X session Startip Scripts break Xorg

[Barstow]

Hello all...

It would seem, within debian testing (squeeze) for me, using either .xinitrc or .xsession startup scripts prevents Xorg from starting...

I have two systems... both using i386 version of debian testing....

One that has had testing since lenny went gold (no login manager), the other with testing installed two days ago (also has Slim, simple login manager)...

And in both this problem persists....

To note I am using Awesome as a window manager...

The behavior seems to be, on the system without a login manager, to boot into Xorg, but it fails and you just sit at a blank screen with with the curser in the upper left blinking... going to tty 1 shows no error messages, Xorg.log only states:

Backtrace:
0: /usr/bin/X11/X(xorg_backtrace+0x3b) [0x81314cb]
1: /usr/bin/X11/X(xf86SigHandler+0x51) [0x80c1df1]
2: [0xb7f87400]
3: /usr/lib/libpixman-1.so.0 [0xb7f15386]
4: /usr/lib/libpixman-1.so.0 [0xb7edabb7]
5: /usr/lib/libpixman-1.so.0(pixman_fill+0x62) [0xb7f019b2]
6: /usr/lib/xorg/modules//libfb.so(fbFill+0x425) [0xb689f3e5]
7: /usr/lib/xorg/modules//libfb.so(fbPolyFillRect+0x1c4) [0xb689f644]
8: /usr/lib/xorg/modules/drivers//nvidia_drv.so [0xb6bfaab6]

Fatal server error:
Caught signal 11. Server aborting

In the other system... it just brings me back to the login manager... and looking over the Xorg.log file shows no error messages....

Can anyone else confirm this behavior?

[bluesdog]

Possibly X isn't loading correct graphics driver/module

Please provide graphics hardware system details, and output of

Code: Select all

cat /etc/X11/xorg.conf

[Barstow]

Possibly X isn't loading correct graphics driver/module

Please provide graphics hardware system details, and output of

Code: Select all

cat /etc/X11/xorg.conf

Sure...

# nvidia-xconfig: X configuration file generated by nvidia-xconfig
# nvidia-xconfig: version 1.0 (buildmeister@builder57) Thu Jun 25 19:52:48 PDT 2009


Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "Layout0"
Screen 0 "Screen0" 0 0
InputDevice "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
InputDevice "Mouse0" "CorePointer"
EndSection

Section "Files"
EndSection

Section "Module"
Load "dbe"
Load "extmod"
Load "type1"
Load "freetype"
Load "glx"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"

# generated from default
Identifier "Mouse0"
Driver "mouse"
Option "Protocol" "auto"
Option "Device" "/dev/psaux"
Option "Emulate3Buttons" "no"
Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"

# generated from default
Identifier "Keyboard0"
Driver "kbd"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Monitor0"
VendorName "Unknown"
ModelName "Unknown"
HorizSync 30.0 - 110.0
VertRefresh 50.0 - 150.0
Option "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "Device0"
Driver "nvidia"
VendorName "NVIDIA Corporation"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen0"
Device "Device0"
Monitor "Monitor0"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
EndSubSection
EndSection

However, I don't believe that is the problem...

This issue occurs, for both systems, even with an empty .xinitrc file...

[nigat]

Hi,i got the same problem and tried to reinstall Xorg package,but didn't work.

[bluesdog]

Fatal server error:
Caught signal 11. Server aborting

suggests xorg cannot load the correct driver/module, or an error in the syntax of /etc/X11/xorg.conf

I see nothing wrong with the /etc/X11/xorg.conf you posted, so we can eliminate that one.

There are other possibilities, but let's explore the simpler one first

What method was used to install the nvidia driver and module? Was it a Debian package, a binary/script from nVidia, or a custom module, (eg, using module-assistant)?

Check the output of:

Code: Select all

apt-cache policy nvidia-glx

apt-cache policy nvidia-kernel-source

and

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apt-cache policy nvidia-kernel-$(uname -r)

See if xserver will start using the plain-vanilla vesa driver.

First, save a backup of the existing /etc/X11/xorg.conf --

As root, do, for example:

Code: Select all

cp /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg_conf.backup

Still as root, edit /etc/X11/xorg.conf

Code: Select all

nano /etc/X11/xorg.conf

Make the edit in Section "Device" as shown:

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Section "Device"
    Identifier     "Device0"
    Driver     "vesa"
#    Driver         "nvidia"
    VendorName     "NVIDIA Corporation"
EndSection

Save the edited file <ctrl><o>.. <enter>
Exit nano <ctrl><x>

Restart the xserver from your user login

Code: Select all

startx

If that's successful, it suggests a problem with the nvidia driver/module.
If it fails, we'll explore further.

[Barstow]

What method was used to install the nvidia driver and module? Was it a Debian package, a binary/script from nVidia, or a custom module, (eg, using module-assistant)?.

I use the real Nvidia driver, non-debian one...

... If that's successful, it suggests a problem with the nvidia driver/module.
If it fails, we'll explore further.

Yes changing the diver from Nvidia to Vesa caused Xorg to fail, from the Xorg.log:

... (II) Loading extension DRI2
(II) LoadModule: "vesa"
(WW) Warning, couldn't open module vesa
(II) UnloadModule: "vesa"
(EE) Failed to load module "vesa" (module does not exist, 0)
(EE) No drivers available.

Fatal server error:
no screens found

Please consult the The X.Org Foundation support
at http://wiki.x.org
for help.
Please also check the log file at "/var/log/Xorg.0.log" for additional information.

