Pulseaudio fails to run when system's language is in certain non-English locales

[sotiris papadimitriou]

Changing the System Language in Greek resulted in the corruption of the sound in the entire system. This happened when the latest updates applied and after a reboot.

I have attempted a new installation in Greek getting the latest ISO image and the problem exists there as well.

If I go back (turn the system) to the English Language and reboot the problem disappears.

I have also tested another Language (Russian Localization) but the problem does not occur.

How to reproduce:
Apply the latest updates and install the Greek language packages (language-pack-el , language-pack-el-base).
Choose Greek as the system's language and reboot.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 15.04
Package: pulseaudio 1:6.0-0ubuntu5
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.19.0-14.14-generic 3.19.3
Uname: Linux 3.19.0-14-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.17.1-0ubuntu2
Architecture: amd64
AudioDevicesInUse: Error: command ['fuser', '-v', '/dev/snd/hwC1D0', '/dev/snd/pcmC1D0c', '/dev/snd/pcmC1D0p', '/dev/snd/controlC1', '/dev/snd/hwC0D0', '/dev/snd/pcmC0D8p', '/dev/snd/by-path', '/dev/snd/pcmC0D7p', '/dev/snd/pcmC0D3p', '/dev/snd/controlC0', '/dev/snd/timer', '/dev/snd/seq'] failed with exit code 1:
CurrentDesktop: Unity
Date: Fri Apr 17 09:48:39 2015
InstallationDate: Installed on 2015-04-15 (1 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 15.04 "Vivid Vervet" - Beta amd64 (20150415)
SourcePackage: pulseaudio
Symptom: audio
Symptom_Card: HDA-Intel - HDA Intel PCH
Symptom_Jack: Speaker, Internal
Title: [SVF1532X1EB, Realtek ALC233, Speaker, Internal] Pulseaudio fails to detect card
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 09/19/2014
dmi.bios.vendor: Insyde Corp.
dmi.bios.version: R1080DB
dmi.board.asset.tag: N/A
dmi.board.name: VAIO
dmi.board.vendor: Sony Corporation
dmi.board.version: N/A
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: N/A
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: Sony Corporation
dmi.chassis.version: N/A
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnInsydeCorp.:bvrR1080DB:bd09/19/2014:svnSonyCorporation:pnSVF1532X1EB:pvrC10KBNMG:rvnSonyCorporation:rnVAIO:rvrN/A:cvnSonyCorporation:ct10:cvrN/A:
dmi.product.name: SVF1532X1EB
dmi.product.version: C10KBNMG
dmi.sys.vendor: Sony Corporation

[Raymond (superquad-vortex2)]

Απρ 17 08:28:12 hostname pulseaudio[952]: [pulseaudio] module-alsa-card.c: Failed to parse ignore_dB argument.
Απρ 17 08:28:12 hostname pulseaudio[952]: [pulseaudio] module.c: Failed to load module "module-alsa-card" (argument: "device_id="0" name="pci-0000_00_03.0" card_name="alsa_card.pci-0000_00_03.0" namereg_fail=false tsched=ναι fixed_latency_range=όχι ignore_dB=όχι deferred_volume=ναι use_ucm=ναι card_properties="module-udev-detect.discovered=1""): initialization failed.
Απρ 17 08:28:12 hostname pulseaudio[952]: [pulseaudio] module-alsa-card.c: Failed to parse ignore_dB argument.
Απρ 17 08:28:12 hostname pulseaudio[952]: [pulseaudio] module.c: Failed to load module "module-alsa-card" (argument: "device_id="1" name="pci-0000_00_1b.0" card_name="alsa_card.pci-0000_00_1b.0" namereg_fail=false tsched=ναι fixed_latency_range=όχι ignore_dB=όχι deferred_volume=ναι use_ucm=ναι card_properties="module-udev-detect.discovered=1""): initialization failed.
Απρ 17 08:28:12 hostname pulseaudio[1021]: [pulseaudio] pid.c: Daemon already running.

strange that those parameters are localised

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[Manos Sarris (emmsarris)]

Actually it does not concern only realtek but my intel hd audio card too. Thanks for the workaround...

