2). After seeing this users .xsession-errors log (located in his/hers home folder) file I saw this line:

gnome-settings-daemon: Fatal IO error 11 (Resource temporarily unavailable) on X server localhost:11.0.
aborting and using fallback: /usr/bin/metacity
Window manager error: Unable to open X display localhost:11.0

and I mentioned it to the freenode.net #ltsp channel and got following answer:
sudo gconftool-2 --direct --config-source xml:readwrite:/etc/gconf/gconf.xml.mandatory --type string --set /desktop/gnome/session/required_components/windowmanager metacity

Worked miracles for me (after spending days of reading all kind of stuff) LOL

No side effects. Just cool :-)

Thanks @ltspbot @alkisg from #ltsp

$ uname -a
Linux nilnull 2.6.31-22-generic #70-Ubuntu SMP Wed Dec 1 23:51:13 UTC 2010 i686 GNU/Linux

$ lspci -nn -k | grep -A 2 VGA
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: Intel Corporation Mobile GM965/GL960 Integrated Graphics Controller [8086:2a02] (rev 0c)
 Kernel driver in use: i915
 Kernel modules: i915

Transcript of IRC chat:
[12:16] <alkisg> !compiz
[12:16] <ltspbot> alkisg: "compiz" :: the default window manager in gnome is gnome-wm, which automatically chooses compiz if it thinks that the card supports it. Compiz is causing login problems to some clients (LP #673072). To disable it, see !disable_compiz. To restore it, see !restore_compiz
[12:16] <alkisg> baiki: this is probably your problem ^
[12:17] <alkisg> !disable_compiz
[12:17] <ltspbot> alkisg: "disable_compiz" :: To disable compiz, try: sudo gconftool-2 --direct --config-source xml:readwrite:/etc/gconf/gconf.xml.mandatory --type string --set /desktop/gnome/session/required_components/windowmanager metacity
[12:17] <alkisg> baiki: try this ^^^ and if it solves your problem, mention it in the bug report and also attach your ~/.xsession-errors there
[12:18] <alkisg> ...and your client graphics card model, with lspci -nn -k | grep -A 2 VGA
[12:53] <alkisg> The bug report is there: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gnome-session/+bug/673072
[12:55] <baiki> @alkisg: ok, will test today or tomorrow. thanks a lot!

.baiki

[Baiki (dot-baiki)]

Forgot to mention some specs from the HP t5530 Thin Client:
VIA S3 graphics with support for high-resolution monitors up to 1680 x 1050, or up to 32 bit
Graphics
Mode Refresh Rates Color Depth
800 x 600 60, 75, or 85 Hz 8, 16, or 32 bit
1024 x 768 60, 75, or 85 Hz 8, 16, or 32 bit
1280 x 1024 60, 75, or 85 Hz 8, 16, or 32 bit
1600 x 1200 60, 75, or 85 Hz 8, 16, or 32 bit
1600 x 1200 60 Hz 32 bit
1440 x 900 60 Hz 16 or 32 bit
1680 x 1050 60, 75, or 85 Hz 16 or 32 bit

FYI: Since my installation is not around the corner, I will supply soon the results of:
lspci -nn -k | grep -A 2 VGA
on one of the HP's.

.baiki

[Baiki (dot-baiki)]

And here the output from the HP t3350 Thin Client

$ lspci -nn -k | grep -A 2 VGA

01:00.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: VIA Technologies, Inc. CN700/P4M800 Pro/P4M800 CE/VN800 [S3 UniChrome Pro] [1106:3344] (rev 01)

.baiki