Re: pulseaudio == disaster ??

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whatever meant for a distro release should work BY DEFAULT, I think,
 pulseaudio might be the best audio server in the universe but so far
in f8 its a no go.




On Nov 16, 2007 9:49 PM, David A. De Graaf <dad@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
> On Wed, Nov 14, 2007 at 08:39:04AM -0500, Kelly Miller wrote:
> > On Nov 13, 2007 2:56 PM, David A. De Graaf <dad@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
> >
> >                I got PulseAudio to start automatically on XFCE4 using
> > Autostarted Applications.  It really isn't that hard.
>
> It's hard for me.  Please tell us how.  But first read below.
>
> >
> > First of all, I've noticed that using --system ALWAYS throws the "Error
> > opening PCM device" error, so don't use it.  I had the same error you're
> > getting, and fixed it by using module hal-detect to get the system to find
> > the ALSA objects.  I'll post my config file here when I get home and can
> > look at it.
>
> Please, do.  Please be precise how you use module hal-detect.
>
> >
> > The PCM device is listed in ALSA; it's usually hw:0 by default.  Again, use
> > module hal-detect and the system will find the entries for you.
>
> I haven't found it yet.
>
>
>
> I can report modest progress - more a workaround than a solution.
>
> First, my operating environment -
> I use the default init level of 3 and manually run startxfce4, or startx
> (rarely).  I rely on aplay to audibly mark certain events - by commands
> in, eg, rc.local, in various crontabs, to note arrival of mail, etc.
>
> Second, to restate my expectations -
> 1)  Sound should work during bootup, before anyone has logged in.
> 2)  Sound should work at init level 3, before and after running either
> startx or startxfce4 to run X.
> 3)  Sound should work inside xfce or gnome, for any user.
> 4)  Sound should work in a console screen, whether or not X is also
> running, or for a cron job, by any user.
>
> After much experimentation here's what I've found:
>
> For the new sound system to work, the pulseaudio daemon must be
> started.  Gnome starts it by some unknown method - ps shows it
> running - and sound works inside gnome for the user who ran 'startx'.
> Like most everything in gnome, I cannot deduce how it is started.
> Thorough grepping shows the word 'gnomeaudio' is nowhere to be found in
> any gnome-related file in my home directory, so the command that
> starts it remains elusive.
>
> When gnome isn't used, pulseaudio must be started some other way.
> 'pulseaudio --help' - the only available documentation - suggests the
> proper command is:
>     pulseaudio -D --system --log-level=syslog
> however, as Kelly Miller has pointed out, the --system option
> guarantees that startup will fail.
>
> This is a fundamental flaw.
>
> The only command that succeeds is
>     pulseaudio -D --log-level=syslog
> and only if run by root.
>
> If I run it as user 'dad', it fails with the characteristic error:
>     Error opening PCM device hw:0: No such device
>
> This, too, is a major flaw with the pulseaudio system.
>
> (The same error occurs when root uses the --system option.)
>
> The startup can be accomplished in /etc/rc.d/rc.local, which is run as
> root, but only if the x11 lines in /etc/pulse/default.pa are deactivated.
> But then only root can make sounds, and only in the console.  No sound
> is available to a non-root user, nor to any user in X.
>
> Another possible place to put the startup command is in xfce's
> autostart service but, of course, this fails because it's run as
> 'dad', not root.
>
> The only successful way to start the daemon that I've found is to run the
> command manually in a xterm that's been su'ed to root (or to use sudo).
> Then both root and all other users can generate sound.  Oddly, this
> ability propagates backward to a console owned by root, but not to one
> owned by an ordinary user.
> crontab's of root, but not of non-root, can produce sounds with aplay.
>
> Since the file permissions of pulseaudio include the SUID bit, eg
>   -rwsr-xr-x 1 root root 49776 2007-10-30 21:03 /usr/bin/pulseaudio
> there should be no difference between running the command as root,
> or as a non-privileged user.
>
> But there is!
> When a non-root user runs it, pulseaudio consistently fails with the
> error:
>    Error opening PCM device hw:0: No such device
>
> I strongly suspect a non-root user can't access this special device,
> and also that --system fails, because of some conflict with the arcane
> permissions created by the udev system, but the rules there are all but
> impenetrable (to me).
>
> It is also likely that pulseaudio gives up it's SUID privilege, and
> does it too soon - before all needed files are opened.
>
> Any advice how to overcome these problems is most welcome.
>
> I reiterate - pulseaudio is not ready for prime time.
>
>
> --
>         David A. De Graaf    DATIX, Inc.    Hendersonville, NC
>         dad@xxxxxxxx         www.datix.us
>
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>



-- 
[Jorge J. Boscán Etura]
quando omni flunkus moritatus


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