unity aborts when you plug in an external monitor

Bug Description

Binary package hint: unity

When plugging in an external monitor unity immediatly aborts.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.04
Package: unity 3.2.8-0ubuntu1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.37-12.26~masternext201101050333-generic 2.6.37
Uname: Linux 2.6.37-12-generic i686
NonfreeKernelModules: wl
Architecture: i386
CompizPlugins: No value set for `/apps/compiz-1/general/allscreens/options/active_plugins'
Date: Sun Jan 9 18:54:29 2011
EcryptfsInUse: Yes
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.04 LTS "Lucid Lynx" - Release i386 (20100429)
InstallationMedia_: Ubuntu 10.04 LTS "Lucid Lynx" - Release i386 (20100429)
MachineType: Acer AO533
PciDisplay: 00:02.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: Intel Corporation N10 Family Integrated Graphics Controller [8086:a011] (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
ProcEnviron:
LANGUAGE=en_GB:en
PATH=(custom, user)
LANG=en_GB.UTF-8
LC_MESSAGES=en_GB.utf8
SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.37-12-generic root=UUID=10dbafb4-5a21-4665-88d4-2924132ca353 ro vt.handoff=7 quiet splash
ProcVersionSignature_: Ubuntu 2.6.37-12.26~masternext201101050333-generic 2.6.37
RelatedPackageVersions:
xserver-xorg 1:7.5+6ubuntu6
libgl1-mesa-glx 7.9+repack-1ubuntu3
libdrm2 2.4.22-2ubuntu1
xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.13.901-2ubuntu2
xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:6.13.2-1ubuntu2
SourcePackage: unity
XorgConf: Error: [Errno 2] No such file or directory: '/etc/X11/xorg.conf'
dmi.bios.date: 06/07/2010
dmi.bios.vendor: Acer
dmi.bios.version: V1.05
dmi.board.asset.tag: Base Board Asset Tag
dmi.board.name: AO533
dmi.board.vendor: Acer
dmi.board.version: V1.05
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: Acer
dmi.chassis.version: V1.05
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAcer:bvrV1.05:bd06/07/2010:svnAcer:pnAO533:pvrV1.05:rvnAcer:rnAO533:rvrV1.05:cvnAcer:ct10:cvrV1.05:
dmi.product.name: AO533
dmi.product.version: V1.05
dmi.sys.vendor: Acer
glxinfo: Error: [Errno 2] No such file or directory
system: distro = Ubuntu, architecture = i686, kernel = 2.6.37-12-generic

This seems to be triggered when the overall geometry of the combined frambuffer is >2048 pixels wide, leading to a frambuffer too wide error and unity to abort.

GLRenderbuffer::GLRenderbuffer() ERROR: Size too big width=2944height=1030

Andy, can you try this with Natty on the same machine and see if this still happens?

Ups... sorry, never mind Andy, just saw that Natty is the version you tried this on.

Just for the record, can you attach the output of "glxinfo -l | grep GL_MAX_TEXTURE_SIZE" here? It's probably that the max. texture-size is 2048 on your intel GPU. For such cases we'll need a fallback code-path to use an approach to used tiled-buffers.

It is more directly an issue of the library underlying unity. I've added it to the affected projects.

It affects me too. And running "glxinfo -l | grep GL_MAX_TEXTURE_SIZE", I got:
GL_MAX_TEXTURE_SIZE = 2048
As you suspected.

Quick note to say that cloning the display on the external monitor doesn't trigger the issue, since i've been able to do a presentation on Friday and was running Unity.

As you suspected I do indeed have a 2048 pixel texture size:

$ glxinfo -l | grep GL_MAX_TEXTURE_SIZE
GL_MAX_TEXTURE_SIZE = 2048

I also will note it is possible to put the monitors above each other which keeps both under x and y under the 2k limit without issues.

I will further note that this machine has socket insertion detection, and the default location is non-mirrored and on the right of the main screen. This means that as soon as you insert any monitor wider than 1024 pixels (the norm these days) either unity or compiz explodes. No user action is required.

