After last apt upgrade (v21.05.4), lightdm on a RockPro64 does not start anymore.

 

rockpro64:~:# systemctl status lightdm.service   
● lightdm.service - Light Display Manager
     Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/lightdm.service; indirect; vendor preset: enabled)
     Active: failed (Result: exit-code) since Sun 2021-06-20 16:13:01 CEST; 21min ago
       Docs: manlightdm(1)
    Process: 1877 ExecStartPre=/bin/sh -c [ "$(basename $(cat /etc/X11/default-display-manager 2>/dev/null))" = "lightdm" ] (code=exited, status=0/SUCCESS)
    Process: 1880 ExecStart=/usr/sbin/lightdm (code=exited, status=1/FAILURE)
   Main PID: 1880 (code=exited, status=1/FAILURE)

Jun 20 16:13:01 rockpro64 systemd[1]: lightdm.service: Scheduled restart job, restart counter is at 5.
Jun 20 16:13:01 rockpro64 systemd[1]: Stopped Light Display Manager.
Jun 20 16:13:01 rockpro64 systemd[1]: lightdm.service: Start request repeated too quickly.
Jun 20 16:13:01 rockpro64 systemd[1]: lightdm.service: Failed with result 'exit-code'.
Jun 20 16:13:01 rockpro64 systemd[1]: Failed to start Light Display Manager.

 

and trying to start manually as root

 

rockpro64:~:# systemctl start lightdm.service 
Job for lightdm.service failed because the control process exited with error code.
See "systemctl status lightdm.service" and "journalctl -xe" for details.
rockpro64:~:# journalctl -xe 
Jun 20 16:36:33 rockpro64 systemd[1]: Failed to start Light Display Manager.
-- Subject: A start job for unit lightdm.service has failed
-- Defined-By: systemd
-- Support: http://www.ubuntu.com/support
-- 
-- A start job for unit lightdm.service has finished with a failure.
-- 
-- The job identifier is 1583 and the job result is failed.
Jun 20 16:36:33 rockpro64 systemd[1]: lightdm.service: Scheduled restart job, restart counter is at 5.
-- Subject: Automatic restarting of a unit has been scheduled
-- Defined-By: systemd
-- Support: http://www.ubuntu.com/support
-- 
-- Automatic restarting of the unit lightdm.service has been scheduled, as the result for
-- the configured Restart= setting for the unit.
Jun 20 16:36:33 rockpro64 systemd[1]: Stopped Light Display Manager.
-- Subject: A stop job for unit lightdm.service has finished
-- Defined-By: systemd
-- Support: http://www.ubuntu.com/support
-- 
-- A stop job for unit lightdm.service has finished.
-- 
-- The job identifier is 1648 and the job result is done.
Jun 20 16:36:33 rockpro64 systemd[1]: lightdm.service: Start request repeated too quickly.
Jun 20 16:36:33 rockpro64 systemd[1]: lightdm.service: Failed with result 'exit-code'.
-- Subject: Unit failed
-- Defined-By: systemd
-- Support: http://www.ubuntu.com/support
-- 
-- The unit lightdm.service has entered the 'failed' state with result 'exit-code'.
Jun 20 16:36:33 rockpro64 systemd[1]: Failed to start Light Display Manager.
-- Subject: A start job for unit lightdm.service has failed
-- Defined-By: systemd
-- Support: http://www.ubuntu.com/support
-- 
-- A start job for unit lightdm.service has finished with a failure.
-- 
-- The job identifier is 1648 and the job result is failed.

 

running lightdm as root with debug enabled

 

