XFCE - collaboration thread to produce a Porteus module

Here is a place for your projects which are not officially supported by the Porteus Team. For example: your own kernel patched with extra features; desktops not included in the standard ISO like Gnome; base modules that are different than the standard ISO, etc...
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francois
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Re: XFCE - collaboration thread to produce a Porteus module

Post#76 by francois » 20 Dec 2011, 20:00

Bug reproduced on the same box with another download of your xfce i486 beta 3 module. I made it simple and just rebooted a few times without any modification of the environment.

After a few boots.
. I do not get no more into the X environment. A cli login is proposed. There is an error message before the login:
Starting up X11 session manage Slim: another instance is already PID 5478.

Using login: root, password: toor and startx will let me in X, but within kde. Is there anyway that I could from the cli into xfce so to give you the log files?
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Re: XFCE - collaboration thread to produce a Porteus module

Post#77 by Ahau » 20 Dec 2011, 20:27

You can either copy the logs through kde, or run (from the commandline) xwmconfig, select xfce.xinitrc, then run startx to start xfce.

I'm curious about this -- you're somehow up to 5k+ PID's, when normally I only have half that when entering xfce... Also, I've tried copying the slim.lock file into my rootcopy to force it to think there's another instance of SLiM running, but it is smarter than I am (it knows it's a stale lock file, removes it, and starts up), so there is something else going on....

Thank you so much for continuing to test!

Posted after 3 minutes 3 seconds:
Edit: Something to try, that I just found on an arch message board:

Try deleting the contents of ~/.cache/sessions/ .It fixes some issues with xfce sessions.

from: https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=119470

Posted after 14 minutes 4 seconds:
Also, the next time this happens, before entering any commands to log in to a graphical environment, please run this:

ps aux >> /mnt/sdXY/xfce-processes.txt
ps -ejH >> /mnt/sdXY/xfce-pstree.txt

where sdXY is a mounted hard drive

And load the contents of that file to pastebin as well. That should help me sort out if SLiM is already running and what started it.

Thanks!!
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Re: XFCE - collaboration thread to produce a Porteus module

Post#78 by francois » 20 Dec 2011, 21:26

My pleasure to do something for your nice initiative. :)

1)After last post, without doing anything xfce just booted right thru.
2)Nonetheless I deleting the contents of ~/.cache/sessions/.
3) I was able to reboot twice into xfce without problem
4) hangup in cli mode and as demanded performed:
ps aux >> /mnt/sdXY/xfce-processes.txt
ps -ejH >> /mnt/sdXY/xfce-pstree.txt
5) Here are the desired output:
xfce_processes.txt:
http://pastebin.com/yTxYxMRE

xfce_ps-tree.txt:
http://pastebin.com/F9KD9WNj
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Re: XFCE - collaboration thread to produce a Porteus module

Post#79 by Ahau » 20 Dec 2011, 22:07

Thank you very much :) It doesn't look like slim is running, when it's telling you that it already is...so something is up.

If you don't mind indulging me with a little bit more of your valuable time...please peform the following:

With saved changes active (or by placing the edited file in your rootcopy), please modify the file /etc/lxdm/lxdm.conf. One of the lines near the top is '# session=/usr/bin/startxlde'. please uncomment that line and modify it to read: 'session=/usr/bin/startxfce4'. Then, instead of booting with 'toroot xfce changes=/...', please boot with 'toroot lxde changes=/...'.

This will boot you into xfce.

What you are doing is using the 'lxde' cheatcode to tell porteus to start lxdm when it enters init 4, but you've told lxdm to boot xfce instead of the typical lxde. Give that a few reboots and see if you have troubles. I'm trying to narrow down whether or not this is an issue with SLiM, or if there is a larger problem elsewhere. If you don't have any problems with this setup, then I will replace SLiM with lxdm, gdm, lightdm (which I can't seem to get to configure properly for the time being), cdm or any other damn dm that will boot the sucker :wink:

Posted after 29 minutes 8 seconds:
One more thing to try (after a brief mchat discussion with fanthom):

Edit the file /etc/slim.conf to direct the lock file to /var/run/slim.pid instead of /var/run/slim.lock (this is towards the bottom of slim.conf). Linuxrc searches for and removes old .pid files, and perhaps this will do the trick.

