[Solved] Logout Error; Failed to receive a reply from the session manager.

taoleo · 2011-12-07 04:34:46

Hi,
I posted this in General Discussion on the 1st Dec and didn't get a reply so i post it here instead.

Using Debian testing that was updated to Gnome 3 so I switched to XFCE
I installed XFCE and it was working fine until I went to logout and I got a message.
'Logout error'
'Failed to receive a reply from the session manager'
From that point on the screen was locked up and I had to force a shutdown and on rebooting the desktop opened with the same locked screen that I had when I shut down.
Fortunatley I had a clone of the o/s so I reinstalled only to have the same thing happen again...and again...and again.
Is it possible to correct the error?

Update Dec 7

I have now tried Xfce with Debian Testing, LinuxMint Debian and Aptosid and performed multiple installs of these o/s and all end up in the same state.

N.B. I can shut down and reboot a number of times however eventually the same lock up happens.

Nick · 2011-12-07 08:30:25

Logout out how? What session manager do you use?

taoleo · 2011-12-07 08:48:18

When I click on the Log Out icon on the panel, usually in order to shutdown.

As to the session manager I know nothing, it would be the one that is there by defalut using Debian, LinuxMintDebian or Aptopsid.
If you can tell me where to look I will do so.

Nick · 2011-12-07 11:41:32

Is the xfce4-session proces running? Also what is your Xfce version (4.6.x or 4.8.x)?

taoleo · 2011-12-07 12:14:25

Don't know, however if you tell me how to find if the xfce4-session is running and where would I find information about the Xfce version that I'm using I will have learned something more.
I'm currently trying Xfce on aptosid.

Last edited by taoleo (2011-12-07 12:15:52)

Nick · 2011-12-07 19:50:07

run "pidof xfce4-session" in a terminal. For the main version, run "xfce4-session -V".

taoleo · 2011-12-07 20:00:37

'pidof xfce4-session' returns '23166'
'xfce4-session -V' returns '4.8.2'

thanks, hope it helps

Nick · 2011-12-07 20:58:18

Strange that xfce4-session does not reply, anything in ~/.xsession-errors?

taoleo · 2011-12-07 21:17:44

Nothing in ~/.xsession-errors

taoleo · 2011-12-10 07:24:11

An update.
Tried PCLinuxOS with xfce with the same result.

I'll try to better describe what happens on a fatal reboot.
A number of reboot are good them on the on the final reboot I get:
I don't know what to call it however it's the mouse pointer on the screen when it's spinning under a work load, well that will not ever stop spinning.
Usually I work with 8 workspaces on the fatal reboot these are always back to only two.
On reboot a window will be open, maybe the web browser a test editor or maybe email client, however the title bar will be gone and the window will not respond to any command.
Nothing that is clickable with the mouse will respond.
Locked up.

That's about four different OS using Xfce all with the same result.
I know it sounds mad particularly as no one else seems to suffer from this.

With the PCLinuxOS install I went back in rescue mode to look at ~/.xsessiion-errors using nano and
the file doesn't exit, I would have been creating the file if I went ahead.

3ruce · 2011-12-26 11:19:02

taoleo wrote:

I installed XFCE and it was working fine until I went to logout and I got a message. 'Logout error'
'Failed to receive a reply from the session manager' From that point on the screen was locked up and I had to force a shutdown and on rebooting the desktop opened with the same locked screen that I had when I shut down.
.

Running Ubuntu 11.10 with XFCE as the DE - same problem. I found that unticking 'automatically save session' in 'Session and Startup' did the trick for me. XFCE still shows the 'save session' on the logout dialog, but leave it unticked and everything works...

FYI, it sounds like this is a bug and other folks are also talking about it...

http://ow.ly/8aeah
http://ow.ly/8aeaq
http://ow.ly/8aeaC
http://ow.ly/8aeaJ

taoleo · 2011-12-27 00:54:39

Thanks 3ruce,
I had a look at Session and Startup and 'automatically save session' was already unchecked, however I then noticed when I clicked on the Logout icon to shutdown and in that window in amongst the different options was 'save session for future logins' and that was checked, so I unchecked that and now all seems good.

3ruce · 2011-12-27 01:06:27

Great... its a weird one though!

aga · 2012-01-01 10:28:38

Hi, I replied tonight in your other thread before I read this thread.

