New install 3.5 + equo world/ broke X "r128"?

[xlnagla]

you can edit your own topics joe3. Cool phpBB feature. Merged. (to those helping: joe's most recent message is on the previous page. Just a little heads-up)

~xlnagla

[joe3]

Well I had some time I needed to spend doing non-computer related stuff. So I snuck in a reinstall (via the x86 version of 3.5 stable.) Went to bed as soon as it stopped asking me questions. Got up a little early and logged in to the new install, (checked that it's kde was functional) and fired off a series of "equo update", "equo search equo"-> equo install [new-equo-package], equo conf update, equo update (again), etc until it stopped telling me to: Then I used a text console screen ( <ctrl>+<alt>+<F2> ) to run:

# equo world --verbose 2>&1|tee outfile

When I got back to my computer (much later) I extracted some human readable text from outfile, I went through another round of "equo update etc..." So that I could install the r128 video driver. Which this time didn't require removing the ati driver... Once again that got me the kdm login screen but it fails to actually get kde (and/or x) up and running. I noted several places in the above mentioned output file where something called revdep-rebuild was recommended, so I started with:
emerge --sync %% layman -S
followed by:
emerge portage
& etc... until emerge was happy, Then I tried:
revdep-rebuild -p
After complaining about something masked it made a list of what would be merged. It looked reasonable so I reran revdep-rebuild without the -p and got a message (eventually) about not being able to emerge everything. I found the revdep-rebuild errors file and noted that there were many warnings about files (mostly ending in ".so") that were not executable. I made a list of them and went wild with mc and it's ^xc chmod shortcut to add execution privileges to every file on the list. And then hoping that might have been part of the problem I did a "rm /root/revdep-rebuild* And then ran revdep-rebuild again... This time the errors list was shorter, (and since it still exists I'll quote it below...)

However since x still isn't functional & I noticed something in the output text from the equo world that I don't want to believe would have been missed by equo's dependency processing, but will now quote in hopes that someone can verify that "it ain't so..."


=> You must rebuild all drivers if upgrading from xorg-server 1.3
=> or earlier, because the ABI changed. If you cannot start X because
=> of module version mismatch errors, this is your problem.

At this point I'm out of time to do much with this. I've still got that installation on my hard drive and if I get suggestions I can understand, or requests for data extracted via command line tools I can still go there. But for now, I overwrote the other broke copy with one last fresh 3.5 stable install. Used equo and/or emerge, to install gnucash, pine, acroread, flash, lyx, and a few other odds n' ends that I need _WITHOUT_DOING_A_WORLD_UPDATE_ And it's working just fine, though I'm sure some things are out of date. Then I tweaked the initial users kde environment: keyboard shortcuts, fonts, etc... until I was comfortable with it. Used mc to copy most of that user's $HOME to /etc/skel and set about creating my assorted user accounts. Set up my primary user account's personal data partitions. And moved in...

I'm thinking I'm going to have to give up on the idea of doing world updates as I'll never have the time to learn to understand enough about custom tweaking the masks, blocklists, keywords, and use flags to make it work...

My plan now is to run 3,5 stable as is. (Only using equo and/or emerge to add software I find a need for.) Until I discover a 3.6 stable, then if the dvd installer's "upgrade existing Sabayon" option fails me I'll run openSuSE or Kubuntu while I do a fresh install and find the time to configure my user accounts and add my personal choice software so that I can move back in to the next Sabayon...

In any case at the end of the day, the problem is [not solved]: {"equo world" still breaks kde/xorg} But it has been [bypassed] because the dvd installs a very usable system, and both equo and emerge are great for adding almost any missing software I can think of...

Though I am curious why I had to KNOW it was called acroread to get the adobe reader? neither "equo search pdf" nor "equo search adobe" finds it. but "equo search acroread" does???

