[Bug 360344] New: xorg.conf overwritten by security updates
https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=360344 Summary: xorg.conf overwritten by security updates Product: openSUSE 10.3 Version: Final Platform: i686 OS/Version: openSUSE 10.3 Status: NEW Severity: Normal Priority: P5 - None Component: SaX2 AssignedTo: ms@novell.com ReportedBy: com.opensuse@bucksch.org QAContact: qa@suse.de Found By: Customer Reproduction: 1. Install opensuse 10.3 2. Modify your xorg.conf, e.g. to use nvidia driver on a 2 monitor setup 3. <3 months pass> 4. Install security updates 5. Restart your machine Actual results: Glibberish on monitor 1 Reason: Something, probably a SaX update, has re-generated xorg.conf, dropping all your changes. You restart, try to re-install driver, check physical setup, until you realize that the "nv" driver is being used. Luckily, the proper xorg.conf is saved as xorg.conf.saxsave, but you lost quite some time on the investigation. Expected result: xorg.conf is left alone for security and reliability updates, only generated when it does not exist or upon explicit user (admin) confirmation. Workaround: Delete the comment at the header which says the stupid "Do not edit this file" (I have to!), and hope that SaX recognizes that the comment and leaves the file alone. This cannot be relied upon, though, that the user/admin knows that deleting a comment makes any difference (and in fact I am just hoping so). Also, the nvidia installer does not do that, IIRC. -- Configure bugmail: https://bugzilla.novell.com/userprefs.cgi?tab=email ------- You are receiving this mail because: ------- You are on the CC list for the bug.
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User meissner@novell.com added comment
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Marcus Meissner
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User sndirsch@novell.com added comment
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Stefan Dirsch
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User com.opensuse@bucksch.org added comment
https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=360344#c3
--- Comment #3 from Ben Bucksch
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User sndirsch@novell.com added comment
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Stefan Dirsch
In fact, I used to have the nvidiaG01 package installed, but no longer use it. I am not sure when exactly it got uninstalled, it may have been during the update. I had compiled and installed 2.6.24 kernel in the meantime, so I didn't want the kernel update (was quite hard to get rid of it, BTW), and probably had to get rid of nvidiaG01 for that as well, which made sense, since I already use the nvidia driver package from nvidia.com anyways.
Thanks. I think this explains what happened. The dependancies of the nvidiaG01 KMP package could no longer be resolved, so it was marked to be removed together with the nvidiaG01 video package and then as explained before rewrote the xorg.conf during uninstallation of the package. So you've been mixing the NVIDIA packages with a manual installation of the driver. This is a scenario we do not support. -- Configure bugmail: https://bugzilla.novell.com/userprefs.cgi?tab=email ------- You are receiving this mail because: ------- You are on the CC list for the bug.
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User com.opensuse@bucksch.org added comment
https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=360344#c5
Ben Bucksch
So you've been mixing the NVIDIA packages with a manual installation of the driver. This is a scenario we do not support.
I have essentially been changing from your kernel + your nvidia packages to the generic, self-combiled kernel with the generic nvidia package. That must be possible without problems. This is a bug. -- Configure bugmail: https://bugzilla.novell.com/userprefs.cgi?tab=email ------- You are receiving this mail because: ------- You are on the CC list for the bug.
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User com.opensuse@bucksch.org added comment
https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=360344#c6
--- Comment #6 from Ben Bucksch
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User com.opensuse@bucksch.org added comment
https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=360344#c7
--- Comment #7 from Ben Bucksch
I have essentially been changing from your kernel + your nvidia packages to the generic, self-combiled kernel with the generic nvidia package.
Reproduction: 1. Install openSuSE including SuSE kernel, and SuSE nvidia driver package 2. Modify your xorg.conf, to adapt it to your needs like multimon, mouse buttons etc. 3. <2 months pass> 4. Decide to compile your own kernel (e.g. because a new one 2.6.24 just came out, or because you want to make it faster or smaller, or because you need a specific driver, or because you feel like it) 5. nvidia module no longer works. You don't know what to do, so you get the driver from nvidia.com. That works nicely. 6. All works. 7. <2 months pass> 8. Kernel security update, maybe with other updates. You are alert enough to notice and remove the kernel to not overwrite yours. 9. This requires you to remove the nvidia package as well in the flow of the update. 10. nvidia package breaks your X11 config, you see completely garbled screen output on at least one screen. Don't tell me that installing my own kernel in the most obvious (but maybe not ideal) way is "not supported". -- Configure bugmail: https://bugzilla.novell.com/userprefs.cgi?tab=email ------- You are receiving this mail because: ------- You are on the CC list for the bug.
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User sndirsch@novell.com added comment
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Stefan Dirsch
I have essentially been changing from your kernel + your nvidia packages to the generic, self-compiled kernel with the generic nvidia package. That must be possible without problems. This is a bug.
No, unfortunately in most cases this cannot work - due to a not stable kABI.
*Never* touch my xorg.conf without my approval. You are quite likely to break the system.
Not changing would make it even more likely to break the system (X usually doesn't start any longer). There is no mechanism in YaST Online Update to ask for an approval. There is no reason to assume, that there is another NVIDIA driver installation available, when the package gets uninstalled. As said before we do not support such a scenario. In my eyes a messed up system anyway. Please decide if you prefer to use our packages or (exclusive) a manual installation of the driver. But please don't complain, when a kernel update results in the need of rebuilding the NVIDIA kernel module, if chosing the latter. Probably in your case it would be the best to chose the manuall driver installation and uninstall all kernel-* packages, rebuild and install your own kernel and take care of any kernel security updates yourself. This time - INVALID. -- Configure bugmail: https://bugzilla.novell.com/userprefs.cgi?tab=email ------- You are receiving this mail because: ------- You are on the CC list for the bug.
