Remastersys and Jaunty?

[drbongo]

 

Hi Frag,

I just wondered what your approach was going to be in regard to the forthcoming release of Jaunty? Will you be talking a proactive or passive approach - i.e. are you going to have a play with jaunty yourself and make any necessary changes or updates - or are you going to wait for users to experiment and post new bugs and/or solutions etc. I am hoping to make one more release of Vinux (1.5) based on Intrepid, and I want to see how jaunty behaves before changing to that, but obviously the compatibility of remastersys will be a major consideration in making this decision. i.e. if remastersys doesn't support jaunty then I won't be moving to it period. I do hope in the long run to switch to Debian as a base but it may be a while before this is feasible.

penny for your thoughts?

drbongo 

[fragadelic]

I'm assuming folks have used it already and it works fine at this point.  I haven't tried it myself though and i usually don't until they have released the final stable version.  This is how I have done it all along for ubuntu.

I am waiting to hear about it though before working on the server/cli only version.

[drbongo]

I think you are wise to wait for the final release before making any changes (if any are needed), I always take the same approach, I will not even bother to download it until the final version is released, and even then I usually wait for a few weeks to allow any major bugs to be ironed out etc.

drbongo

[kelscmi]

I'm running Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty final release currently.  I have remastersys version 2.0.12-1 which was installed via SPM using http://www.geekconnection.org/remastersys/repository added into 3P software.  I have used the program before under 8.04 and 8.1, but for some reason iso created using Jaunty does not work.  After creating the backup, used both backup and dist options, I've used the iso file via virtualbox and can not get the software to load.  It will start and give me the load options and even process thru the status bar, but after that the screen will mess up.  Thinking there might be a problem with virtualbox, I burned the iso to a dvd and ended up with the same results on my desktop and laptop. 
I have been able to use the program in the past with other Ubuntu releases, so I know the quality of Remastersys.  I don't know what could be going wrong between Jaunty and the current version. 
Has anyone had similar issues?
Additionally, by the screen messing up I mean that the screen will have multi-colored bars running up and down and there will be about 5 ubuntu status bar pix-elated on the screen.  I have attempted to wait to see if it processes past this point, but it seems to get locked at this point.

[drbongo]

I have just tried making a remaster of Jaunty using the dist mode, and I also had display problems:  I first got a scrambled display which then disappeared, I saw a quick glimpse of a console session which was replaced with a login screen, I pressed enter and after a while I got to the Gnome desktop . I suspected this was to do with xorg, but got the same results with the xforcevesa boot option , but with a slightly different scrambled effect. The textonly mode works fine  but if I use the startx command I get the scrambled screen again etc , but a desktop at the end of it. So it is obviously something to do with xserver settings. I remember hearing something about the latest Ubuntu not needing an xorg.conf file to start up so I imagine this is the best place to start investigations. I will do more testing tonight on a few more computers as well as trying the backup mode. I am confident that frag will be able to sort this out at some time in the near future.

While running remastersys these are the only errors which were reported in the terminal:

Copying /var and /etc to temp area and excluding extra files
file has vanished: "/var/lib/apt/lists/gb.archive.ubuntu.com_ubuntu_dists_jaunty_main_i18n_Translation-en%5fGB"
file has vanished: "/var/lib/apt/lists/gb.archive.ubuntu.com_ubuntu_dists_jaunty_multiverse_i18n_Translation-en%5fGB"
file has vanished: "/var/lib/apt/lists/gb.archive.ubuntu.com_ubuntu_dists_jaunty_restricted_i18n_Translation-en%5fGB"
file has vanished: "/var/lib/apt/lists/gb.archive.ubuntu.com_ubuntu_dists_jaunty_universe_i18n_Translation-en%5fGB"
rsync warning: some files vanished before they could be transferred (code 24) at main.c(1058) [sender=3.0.5]

I don't think this would have any effect on the xsession though.

drbongo

[fragadelic]

I think this is due to usplash.

Try to set the resolution on the usplash theme to 640x480 on the main system and then remaster.  I've seen this before with the 6.x and 7.x versions of ubuntu and it was related to the size of the usplash theme.

What ubuntu does once its installed is set it to the same resolution as your main desktop.  Grub or isolinux may not be able to support these resolutions on the iso versions of their boot code so you get a messed up screen as it can't set it properly and the usplash theme resolution is not the same.

Try installing Startup Manager and set the usplash resolution down and then remaster.  This should take care of it.

