When starting Evolution /usr/lib/gdm3/gdm-x-session[2309]: (II) modeset information is printed to syslog

[Chris]

This started the same day I did the upgrade from 16.04LTS to 18.04LTS.
Package/system information below:

lsb_release -crid
Distributor ID: Ubuntu
Description: Ubuntu 18.04.1 LTS
Release: 18.04
Codename: bionic

apt-cache policy gdm3
gdm3:
Installed: 3.28.2-0ubuntu1.4
Candidate: 3.28.2-0ubuntu1.4

apt-cache policy evolution
evolution:
Installed: 3.28.1-2
Candidate: 3.28.1-2

apt-cache policy xserver-xorg
xserver-xorg:
Installed: 1:7.7+19ubuntu7.1
Candidate: 1:7.7+19ubuntu7.1

When starting Evolution this is output to syslog and periodically after it's running:

https://pastebin.com/zndBukUG

I've filed a bug report on Ubuntu Launchpad:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xorg-server/+bug/1788739

Should I also submit a bug report at freedesktop.org for this or is
this possibly some kind of a configuration issue that I can check?

Chris

[Adam Jackson]

Post by Chris
https://pastebin.com/zndBukUG

Evolution, or something it provokes, is asking the server for the list
of available video modes. It's doing so with XRRGetScreenResources(),
apparently, which prompts the X server to go re-check every available
output to see if anything has changed. This is silly, it should be
using XRRGetScreenResourcesCurrent() and relying on hotplug events to
trigger re-polling. Now, maybe the X server shouldn't print the modes
in the log when that happens, but maybe the client shouldn't be ten
years behind the times in its API usage.

In other words, I think this is a gnome bug.

- ajax
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[Chris]

Post by Adam Jackson

Post by Chris
https://pastebin.com/zndBukUG

Evolution, or something it provokes, is asking the server for the list
of available video modes. It's doing so with XRRGetScreenResources(),
apparently, which prompts the X server to go re-check every available
output to see if anything has changed. This is silly, it should be
using XRRGetScreenResourcesCurrent() and relying on hotplug events to
trigger re-polling. Now, maybe the X server shouldn't print the modes
in the log when that happens, but maybe the client shouldn't be ten
years behind the times in its API usage.
In other words, I think this is a gnome bug.
- ajax

Thanks Adam, I have filed a bug report here -
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xorg-server/+bug/1788739
and here
https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=107841

Since the output refers to /usr/lib/gdm3/gdm-x-session I'm going to
file a bug report on Gnome Bugzilla under gdm and see how that goes.

Chris

[Michel Dänzer]

Post by Adam Jackson

Post by Chris
https://pastebin.com/zndBukUG

Evolution, or something it provokes, is asking the server for the list
of available video modes. It's doing so with XRRGetScreenResources(),
apparently, which prompts the X server to go re-check every available
output to see if anything has changed. This is silly, it should be
using XRRGetScreenResourcesCurrent() and relying on hotplug events to
trigger re-polling. Now, maybe the X server shouldn't print the modes
in the log when that happens, [...]

FWIW, it probably shouldn't indeed, at least not at the default log
verbosity.

[Chris]

Post by Michel Dänzer

Post by Adam Jackson

Post by Chris
When starting Evolution this is output to syslog and periodically
https://pastebin.com/zndBukUG

Evolution, or something it provokes, is asking the server for the list
of available video modes. It's doing so with
XRRGetScreenResources(),
apparently, which prompts the X server to go re-check every
available
output to see if anything has changed. This is silly, it should be
using XRRGetScreenResourcesCurrent() and relying on hotplug events to
trigger re-polling. Now, maybe the X server shouldn't print the modes
in the log when that happens, [...]

FWIW, it probably shouldn't indeed, at least not at the default log
verbosity.

AFAICT my rsyslog.conf it's the default. I don't know if uncommenting
these lines would help or not:

### Debugging ###
# $DebugFile /var/log/rsyslog-debug
# $DebugLevel 2

# syslog.* /var/log/syslog.debug;RSYSLOG_DebugFormat
# $DebugFile /var/log/syslog.debug
# $DebugLevel 2

[Michel Dänzer]

Post by Chris

Post by Michel Dänzer

Post by Adam Jackson

Post by Chris
https://pastebin.com/zndBukUG

Evolution, or something it provokes, is asking the server for the list
of available video modes. It's doing so with
XRRGetScreenResources(),
apparently, which prompts the X server to go re-check every
available
output to see if anything has changed. This is silly, it should be
using XRRGetScreenResourcesCurrent() and relying on hotplug events to
trigger re-polling. Now, maybe the X server shouldn't print the modes
in the log when that happens, [...]

FWIW, it probably shouldn't indeed, at least not at the default log
verbosity.

AFAICT my rsyslog.conf it's the default. I don't know if uncommenting
### Debugging ###
# $DebugFile /var/log/rsyslog-debug
# $DebugLevel 2
# syslog.* /var/log/syslog.debug;RSYSLOG_DebugFormat
# $DebugFile /var/log/syslog.debug
# $DebugLevel 2

Yeah, sorry, different meaning of "should" — the code definitely always
has printed these by default, it just arguably shouldn't.

Anyway, Adam is right that the client shouldn't use this functionality
in the first place.

