Login to X session fails after YaST Online Update

English Install/Boot/Login
#1

Hello,

I want to have your help to solve a boot and log-in problem.

I got a workstation with openSuse 10.3 pre-installed. After I did the Online Update from YaST2 and rebooted the machine as requested by YaST2, the system came to fail starting up an X session.

Below are excerpts of the message appeared on the screen at the end of the boot process. (I transcripted it from the screen by hand.)


Waiting for mandatory devices:  eth1 __NSC__
10 9 8 7 5 4 3 2 1
  eth1    devices: Intel Corporation 82573L Gigabit Ethernet Controller
  eth1    DHCP4 client (dhcpcd) is running
  eth1    . . . but is still waiting for data
  eth1    DHCP6 client (dhclient6) is running
  eth1    . . . but is still waiting for data
  eth1    IP address:  [Let me hide this.]
  eth1                                                                                 waiting
  eth1    interface could not be set up until now                                   failed
Setting up service (localfs) network  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .                   failed

... [omitted] ...

Master Resource Control: runlevel 5 has been                                    reached
Failed services in runlevel 5:                                                       network
Skipped services in runlevel 5:                                                    cifs nfs

After this message, the screen shows the log in prompt, and I can log-in from the command prompt.

I checked whether or not the machine is actually connected to the network by


$ ping [IP address of another machine at the same network]

and it seems to be connected to the network. A line in the output reads:


4 packets transmitted, 4 received, 0% packet loss, time 3005ms

I tried starting up X from the command line:


$ startx

and I got an error message, an excerpt of which reads.


...
FATAL: Module nvidia not found.
(EE) NVIDIA: Failed to load the NVIDIA kernel module. Please check your
(EE) NVIDIA:    system's kernel log for additional error messages. 
(EE) Failed to load module "nvidia" (module-specific error, 0)
(EE) No drivers available.

Fatal server error:
no screens found

...

Among the updated packages, there were security patches for x11.

Before I did the Online Update, I changed the hostname of the computer from YaST2 → Network Devices → Network Settings. I’m wondering if this was relevant to the current problem.

As another possibly relevant thing, while I was doing the Online Update, a system tool running in the right-hand side of the bar at the bottom of the screen in the X session was checking the available updates, but when I click it, it always showed an empty progress bar and said “0%”. So, I have just ignored it.

The installed Linux kernel is


$ uname --kernel-release
2.6.34.8-0.2-desktop

Do you have any idea about what is causing the failure of the X session and how to fix the problem? I would be glad if you give me any hints or pointers.

I am sorry if there is a typo or if an important information is missing in the error messages manually copied above. Please tell me if I should write additional information.

Norio

#2

This is not about all what is in ypour post just a first attempt to make
your X start.
Login to the console and check if the file /etc/X11/xorg.conf exists on your
machine.
Rename it or delete it and try to start again, you may have an old xorg.conf
file which contains settings which are no longer usable and X is able to
start without xorg.conf.

–
PC: oS 11.3 64 bit | Intel Core2 Quad Q8300@2.50GHz | KDE 4.6.3 | GeForce
9600 GT | 4GB Ram
Eee PC 1201n: oS 11.4 64 bit | Intel Atom 330@1.60GHz | KDE 4.6.0 | nVidia
ION | 3GB Ram

#3

martin_helm wrote:

> This is not about all what is in ypour post just a first attempt to make
> your X start.
> Login to the console and check if the file /etc/X11/xorg.conf exists on
> your machine.
> Rename it or delete it and try to start again, you may have an old
> xorg.conf file which contains settings which are no longer usable and X is
> able to start without xorg.conf.
>
I forgot to add, by default you cannot use startx. Use as root


init 3
init 5

to test it.

–
PC: oS 11.3 64 bit | Intel Core2 Quad Q8300@2.50GHz | KDE 4.6.3 | GeForce
9600 GT | 4GB Ram
Eee PC 1201n: oS 11.4 64 bit | Intel Atom 330@1.60GHz | KDE 4.6.0 | nVidia
ION | 3GB Ram

#4

On 2011-06-01 19:06, noriotakemoto wrote:
>
> Hello,
>
> I want to have your help to solve a boot and log-in problem.
>
> I got a workstation with openSuse 10.3 pre-installed. After I did the
> Online Update from YaST2 and rebooted the machine as requested by YaST2,
> the system came to fail starting up an X session.