Like I said, this was present in older versions and then went away and now its back again but setting the usplash theme to a standard worked in the past.

I haven't had time to play with jaunty yet.

[drbongo]

  Thanks for the tip, I will have a play this evening and report back if it works etc.

drbongo

[drbongo]

OK - I installed startup manager and checked the size of the usplash image. It was set at 640x480 already so I made one remaster with this setting and one with the 800x600 settings. The usplash works fine in both settings on all computers (3x desktop and 2x laptop) it is after the usplash finishes and the xsession tries to start that the system stalls, flashes on and off a few times and then sends me back to the login screen. By pressing enter this then opens a normal gnome session. However this does not happen on the computer I made the remaster on a HPdx2300 with a Benq 17" monitor with a native resolution of 1280x1024. But all of the other computers, desktops x2 with same monitor and two laptops, with native resolutions of 1280x800 have the same problem. The the HPdx2300 has an Nvidia graphics  card while the other two desktop have ATI cards. Given that these remasters work fine on the computer they were made on I suspect that the xorg config of this computer is being stored on the CD somewhere and thus when the live CD tried to boot it finds the wrong graphics driver and resolution etc. If this is the case it should just be a question of finding where these settings are stored and deleting the file.

I plan to do two more tests: firstly I will boot the Live CD's on the computers they don't work on and see if there are any xsession error files, and secondly I will try making a remaster on one of the other computers and see if that will only work on the one it is made on. If so that would support the theory that the xorg settings are being stored somewhere.

back later...

drbongo

[drbongo]

Here is the contents of the .xsession-errors file from the home directory when booting with a remastered CD on a computer the remaster was not made on. I notice that the resolution of 1280x1024 is mentioned - which is the resolution on the computer the remaster was made on! The computer it was made on has an nvidia graphics card while the computer this error message is on has an ATI card. Does this help - my next task is to try remastering on one of the other computers and see what happens then.


/etc/gdm/Xsession: Beginning session setup...
Setting IM through im-switch for locale=en_GB.
Start IM through /etc/X11/xinit/xinput.d/all_ALL linked to /etc/X11/xinit/xinput.d/default.
I: caps.c: Limited capabilities successfully to CAP_SYS_NICE.
I: caps.c: Dropping root privileges.
I: caps.c: Limited capabilities successfully to CAP_SYS_NICE.
GNOME_KEYRING_SOCKET=/tmp/keyring-8CUYh1/socket
SSH_AUTH_SOCK=/tmp/keyring-8CUYh1/socket.ssh
GNOME_KEYRING_PID=4881
Checking for Xgl: not present.
xset q doesn't reveal the location of the log file. Using fallback /var/log/Xorg.0.log
Detected PCI ID for VGA:    Flags: bus master, VGA palette snoop, 66MHz, medium devsel, latency 32, IRQ 16
Checking for texture_from_pixmap: not present.
Trying again with indirect rendering:
Checking for texture_from_pixmap: present.
Checking for non power of two support: present.
Checking for Composite extension: present.
Checking screen 1Comparing resolution (1280x1024) to maximum 3D texture size (2048): Passed.
Checking for Software Rasterizer: Not present.
Checking for nVidia: not present.
Checking for FBConfig: present.
running under gnome seesion, checking for gnomecompat
Checking for Xgl: not present.
** (nm-applet:4976): DEBUG: applet_common_device_state_changed
** (gnome-panel:4966): DEBUG: Adding applet 0.
** (gnome-panel:4966): DEBUG: Initialized Panel Applet Signaler.
** (gnome-panel:4966): DEBUG: Adding applet 1.
** (gnome-panel:4966): DEBUG: Adding applet 2.

** (nautilus:4967): WARNING **: Unable to add monitor: Not supported
** (gnome-panel:4966): DEBUG: Adding applet 3.
** (gnome-panel:4966): DEBUG: Adding applet 4.
** (gnome-panel:4966): DEBUG: Adding applet 5.
** (gnome-panel:4966): DEBUG: Adding applet 6.
** (gnome-panel:4966): DEBUG: Adding applet 7.
** (gnome-panel:4966): DEBUG: Adding applet 8.

