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    Login greeter never appears

    Hello! I have just recently joined the Kubuntu environment by installing 22.04 LTS onto a brand new build and am going through the motions to make it my personal computer. However, I've run into an strange problem that I have been unable to find a solution to on this forum or on the wider internet.

    Problem
    I started with a fresh install of Kubuntu 22.04 LTS, with the most notable option during installation being to include third party drivers. Since then, I have been unable to see the Login greeter whenever I turn my computer on. I see my BIOS screen, followed by a booting screen whilst background processes get ready. My screen just hangs around on the booting screen until about a minute later when I get a single error message that says the following:

    Code:
    hdaudio hdaudioC0D2: Unable to configure, disabling
    After that, no matter how long I wait, the login greeter to prompt for my username and password will never appear.

    Current Workaround
    I am able to switch terminals after a certain point of Plymouth being active using Ctrl + Alt + F2. Once I do that I see the command line login which, upon entering the details, sends me into bash. From there, I use "startx" to load up the desktop environment and everything works smoothly after that.

    Interestingly, I can switch back to the original terminal (Ctrl + Alt + F1) and either see a blank output with an underscore flashing in the top-left or the "hdaudio" error described before (if it was displayed in that terminal).

    Auxiliary Information
    I have taken a quick, uninformed browse at the output of "journalctl -b", but I have not found much that has assisted with diagnosis. My initial thought was that "sddm" (which I assume handles the login greeter) was failing, but "journalctl -b | grep -e 'sddm' -e 'Simple'" seems to imply otherwise:

    Code:
    Dec 24 15:02:07 MYPC systemd[1]: Starting Simple Desktop Display Manager...
    Dec 24 15:02:07 MYPC systemd[1]: Started Simple Desktop Display Manager.
    Dec 24 15:02:07 MYPC sddm[972]: Initializing...
    Dec 24 15:02:07 MYPC sddm[972]: Starting...
    Dec 24 15:02:07 MYPC sddm[972]: Logind interface found
    From what I can see of the rest of the journalctl output, nothing is particularly out of the ordinary; it is as if it should be appearing, but nothing happens. But if any more details are required, I am happy to put up some more.

    Of note in my PC build is the fact that I have no graphics card installed. Instead, I am using the integrated graphics on my Intel Core i5-13600K (Intel UHD Graphics 770). I thought this might have had an impact such as "nomodeset" being erroneously enabled, but I do not see any evidence of this in journalctl. As such, I assume it is using this graphics card without issue.

    What have I done so far?
    Initially, I experienced this problem after I installed Kubuntu 22.04 without third party plugins. Shortly after some investigation and experimentation, I did a fresh install over the top of the same drive, this time with the third party plugins. Both times I experienced similar symptoms with the login greeter. The former installation did cause "nomodeset" to be enabled in GRUB, but this is no longer an issue.

    I have ensured that all updates on Kubuntu are accounted for. This includes updates via Discover and via APT ("update" and "upgrade", I do not believe I have done "dist-upgrade"). This fixed a previous issue where the phrase "mtd device must be supplied (device name is empty)" would appear alongside the previous "hdaudio" error, but otherwise results in similar symptoms.

    I tried following some steps as listed in this Reddit post which described similar symptoms, but still had a similar experience to when I started. Specifically, I did the following:

    Code:
    sudo apt update
    sudo apt full-upgrade
        # 0 to upgrade
    sudo apt --fix-missing install && sudo apt --fix-broken install
        # Nothing happened
    sudo apt install --reinstall --install-recommends sddm
    sudo apt install --reinstall --install-recommends kde-config-sddm
    sudo dpkg-reconfigure sddm
    sudo dpkg-reconfigure kde-config-sddm
    sudo apt install --reinstall --install-recommends openbox-kde-session
    sudo apt install --reinstall --install-recommends obconf-qt
    Even after a reboot, I still experienced the same symptoms.

    I have attempted using "sudo service restart sddm" to restart SDDM in the second terminal, but this had no effect on tty1.

    "sudo telinit 3" did switch tty1 to the command-line login from the previously uninteractive screen, but otherwise just left me with the workaround I already had.