Thanks, once again!
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Re: XFCE - collaboration thread to produce a Porteus module

Post#80 by francois » 21 Dec 2011, 03:31

A. Modifications as requested:
1) session=/usr/bin/startxfce4 in file /etc/lxdm/lxdm.conf
2) toroot lxde changes=/ is written to menu.lst
3) file /etc/slim.conf in file /etc/slim.conf

After rebooting 6 times, there is no error message.

**bug? However, the reboot function in the xfce panel is lost at logout. You have to go thru thru an intermediate login manager.

B. The cherished clavier canadien francais:
. installed thru properties after a left click on the american flag.
. choosed english canada - multilingual
. after reboot the canadian flag is there

After rebooting the changes for the multilingual (english-canadian french) keyboard are still there.

C. Transparency and favorite wallpaper

I adjust transparency of the panel and install my favorite wallpaper Ohio skies borrowed from debian xfce wallpapers (they really have a nice range)

I am at home good nite. I will use it tomorrow at the office for my day to day work.

In conclusion the only anomaly would be (if it is one for you):
**bug? However, the reboot function in the xfce panel is lost at logout. You have to go thru thru an intermediate login manager.

Thanks a lot Ahau and Fanthom.
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Re: XFCE - collaboration thread to produce a Porteus module

Post#81 by Ahau » 21 Dec 2011, 07:12

francois, that is music to my ears! Thank you!

I still have one more request of you, my apologies yet again... I wasn't very clear in my last post. Please try once again using the 'xfce' cheatcode instead of lxde, but still pointing the slim lock file to /var/run/slim.pid in /etc/slim.conf. Since you have been using lxdm instead of slim, this final element has not been tested.

Thank you, once again, for your time and patience!

P.S. the missing logout button is a bug, probably to do with the configuration of lxdm or something similar. I'll look into it, but it won't be necessary if using slim with /var/run/slim.pid is successful.

Posted after 22 minutes 45 seconds:
EDIT: Yep, a consolekit session isn't starting up with lxdm.
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Re: XFCE - collaboration thread to produce a Porteus module

Post#82 by francois » 21 Dec 2011, 18:18

Trying with xfce cheatcode.

xfce seems less robust and stable than kde in terms of wifi functioning. Is this an illusion or is it really a possibility?
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Re: XFCE - collaboration thread to produce a Porteus module

Post#83 by Ahau » 21 Dec 2011, 18:56

What application are you using to manage your wifi connection? It should be the same as through the standard version (either wpa_supplicant via pns_tool or wicd)... but I'll attest to the fact that midori in particular seems to hang at times when you ask it to load a web page -- you would expect some kind of notification (i.e. an activity indicator), and it just sort of sits there without moving for a bit before loading the content. If you are running firefox, it ought to run the same as it does under kde/lxde...if not, please let me know.

Btw, midori just released a new minor version, 0.4.3. I've downloaded the source and will include that in the next apps module, maybe it will have some improvements/fixes for us :)
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Re: XFCE - collaboration thread to produce a Porteus module

Post#84 by Hamza » 21 Dec 2011, 20:22

@Ahau,
You should know this..in his ps output..there is wpa_supplicant :P
NjVFQzY2Rg==

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Re: XFCE - collaboration thread to produce a Porteus module

Post#85 by Ahau » 21 Dec 2011, 21:02

@Hamza, you have me there :)

@francois, there may be other factors contributing to a less responsive network -- the most likely culprit would be the avahi daemons. If you would like to see how things change without them, run '/etc/rc.d/init.d/avahi.sh stop' and that will kill them.
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Re: XFCE - collaboration thread to produce a Porteus module

Post#86 by francois » 21 Dec 2011, 21:02

@Ahau:
1) xfce cheatcode:

The reboot function in the xfce panel is lost at logout. I have to go thru thru an intermediate login manager, which does not even permit logout. I have to to close the computer mechanically using the poweroff button.

2) wifi to come (I have to reread your comments and those of hamza
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Re: XFCE - collaboration thread to produce a Porteus module

Post#87 by Ahau » 21 Dec 2011, 21:09

Thank you, francois, you should always be able to logout from the command line, as root, running 'halt' or 'shutdown'. If those are missing, you've got really big problems :D (yes, I've been there).

