LightDM not starting automatically

[Manish Chakravarty]

Hello,

I am running Xubuntu 12.04.1 LTS.

I am not sure why, but lightDM does not start on boot.
The work around that I am using is to do a "Ctrl Alt F1" to go to text
console and then running a "sudo service lightdm restart"

I had a look at the upstart script and found no issue - I also tried
"sudo apt-get remove ligthdm --purge ; sudo apt-get install" multiple
times to make sure I had a sane config.

Does anyone have any pointers ( other than "dump Ubuntu and go to
Debian/Linux Mint" ) ?

I'm pasting my /etc/init/lightdm.conf ( the upstart script )
# LightDM - light Display Manager
#
# The display manager service manages the X servers running on the
# system, providing login and auto-login services
#
# based on gdm upstart script

description "LightDM Display Manager"
author "Robert Ancell <robert...@canonical.com>"

start on ((filesystem
and runlevel [!06]
and started dbus
and (drm-device-added card0 PRIMARY_DEVICE_FOR_DISPLAY=1
or stopped udev-fallback-graphics))
or runlevel PREVLEVEL=S)

stop on runlevel [016]

emits login-session-start
emits desktop-session-start
emits desktop-shutdown

script
if [ -n "$UPSTART_EVENTS" ]
then
# Check kernel command-line for inhibitors, unless we are being called
# manually
for ARG in $(cat /proc/cmdline); do
if [ "$ARG" = "text" ]; then
plymouth quit || :
stop
exit 0
fi
done

[ ! -f /etc/X11/default-display-manager -o "$(cat
/etc/X11/default-display-manager 2>/dev/null)" = "/usr/bin/lightdm" -o
"$(cat /etc/X11/default-display-manager 2>/dev/null)" =
"/usr/sbin/lightdm" ] || { stop; exit 0; }

if [ "$RUNLEVEL" = S -o "$RUNLEVEL" = 1 ]
then
# Single-user mode
plymouth quit || :
exit 0
fi
fi

exec lightdm
end script

post-stop script
if [ "$UPSTART_STOP_EVENTS" = runlevel ]; then
initctl emit desktop-shutdown
fi
end script



--
Best,
Manish Chakravarty
https://twitter.com/ManishChaks

[Ritesh Raj Sarraf]

On Thursday 31 January 2013 01:26 PM, Manish Chakravarty wrote:
> I am running Xubuntu 12.04.1 LTS.
>
> I am not sure why, but lightDM does not start on boot.
> The work around that I am using is to do a "Ctrl Alt F1" to go to text
> console and then running a "sudo service lightdm restart"
>
> I had a look at the upstart script and found no issue - I also tried
> "sudo apt-get remove ligthdm --purge ; sudo apt-get install" multiple
> times to make sure I had a sane config.
>
> Does anyone have any pointers ( other than "dump Ubuntu and go to
> Debian/Linux Mint" ) ?

I don't have a confident answer to this. I too have run into this issue
occasionally and the workaround you mentioned works.

IMO the problem could be a timing issue with the dependencies. lightdm
depends on dbus. If dbus is not available at boot time when lightdm is
fired, it fails. When you retry the same, later, from the console, it
works because dbus might be initialized by then.

To confirm this, you might want to check the failed log of lightdm to
see why exactly it failed in that first invocation.

--
Ritesh Raj Sarraf
RESEARCHUT - http://www.researchut.com
"Necessity is the mother of invention."

[Manish Chakravarty]

Hello Ritesh,

[snipped]

> IMO the problem could be a timing issue with the dependencies. lightdm
> depends on dbus. If dbus is not available at boot time when lightdm is
> fired, it fails. When you retry the same, later, from the console, it
> works because dbus might be initialized by then.

Sigh.

> To confirm this, you might want to check the failed log of lightdm to
> see why exactly it failed in that first invocation.

I will look into the logs.

Thanks for the reply , Ritesh.

-- Manish Chakravarty