[N1ck 7h0m4d4k15 (nick-athens30)]

This .po file seems to work without problems.

Compile the file to pulseaudio.mo and move it to /usr/share/locale-langpack/el/LC_MESSAGES/

$ msgfmt -o pulseaudio.mo -v ~/Downloads/el.po
$ sudo mv /usr/share/locale-langpack/el/LC_MESSAGES/pulseaudio.mo ~/pulseaudio.mo.bad
$ sudo mv ~/pulseaudio.mo /usr/share/locale-langpack/el/LC_MESSAGES/
$ sudo reboot

[N1ck 7h0m4d4k15 (nick-athens30)]

Right click and save as el.po

Then proceed with the instructions above (comment #6).

[Nick Bagios (nickbagi)]

It works for me with solution of NickTh (Kubuntu 15.04) thank you

[N1ck 7h0m4d4k15 (nick-athens30)]

Further testing I've made showed different results.
I've downloaded the source code of pulseaudio in Vivid

$ apt-get source pulseaudio

then I compiled the pulseaudio-6.0/po/el.po , WITHOUT change anything and I replaced the pulseaudio.mo with the new compiled pulseaudio.mo.

Guess what, audio works.

So, maybe something is going on with the Machine Object file and has nothing to do with translation ?

[Simos Xenitellis  (simosx)]

The relevant message in /var/log/syslog is:

Apr 20 14:03:45 user-laptop pulseaudio[1661]: [pulseaudio] module.c: Failed to load module "module-alsa-card" (argument: "device_id="0" name="pci-0000_00_1b.0" card_name="alsa_card.pci-0000_00_1b.0" namereg_fail=false tsched=ναι fixed_latency_range=όχι ignore_dB=όχι deferred_volume=ναι use_ucm=ναι card_properties="module-udev-detect.discovered=1""): initialization failed.

What is says here is that "insmod" (or similar) was called with parameters like "tsched=ναι", and failed.

"git blame" says:
d806b197 src/pulsecore/core-util.h (poljar (Damir Jelić) 2013-06-27 19:28:09 +0200 92) static inline const char *pa_yes_no(bool b) {
cd13fb36 src/pulsecore/core-util.h (Tanu Kaskinen 2014-03-24 09:17:53 +0200 93) return b ? _("yes") : _("no");

which means that about a year ago a change was made to make yes/no localisable.

A quick fix is to make pa_yes_no() non-localisable again.

[Robie Basak (racb)]

Sounds like sound is broken for everyone when in certain locales? That'll be Importance: High then.

[David Henningsson (diwic)]

I've tested and uploaded a fix now, it's waiting for an archive admin to approve. Thanks to all of you who helped reporting / triaging / analysing this issue, in this case it was just a matter of packaging up Simos patch, test and upload.

[David Henningsson (diwic)]

We currently use pa_yes_no to write module arguments, so they can not be
localised. Instead add a new pa_yes_no_localised function and use it in pactl
(and thus, revert all other places to use the non-localised version).

BugLink: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/pulseaudio/+bug/1445358
Signed-off-by: David Henningsson <email address hidden>
---
 src/pulsecore/core-util.h | 4 ++++
 src/utils/pactl.c | 20 ++++++++++----------
 2 files changed, 14 insertions(+), 10 deletions(-)

diff --git a/src/pulsecore/core-util.h b/src/pulsecore/core-util.h
index dcdc40e..d5a2d39 100644
--- a/src/pulsecore/core-util.h
+++ b/src/pulsecore/core-util.h
@@ -90,6 +90,10 @@ int pa_parse_boolean(const char *s) PA_GCC_PURE;
 int pa_parse_volume(const char *s, pa_volume_t *volume);

 static inline const char *pa_yes_no(bool b) {
+ return b ? "yes" : "no";
+}
+
+static inline const char *pa_yes_no_localised(bool b) {
     return b ? _("yes") : _("no");
 }

diff --git a/src/utils/pactl.c b/src/utils/pactl.c
index a13c7fb..d6791d4 100644
--- a/src/utils/pactl.c
+++ b/src/utils/pactl.c
@@ -196,7 +196,7 @@ static void get_server_info_callback(pa_context *c, const pa_server_info *i, voi
              pa_context_get_server(c),
              pa_context_get_protocol_version(c),
              pa_context_get_server_protocol_version(c),
- pa_yes_no(pa_context_is_local(c)),
+ pa_yes_no_localised(pa_context_is_local(c)),
              pa_context_get_index(c),
              pa_context_get_tile_size(c, NULL));