[Chris]

Post by Michel Dänzer

Post by Chris

Post by Michel Dänzer

Post by Adam Jackson

Post by Chris
When starting Evolution this is output to syslog and
periodically
https://pastebin.com/zndBukUG

Evolution, or something it provokes, is asking the server for
the
list
of available video modes. It's doing so with
XRRGetScreenResources(),
apparently, which prompts the X server to go re-check every available
output to see if anything has changed. This is silly, it should be
using XRRGetScreenResourcesCurrent() and relying on hotplug
events
to
trigger re-polling. Now, maybe the X server shouldn't print the modes
in the log when that happens, [...]

FWIW, it probably shouldn't indeed, at least not at the default log
verbosity.

AFAICT my rsyslog.conf it's the default. I don't know if
uncommenting
### Debugging ###
# $DebugFile /var/log/rsyslog-debug
# $DebugLevel 2
# syslog.* /var/log/syslog.debug;RSYSLOG_DebugFormat
# $DebugFile /var/log/syslog.debug
# $DebugLevel 2

Yeah, sorry, different meaning of "should" — the code definitely always
has printed these by default, it just arguably shouldn't.
Anyway, Adam is right that the client shouldn't use this
functionality
in the first place.

Besides the bug report submitted at Ubuntu Launchpad that I mentioned
in my original post I've also submitted them as noted below.

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xorg-server/+bug/1788739

https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=107841

https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gdm/issues/418

The reasoning for this is I'm just not exactly who's purview this would
come under.

Chris

[Chris Pollock]

Post by Chris

Post by Michel Dänzer

Post by Chris

Post by Michel Dänzer

Post by Adam Jackson

Post by Chris
When starting Evolution this is output to syslog and
periodically
https://pastebin.com/zndBukUG

Evolution, or something it provokes, is asking the server for
the
list
of available video modes. It's doing so with
XRRGetScreenResources(),
apparently, which prompts the X server to go re-check every available
output to see if anything has changed. This is silly, it
should
be
using XRRGetScreenResourcesCurrent() and relying on hotplug
events
to
trigger re-polling. Now, maybe the X server shouldn't print
the
modes
in the log when that happens, [...]

FWIW, it probably shouldn't indeed, at least not at the default log
verbosity.

AFAICT my rsyslog.conf it's the default. I don't know if
uncommenting
### Debugging ###
# $DebugFile /var/log/rsyslog-debug
# $DebugLevel 2
# syslog.* /var/log/syslog.debug;RSYSLOG_DebugFormat
# $DebugFile /var/log/syslog.debug
# $DebugLevel 2

Yeah, sorry, different meaning of "should" — the code definitely always
has printed these by default, it just arguably shouldn't.
Anyway, Adam is right that the client shouldn't use this
functionality
in the first place.

Besides the bug report submitted at Ubuntu Launchpad that I mentioned
in my original post I've also submitted them as noted below.
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xorg-server/+bug/1788739
https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=107841
https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gdm/issues/418
The reasoning for this is I'm just not exactly who's purview this would
come under.

I thought I'd add that this also happens when starting and stopping XFE

xfe:
Installed: 1.42-1
Candidate: 1.42-1

[Chris Pollock]

Post by Chris Pollock

Post by Chris

Post by Michel Dänzer

Post by Chris

Post by Michel Dänzer

Post by Adam Jackson

Post by Chris
When starting Evolution this is output to syslog and periodically
https://pastebin.com/zndBukUG

Evolution, or something it provokes, is asking the server for
the
list
of available video modes. It's doing so with
XRRGetScreenResources(),
apparently, which prompts the X server to go re-check every available
output to see if anything has changed. This is silly, it
should
be
using XRRGetScreenResourcesCurrent() and relying on hotplug
events
to
trigger re-polling. Now, maybe the X server shouldn't print
the
modes
in the log when that happens, [...]

FWIW, it probably shouldn't indeed, at least not at the
default
log
verbosity.

AFAICT my rsyslog.conf it's the default. I don't know if
uncommenting
### Debugging ###
# $DebugFile /var/log/rsyslog-debug
# $DebugLevel 2
# syslog.* /var/log/syslog.debug;RSYSLOG_DebugFormat
# $DebugFile /var/log/syslog.debug
# $DebugLevel 2

Yeah, sorry, different meaning of "should" — the code definitely always
has printed these by default, it just arguably shouldn't.
Anyway, Adam is right that the client shouldn't use this
functionality
in the first place.

Besides the bug report submitted at Ubuntu Launchpad that I
mentioned
in my original post I've also submitted them as noted below.
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xorg-server/+bug/1788739
https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=107841
https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gdm/issues/418
The reasoning for this is I'm just not exactly who's purview this would
come under.

I thought I'd add that this also happens when starting and stopping XFE
Installed: 1.42-1
Candidate: 1.42-1

Thought I'd post an update to this since I've tried several different
things to try and stop the output to syslog. Firstly I recognize that
this is on information (II) however I don't believe it should be
written to my syslog ever time I open or close certain applications.
Per suggestions on the Ubuntu-Users list I first installed a new VGA
cable, no change. Since my Dell Optiplex 780 has a DisplayPort output
connector and my ACER monitor has a DVI input port. I bought and
installed a DisplayPort->DVI cable. Here is the
~/.local/share/xorg/Xorg.1.log as written after I installed the cable
and booted the system last Friday and output to it through today
https://pastebin.com/FjfYcUS1
I don't know if there's any information there that would give a clue as
to what's the cause or not. I believe the major issue in
troubleshooting this is that it will not happen each time I start or
stop Evo, XFE, Firefox or others that seems to cause it.