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User sndirsch@novell.com added comment
https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=360344#c9
--- Comment #9 from Stefan Dirsch
4. Decide to compile your own kernel (e.g. because a new one 2.6.24 just came out, or because you want to make it faster or smaller, or because you need a specific driver, or because you feel like it)
Not supported.
5. nvidia module no longer works. You don't know what to do, so you get the driver from nvidia.com. That works nicely.
Before uninstall the nvidia-gfxG01-kmp-<kernel-flavor> / x11-video-nvidiaG01 package. -- Configure bugmail: https://bugzilla.novell.com/userprefs.cgi?tab=email ------- You are receiving this mail because: ------- You are on the CC list for the bug.
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User sndirsch@novell.com added comment
https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=360344#c10
--- Comment #10 from Stefan Dirsch
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User sndirsch@novell.com added comment
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--- Comment #11 from Stefan Dirsch
5. nvidia module no longer works. You don't know what to do, so you get the driver from nvidia.com. That works nicely. In this case it's a good idea to check, to which KMP package this module belongs and uninstall this KMP package. Then you would have seen that it requires the other nvidia package. Still by uninstalling both packages the xorg.conf would have been rewritten for the user's convenience.
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User com.opensuse@bucksch.org added comment
https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=360344#c12
Ben Bucksch
compile your own kernel
Not supported.
That's ridiculous. A) that must be supported B) you can't trash my X11 config because I do something "unsupported" (but sensible). REOPEN -- Configure bugmail: https://bugzilla.novell.com/userprefs.cgi?tab=email ------- You are receiving this mail because: ------- You are on the CC list for the bug.
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User sndirsch@novell.com added comment
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Stefan Dirsch
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User com.opensuse@bucksch.org added comment
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Ben Bucksch
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User sndirsch@novell.com added comment
https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=360344#c15
Stefan Dirsch
Stefan Dirsch, please leave my bugs alone (same for bug 439873 and others), thank you.
Don't know, why this bug has ever been assigned to Marcus. Probably since he was still the default assignee for SaX2 bugs at the time the bug has been openend. -- Configure bugmail: https://bugzilla.novell.com/userprefs.cgi?tab=email ------- You are receiving this mail because: ------- You are on the CC list for the bug.
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User sndirsch@novell.com added comment
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Stefan Dirsch
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User com.opensuse@bucksch.org added comment
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Ben Bucksch
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User ms@novell.com added comment
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Marcus Schaefer
AFAIK this only happens if the x11-video-nvidia/x11-video-nvidiaG01 gets uninstalled to make sure that X11 still starts aferwards, because the NVIDIA driver no longer exists. I'm wondering if this is what happened on your system.
But this should no have happened since the NVIDIA driver was updated together with our kernel security update (due to a kABI breakage).
So a good explanation was given why the process is like it is. imho uninstalling the kmp package we provide resets your xorg.conf to allow it to still work. I wouldn't name that "trash my system" Maybe a warning would be useful. Installing your own stuff afterwards doesn't trash any of your xorg.conf settings All this happens on a package script level and is not influenced by sax2 Stefan I think it's again up to you to decide if we still want to touch the xorg.conf when installing/uninstalling packages thanks -- Configure bugmail: https://bugzilla.novell.com/userprefs.cgi?tab=email ------- You are receiving this mail because: ------- You are on the CC list for the bug.
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User com.opensuse@bucksch.org added comment
https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=360344#c19
--- Comment #19 from Ben Bucksch
resets your xorg.conf to allow it to still work
Well, it didn't.
Maybe a warning would be useful
Yes, please. (with ability to cancel) That's the minimum. If the updater doesn't allow that, then it needs to be implemented there, or a different mechanism for the config problem be sought altogether. -- Configure bugmail: https://bugzilla.novell.com/userprefs.cgi?tab=email ------- You are receiving this mail because: ------- You are on the CC list for the bug.
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User sndirsch@novell.com added comment
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Stefan Dirsch
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User com.opensuse@bucksch.org added comment
https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=360344#c21
--- Comment #21 from Ben Bucksch
when reinstalling the driver
Note that this is a common situation. Esp. now that there are several versions of the nvidia drivers. I may go from nvidia to nvidiaG01 and vice versa, from RPM to installer and vice versa etc.. I may have the nvidia driver installed, but decided to no longer use it, but haven't uninstalled yet. A month later, I am confident with the nv driver and decide to uninstall the nvidia driver. You'll also overwrite my working nv xorg, possibly overwriting other fine-tuning I made. I question the basic assumption that installing and uninstalling a binary should modify a central configuration file, without user confirmation. These cases above are at least as likely as me going from nvidia to nv. Therefore, they need to be considered. That's what this bug asks for. -- Configure bugmail: https://bugzilla.novell.com/userprefs.cgi?tab=email ------- You are receiving this mail because: ------- You are on the CC list for the bug.
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User sndirsch@novell.com added comment
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--- Comment #22 from Stefan Dirsch
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Stefan Dirsch
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Stefan Dirsch
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Stefan Dirsch
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