(gnome-panel:4966): libglade-WARNING **: Unexpected element <requires-version> inside <glade-interface>.
** (gnome-panel:4966): DEBUG: Adding applet 9.
I/O warning : failed to load external entity "/home/custom/.compiz/session/1010460b3cce91fbc5124085067316015500000046320018"
Starting gtk-window-decorator
** (gnome-panel:4966): DEBUG: Adding applet 10.
** (gnome-panel:4966): DEBUG: Adding applet 11.
** (gnome-panel:4966): DEBUG: Adding applet 12.
Nautilus-Share-Message: Called "net usershare info" but it failed: 'net usershare' returned error 255: net usershare: cannot open usershare directory /var/lib/samba/usershares. Error No such file or directory
Please ask your system administrator to enable user sharing.

evolution-alarm-notify-Message: Setting timeout for 26077 1240876800 1240850723
evolution-alarm-notify-Message:  Tue Apr 28 01:00:00 2009

evolution-alarm-notify-Message:  Mon Apr 27 17:45:23 2009

** (update-notifier:4984): DEBUG: crashreport_check


drbongo

[fragadelic]

You shouldn't enable compiz by default and you shouldn't have any proprietary drivers from ati or nvidia on the system you are remastering from.

[drbongo]

Compiz is not enabled by default in Jaunty, my install is definitely using metacity and I haven't installed any proprietary drivers for the graphics cards -  I am now in the process of remastering on another machine, again without compiz enabled and with no proprietary drivers.

drbongo

[drbongo]

  Hi Frag, I have just tried remastering on another computer using the same monitor, but with an ATI graphics card. Surprisingly this did not work properly on the computer I used to make it, but did work on the computer with the nvidia card.  As the original 9.04 CD doesn't have these problems there must be something which isn't copied and should be, or is copied and shouldn't be. This is not a bug in remastersys, but it looks like Ubuntu must have made some changes to the way the xsession is started, managed or stored etc. I don't have any more ideas at the moment other than going back to square one and starting again. I am sure you will be able to find a fix or a workaround when you get time - if it is a serious problem that can't be resolved then I will just stick to Intrepid for now and see what 9.10 holds in store.  Keep up the good work.

drbongo

[fragadelic]

At least debian only changes every couple of years - lol.

This 6 month release cycle stuff is killing me.  I guess I'll have to make a VM for jaunty and see what is going on.

[kelscmi]

I created the remastersys file from the same computer that I tried to load it on, via VM and in DVD drive, and ended up with the scrambled screen.  I do have compiz loaded on my system.  Do I need to change the visual effects under appearance setting back normal or remove compiz via add/remover? 
I also have an ATI video card which I have activated via hardware drivers; should I deactivate it prior to making a backup? 
I can say that this was not an issue in the previous versions that I've used remastersys.  As drbongo pointed, and very little I know, I would agree the problem might stem from xorg.  My support in this is because I didn't have to edit the conf for xorg to solve screen flicker for vlc player; before I would have to add textured off to the conf file or switch off compiz. 
I wish I was more versed so I could be of more help, if there is anything you want me to do or try to assist let me know.  The downside is that you would almost have to hold my hand thru it so doing it yourself would probably be more efficient. 

[drbongo]

  Final test reports before I hit the sack! I have gone back to first principles: I checked the md5sum of the Jaunty CD and it was fine, I then tried booting the original Jaunty CD on four different computers the HP DX2300 with an Nvidia graphics card with a 17" Benq 1280x1024 LCD monitor, a home built Foxcon with an ATI graphics Card and the same size Benq monitor, A toshiba satellite with an onboard graphics card and a 1280x800 screen, and finally an Sony Vaio with an onboard graphics chip and a 1280x800 screen. Results - it worked fine on the HP and the Toshiba, but produced the same scrambles screen on the Foxcon and the Sony Vaio, although after being thrown back to the login screen it worked fine. This leads me to the depressing conclusion that Ubuntu have once again  borked the xorg settings like they did in 7.04 and 7.10, but was fixed in 8.04 and 8.10 - Last time it wouldn't play with ATI graphics cards and unusual resolutions etc (I had to switch to Fedora and Sabayon for a year). So I no longer think this is a remastersys issue, although the sysptoms definitely got worse after a remaster, but there was obviously some bugs to begin with. This is a shame, because if the bugs are in Ubuntu itself frag may or may not be able to fix it, while if it was just a question of adding something or taking something away I am sure it would have been fixed in no time! I only hope frag is able to do his magic and come up with a workaround. In the meantime I am going to scuttle back to Intrepid with my tail between my legs. 

drbongo