That said, please try using the xfce cheatcode with the modifications to /etc/slim.conf (pointing it to set the lockfile to /var/run/slim.pid), and run that with a clean changes directory, so the evils I have thus far inflicted on your poor changes folder don't affect our scientific evaluation of the problem at hand ;)
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Re: XFCE - collaboration thread to produce a Porteus module

Post#88 by francois » 21 Dec 2011, 22:05

1) Edit the file /etc/slim.conf to direct the lock file to /var/run/slim.pid instead of /var/run/slim.lock
Same issue at logout:
The reboot function in the xfce panel is lost at logout. I have to go thru thru an intermediate login manager, which does not even permit logout. I have to to close the computer mechanically using the poweroff button.
From X environment, I usually use poweroff or reboot. But usually this results in the loss of changes. I did not knew that halt or shutdown would do any better. Is that true?

2) performed:
/etc/rc.d/init.d/avahi.sh stop

This seems to work very well unless the timing to get the line was good. After a few try to get into othe website, it seems that it was low probability. I just hit the tail of the normal curve. The trick does not work.

Posted after 2 minutes 51 second:
1) Edit the file /etc/slim.conf to direct the lock file to /var/run/slim.pid instead of /var/run/slim.lock
Same issue at logout:
The reboot function in the xfce panel is lost at logout. I have to go thru thru an intermediate login manager, which does not even permit logout. I have to to close the computer mechanically using the poweroff button.
From X environment, I usually use poweroff or reboot. But usually this results in the loss of changes. I did not knew that halt or shutdown would do any better. Is that true?

2) performed:
/etc/rc.d/init.d/avahi.sh stop

This seems to work very well unless the timing to get the line was good. After a few try to get into othe website, it seems that it was low probability. I just hit the tail of the normal curve. The trick does not work.
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Re: XFCE - collaboration thread to produce a Porteus module

Post#89 by Ahau » 22 Dec 2011, 00:18

Using halt or reboot should not affect your saved changes.

Now, I find this incredibly weird -- I put porteus-xfce on a different flash drive, formatted in ext2, and when I choose restart from the xfce menu, the screen flashes briefly to the CLI login screen, then to the SLiM login screen; hangs there for about 5 seconds, flashes the X cursor in front of a blank background, then goes back to the CLI login screen and then shuts down as normal. I can't get this behavior to repeat on my ext4 drive.

Francois, if by 'intermediate login manager' you mean the blue screen with a porteus logo that says 'Login' in large white letters, then this is the SLiM login screen. It's not explained well, but if you type 'restart' or 'shutdown' there and then enter your password, it should restart for you.

I am thoroughly confused by this and will continue testing.
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Re: XFCE - collaboration thread to produce a Porteus module

Post#90 by francois » 22 Dec 2011, 03:13

1) same computer with xfce at home plugged thru wire. Everything functions very fine.
2) I don't know exactly where you want me to issue the command shutdown or restart, but at login: restart or shutdown with my password toor does not make a change. I don't know if the fact that I have the toroot cheatcode makes a difference.
3)/root/.config/autostart with a script to word dual display will not work:
Script for dualdisplay:

Code: Select all

xrandr --output LVDS1 --mode 1366x768 --output VGA1 --mode 1920x1080 --right-of LVDS1
I have to execute it by clicking on it. For a reason or another /root/.config/autostart does not work. As I have the dualdisplay script in /root/.kde3/, may be there is another autostart folder for lxde?

Posted after 8 minutes 16 seconds:
3) partial false alarm with the wifi. It works very fine at home. The link is partially good at the office. Though I still have the impression the the kde setting is doing a better job. You are the one to judge if we should go further on the topic.

Posted after 6 minutes 17 seconds:
4) there is a bizarre behavior of popup windows. Instead of poping over the existing layer of popedup windows some popup under the other ones. This does not happen all the time. I will try to understand in which circumstances this does happen. Just trying to give you an example, I was not able to recreate the event.

5) I am no more able to access the multilingual canadian keyboard by clicking left on the american flag. Bizarre.

Posted after 46 seconds:
At some point I wonder if I am not being mentally ill.
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