Likewise, why is it that I couldn't seam to get pine, or the more recent replacement alpine with equo, but "emerge pine" works just fine??? Please tell me that it's not being phased out because Washington U stopped funding future development. It's the only email interface I "like" using {except for the "ugg" pico editor component, vim as alternate editor: MUCH better! }

--
joe3



---< begin .revdep-rebuild.3_ldd_errors >---

lddlibc4: cannot read header from `/usr/bin/gtkpinger': No such file or directory
lddlibc4: cannot read header from `/usr/bin/pnmtoplainpnm': No such file or directory
lddlibc4: cannot read header from `/usr/kde/3.5/bin/krdb': No such file or directory
ldd: warning: you do not have execution permission for `/usr/lib/gcc/i586-pc-linux-gnu/4.2.4/libgcc_s.so.1'
lddlibc4: cannot read header from `/usr/lib/openoffice/program/pagein-calc': No such file or directory
lddlibc4: cannot read header from `/usr/lib/openoffice/program/pagein-draw': No such file or directory
lddlibc4: cannot read header from `/usr/lib/openoffice/program/pagein-impress': No such file or directory
lddlibc4: cannot read header from `/usr/lib/openoffice/program/pagein-writer': No such file or directory

---< end .revdep-rebuild.3_ldd_errors >---

[joe3]

OK so I'm running a working Sabayon3.5 stable that works well without
doing the "equo world sequence...

But every time I've let "equo world" update a 3.5 [including fresh newly
installed filesystems] it breaks x...

That is to say, [If _I_ install the new separate rage 128 video card
driver then it will get me as far as the kdm login prompt, which is
running well enough to reject bogus passwords, but which upon correct
entry of the initial user accounts password ( or attempting to log in as
root with roots password ) is only gets as far as the spinning mouse
pointer looking like x was about to start, when the whole process is
rudely interrupted by a return to the kdm login screen...

And while anything that doesn't need x works from <ctl>+<alt>+<F[1-6]>
Nothing seams to get x up and running on the world updated system.

It occurs to me that if I used equo to remove x completely, Then
told it to install kde...

But then wouldn't every app that depends on x would have been removed
and need to be reinstalled? Which would be a waste of processing time.

What I'd like to do is to get equo to reinstall kde {or xorg?} in such a
way that it rebuilds _ALL_ it's own files, But doesn't uninstall things
like openoffice.org simply because they won't work until kde is fixed.


Is there a package or command line option I can use to get equo (or if
need be emerge) to reinstall kde or xorg in such a way as to do this?????


I need to spend a day visiting my sister soon anyway, So I was thinking
that if I could simply log in as root to tty1 [on the still installed on
/dev/sda11 "world updated" copy of sabayon3.5] & type the equo command. Go
visit my sister and try to log into kde the next morning... But I don't
know if there is a package that should actually do this ???

--
joe

[xlnagla]

wow joe, you're really devoted to this.

First off, a word about installation message, equo, entropy, portage, and the like -

Entropy and equo are completely binary package managers. They don't compile anything against anything, USE flags don't effect them, and revdep-rebuild will do nothing but replace their packages with ones from portage. We highly recommend not mixing emerge and equo, especially on the same set of packages. So don't fix an equo world with a revdep-rebuild - fix it with an equo deptest && equo libtest. As for USE flags in general, if you've changed any of them then equo won't work well with your portage-installed packages.

That being said,

it looks like your problem isn't an X-related one so much as it is a kde-related one. maybe it's just a bad config file somewhere, or maybe something more. In any case, the thing to do now is try a gnome or fluxbox session and see if that lets you in. Also, use the root account to log in. Generally bad advice, but it'll tell you whether your problem is related to packages or preferences. And good luck.

~xlnagla

[joe3]

It would appear that on 27 Oct 2008, xlnagla did say:

> wow joe, you're really devoted to this.

Well to be honest one of the things I like about Kubuntu is what I can
do with apt-get including upgrading to the next release without having
to recreate my user accounts etc...

Ever since I first tried Sabayon (3.4F) I've wanted to update world.
But I've never had time nor inclination to truly master the art of
emerge manipulation. All I wanted was to start with an uptodate system
and have confidence that I won't have to migrate my user data to a new
install very often. I had already settled on the scheme that I would
install the current stable version of Sabayon when I found it... (my
laptop is still running loop2) use Sabayon's command line package
management tools to add the software I need. Decide if my current desire
to have speedcrunch installed warranted returning the how-to help
instruction on installing an ebuild that isn't in portage, or not yet.
replicate my personal user environments. Customize it, as needed so that
there are user mount points for each of my other installed os and data
under /theWin, /theOldSabayon, /theKubuntu /theOpenSuSE /theBigTmp
/theMusic /theZipDisk /theDvD-rw.
AND convince it that there are certain partitions that are owned by the
user jtwdyp who can then mount them via the owner flag in their fstab
listings, And then just plain use it until /theNewSabayon starts
pointing at the next stable release.