    I have started up with the "quiet splash" removed from GRUB and get logs which appear similar to those of journalctl's. However, it will get to a similar point (including logging the "hdaudio" error) and stop logging messages, requiring me to use the same workaround.

    Summary
    Currently, the login greeter does not appear when booting up and I cannot find a clear indication of something going wrong with SDDM which I believe should handle this process.
    • Is there anything amiss that I should be aware of?
    • What other avenues are there to diagnose or debug this situation?
    • What should I expect to happen from the login process (both in the UI and in journalctl)?

    Updates
    • 2022-12-25: Added in the fact I have done a fresh installation previously as an attempt to resolve the issue.
    Last edited by RedCelt; Dec 24, 2022, 05:13 PM.

    #2
    I suggest a reinstall from scratch, watching the progress carefully; perhaps choosing Try Kubuntu then installing from there.
    Regards, John Little

    Comment


      #3
      I forgot to mention in the original post, but this is the second time I have done a fresh install. The first time was on a blank NVMe drive without the third party drivers and the second time was over the top of the same NVMe with the third party drivers (where I currently stand). Both times I had the same symptoms. Is it still worth doing a fresh install anyway?

      I remember having an issue where "Try Kubuntu" flat out did not work when I started the Kubuntu installation, but I can always give it another go.

      Comment


        #4
        Unfortunately after giving "Try Kubuntu" another go, I appear to have a similar issue where it will never boot into the desktop environment and instead show (what I believe to be) journalctl messages of a similar nature to what my current issue is.

        Given that I am unable to use "Try Kubuntu" to install and a fresh install over a failing instance did not resolve the problem, I'm not sure doing a fresh install will solve the problem. Are there other avenues I can check?

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by RedCelt View Post
          […]
          Of note in my PC build is the fact that I have no graphics card installed. Instead, I am using the integrated graphics on my Intel Core i5-13600K (Intel UHD Graphics 770).[…]
          Just a wild guess, but could the kernel used in Kubuntu 22.04 be too old to properly support such a new CPU/GPU?

          I am not really up to date with those recent processors, but perhaps this is something to look into?
          IIrc there was something about kernel 6 introducing better support for the 13th gen. Intel processors…
          Last edited by Schwarzer Kater; Dec 25, 2022, 08:15 AM. Reason: typos
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            #6
            That sounds like a definite possibility. I have been doing some research lately and found that similar symptoms to this unix stack exchange question.

            I can look at the logs in "var/log/Xorg.0.log" and see evidence of SDDM starting up for the purposes of the login greeter. Similar to the article, I can see it load the module "glx", then attempt to use "modesetting", "vesa" and "fbdevhw" before failing and deleting the screen. You can see this in the logs below:

