[Bug 284956] [NEW] kio_media's HAL backend dying

[Antonio Batovanja]

Public bug reported:

Binary package hint: kdebase-kio-plugins

Kubuntu 7.10:
ii  kdebase-kio-plugins                        4:3.5.8-0ubuntu2.2 

Kubuntu 8.04:
ii  kdebase-kio-plugins                        4:3.5.10-0ubuntu1~hardy2

(this is a copy of the upstream bug)
https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=173031

Version:            (using KDE 3.5.10)
OS:                Linux
Installed from:    Ubuntu Packages

On KDE 3.5.10 (Kubuntu 8.04) and 3.5.8 (Kubuntu 7.10):
kio_media loads on demand, HAL backend is active.

Navigating to system:/media with Konqueror or Dolphin initially works (all
entries are there), but after a while nothing is shown and notifications of USB
sticks or CSs/DVDs are not shown. When I navigate to system:/media, I can click
on the CD icon, but get an error message (translated) "this function is only
available with HAL".

Further investigation (reading source code) shows that it is a problem with
kio_media's HAL backend.

While everything is working fine, executing
$ dcop kded mediamanager fullList
returns (as expected by Dolphin):
/org/freedesktop/Hal/devices/volume_uuid_2e648e91_f15c_4b78_8680_37dea36b783e
 sda2
 498G-Medium

 true
 /dev/sda2
 /
 ext3
 true

 media/hdd_mounted

 ---

and after a while, the same command returns:
/org/kde/mediamanager/fstab/devsda2
 sda2
 Festplatte (sda2)

 true
 /dev/sda2
 /
 ext3
 true

 media/hdd_mounted

 ---

(note that the first line is different)

Looking at mediamanager's source code, I'd say that HAL backend has a problem,
since the second answer comes from the fstab backend.

Calling
$ dcop kded mediamanager reloadBackends

fixes the problem temporarily.

I have this problem on 100+ installations, but I cannot reproduce it on my
laptop. I don't know what exactly is causing the problem. Maybe dbus is
disconnecting kio_media, and kio_media is not reconnecting afterwards?
The only thing I see is cups sending very frequent add/remove printer
notifications on system dbus, I don't get these notifications on my location.

For reference, dbus versions are 1.1.1 (Kubuntu 7.10) and 1.1.20 (Kubuntu
8.04).

Our temporary solution is a cron job executing dcop query,  and issuing
reloadBackends when needed (mailing us active processes and last log entries).
Since activating that job on a couple of workstations this morning, everything
works fine... If I do get error reports, I'll post them here.

Anything else I could check?
Compiling KDE from scratch is not a possibility here, sorry.
Toni

** Affects: kdebase
     Importance: Unknown
         Status: New

** Affects: kdebase (Ubuntu)
     Importance: Undecided
         Status: New

** Description changed:

  Binary package hint: kdebase-kio-plugins
  
  Kubuntu 7.10:
  ii  kdebase-kio-plugins                        4:3.5.8-0ubuntu2.2 
  
  Kubuntu 8.04:
  ii  kdebase-kio-plugins                        4:3.5.10-0ubuntu1~hardy2
  
  (this is a copy of the upstream bug)
+ https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=173031
  
  Version:            (using KDE 3.5.10)
  OS:                Linux
  Installed from:    Ubuntu Packages
  
  On KDE 3.5.10 (Kubuntu 8.04) and 3.5.8 (Kubuntu 7.10):
  kio_media loads on demand, HAL backend is active.
  
  Navigating to system:/media with Konqueror or Dolphin initially works (all
  entries are there), but after a while nothing is shown and notifications of USB
  sticks or CSs/DVDs are not shown. When I navigate to system:/media, I can click
  on the CD icon, but get an error message (translated) "this function is only
  available with HAL".
  
  Further investigation (reading source code) shows that it is a problem with
  kio_media's HAL backend.
  
  While everything is working fine, executing
  $ dcop kded mediamanager fullList
  returns (as expected by Dolphin):
  /org/freedesktop/Hal/devices/volume_uuid_2e648e91_f15c_4b78_8680_37dea36b783e
   sda2
   498G-Medium
  
   true
   /dev/sda2
   /
   ext3
   true
  
   media/hdd_mounted
  
   ---
  
  and after a while, the same command returns:
  /org/kde/mediamanager/fstab/devsda2
   sda2
   Festplatte (sda2)
  
   true
   /dev/sda2
   /
   ext3
   true
  
   media/hdd_mounted
  
   ---
  
  (note that the first line is different)
  
  Looking at mediamanager's source code, I'd say that HAL backend has a problem,
  since the second answer comes from the fstab backend.
  
  Calling
  $ dcop kded mediamanager reloadBackends
  
  fixes the problem temporarily.
  
  I have this problem on 100+ installations, but I cannot reproduce it on my
  laptop. I don't know what exactly is causing the problem. Maybe dbus is
  disconnecting kio_media, and kio_media is not reconnecting afterwards?
  The only thing I see is cups sending very frequent add/remove printer
  notifications on system dbus, I don't get these notifications on my location.
  
  For reference, dbus versions are 1.1.1 (Kubuntu 7.10) and 1.1.20 (Kubuntu
  8.04).
  
  Our temporary solution is a cron job executing dcop query,  and issuing
  reloadBackends when needed (mailing us active processes and last log entries).
  Since activating that job on a couple of workstations this morning, everything
  works fine... If I do get error reports, I'll post them here.
  
  Anything else I could check?
  Compiling KDE from scratch is not a possibility here, sorry.
  Toni

** Bug watch added: KDE Bug Tracking System #173031
   http://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=173031

** Also affects: kdebase via
   http://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=173031
   Importance: Unknown
       Status: Unknown

-- 
kio_media's HAL backend dying
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/284956
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