kbuildsycoca crashing?

dishawjp · Post by **dishawjp** » Tue Jan 24, 2006 7:08 pm

Hi All,

I'm setting up a SUSE 10 Linux box for one of my coworkers and, after having everyone at work hear me say how great Linux is and how much better it is than Windows, I'd really like this to be as good an install as possible. Everything seems to be working well except for frequent kbuildsycoca crashes and teh annoying error messages that go along with them.

I've looked at my ~.xsession-errors and found the following (edited to reduce some of the repetitions:

Code: Select all

/etc/X11/xim: Checking wether an input method should be started.
INPUT_METHOD is not set or empty (no user selected input method).
Trying to start a default input method for the locale en_US.UTF-8 ...
There is no default input method for the current locale.
SESSION_MANAGER=local/linux:/tmp/.ICE-unix/4871
esd: Esound sound daemon already running or stale UNIX socket
/tmp/.esd/socket
This socket already exists indicating esd is already running.
Exiting...
esd: Esound sound daemon already running or stale UNIX socket
/tmp/.esd/socket
This socket already exists indicating esd is already running.
Exiting...


** (gnome-volume-manager:5037): WARNING **: manager.c/2073: already running?
Initializing nautilus-open-terminal extension
Rendering
Done Rendering: 5.96s
If you're wondering whether Best is working check your notification area (system tray)
*** attempt to put segment in horiz list twice
kbuildsycoca running...
Reusing existing ksycoca
terminate called after throwing an instance of 'std::bad_alloc'
  what():  St9bad_alloc
KCrash: Application 'kbuildsycoca' crashing...
*** attempt to put segment in horiz list twice


manager.c/1674: Device added: /org/freedesktop/Hal/devices/volume_label_K3b_data_project
manager.c/1527: Changed: /dev/hdc
manager.c/1178: mounting /org/freedesktop/Hal/devices/volume_label_K3b_data_project...
manager.c/692: executing command: /bin/mount /dev/hdc
mount: according to mtab, /dev/hdc is already mounted on /media/cdrom
mount failed
manager.c/1760: Mounted: /org/freedesktop/Hal/devices/volume_label_K3b_data_project
manager.c/866: not an iPod: /org/freedesktop/Hal/devices/volume_label_K3b_data_project
*** attempt to put segment in horiz list twice
*** attempt to put segment in horiz list twice


** (beagled:4954): WARNING **: _wapi_connect: Need to translate 2 [No such file
or directory] into winsock error
*** attempt to put segment in horiz list twice
*** attempt to put segment in horiz list twice

manager.c/1707: Device removed: /org/freedesktop/Hal/devices/volume_label_K3b_data_project

(eog:6060): Gtk-CRITICAL **: gtk_file_system_path_is_local: assertion `path != NULL' failed
Instantiate job with id 1.
Starting thread with id 0.
eog-image_load.c
load success: 1
n_images: 1/1
  1 /home/pkillius/pics/linuxchicks/linux.jpg (492/600)
Instantiate job with id 2.
Show exif data
Job 001: disposing ...
Job 001: disposing end

gwenview: WARNING: Can't open /home/pkillius/.kde/share/apps/konqueror/bookmarks.xml
*** attempt to put segment in horiz list twice
*** attempt to put segment in horiz list twice
*** attempt to put segment in horiz list twice
*** attempt to put segment in horiz list twice
*** attempt to put segment in horiz list twice
*** attempt to put segment in horiz list twice
*** attempt to put segment in horiz list twice
*** attempt to put segment in horiz list twice
*** attempt to put segment in horiz list twice
*** attempt to put segment in horiz list twice
kio (KIOConnection): ERROR: Header read failed, errno=104
kio (KIOConnection): ERROR: Header has invalid size (-1)
kio (KLauncher): ERROR: SlavePool: No communication with slave.
auto_sink: Could not load polyp
JACK compiled with POSIX SHM support
KNotify::playTimeout
KNotify::playTimeout
Open Terminal selected
Open Terminal selected
*** attempt to put segment in horiz list twice
*** attempt to put segment in horiz list twice


Cannot open client
auto_sink: Could not load polyp
KNotify::playTimeout
KNotify::playTimeout
*** attempt to put segment in horiz list twice
*** attempt to put segment in horiz list twice

The above error messages each showed up once or twice at the most, bu the lines:
*** attempt to put segment in horiz list twice
were repeated many times in each instance of an error.

