[SOLVED] Conky: too many interfaces used (limit is 64)

[DebbyIan]

Has anyone seen this error? Results in segfault after conky has been running for a while.

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conky: too many interfaces used (limit is 64)

[DebbyIan]

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conky.config = {
	out_to_console = true,
	out_to_x = false,
	background = false,
	update_interval = 4,
	update_interval_on_battery = 10,
	total_run_times = 0,
	use_spacer = 'none',
	override_utf8_locale = true,
-- 	font = -*-terminus2-medium-r-*-*-12-*-*-*-*-*-*-*,
	times_in_seconds = true,
	short_units = true,
-- 	format_human_readable = false
};

-- \\u2000 full space
-- \\u2001
-- ...
-- \\u2009
-- \\u200a
-- \\u200b 0-space

conky.text = [[
\\x03\\ue419 ${cpu cpu0}% (${top name 1}) \\ue418 $memperc% (${top_mem name 1}) \\ue3ab $swap \\u2000 \\x04/ ${fs_used_perc /}% /var ${fs_used_perc /var}% /home ${fs_used_perc /home}% /tmp ${fs_used_perc /tmp}% \\ue4a8 ${diskio_write nvme0n1} \\ue4a7 ${diskio_read nvme0n1} (${top_io name 1}) \\u2000 \\x05\\ue3dd ${wireless_essid wlp109s0} (${wireless_link_qual_perc wlp109s0}%) ${execpi 60 /usr/local/sh/ip}${if_up ppp0} \\ue4a8 ${downspeedf ppp0}K (${totaldown ppp0}) \\ue4a7 ${upspeedf ppp0}K (${totalup ppp0})$else \\ue4a8 ${downspeedf wlp109s0}K (${totaldown wlp109s0}) \\ue4a7 ${upspeedf wlp109s0}K (${totalup wlp109s0})$endif \\u2000 \\x06\\ue35d $battery_short ${format_time $battery_time "\hh \mm"} \\u2000 \\x07\\ue37f ${time %l:%M %a %d %b}
]];

[debiman]

the error message is pretty self-explanatory.
how are you starting conky? from within a script? please post it here.

[DebbyIan]

conky is being started in a script:

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(nice -n 19 conky -dc ~/.config/conkyrc/sys | while read LINE; do xsetroot -name "`echo -e $LINE`"; done)

[Bulkley]

Is the script a problem? Just as an experiment, try renaming it and inserting Conky into a startup file. Mine is in ~/.config/openbox/autostart.sh. That keeps it user only and only with Openbox. You can adapt to your situation. As I said, it is only an experiment; let us know how it works.

[DebbyIan]

The script isn't a problem. In fact, it's added to the .xsession file. The error results either way if run in .xsession or by hand at a shell terminal.

Looking at the Conky source this error message has something to do with netstat. So I'm thinking the term interfaces has something to do with network interfaces. The error doesn't occur in Debian 8 but it occurs in Ubuntu 16.04.

[Bulkley]

The error doesn't occur in Debian 8 but it occurs in Ubuntu 16.04.

Have you asked on either the Ubuntu forum or Conky forum?

Are you using cpufreqd? Is Conky trying to read something that is generating unlimited info? Have you tried to upgrade Conky?

[DebbyIan]

Have you asked on either the Ubuntu forum or Conky forum?

Are you using cpufreqd? Is Conky trying to read something that is generating unlimited info? Have you tried to upgrade Conky?

I haven't. I suppose I should ask in the Conky forum. This forum struck me as the immediate source of support for Debian related issues. This is the latest version of Conky 1.10.1. I'm not using cpufreqd either (not installed, not running).

Some additional output that I also received is:

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terminate called after throwing an instance of 'std::system_error'
  what():  Resource deadlock avoided

[Bulkley]

Understand that while many distributions, such as Ubuntu, are derived from Debian they are not Debian. Ubuntu, for example, changes many Debian configurations and builds packages in a different way. Also, it often combines packages that Debian would not. Consequently, it is better to confront Ubuntu problems on a Ubuntu forum, etc.

[DebbyIan]

So you haven't seen this issue then regardless of distro?

[Bulkley]

So you haven't seen this issue then regardless of distro?

No. I searched it but just suppositions. It goes away with upgrades of something.

[debiman]

where and how is the script executed?
is it its own script file, or does it occur inside some other file?

the brackets around it look fishy and/or pointless to me.

also, try running it without the "nice" bit. i don't see what the point of that should be, anyway.

