Subject: Bug#807: PulseAudio dies when accessed, when x2goclient.exe is run on a Windows 2012 Terminal Server (within a native RDP desktop connection)

From: Stefan Baur <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 08 Mar 2015 22:33:52 +0100

Package: x2goclient
Version: 4.0.3.1

Situation:

Hardware:

Windows Server 2012, installed as Terminal Server
Debian Linux 7.8( Wheezy), installed as X2Go Server
Windows 7x64 Client

Connection scenario:

0) Windows 7 Client tries to play a local sound file.
   Result: Sound works just fine.

1) Windows 7 Client connects to Debian Linux 7.8 using X2GoClient.
   Result: Sound works just fine.

2) Windows 7 Client connects to Windows Server 2012 using RDP
   (mstsc.exe). *NOT* via X2Go's RDP proxy feature.
   Result: Sound works just fine.

3) Windows 7 Client, connected to Windows Server 2012 using RDP
   (mstsc.exe), again, *NOT* via X2Go's RDP proxy feature, tries to run
   X2GoClient *on the Windows Server 2012* *inside* the native RDP
   Session.
   Result: Sound fails for all things X2Go.

Analysis:

It seems that PulseAudio dies as soon as one tries to play sound.

The following are captures of the tasks running on the W2K12 server.

x2goclient running, no attempt to play a sound has been made:

PS C:\Users\Administrator> tasklist /fi "USERNAME eq DocThor"

Abbildname                     PID Sitzungsname       Sitz.-Nr.
Speichernutzung
========================= ======== ================ ===========
===============
rdpclip.exe                   3364 RDP-Tcp#2                  4
  6.108 K
taskhostex.exe                2368 RDP-Tcp#2                  4
  5.896 K
explorer.exe                  4008 RDP-Tcp#2                  4
 42.556 K
powershell.exe                4164 RDP-Tcp#2                  4
 70.336 K
conhost.exe                   4172 RDP-Tcp#2                  4
  7.396 K
pageant.exe                   4316 RDP-Tcp#2                  4
  4.252 K
x2goclient.exe                4356 RDP-Tcp#2                  4
 31.188 K
x2gohelper.exe                4376 RDP-Tcp#2                  4
  3.112 K
sshd.exe                      4408 RDP-Tcp#2                  4
  6.224 K
conhost.exe                   4416 RDP-Tcp#2                  4
  4.808 K
ctfmon.exe                    4432 RDP-Tcp#2                  4
  3.332 K
vcxsrv.exe                    4520 RDP-Tcp#2                  4
 40.400 K
nxproxy.exe                   4800 RDP-Tcp#2                  4
 11.588 K
conhost.exe                   4808 RDP-Tcp#2                  4
  2.920 K
pulseaudio.exe                2120 RDP-Tcp#2                  4
  7.876 K
conhost.exe                   3956 RDP-Tcp#2                  4
  2.972 K

x2goclient running, an attempt to play a sound has been made:

PS C:\Users\Administrator> tasklist /fi "USERNAME eq DocThor"

Abbildname                     PID Sitzungsname       Sitz.-Nr.
Speichernutzung
========================= ======== ================ ===========
===============
rdpclip.exe                   3364 RDP-Tcp#2                  4
  6.112 K
taskhostex.exe                2368 RDP-Tcp#2                  4
  5.896 K
explorer.exe                  4008 RDP-Tcp#2                  4
 43.920 K
powershell.exe                4164 RDP-Tcp#2                  4
 70.344 K
conhost.exe                   4172 RDP-Tcp#2                  4
  7.396 K
pageant.exe                   4316 RDP-Tcp#2                  4
  4.252 K
x2goclient.exe                4356 RDP-Tcp#2                  4
 31.228 K
x2gohelper.exe                4376 RDP-Tcp#2                  4
  3.112 K
sshd.exe                      4408 RDP-Tcp#2                  4
  6.300 K
conhost.exe                   4416 RDP-Tcp#2                  4
  4.808 K
ctfmon.exe                    4432 RDP-Tcp#2                  4
  3.344 K
vcxsrv.exe                    4520 RDP-Tcp#2                  4
 49.264 K
nxproxy.exe                   4800 RDP-Tcp#2                  4
 18.372 K
conhost.exe                   4808 RDP-Tcp#2                  4
  2.920 K

As you can see, pulseaudio.exe is gone.

I can see that this is a rather unusual use case, but still, I'd be
interested to know why PulseAudio fails us here.

- -Stefan

- -- 
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---

From: Stefan Baur <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 08 Mar 2015 22:41:25 +0100

Note: This also occurs with
x2goclient-4.0.3.2-20150301

- -Stefan

- --

---

From: Stefan Baur <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 09 Mar 2015 00:44:02 +0100

Am 08.03.2015 um 22:41 schrieb Stefan Baur:
> Note: This also occurs with x2goclient-4.0.3.2-20150301

It also occurs with x2goclient-4.0.2.0.
It also occurs with x2goclient-4.0.1.2.
It does *not* occur with x2goclient-4.0.0.3.

4.0.0.3 has PulseAudio 0.9.6 and no x2gohelper.exe.
4.0.1.2 has PulseAudio 1.1 and no x2gohelper.exe.
4.0.2.0 has PulseAudio 5 and no x2gohelper.exe.

So I guess we can rule out x2gohelper.exe.

It may indeed be that it is because PA can't find a recording device.
Though what surprises me is that I've seen pulseaudio.exe is running
and running and running ... until I establish a connection.  However,
now, as I try to reproduce it with the older versions, it seems to die
immediately. :confused:

- -Stefan

- --