The following message showed up several times in the .xsession-errors file:

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kbuildsycoca running...
Reusing existing ksycoca
terminate called after throwing an instance of 'std::bad_alloc'
  what():  St9bad_alloc
KCrash: Application 'kbuildsycoca' crashing...
*** attempt to put segment in horiz list twice
*** attempt to put segment in horiz list twice

I'm running Gnome but did install KDE as I usually do with Fedora just in case another user prefers that DE and since this is for a new Linux user I thought that it would be good to offer both.

Any thoughts?

Jim

Void Main · Post by **Void Main** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 12:49 am

What is kbuildsycoca?

dishawjp · Post by **dishawjp** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 6:39 am

What is kbuildsycoca?

Excellent question.

rpm -q kbuildsycoca

returns nothing. Same with kyscoca. I googled the error message and found lots of instances of it crashing, but never found a posted solution that appeared to be in any way related to my issue. I think that it's some KDE thing, but that's all I know. It's not just a SUSE thing, I did see posts where Slackware and other distro users had problems with it.

Jim

Master of Reality · Post by **Master of Reality** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 8:48 am

KDE applications crash immediately
Reason:Missing ksycoca database

In some installations the KDE program kbuildsycoca fails to properly create a file called ksycoca. This file is needed by KDE to operate properly. Depending on the environment variable $KDEHOME this file should either be found in ~/.kde/share/config/ksycoca or ~/.kde2/share/config/ksycoca.

Make sure that your $KDEHOME environment variable is always set to the same value. Leaving it empty is ok, it will then assume ~/.kde in which case you should have a recent ksycoca in ~/.kde/share/config/ksycoca.

Run kbuildsycoca from a command line to generate the ksycoca file

This is from the KDE website... for an older version of KDE, but perhaps this has happened?

and heres the manpage[/url]

Void Main · Post by **Void Main** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 8:57 am

Hmm, is it causing noticable problems or is this just an error message that you found and is bugging you?

dishawjp · Post by **dishawjp** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 11:31 am

MoR,

Thanks for the info, I'll check it out as soon as I get home.

Voidmain,

There are no noticable problems other than the constant pop-up telling me that it has crashed. When I did a YaST update last night, I think I had to close a dozen or so windows informing me of the problem.

I wonder if the problem has something to do with the fact that I installed KDE, but have never run it. The only user account I set up uses Gnome.

On my SUSE 10 box here at work, even though KDE is not installed, I do have a ~.kde/share/config directory, but no file named ksycoca. Also, doing an "echo $KDEHOME" returns nothing on this computer. But then, unlike the one with the problem, this one doesn't have KDE installed, just Gnome.

Thanks both of you for the help and I'll take a look at it when I get home tonight.

Jim

dishawjp · Post by **dishawjp** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 9:36 pm

MoR,

As per your suggestion, I tried running kbuildsycoca. It crashed and burned.

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linux:~ # kbuildsycoca
Warning: kbuildsycoca is unable to register with DCOP.
kbuildsycoca running...
Creating link /root/.kde/socket-linux.
Created link from "/root/.kde/socket-linux" to "/tmp/ksocket-root"
/usr/X11R6/bin/iceauth:  creating new authority file /root/.ICEauthority
Creating link /root/.kde/tmp-linux.
Created link from "/root/.kde/tmp-linux" to "/tmp/kde-root"
kbuildsycoca running...
Creating link /root/.kde/cache-linux.
Created link from "/root/.kde/cache-linux" to "/var/tmp/kdecache-root"
Reusing existing ksycoca
terminate called after throwing an instance of 'std::bad_alloc'
  what():  St9bad_alloc
KCrash: Application 'kbuildsycoca' crashing...
Invalid entry (missing '=') at /tmp/kde-root/kconf_updateTNeyCb.tmp:1
Invalid entry (missing '=') at /tmp/kde-root/kconf_updatezwYsFa.tmp:1
Reusing existing ksycoca
terminate called after throwing an instance of 'std::bad_alloc'
  what():  St9bad_alloc
KCrash: Application 'kbuildsycoca' crashing...
linux:~ #

Run in the user account rather than as root, I got:

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pkillius@linux:~/.kde/share/config> kbuildsycoca
kbuildsycoca running...
Reusing existing ksycoca
terminate called after throwing an instance of 'std::bad_alloc'
  what():  St9bad_alloc
KCrash: Application 'kbuildsycoca' crashing...
pkillius@linux:~/.kde/share/config>

Any other thoughts? Something appears to be quite broken. Any idea which rpm would need to be reinstalled to fix?