"That's about four different OS using Xfce all with the same result"

Maybe all 4 distros are using the SAME window manager, and maybe each distro has customized its config (gdm, I'm guessing) in such a way that it doesn't just fallback to using any available DE, instead insisting on finding/using the DE which was originally present in the distro?

3ruce · 2012-01-01 13:49:03

I'm not sure... I started on Xubuntu 11.10 but had problems with SAMBA/SMB and writing to windows folders I could read...

I then moved to Ubuntu 11.10 and installed XFCE, so far so good, apart from this 'saving sessions/logout hangs'

:-)

Jristz · 2012-01-01 19:43:27

you said that your use GDM right?

you not try using another DM like lightdm,lxdm?

Forester · 2012-01-02 00:30:19

Hi,

I had the very same problem. I was able to reset to normal behaviour by restarting the machine in failsafe mode and deleting

$HOME/.cache/sessions/xfce4-session-*

where * is the machine:display.

This suggests the session cache file is corrupt and that would fit with "don't save the session" workaround.

I've had problems with xfce4-session 4.6.2 under Debian Squeeze (i386 and amd64) and 4.8.1 under Debian Testing and LMDE. I've not have a problem with Xubuntu yet but I guess it is just a matter of time. I'm glad (?) to see the problem occurs with PCLinuxOS so it's not just a Debian and derivatives issue.

I've not had the total lock-up that taoleo describes in post #10 but I've had the logout problem described in post #1. I have had xfce panel disappear and I've had the window manager apparently die (can't move windows, no min/max buttons etc.). All three issues 'fixed' by deleting the cache file.

For a while I was inclined to blame the window manager but not any more: Squeeze is running gdm, LMDE is running gdm3 and the problem with Wheezy didn't show until after I switched to the new lightdm.

What, I wonder, is special about taoleo's system that makes this problem recur so often ? My systems are low memory: 512 Mb so may be I have an excuse. The Oneiric Xubuntu is so big that it uses swap space and that really slows things down. Perhaps I haven't seen a problem here because the timing is so different.

Anyway, cheers.

taoleo · 2012-01-02 04:02:33

Thanks Forester,
I deleted that file then;
I checked 'save session for future logins' in the logout panel (in my last post I found if this is checked then the problem exists) and sure enough on reboot the O/S was locked up. Then I did what you suggested and went in with system recovery and found that the xfce4-session file had recreated itself, so I deleted it and able to reboot properly.

This is where is now stands; I must keep 'save session for future logins' in the logout panel unchecked however the good news is now if it does happen to lock up again I know how to fix it. It's not perfect but it works.

It's interesting to hear other users experiences with this, hopefully someone can come up with a proper fix for it.

3ruce · 2012-01-03 09:08:52

Forester wrote:

What, I wonder, is special about taoleo's system that makes this problem recur so often ? My systems are low memory: 512 Mb so may be I have an excuse. The Oneiric Xubuntu is so big that it uses swap space and that really slows things down. Perhaps I haven't seen a problem here because the timing is so different.

I've 2GB RAM and only just touch swap (currently reporting 14MB of 2GB, or 0.7%)... I suspect it is the session cache file as you suggest...

aga · 2012-01-04 07:12:51

Forester wrote:

I had the very same problem. I was able to reset to normal behaviour by restarting the machine in failsafe mode and deleting
$HOME/.cache/sessions/xfce4-session-*
where * is the machine:display.
This suggests the session cache file is corrupt and that would fit with "don't save the session" workaround.

That tip is a lifesaver! Suitable for the tips/tricks subforum.

jonwright · 2012-03-30 05:37:21

I had same problem. opensuse 12.1 nvidia. i tried several different display managers, gdm,kem and xfwm4.
i have plenty of memory and a modern intel quad cpu. a method given earlier, run xfwm4 --replace sometimes worked.
What works so far is the suggestion above, remove the $HOME/.cache/sessions/xfce4-session-*
and then on logout, uncheck the save session box. So far that has taken care of both the Failed to receive a reply from the session manager'
and the frozen windows at the top of the screens.

taoleo · 2012-03-30 08:55:55

I had to remove the $HOME/.cache/sessions/xfce4-session-* once and since then I've not had a problem as I keep the 'Save session for future login' unchecked.