Impossible. OpenSUSE 10.3 is out of maintenance, there are no updates, so
you could not have updated it.

Thus, you probably do not have openSUSE, you have SLED or SLES - and then,
this is not the correct forum.

That. of you have copied the wrong version number.

–
Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 11.2 x86_64 “Emerald” at Telcontar)

#5

Carlos E. R. wrote:
>
> That. of you have copied the wrong version number.
>
The kernel version posted (2.6.34.8) shows it is a 11.3, it is a typo, SLES
has a different kernel.

–
PC: oS 11.3 64 bit | Intel Core2 Quad Q8300@2.50GHz | KDE 4.6.3 | GeForce
9600 GT | 4GB Ram
Eee PC 1201n: oS 11.4 64 bit | Intel Atom 330@1.60GHz | KDE 4.6.0 | nVidia
ION | 3GB Ram

#6

Hello martin_helm and robin_listas,

first of all, please let me correct the version number. It is indeed 11.3.


$ less /etc/SuSE-release
openSUSE 11.3 (x86_64)
VERSION = 11.3

I am sorry for the error.

Norio

#7

Hello martin_helm,

I tried your suggestion to rename xorg.conf, but it did not go well:


# mv /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf-backup20110602
# init 3
Boot logging started on /dev/char/ ../tty1(/dev/console) at Thu Jun  2 08:26:18 2011
Master Resource Control: previous runlevel: 5, switching to runlevel:                                 3
Shutting down service kdm                                                                                          done
Shutting down service kdm                                                                                          done
Master Resource Control: runlevel 3 has been                                                                 reached
_

At this point, the cursor flickers at the left end of the line, and a command prompt does not come back (at least 15 minutes until now).

By the way, does any of you know how to shut down the computer safely from this status?

Norio

#8

In a text mode, with root permissions, you can halt the computer with the command:


shutdown -h now

and you can also restart the computer with the command


shutdown -r now
#9

Can you tell us exactly what nVidia hardware your computer has ? If you do not know, you can find out by typing:


/sbin/lspci -nnk | grep VGA -A2

Note that by default, openSUSE-11.4 will try to boot using the ‘nouveau’ open source video driver. If your hardware is not too new, then you could instead disable kernel mode setting and try to boot to the ‘nv’ open source video driver with the boot code (enter this in the initial grub boot screen’s option line):


nomodeset

and if that fails, you can try to boot to the FBDEV open source video driver by entering the boot code (in the grub boot menu options line) by typing in that line (when booting):


x11failsafe
#10

After this post, I pushed Ctrl+Alt+Del keys at the same time, and the system safely rebooted.
Then, wow, the X log-in screen appeared!

But, then, after I logged in, I realized that the mouse motion is not recognized. The mouse cursor is frozen in the middle of the desktop.

I guess I have to recover the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file to set appropriate parameters for the mouse and probably for other things. Am I right?
If so, do you have any suggestions? Or, do you know any references?

#11

Thank you, oldcpu.

I went to the text log-in mode from the X session by Ctrl+Alt+F1, logged in there, and checked the video card information.


$ /sbin/lspci -nnk | grep VGA -A2
06:00.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: nVidia Corporation Device [10de:0de1] (rev a1)
           Subsystem: CardExpert Technology Device [10b0:0401]
06:00.1 Audio device [0403]: nVidia Corporation Device [10de:0bea] (rev a1)

About the boot options, I currently see the following line in the boot screen:


Boot Options  vga=0x31a

Should I change it to this?


Boot Options  nomodeset

Or, to this?


Boot Options  vga=0x31a  nomodeset
#12

Either should work (but their boot characteristics will be different). You can try both.

#13

Thanks oldcpu,

I tried


Boot Options  nomodeset

and I got a ‘low-resolution’ X session, but the mouse cursor still did not move.

#14

OK, thanks, … It looks like a nVidia GeForce GT 430. I think that is fairly new (launched in October 2010), and possibly not supported by either ‘nouvea’ nor ‘nv’ video drivers.

You may be forced to use the boot code:


x11failsafe

in order to force use of the ‘fbdev’ open source video driver (a very SLOW but highly compatible driver) until you can install the proprietary ‘nvidia’ video driver.

#15

The mouse not moving could be a different problem.

Can you boot to your BIOS and check your USB settings ? Possibly change your USB settings to a ‘legacy’ mode (if such a choice is available) ?

#16

Dear oldcpu,

thank you for your suggestions. As far as I understand, the only remaining problem is the mouse motion.

