GDM fails to start

Also confirming this issue.
In my 64-bit Natty with NVidia 285GTX and nvidia-current the gdm failure does not happen every time.
Still, I experience this bug perhaps once every five start ups.

For determining whether the cause is the upstart change or the patches, can you please replace /etc/init/gdm.conf with

http://bazaar.launchpad.net/~ubuntu-desktop/gdm/ubuntu/download/308/gdm.upstart-20090908222224-vvx39yazv82iznd9-1/gdm.upstart?start_revid=308

and check if it still happens? I suspect it's a subtle breakage in the upstart job. Thanks!

This bug affects me when running on Dell D630, but not running on Dell E4310 (My ubuntu runs from a USB hard disk)

I also confirm that replacing /etc/init/gdm.conf by the file provided in comment #3 by Martin corrected the issue.

A temporarily solution while waiting bug is corrected, try to log in
terminal with Ctrl + Alt + F1, and then run command

sudo service gdm start

It seems to work (not tested for the moment on Natty 64 / my computer)

On 16/03/2011 11:41, cedric wrote:
>
> This bug affects me when running on Dell D630, but not running on Dell
> E4310 (My ubuntu runs from a USB hard disk)
>

seems to be due to the fix for bug #436936 then

I replaced /etc/init/gdm.conf with the old upstart job (as requested in comment #3) and gdm starts. Therefore this bug is a breakage in the upstart job.

I can reproduce it everytime, with the variant that if on first I don't start x, gdm start is rejected, once gdm is started no unity available, only background, starting another session i can have panels only on gnome classical

It's looking like the change I made for bug 436936 might be the culprit, but I am unable to recreate this issue at present.

Please could follow the steps below to run Upstart in debug mode:

1. Hold down SHIFT key before the splash screen appears (this will then display the grub menu).
2. Type, "e" to edit the default kernel command-line.
3. Use the arrow keys to go to the end of the line which starts "linux /boot/vmlinuz ...".
4. Press END key (or use arrows) to go to end of the line.
5. Add a space followed by "--debug" (note the two dashes).
6. Press CONTROL+x to boot with this modified kernel command line.

This will tell upstart to log debug info to /var/log/syslog. So, once you can login, please run this:

  grep init: /var/log/syslog |gzip -9 > /tmp/bug-735805-syslog.txt.gz

And then attach that file to this bug.

It would also be useful if you could also attach a copy of your udev log:

  gzip -9 -c /var/log/udev > /tmp/bug-735805-udev.txt.gz

Thanks in advance.

this is reproduced on two systems with today's updates

@Fabio - two out of how many systems? Is it consistently reproducible for those two systems?

On my system it is constantly reproducible. Attached the requested log files.

I logged into tty1 and ran "sudo start gdm". Attached the same log after the GDM login.

@James, for the first system i make it working rewriting grub (but I want to switch them many times to evaluate), for the second it works with gdm.conf replacing, but not rewriting grub
two systems of two (intel)
Fabio

switch/switch off

Bug also reproductible at each start, on Ubuntu Natty 64 bits updated.

Command "sudo service gdm start" in console mode works, launches GDM and
normal session.

Well reproducible by me on the first computer too, so it is not a grub issue but how explained at #2 happens not every boot.

It's looking like the problem may be with the runlevel test here:

    31 if [ "$curr" = S -o "$prev" = unknown ]
    32 then
    33 # Single-user mode
    34 plymouth quit || :
    35 exit 0
    36 fi

I've attached a version of /etc/init/gdm.conf that changes that "if" test on line 31 to:

    31 if [ "$curr" = S ]
    32 then
    33 # Single-user mode
    34 plymouth quit || :
    35 exit 0
    36 fi

Please could you test this and let me know if you can still recreate the problem.

Thanks in advance.

That change fixes the bug for me.

@Benjamin: thanks for testing! Could you also confirm that if you boot to recovery mode (single user mode) that once you've at a shell, running "telinit 2" displays gdm as expected?

When I boot to recovery mode, gdm is started. That's not the behavior that I expect from the recovery mode.

@Benjamin: ok - I think that's why I added the "unknown" check which clearly caused problems for some systems. The change below *should* stop gdm from starting in recovery mode:

    31 if [ "$curr" = S -o -z "`echo $UPSTART_EVENTS|egrep -o "\<runlevel\>"`" ]
    32 then
    33 # Single-user mode
    34 plymouth quit || :
    35 exit 0
    36 fi

This change prevents gdm from starting in recovery mode, but sadly also in the normal mode.

I've reopened bug #735805

This bug was fixed in the package gdm - 2.32.0-0ubuntu11

---------------
gdm (2.32.0-0ubuntu11) natty; urgency=low

  * debian/gdm.upstart: revert recent update it has issues and break gdm on
    quite some configurations (lp: #735805)
 -- Sebastien Bacher <email address hidden> Wed, 16 Mar 2011 18:00:32 +0100

You reopen bug #436936 and not this bug. ;)

right, copy error, thanks for pointing it ;-)

Confirmed gdm (2.32.0-0ubuntu11) natty fixed my Natty today. Very very quickly fixed.

If those who experienced this problem could help with testing a fix for bug 436936, I have attached a new gdm.conf to bug 436936. Thanks very much!

Glance, if at you such problem, here Bug #736018. To me has helped, I will be glad if will help you))