            Code:
            [   117.136] (II) systemd-logind: took control of session /org/freedesktop/login1/session/_32
            [   117.139] (--) PCI:*(0@0:2:0) 8086:a780:1043:8882 rev 4, Mem @ 0x6002000000/16777216, 0x4000000000/268435456, I/O @ 0x00006000/64, BIOS @ 0x????????/131072
            [   117.139] (II) LoadModule: "glx"
            [   117.139] (II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/extensions/libglx.so
            [   117.143] (II) Module glx: vendor="X.Org Foundation"
            [   117.143]     compiled for 1.21.1.3, module version = 1.0.0
            [   117.143]     ABI class: X.Org Server Extension, version 10.0
            [   117.143] (==) Matched modesetting as autoconfigured driver 0
            [   117.143] (==) Matched fbdev as autoconfigured driver 1
            [   117.143] (==) Matched vesa as autoconfigured driver 2
            [   117.143] (==) Assigned the driver to the xf86ConfigLayout
            [   117.143] (II) LoadModule: "modesetting"
            [   117.143] (II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/drivers/modesetting_drv.so
            [   117.144] (II) Module modesetting: vendor="X.Org Foundation"
            [   117.144]     compiled for 1.21.1.3, module version = 1.21.1
            [   117.144]     Module class: X.Org Video Driver
            [   117.144]     ABI class: X.Org Video Driver, version 25.2
            [   117.144] (II) LoadModule: "fbdev"
            [   117.144] (II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/drivers/fbdev_drv.so
            [   117.144] (II) Module fbdev: vendor="X.Org Foundation"
            [   117.144]     compiled for 1.21.1.3, module version = 0.5.0
            [   117.144]     Module class: X.Org Video Driver
            [   117.144]     ABI class: X.Org Video Driver, version 25.2
            [   117.144] (II) LoadModule: "vesa"
            [   117.144] (II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/drivers/vesa_drv.so
            [   117.144] (II) Module vesa: vendor="X.Org Foundation"
            [   117.144]     compiled for 1.21.1.3, module version = 2.5.0
            [   117.144]     Module class: X.Org Video Driver
            [   117.144]     ABI class: X.Org Video Driver, version 25.2
            [   117.144] (II) modesetting: Driver for Modesetting Kernel Drivers: kms
            [   117.144] (II) FBDEV: driver for framebuffer: fbdev
            [   117.144] (II) VESA: driver for VESA chipsets: vesa
            [   117.145] (EE) open /dev/dri/card0: No such file or directory
            [   117.145] (WW) Falling back to old probe method for modesetting
            [   117.145] (EE) open /dev/dri/card0: No such file or directory
            [   117.145] (II) Loading sub module "fbdevhw"
            [   117.145] (II) LoadModule: "fbdevhw"
            [   117.145] (II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/libfbdevhw.so
            [   117.145] (II) Module fbdevhw: vendor="X.Org Foundation"
            [   117.145]     compiled for 1.21.1.3, module version = 0.0.2
            [   117.145]     ABI class: X.Org Video Driver, version 25.2
            [   117.145] (EE) Unable to find a valid framebuffer device
            [   117.145] (WW) Falling back to old probe method for fbdev
            [   117.145] (II) Loading sub module "fbdevhw"
            [   117.145] (II) LoadModule: "fbdevhw"
            [   117.145] (II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/libfbdevhw.so
            [   117.145] (II) Module fbdevhw: vendor="X.Org Foundation"
            [   117.145]     compiled for 1.21.1.3, module version = 0.0.2
            [   117.145]     ABI class: X.Org Video Driver, version 25.2
            [   117.145] (II) FBDEV(2): using default device
            [   117.145] vesa: Refusing to run on UEFI
            [   117.145] (EE) Screen 0 deleted because of no matching config section.
            [   117.145] (II) UnloadModule: "modesetting"
            [   117.145] (EE) Screen 0 deleted because of no matching config section.
            [   117.145] (II) UnloadModule: "fbdev"
            [   117.145] (II) UnloadSubModule: "fbdevhw"
            Your comment, Schwarzer Kater, regarding the kernel being too old to handle that CPU/GPU seems plausible. The second line looks to try and describe my GPU, but is unable to (8086:a780 is the ID for my CPU's integrated graphics).

            Can I add new drivers (if they exist) and update the "xorg.conf" to point to those such that it will support that integrated graphics card?

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by Schwarzer Kater View Post

              Just a wild guess, but could the kernel used in Kubuntu 22.04 be too old to properly support such a new CPU/GPU?

              I am not really up to date with those recent processors, but perhaps this is something to look into?
              IIrc there was something about kernel 6 introducing better support for the 13th gen. Intel processors…
              You know what? I think this is pretty accurate from what I can tell now.

              I just recently got around the issue stopping me from using a graphics card (no PCI-e power cable to plug it in) and as soon as I plugged it in, these issues went away entirely! The login greeter appeared without issue and let me into my desktop environment. I had to change it back to Plasma X11 as it defaulted to KDE/OpenBox from what I expect were my attempts to resolve the issue earlier, but otherwise everything has been working smoothly.

              I am assuming that the "modesetting" might have successfully found the graphics card where it couldn't find the integrated graphics before.

              Thank you for the help!

              Comment


                #8
                I am glad you found a solution - of sorts…

                There are several ways to use newer kernels with an "older" (K)Ubuntu LTS release, but the safest way (in my opinion) is to wait until the newer kernels (or parts of them) are backported:
                A while after the release of an LTS version you will be able to install "hwe" kernels, so the LTS version is usable with newer hardware. I guess there will be a 5.19 hwe kernel soon for 22.04 (as this is the current kernel for (K)Ubuntu 22.10).
                Last edited by Schwarzer Kater; Dec 27, 2022, 07:03 PM. Reason: typos
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