taoleo · 2012-03-30 09:03:40

I had to remove the $HOME/.cache/sessions/xfce4-session-* once and since then I've not had a problem as I keep the 'Save session for future login' unchecked.
It's way beyond my capabilities to sort out however there is definatly a problem.....I must have done a dozen installs with three different Linux systems and it happened each time until I unchecked that box. I think it's an Xfce issue not o/s

Ahau · 2012-03-30 19:13:52

I was having this problem and traced it down to a particular application, medit. If I had medit open when I logged out, shutdown, or rebooted, it would corrupt the cache, xfce4-session would hang for about 30 seconds before it closed xfce, and on the next login attempt, xfwm would fail to load. If I closed medit prior to logging out, everything went fine. I imagine this is not the only application that causes this, and there are probably some other factors contributing to it, given the number of folks having this problem. I do hope xfce4-session cleans things up a little better in 4.10, as this is really the only place I'm running into troublesome bugs. I've seen a lot of xfce4-session updates in git, and am looking forward to trying the 4.9 development release smile Hats off to the devs, XFCE is a great DE, and only getting better!

chrisb · 2012-04-12 17:49:38

I found this forum thread after filing a bug on launchpad.

I have a shutdown button on the panel. It is a direct shutdown button - not the logout dialog button - so it does not prompt for whether or not to save the session and xfwm4 keeps getting removed from the session. Is there a proper fix for this issue, or report on xfce bugtracker?

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#1 2011-12-07 04:34:46

[Solved] Logout Error; Failed to receive a reply from the session manager.

#2 2011-12-07 08:30:25

Re: [Solved] Logout Error; Failed to receive a reply from the session manager.

#3 2011-12-07 08:48:18

Re: [Solved] Logout Error; Failed to receive a reply from the session manager.

#4 2011-12-07 11:41:32

Re: [Solved] Logout Error; Failed to receive a reply from the session manager.

#5 2011-12-07 12:14:25

Re: [Solved] Logout Error; Failed to receive a reply from the session manager.

#6 2011-12-07 19:50:07

Re: [Solved] Logout Error; Failed to receive a reply from the session manager.

#7 2011-12-07 20:00:37

Re: [Solved] Logout Error; Failed to receive a reply from the session manager.

#8 2011-12-07 20:58:18

Re: [Solved] Logout Error; Failed to receive a reply from the session manager.

#9 2011-12-07 21:17:44

Re: [Solved] Logout Error; Failed to receive a reply from the session manager.

#10 2011-12-10 07:24:11

Re: [Solved] Logout Error; Failed to receive a reply from the session manager.

#11 2011-12-26 11:19:02

Re: [Solved] Logout Error; Failed to receive a reply from the session manager.

#12 2011-12-27 00:54:39

Re: [Solved] Logout Error; Failed to receive a reply from the session manager.

#13 2011-12-27 01:06:27

Re: [Solved] Logout Error; Failed to receive a reply from the session manager.

#14 2012-01-01 10:28:38

Re: [Solved] Logout Error; Failed to receive a reply from the session manager.

#15 2012-01-01 13:49:03

Re: [Solved] Logout Error; Failed to receive a reply from the session manager.

#16 2012-01-01 19:43:27

Re: [Solved] Logout Error; Failed to receive a reply from the session manager.

#17 2012-01-02 00:30:19

Re: [Solved] Logout Error; Failed to receive a reply from the session manager.

#18 2012-01-02 04:02:33

Re: [Solved] Logout Error; Failed to receive a reply from the session manager.

#19 2012-01-03 09:08:52

Re: [Solved] Logout Error; Failed to receive a reply from the session manager.

#20 2012-01-04 07:12:51

Re: [Solved] Logout Error; Failed to receive a reply from the session manager.

#21 2012-03-30 05:37:21

Re: [Solved] Logout Error; Failed to receive a reply from the session manager.

#22 2012-03-30 08:55:55

Re: [Solved] Logout Error; Failed to receive a reply from the session manager.

#23 2012-03-30 09:03:40

Re: [Solved] Logout Error; Failed to receive a reply from the session manager.

#24 2012-03-30 19:13:52

Re: [Solved] Logout Error; Failed to receive a reply from the session manager.

#25 2012-04-12 17:49:38

Re: [Solved] Logout Error; Failed to receive a reply from the session manager.

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