Please let me once summarize what I’ve done and how the situation changed:

  • I did the YaST2 Online Update.
  • Boot process started to fail in the middle, and I could not log in to the X session.
  • I moved “/etc/X11/xorg.conf” to “/etc/X11/xorg.conf-backup20110602”.
  • The boot process succeeds to bring me to the usual X session as I have seen before the Online Update. I can log in to the X session, but the mouse cursor did not move.
  • I tried booting with the boot option line, “Boot Options nomodeset”.
  • The boot process succeeds to bring me to a low resolution X session. I can log in to the X session, but the mouse cursor did not move.

Additional Information:

  • SUSE version: OpenSUSE 11.3
  • kernel version: 2.6.34.8-0.2-desktop
  • video card: nVidia GeForce GT 430 (cf. posts #11 and #14)
  • both keyboard and mouse are connected by USB

The USB keyboard is working fine, and therefore, I guess USB setting might be O.K.
I guess now-missing “xorg.conf” might be causing a problem. In it, it had a section,


Section "InputDevice"
    # generated from default
    Identifier      "Mouse0"
    Driver          "mouse"
    Option          "protocol" "auto"
    Option          "Device" "/dev/psaux"
    Option          "Emulate3Buttons" "no"
    Option          "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection
#17

That could be.

You could try editing the /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/11-mouse.conf or 50-device.conf file by applying those exact lines into either of those files.

(if the 11-mouse.conf, possibly change “InputDevice” to “InputClass”, but thats really wild speculation on my part, and you would need to explore this on your own, figure it out, and then hopefully teach us ! :slight_smile:

#18

Thanks, oldcpu. O.K. I will try around and report what I did.

I do know how X11 is being configured in the boot process. So, I have to learn a bit about it.
If any of you could explain or give me a pointer to the basics of X11, I would appreciate it very much.

Norio

#19

I have only limited knowledge here.

In essence, starting with openSUSE-11.3, and implemented even more in openSUSE-11.4, it is no longer necessary to have an /etc/X11/xorg.conf file. Instead X should automatically configure one’s graphic device. The main means of X doing this is by using kernel mode setting (KMS) which is supposed to automatically configure one’s identified graphic device (I think udev is supposed to identify the device, but thats speculation on my part).

If KMS does not work, then one can disable KMS by the ‘nomodeset’ command, and then instead of relying on the kernel assistance in configuring one’s graphic device, X will try to configure the device itself.

Now when configuring the graphic device, X will also look in the directory of /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/ where there are many files: 10-evdev.conf, 20-synaptics.conf, 50-device.conf, 50-screen.conf, 90-keytable.conf, 11-mouse.conf, 20-wacom.conf, 50-monitor.conf, 50-vmmouse.conf and use the content of those files to configure X. If those files are missing information, then X will automatically try to configure the missing information. And any content in those files will take precedence over any automatic X configuration efforts.

If one has an /etc/X11/xorg.conf file in place (even though typically not needed) it will be used, and it will take precedence over any information in the /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/ directory files, and it will take precedence over any automatic X configuration. …

I do not know enough to provide understandable guidance on configuring the content of xorg.conf nor of the files in the /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/ directory.

#20

Sorry for coming back so late.
As far as I can see in this thread (but I may have missed it, if so, I am
sorry) the proprietary nvidia driver is still not installed.
I would really recommend to install that first before checking the mouse
move problem.
This can be done by running yast -> software repositories -> add ->
community repositories -> select the nvidia repository and accept it. It is
a bit tedious without the mouse but yast can easily navigated with the
keyboard.
After that repository is selected just run yast -> software management and
you should see the nvidia driver related modules preselected.
Install it and simply reboot afterwards (yes this is not needed you can do
it without, but it is the easiest at this point).
It may happened that the xorg.conf you created meanwhile interferes with
that and for the moment you should also rename that before you reboot.
Report back what happened you should get rid of the low resolution, maybe
even the mouse problem (but I would be surprised).
Next step is to create a proper xorg.conf with the nvidia tools so that you
have a starting point frrm which you can edit this if it is needed.

–
PC: oS 11.3 64 bit | Intel Core2 Quad Q8300@2.50GHz | KDE 4.6.3 | GeForce
9600 GT | 4GB Ram
Eee PC 1201n: oS 11.4 64 bit | Intel Atom 330@1.60GHz | KDE 4.6.0 | nVidia
ION | 3GB Ram