Panel no longer stretches the width of both monitors, it is only the width of the primary monitor. Dash fullscreen does the same, so we're safe from this bug now.

This bug was fixed in the package unity - 3.6.8-0ubuntu1

---------------
unity (3.6.8-0ubuntu1) natty; urgency=low

* New upstream release.
- crash at the second drag and drop from an unity place (LP: #736704)
- Compiz crashes with SIGSEGV in nux::GraphicsDisplay::GrabPointer when
opening the Dash (LP: #737287)
- Visual Tearing/Rendering Issues with Unity Launcher (LP: #737476)
- unity-window-decorator crash on unity panel dragout (LP: #740480)
- unity-panel-service crashed with SIGSEGV in g_type_check_instance_is_a()
(LP: #694699)
- compiz crashed with SIGSEGV in nux::BaseTexture::GetDeviceTexture()
(LP: #692823)
- the "no result" and "search the web" items need icons (LP: #711199)
- Resizing with external padding/grab area prevents reaching edge of
screen (LP: #710356)
- drag and drop of launcher icons uses microscopic drag icon (LP: #727647)
- text in places look squeezed (LP: #727799)
- at-spi-registry consumes most of the CPU and make the system unusable on
Natty (LP: #729827)
- migrate_favorites.py crashed with GError in __main__: Bad key or
directory name: "/desktop/unity/launcher/favorites/app-
dc++.desktop/type": `+' is an invalid character in key/directory names
(LP: #737016)
- Launcher hide state is confusing (LP: #739850)
- Polish new launcher hide state (part 2) (LP: #740020)
- launcher icons should expan on super or when entering keynav
(LP: #741319)
- Launcher - Dragging a Launcher icon to the Trash should remove the icon
(LP: #676466)
- Launcher - Enable dragging and dropping of files & folders to Launcher
icons (LP: #676549)
- Dash - Add Dash group header mouseover effect (LP: #689640)
- unity aborts when you plug in an external monitor (LP: #700757)
- Keyboard-navigation: focus on launcher remembered (LP: #713340)
- Launcher Quicklists should always contain the application title
(LP: #723877)
- When a maximized window has window on top of it in 'restored state' (not
maximised) , it is not possible to un-maximized the window by dragging
the title bar downwards (LP: #723882)
- When windows open for the first time they should not hide the launcher
(LP: #723878)
- UI blocked when expanding a section with more than 2000 items
(LP: #736059)
- Change ALT-Tab to bring the target window to the front (LP: #736938)
- compiz crashed with SIGABRT in __kernel_vsyscall() (LP: #737814)
- Launcher does not respond to changes in icon theme (LP: #605475)
- Implement new style scrollbars in Dash (LP: #608124)
- Closing launcher menu raises window under mouse (LP: #728787)
- adding url launcher support from the search (LP: #739038)
- Launcher - Set Launcher 'Hide Animation' to 'Slide only' by default.
Also introduce subtle fade in effect. (LP: #739567)
- "Time & Date" settings appears in launcher with empty tooltip
(LP: #740907)
- ZeitgeistLog missing implementation of get_property for "connected"
(LP: #734080)
- often can't alt-click-dnd to move the focussed dialog (LP: #711911)
- The Unity P...

Currently running wth Unity 2.8.4-0ubuntu1, the same or very similar symptoms are still present. Plugging an external 1024x768 monitor into my Atom netbook leaks to unity core dumping, on restart it spits out errors about the size of screen being to large:

GLRenderbuffer::GLRenderbuffer() ERROR: Size too big width=2304height=1024

@Alex -- can you at least explain why you have moved this bug fix released again. As the original reporter I have reopened this bug as still present even with the supposedly fixed packages. That tends to indicated the bug is not in fact fixed?

It seems to be an issue between compiz and the driver, not the one fixed in the branch we had.

I have this issue for a config with laptop + external monitor (1366x768 + 1280x1024). Asus i3 2.53 GHz using the integrated GMA HD video card.

My GL_MAX_TEXTURE_SIZE is 4096:

glxinfo -l | grep GL_MAX_TEXTURE_SIZE
GL_MAX_TEXTURE_SIZE = 4096