TIA,

Jim

dishawjp · Post by **dishawjp** » Fri Jan 27, 2006 11:09 am

Hi All,

Still trying to get this sorted out. It looks like the file /opt/kde3/bin/startkde sets the $KDEHOME variable and some others as well. I've copied that file from my work computer and am thinking about trying it on the computer I'm trying to fix.

Is it at all likely that that file is corrupt? Would replacing it with the one from my work computer (both SUSE 10) be likely to hose anything seriously? Another file that seems to work with those variables is /etc/X11/xdm/Xsession. Should I try it with that file instead? Or am I likely just looking up a dead goat's rear end with this?

I did create a user account on the box I'm working on with KDE as the DE. KDE did load and run, but still with the same complaints, just more of them.

I really would like to fix this and would greatly appreciate any other ideas.

Jim

Void Main · Post by **Void Main** » Fri Jan 27, 2006 11:37 am

I don't think startkde has anything to do with it. From my searches it would more likely be a permissions issue on the directories or files that ksycoca is trying to write to. I believe "what(): St9bad_alloc" is the key phrase here.

dishawjp · Post by **dishawjp** » Fri Jan 27, 2006 12:34 pm

Voidmain,

Thanks!

From my searches it would more likely be a permissions issue on the directories or files that ksycoca is trying to write to.

I'm at work right now, but the permissions on:

~.kde
~.kde/share
~.kde/share/config/

all seem to be set to 700. There is no ksycoca file in the ~.kde/share/config directory. I'll check to see what they are set up as on the other computer when I get home. Are there other directories I should be looking at to check permissions?

Thanks!

Jim

Master of Reality · Post by **Master of Reality** » Fri Jan 27, 2006 1:35 pm

This would be KDE3.4?... you could simply try upgrading to kde3.5. I've never had any problems with kbuildsycocoa ever... so maybe something happened to the package during install?

dishawjp · Post by **dishawjp** » Fri Jan 27, 2006 2:23 pm

I've never had any problems with kbuildsycocoa ever... so maybe something happened to the package during install?

That's more than likely. Rather than get into a deeper mess by trying a version upgrade, I was thinking of perhaps just reinstalling the kde*.rpm files if that might work.

I could do a:

rpm -Uvh --replacepackages

for kdelibs, kdebase3, and kdebase3-ksysguardd

from the RPMS on the CD if you think that might help.

Does that sound reasonable or just stupid. The same CD's installed just fine on my work computer. And, like you, even though I do generally install KDE on my RH and FC installs, I've never had any trouble like this before.

If the computer weren't so old and slow (P3 w/256 MB RAM) I'd be willing to do a complete reinstall. But on that old hardware, it takes forever to do an install.

Jim

Void Main · Post by **Void Main** » Fri Jan 27, 2006 2:33 pm

You do have a swap partition configured right? If not maybe you are running out of memory. Might want to run the "free" command (or top). Of course you would probably be having a lot of other problems if that were the case.

dishawjp · Post by **dishawjp** » Fri Jan 27, 2006 6:07 pm

Voidmain,

I used the default partitioning on this install and the swap partition seems to be fine.

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pkillius@linux:~> free
             total       used       free     shared    buffers     cached
Mem:        321156     315604       5552          0      12392     140300
-/+ buffers/cache:     162912     158244
Swap:       642560       2912     639648
pkillius@linux:~>

I also have gkrellm installed and it shows swap and that it's very lightly used.

Jim

dishawjp · Post by **dishawjp** » Sun Jan 29, 2006 2:52 pm

This is getting annoying. Since nothing else was working I tried a :

rpm -Uvh --oldpackage --replacepckg kde*.rpm

from SUSE CD4 which seemed to have most of teh kde .rpms.

Still no change. Outside of a reinstall, does anyone have any idea on how to fix this?

Jim