@@ -302,7 +302,7 @@ static void get_sink_info_callback(pa_context *c, const pa_sink_info *i, int is_
            pa_sample_spec_snprint(s, sizeof(s), &i->sample_spec),
            pa_channel_map_snprint(cm, sizeof(cm), &i->channel_map),
            i->owner_module,
- pa_yes_no(i->mute),
+ pa_yes_no_localised(i->mute),
            pa_cvolume_snprint_verbose(cv, sizeof(cv), &i->volume, &i->channel_map, i->flags & PA_SINK_DECIBEL_VOLUME),
            pa_cvolume_get_balance(&i->volume, &i->channel_map),
            pa_volume_snprint_verbose(v, sizeof(v), i->base_volume, i->flags & PA_SINK_DECIBEL_VOLUME),
@@ -409,7 +409,7 @@ static void get_source_info_callback(pa_context *c, const pa_source_info *i, int
            pa_sample_spec_snprint(s, sizeof(s), &i->sample_spec),
            pa_channel_map_snprint(cm, sizeof(cm), &i->channel_map),
            i->owner_module,
- pa_yes_no(i->mute),
+ pa_yes_no_localised(i->mute),
            pa_cvolume_snprint_verbose(cv, sizeof(cv), &i->volume, &i->channel_map, i->flags & PA_SOURCE_DECIBEL_VOLUME),
            pa_cvolume_get_balance(&i->volume, &i->channel_map),
            pa_volume_snprint_verbose(v, sizeof(v), i->base_volume, i->flags & PA_SOURCE_DECIBEL_VOLUME),
@@ -578,8 +578,8 @@ static void get_card_info_callback(pa_context *c, const pa_card_info *i, int is_

         printf(_("\tProfiles:\n"));
         for (p = i->profiles2; *p; p++)
- printf("\t\t%s: %s (sinks: %u, sources: %u, priority: %u, available: %s)\n", (*p)->name,
- (*p)->description, (*p)->n_sinks, (*p)->n_sources, (*p)->priority, pa_yes_no((*p)-...

[Tanu Kaskinen (tanuk)]

On Mon, 2015-04-20 at 17:41 +0200, David Henningsson wrote:
> We currently use pa_yes_no to write module arguments, so they can not be
> localised. Instead add a new pa_yes_no_localised function and use it in pactl
> (and thus, revert all other places to use the non-localised version).
>
> BugLink: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/pulseaudio/+bug/1445358
> Signed-off-by: David Henningsson <email address hidden>
> ---
> src/pulsecore/core-util.h | 4 ++++
> src/utils/pactl.c | 20 ++++++++++----------
> 2 files changed, 14 insertions(+), 10 deletions(-)

Looks good to me.

--
Tanu

[Ubuntu Foundations Team Bug Bot (crichton)]

The attachment "Make pa_yes_no() non-localisable." seems to be a patch. If it isn't, please remove the "patch" flag from the attachment, remove the "patch" tag, and if you are a member of the ~ubuntu-reviewers, unsubscribe the team.

[This is an automated message performed by a Launchpad user owned by ~brian-murray, for any issues please contact him.]

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package pulseaudio - 1:6.0-0ubuntu6

---------------
pulseaudio (1:6.0-0ubuntu6) vivid; urgency=medium

  * debian/patches/0099-pa-yes-no.patch:
    - Fix pulseaudio failure to load in some non-English
    locales (LP: #1445358)
 -- David Henningsson <email address hidden> Mon, 20 Apr 2015 16:19:10 +0200