Remote X11 session fails - XQuartz crashes when forwarding ROOT graphics
Submitted by Anna
Assigned to Vian
Link to original bug (#109585)
Description
Hi,
I came here with an unusual issue as a last resort, but seemingly I'm not the only user with the same problem (see links below).
Reproducible crash of XQuartz happens under the following conditions:
-
Remotely connecting (ssh -XY user@server) to a Linux server (Scientific Linux - Red Hat based - various kernel versions at CERN and PSI) from a Mac (OSX, both Sierra and latest Mojave)
-
try to launch ROOT with graphics (https://root.cern.ch/ , the latest root5, 5.34/38) which is our "work horse" application in particle physics
-
when launching ROOT, connection establishes, credentials are ok, and an X window even flashes up for a (milli)second, then XQuartz is crashing with segmentation faults in the Apple crash report. Verbose output, ssh -X -v (showing that all is OK until the crash)
###########
debug1: client_input_channel_open: ctype x11 rchan 3 win 65536 max 16384 debug1: client_request_x11: request from 129.129.141.177 53580 debug1: x11_connect_display: $DISPLAY is launchd debug1: channel 1: new [x11] debug1: confirm x11 Socket accepted
Error in RootX11IOErrorHandler: fatal X11 error (connection to server lost?!)
**** Save data and exit application ****
###########
Now the really weird things:
- all other X window apps I tried can tunnel through well (including xeyes, emacs, firefox), so I posted this issue to the ROOT developers
- BUT, it cannot be (only) a ROOT problem: a colleague with the SAME operation system and SAME XQuartz version on the SAME remote machine has no problem opening the same application.
- We compared our environments, I reinstalled XQuartz, etc. The only possible difference we found: I have Homebrew packages, he has Macports; e.g. he installed XQuartz via Macports, while I used the dmg file from the webpage.
- other weird stuff: this problem happened suddenly(!), first on my OSX Sierra (I used the same ROOT app on the same PC some months before). The only difference I can think of in this time: -- I got some new Homebrew packages, -- There were some usual security updates to Sierra
I thought first it might be some unresolvable security related issue with Sierra, so I upgraded to OSX Mojave for this reason, as my colleague had no issue there. But the problem persisted.
I went trough so many troubleshooting steps and nothing helped. Do you think I can try something besides the conventional things (reinstall XQuartz, try different versions)?
Is it possible there is a problem between Homebrew installations and XQuartz, or any environment related issues with XQuartz? I want to keep my Homebrew stuff, it would be really painful to switch to Macports now.
see also:
Also, similar problem appeared here:
Version: 2.7.11 (xserver-1.18.4)