rockpro64:~:# lightdm --debug                    
[+0.00s] DEBUG: Logging to /var/log/lightdm/lightdm.log
[+0.00s] DEBUG: Starting Light Display Manager 1.30.0, UID=0 PID=3791
[+0.00s] DEBUG: Loading configuration dirs from /usr/share/lightdm/lightdm.conf.d
[+0.00s] DEBUG: Loading configuration from /usr/share/lightdm/lightdm.conf.d/50-disable-guest.conf
[+0.00s] DEBUG: Loading configuration from /usr/share/lightdm/lightdm.conf.d/50-disable-log-backup.conf
[+0.00s] DEBUG: Loading configuration from /usr/share/lightdm/lightdm.conf.d/50-greeter-wrapper.conf
[+0.00s] DEBUG: Loading configuration from /usr/share/lightdm/lightdm.conf.d/50-guest-wrapper.conf
[+0.00s] DEBUG: Loading configuration from /usr/share/lightdm/lightdm.conf.d/50-xserver-command.conf
[+0.00s] DEBUG: Loading configuration from /usr/share/lightdm/lightdm.conf.d/60-lightdm-gtk-greeter.conf
[+0.00s] DEBUG: Loading configuration dirs from /usr/local/share/lightdm/lightdm.conf.d
[+0.00s] DEBUG: Loading configuration dirs from /var/lib/flatpak/exports/share/lightdm/lightdm.conf.d
[+0.00s] DEBUG: Loading configuration dirs from /root/.local/share/flatpak/exports/share/lightdm/lightdm.conf.d
[+0.00s] DEBUG: Loading configuration dirs from /etc/xdg/lightdm/lightdm.conf.d
[+0.00s] DEBUG: Loading configuration from /etc/lightdm/lightdm.conf.d/10-slick-greeter.conf
[+0.00s] DEBUG: Loading configuration from /etc/lightdm/lightdm.conf.d/11-armbian.conf
[+0.00s] DEBUG: Loading configuration from /etc/lightdm/lightdm.conf
[+0.00s] DEBUG: Registered seat module local
[+0.00s] DEBUG: Registered seat module xremote
[+0.00s] DEBUG: Using D-Bus name org.freedesktop.DisplayManager
[+0.19s] DEBUG: _g_io_module_get_default: Found default implementation gvfs (GDaemonVfs) for ?gio-vfs?
[+0.20s] DEBUG: Monitoring logind for seats
[+0.20s] DEBUG: New seat added from logind: seat0
[+0.20s] DEBUG: Seat seat0: Loading properties from config section Seat:*
[+0.20s] DEBUG: Seat seat0: Starting
[+0.20s] DEBUG: Seat seat0: Creating greeter session
[+0.20s] DEBUG: Seat seat0: Failed to find session configuration slick-greeter
[+0.20s] DEBUG: Seat seat0: Failed to create greeter session
[+0.20s] DEBUG: Failed to start seat: seat0

 

Any ideas how to drill further down the problem?

6 minutes ago, mar0ni said:

Any ideas how to drill further down the problem?

 

Try perhaps this: 

apt install slick-greeter

+ reboot.

Hi Igor, thanks for the heads up, this fixed it.

 

Just out of curiosity, as lightdm worked until the upgrade. Has the slick-greeter been added recently to armbian? I did not remove it intentionally.

I faced the same issue on rock pi 4c and installing slick-greeter also solved the problem.

On 6/20/2021 at 5:50 PM, Igor said:

 

Try perhaps this: 

apt install slick-greeter

+ reboot.

@Igor I also got lightdm-problems while installing my Ordroid C2 from scratch
(2 times once with current and once with edge)

After trying different soutions from the net it didnt worked....BUT with a simple "enable Desktop" from armbian-config -> System-settings and the desktop did start again without any problems

On 6/27/2021 at 5:56 AM, guidol said:

@Igor I also got lightdm-problems while installing my Ordroid C2 from scratch
(2 times once with current and once with edge)

After trying different soutions from the net it didnt worked....BUT with a simple "enable Desktop" from armbian-config -> System-settings and the desktop did start again without any problems

After lightdm fails on my Pinebook Pro, I simply logon to the terminal and

 

startx

 

but I will try slick-greeter.

 

I could not find the "enable Desktop" from armbian-config -> System-settings, which I assume is an Applications menu hierarchy.

 

Thanks!

Edited July 1, 20215 yr by calinb

On 6/20/2021 at 10:50 AM, Igor said:

 

Try perhaps this: 

apt install slick-greeter

+ reboot.

 

On 6/27/2021 at 8:56 AM, guidol said:

@Igor I also got lightdm-problems while installing my Ordroid C2 from scratch
(2 times once with current and once with edge)

After trying different soutions from the net it didnt worked....BUT with a simple "enable Desktop" from armbian-config -> System-settings and the desktop did start again without any problems

 

Thanks Igor, guidol. Installing slick-greeter worked for me too.

This happened to me as well on a Pine64 yesterday. Installing slick-greeter solved it as well. Thanks.