Meanwhile if there turns out to be a future where I suddenly NEED to
use something "newer" I can apt-get my current kubuntu and have at it.
Then, when that task is complete, or when I install a more recent
Sabayon I'd start routinely using my comfortable Sabayon installation
again...

Then I tripped over the existence of equo, and said "whoa, if this does
for Sabayon even half of what apt-get does for Kubuntu, then maybe I can
reduce the odds of occasionally needing to actually run Kubuntu...

I figured if I started with a clean install (before I added anything to
what the dvd installer put in by default) I should be able to at least
start with a current system.

I thought that if there was a dependency problem, equo --ask would warn
me...



> First off, a word about installation message, equo,
> entropy, portage, and the like -
>
> Entropy and equo are completely binary package managers.
> They don't compile anything against anything, USE flags
> don't effect them, and revdep-rebuild will do nothing but
> replace their packages with ones from portage. We highly
> recommend not mixing emerge and equo, especially on the
> same set of packages. So don't fix an equo world with a
> revdep-rebuild - fix it with an equo deptest && equo
> libtest. As for USE flags in general, if you've changed
> any of them then equo won't work well with your
> portage-installed packages.

That is why I decided to use equo for everything I could, and wait
until after the equo world to use emerge to get the few things I
couldn't get with equo. Which on my current non-world updated version
of 3.5 stable, so far only includes pine... (and if I go there..., the
speedcrunch from the ebuild tutorial) and ummnnn No I think that's about
it.

Of course when I had to emerge pine, I had to sync and then do an
emerge portage, etc before I got to emerge pine...

I don't mess with use flags. But whats that about # equo deptest, and
#equo libtest???
Perhaps if understood equo better than I understood emerge, I'd have known
that I didn't want to mess with revdep-rebuild.

Since *_I_* didn't change any USE flags, I'm hoping that revdep-rebuild
didn't destroy the likelihood of solving the problem with:
# equo --ask deptest && equo --ask libtest
Which I will try...

> That being said,
>
> it looks like your problem isn't an X-related one so much
> as it is a kde-related one. maybe it's just a bad config
> file somewhere, or maybe something more. In any case, the
> thing to do now is try a gnome or fluxbox session and see
> if that lets you in.

Actually I might have to install them first... If I had the option to not
install any non-kde window managers I deselected them. But If I remember
right one of the clickable objects on the kdm login screen should give me
a chance to start a login session with one of any other "installed" window
managers... When next I reboot I'll boot the troublesome updated Sabayon
and try that.

> Also, use the root account to log in.
> Generally bad advice, but it'll tell you whether your
> problem is related to packages or preferences. And good luck.

That I did... I usually access root privileges via su -c mc in a konsole,
or failing that I switch to a console " <ctrl>+<alt>+<F[1-6]> " and log in
there.

But when I couldn't login to the default/initial user account via the
gui, even when I tried with a clean install where I hadn't set any
preferences yet, In desperation I tried the root account at the gui
login... didn't work!

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll let you know how they pan out.

--
joe3

[joe3]

I had a chance to reboot into the problematic 3.5 install... As I mentioned in my last post attempting to login as root via the gui login fails the same as the initial user. I found the spot to click on to get a list of session types. it did list fluxbox And not gnome which I took as confirmation that it only lists session types that it thinks is installed???

Anyway I tried checking fluxbox and then trying to login. No joy. Same pattern, I'd get the rotating mousepointer for a few seconds then it returns to the login screen...

I also tried the safemode option that was listed for the heck of it. Got the same results.

I decided to see what "equo deptest" and "equo libtest" could do for me So I did an <ctrl>+<alt>+<F1> logged in as root and started with an equo update, which advised me that there was a newer version of equo/entropy and that I should upgrade before doing anything else.

