gdm crashes with gdm_session_direct_set_environment_variable: assertion `value != NULL'

thank you for your bug report, could you add your /var/log/messages,syslog,Xorg.0.log to the bug after the crash?

If it happens again, I will attach the files.
What I've found for now, is this error in syslog just after a crash:
"gdm-simple-slave[5435]: CRITICAL:
gdm_session_direct_set_environment_variable: assertion `value != NULL'
failed"
I hope this helps, I will report back after another logout.

I had another crash, found the same error again in syslog.

login from gdm session is fine but after a random amount of time the session crashes when typing, happens no matter what app is being typed into at the time. if you start the session from a tty 'startx' then theres no problem, i can only assume its gdm related at the moment

amd64

gdm/karmic uptodate 2.26.1-0ubuntu2

attached /var/log/gdm logs

sorry, the last attachment of logs were the logs for the restarted gdm on crash hence the :1, its a sunday thing, i'm trying to generate proper logs at the moment

seems to be a few people with this problem, when it happens are other people always typing at the time?

Yes, I can confirm I am always typing when it occurs.

Dinxter schreef:
> sorry, the last attachment of logs were the logs for the restarted gdm
> on crash hence the :1, its a sunday thing, i'm trying to generate proper
> logs at the moment
>
> seems to be a few people with this problem, when it happens are other
> people always typing at the time?
>
>

I can confirm gdm kicks me out always when i hit enter when typing..
like typing a url, enter, *Receive a big boot on my but*........

I want to add a thing: you are kicked out only one time per session (in the sense that after the first time you are kicked out, you won't be kicked out again)

Yes, I'm typing, and just before I was going to save karmic logs me out.

Jerry

I've experienced this several times now.

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. Please try to obtain a backtrace following the instructions at http://wiki.ubuntu.com/DebuggingProgramCrash and upload the backtrace (as an attachment) to the bug report. This will greatly help us in tracking down your problem.

Happens to me too

I think I know why.

have attached the proper gdm logs, messages and syslog (* SESSION STARTED - 6 * lines are just my mark on starting a gnome session)
if its any help, gdm starts on tty1 and on crashing leaves a few lines of junk text on the console.

Fixed in bzr, updated patch sent to http://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=572765

This bug was fixed in the package gdm - 2.26.1-0ubuntu3

---------------
gdm (2.26.1-0ubuntu3) karmic; urgency=low

  * Add 03_hide_system_users.patch: Do not show system users in the "frequent
    users" list. (LP: #395281)
  * debian/rules: Call dh_installinit with --no-scripts, to avoid restarting
    gdm (and killing your X session) during upgrade. The prerm/postinst
    scripts already have code to reload gdm if appropriate. Unfortunately this
    doesn't help to fix the upgrade from 0ubuntu2, its prerm already kills it.
    (LP: #395302) This also fixes the "locks session and spawns a second X
    server" issue on upgrades from Jaunty. (LP: #395313)
  * Drop 16_correct_customconf_naming.patch: Upstream uses
    and installs /etc/gdm/custom.conf, so gdm also needs to read this. Add
    debian/gdm.preinst to migrate the old name to the new name on upgrades.
    (LP: #395861)
  * 02_dont_force_us_keyboard.patch: Don't return NULL in
    get_default_layout(), but return an empty string and explicitly check this
    when setting $GDM_KEYBOARD_LAYOUT. With NULL, gdm trips over an assertion
    check. (LP: #395595)

 -- Martin Pitt <email address hidden> Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:04:25 +0200

For me this upgrade does not fix the problem. I'm still logged out
when hitting the "enter" key, in some occasions.

Same for me with 2.26.1-0ubuntu3. This is what I found in syslog at the time of the last crash:

Jul 6 22:08:13 morryis-desktop kernel: [ 2504.183354] <6>compiz.real[3645]: segfault at 1 ip 08055a4c sp bff1e620 error 4 in compiz.real[8048000+39000]
Jul 6 22:08:13 morryis-desktop console-kit-daemon[2684]: WARNING: Unable to activate console: No such device or address
Jul 6 22:08:13 morryis-desktop console-kit-daemon[2684]: GLib-GObject-CRITICAL: g_object_unref: assertion `G_IS_OBJECT (object)' failed
Jul 6 22:08:13 morryis-desktop acpid: client 2879[0:0] has disconnected
J

That doesn't look like a gdm problem, though, if compiz is crashing. Could you enable apport:

 sudo force_start=1 /etc/init.d/apport start

then reproduce the crash, and file it though the crash handler? Thanks!

Compiz is probably not involved in this since my video card doesn't support Compiz. Visual effects = None. And I still see the problem.

just to add that i still get this random crashing too as before with latest gdm though i cant be sure gdm is the cause since it does seem to be random rather than reproducible. twice in about 5 minutes this morning, now i've enabled apport, attached to gdb and can't get the thing to crash! i've definitely been typing into something whenever its crashed though

just to add that i still get this random crashing too as before with latest gdm though i cant be sure gdm is the cause since it does seem to be random rather than reproducible. twice in about 5 minutes this morning, now i've enabled apport, attached to gdb and can't get the thing to crash! i've definitely been typing into something whenever its crashed though. (No compiz, just metacity without any compositing here)

The crash originally reported here was "gdm_session_direct_set_environment_variable: assertion `value != NULL'", which was fixed in -0ubuntu3.

Other "random logouts" are reported in bug 396226, but they might not be the same issue. So let's reopen this for now.

Please reproduce this and then tar up and attach /var/log/gdm/. Thanks!

tarred logs attached. seemed to only be able to reproduce this on first boot when X starts on tty1, when it crashes it restarts on 7. bug 396226 is exactly the problem i've been having so i'll move there if it isnt a duplicate of this one

OK, thanks; let's move to bug 396226 then, and close this again, since the original issue was fixed.