[DebbyIan]

The line with xsetroot is executed in .xsession.
I've removed the brackets and have tried playing around with it but it hasn't made any difference. After an X amount of time conky segfaults.

BTW I have four other instances of Conky running but it's only this particular script which is failing.

[Head_on_a_Stick]

If this error only happens in an Ubuntu system would it not be better to continue this here:
https://forums.bunsenlabs.org/viewforum.php?id=19

@debiman is a member there also *waves to @ohnonot/ondoho/debiman* and we welcome queries from users of other operating systems.

These boards are for Debian, just as the Arch forums on which you also posted this query are solely for Arch, this thread does not belong here.

[DebbyIan]

Thanks for the pointer.

This is the server version of Ubuntu and it's basically Debian Stretch. Everything about this particular distro is modelled on Debian. Whilst I respect your views as well as those shortsighted Mods at Arch, this is really just a Conky issue. The new version of Conky which is 1.10 and which is also part of the Stable-Backports distribution is the exact same version used here.

I was curious if anyone had come across this issue. If not then that's fine too, just ignore the thread.

[GarryRicketson]

by DebbyIan »The error doesn't occur in Debian 8 but it occurs in Ubuntu 16.04.

by DebbyIan » this is really just a Conky issue.

I fail to understand the logic, if it works on Debian, then how is it a "Conky" issue, that
shows that the Conkey, or script is fine on Debian. It seems to me like
if this was a issue with conkey, then it would not work on Debian as well.

"it occurs in Ubuntu 16.04", Could it be possible it is a Ubuntu issue ?

But even if is a Conkey issue, it seems to me they would be the more appropriate
people to ask, maybe Ubuntu forums has a subforum for Ubuntu/Conkey ?

Since the error does not occur in Debian 8, it is obviously not a Debian issue, nor Conkey issue, but are working .

[Bulkley]

GarryRicketson, I think the problem is in the OP's ~/.conkyrc. In a mess like that it is easy to make a mistake. Configuring conkyrc is very much an individual effort; what you put in yours has a very high degree of not working on mine and vice versa. Copying a conkyrc off the Net without editing is asking for trouble. The way to do it is to start minimally and add bits testing after each change. One mistake can bury the whole thing.

When testing it is advisable to open conky with a terminal so as to see the error messages.

[GarryRicketson]

OK, thanks, that makes sense.
I don't have any Ubuntu installed, so I can not experiment with this, even on a VM,
but from what you are saying, even if I did, and I could get it to work on my computer or VM, it still might not work for the OP , on their machine.

The way to do it is to start minimally and add bits testing after each change.

This is a good method, even with other types of scripts or coding.
I have also used the reverse, start removing or commenting out "bits", until I find the
piece or line that is causing the problem.

[GarryRicketson]

OK, thanks, that makes sense.
I don't have any Ubuntu installed, so I can not experiment with this, even on a VM,
but from what you are saying, even if I did, and I could get it to work on my computer or VM, it still might not work for the OP , on their machine.

The way to do it is to start minimally and add bits testing after each change.

This is a good method, even with other types of scripts or coding.
I have also used the reverse, start removing or commenting out "bits", until I find the
piece or line that is causing the problem.
I probably should just be quiet though, I don't really know enough about this to say
anything.

[debiman]

the others basically said it already, but op really has to do some serious troubleshooting.

- just run

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conky -dc whateverconkyrc

- same error after X updates?

- remove things from the conkyrc until the error doesn't come anymore, than add things back in until it comes again

- what's witht he escaped unicode characters? is that really necessary? it outputs to console anyway?

=====================================================================================

edit:
i just tried that conky (without piping it to xsetroot). no collapse so far, but it is doing really weird things.
this is what its output looks like on my system after some sanitizing:

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\\x03\\ue419 5% (firefox-esr     ) \\ue418 58% (VirtualBox      ) \\ue3ab 0B 
\\u2000 \\x04/ 76% /var 76% /home 76% /tmp 
0% \\ue4a8 0B \\ue4a7 0B (sleep           ) \\u2000 \\x05\\ue3dd \\ue4a8 16.3K (73.9M) \\ue4a7 0.6K (6.57M) \\u2000 \\x06\\ue35d 
\\u2000 \\x07\\ue37f 10:44 Sun 28 
Aug

is it supposed to pipe that to xsetroot???

edit2:
ok this has been running for ~30min now, no crashes, no error messages.
conky 1.10.4_pre (albeit on archlinux, sorry, no backports on my debian box)

@debiman is a member there also *waves to @ohnonot/ondoho/debiman* and we welcome queries from users of other operating systems.

heh, i guess that was inevitable.
cheers!