However, doing this reminds me that after installing debian testing on the second computer, which was like about four days now (maybe five), I could not start X until i installed the Nvidia driver (both systems have a Nvidia video card)...

[bluesdog]

The vesa driver should work, unless of course it isn't there...

What is result of

Code: Select all

apt-cache policy xserver-xorg-video-vesa

If it's not there, you may want to install it simply as a backup, and to pull in any missing dependencies

Code: Select all

aptitude install xserver-xorg-video-vesa

~~~

Also, I suggest you remove the 'real' nVidia driver, (re-run the nvidia script with the '--uninstall' switch), and install using the Debian method. It's pretty much foolproof, and will work just fine unless your card is so bleeding edge it requires the latest and greatest...


There's a good nvidia how-to onsite, but basically you need the appropriate kernel headers, nvidia-kernel-source package, and module-assistant.

Once you install module-assistant, run it from the full-screen CLI:

Code: Select all

m-a prepare
m-a a-i nvidia

Once the process completes, the appropriate module will have been built and installed

Then do

Code: Select all

aptitude install nvidia-glx

And you should be good to go.

[Barstow]

Forgive my ignorance bluesdog, but I don't see how installing a vesa driver is going to help with the issue I have by Xorg not starting up with .xinitrc in my ~/, even when .xinitrc is empty...

And also.. the reason why that xorg problem occurred was because I was using .xinitrc to load, when I started X, into tremulous (a game that needs 3d aceleration, which btw doesn't work because something is borked with xorg... though I should try the debian drivers before I state that I guess , however, I shouldn't have to use the debian drivers to play the game - never had to in the past - and yes I'm ok with installing the nvidia driver after every kernel update/upgrade, really its not so hard... ).

And don't take this the wrong way... I'm grateful for your help... but you asked all the wrong questions .

Barstow

[Bulkley]

Forgive my ignorance bluesdog, but I don't see how installing a vesa driver is going to help with the issue I have by Xorg not starting up with .xinitrc in my ~/, even when .xinitrc is empty...

He's just trying to eliminate. Here's another experiment. Rename xorg.conf so that X can't read it and reboot. Generally, X will run as well, if not better, without xorg.conf. At least, it will in Squeeze. Much of what was handled by xorg.conf is now handled by xrandr.

BTW, my /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc looks like this:

Code: Select all

#!/bin/bash
# $Xorg: xinitrc.cpp,v 1.3 2000/08/17 19:54:30 cpqbld Exp $

# /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc
#
# global xinitrc file, used by all X sessions started by xinit (startx)

# invoke global X session script
. /etc/X11/Xsession

You should be able to operate without the .xinitrc in your home directory.

[penpen]

Forgive my ignorance bluesdog, but I don't see how installing a vesa driver is going to help with the issue I have by Xorg not starting up with .xinitrc in my ~/, even when .xinitrc is empty...

If it will work with vesa, that indicates a problem with the nvidia driver. Troubleshooting issues always includes a process of elimination, especially when the behavior seems somewhat nebulous.

[Barstow]

You should be able to operate without the .xinitrc in your home directory.

See yeah... that's the problem...

It works no problem without having .xinitrc in my home directory... it's when I put .xinitrc in ~/ that xorg refuses to work...

You do see the difference, right?

If it will work with vesa, that indicates a problem with the nvidia driver. Troubleshooting issues always includes a process of elimination, especially when the behavior seems somewhat nebulous.

Well knowing that there is nothing wrong with the Nvidia driver I went ahead to test this, you know just in case I was wrong...

And when loading the vesa diver xorg crashes, as noted by Xorg.log:

Backtrace:
0: /usr/bin/X11/X(xorg_backtrace+0x3b) [0x81314cb]
1: /usr/bin/X11/X(xf86SigHandler+0x51) [0x80c1df1]
2: [0xb7fdd400]
3: /usr/lib/xorg/modules//libshadow.so(shadowRemove+0x4e) [0xb6bb3f7e]
4: /usr/lib/xorg/modules//libshadow.so [0xb6bb4434]
5: /usr/bin/X11/X [0x80c58e7]
6: /usr/bin/X11/X [0x810f21c]
7: /usr/bin/X11/X [0x811b3cc]
8: /usr/bin/X11/X [0x8121b4c]
9: /usr/bin/X11/X [0x80c746e]
10: /usr/lib/xorg/modules/drivers//vesa_drv.so [0xb6d35b92]
11: /usr/bin/X11/X [0x80bf69b]
12: /usr/bin/X11/X [0x815c4eb]
13: /usr/bin/X11/X [0x80cd188]
14: /usr/bin/X11/X [0x80d1e03]
15: /usr/bin/X11/X [0x8147445]
16: /usr/bin/X11/X [0x8176a0c]
17: /usr/bin/X11/X [0x81412bb]
18: /usr/bin/X11/X(main+0x434) [0x8071c14]
19: /lib/i686/cmov/libc.so.6(__libc_start_main+0xe5) [0xb7c8db55]
20: /usr/bin/X11/X [0x8071051]

Fatal server error:
Caught signal 11. Server aborting


Please consult the The X.Org Foundation support
at http://wiki.x.org
for help.

Even with out the .xinitrc file in my ~/ Xorg still crashes...

But at least with vesa it shows the problem in Xorg.log, unlike Nvidia (that is when I have .xinitrc file in my ~/)...

So what now?

Barstow