I did an "equo search equo" to get the package name. I was a little surprised that when I did the "equo --ask install app-admin/equo-0.23.1" it didn't insist on upgrading spritz when it said it needed to include entropy, but since I NEVER use gui frontends to package managers when I can do what I need with a text based interface I didn't care...

Then I did an equo --ask deptest...

The only dependency it wanted to satisfy was that sys-apps/entropy-0.22.1 was needed by the outdated spritz... I told it no.

Then I tried "equo --ask libtest" which ultimately gave me a list of unmatched libraries, but didn't ask me if it should do anything with them...

As far as I can figure from the list of "Not matched: <below> None of them look to me like a reason for kde to fail to start. But rather that several applications may have problems????

I'm guessing that this is probably related to my previous uninformed attempt to fix the "equo world" problems with revdep-rebuild... And that unless I find the time to do yet another clean install and then another equo world followed by installing the (now separate) r128 driver and then proceeding to the deptest and libtest options, I'm not likely to get an working world updated 3.5???

I don't know how long it might take before I can again afford to tie up my processor that long. In the meantime, I'm still open to suggestions.

--
joe3


@@ Libraries/Executables statistics:
## Not matched:
=> /usr/lib/xulrunner-1.9/plugins/libnullplugin.so
=> /usr/lib/mozilla-firefox/components/libnkgnomevfs.so
=> /usr/lib/ardour2/libgtkmm2ext.so
=> /usr/lib/xulrunner-1.9/plugins/libunixprintplugin.so
=> /usr/lib/ardour2/surfaces/libardour_tranzport.so
=> /usr/lib/mozilla-firefox/components/libbrowsercomps.so
=> /usr/lib/ardour2/surfaces/libardour_powermate.so
=> /usr/lib/xulrunner-1.9/sdk/lib/libxpcom.so
=> /usr/lib/ardour2/surfaces/libardour_genericmidi.so
=> /usr/lib/ardour2/libmidi++.so
=> /usr/lib/xulrunner/plugins/libnullplugin.so
=> /usr/lib/ardour2/libardour_cp.so
=> /usr/lib/ardour2/vamp/libardourvampplugins.so
=> /usr/lib/ardour2/ardour-2.5
=> /usr/lib/ardour2/libardour.so
=> /usr/lib/xulrunner/plugins/libunixprintplugin.so
=> /usr/lib/ardour2/surfaces/libardour_mackie.so
=> /usr/lib/xulrunner-1.9/sdk/lib/libxul.so
=> /usr/lib/mozilla-firefox/components/libbrowserdirprovider.so
=> /usr/lib/ardour2/librubberband.so
## Matched:
@@ Caching equo conf^M>> @@ Caching complete.

[joe3]

Update: what's broke isn't X nor KDE but rather just KDM (I think)...

Hello. I'm returning to this issue. I still don't have much time to spend on it. But other interests led me to more information on it.

That is I'm not happy with the direction kde.org is going with kde4... So I decided that I needed to be familiar with another WM I could stand... Specifically one with LOTS of keyboard support that I could set the keyboard shortcuts to ones that make sense to me... So I tried Enlightenment (e16) which caused me to learn what to do with an ~/.xinitrc file to get startx to boot something other than the system default WM... For some reason with Sabayon (when booted nox) startx didn't work for kde unless I put the absolute pathname of startkde in the ~/.xinitrc [/usr/kde/3.5/bin/startkde] Once I learned how to get an x session running on sabayon without using the gui login screen it occurred to me to test my "broke", "world updated" installation.

It didn't take long to copy the working ~/.xinitrc from the "world-NOT-updated" Sabayon I usually use to the "broke" world updated install that I still had just sitting there {god I love large hard drives} Then I booted that Sabayon with the nox kernel argument logged in as a regular user at the text login prompt and ran startx...

kde booted and worked! So it seams to me that whats broke is neither the xserver nor kde itself but rather the specific part of kde that runs the gui login (that's kdm right?) is it possible to reinstall kdm without trashing all the the existing kde stuff???

preferably with equo... ;-7

--
joe3