362955 - Firefox makes X run out windows

Status: RESOLVED WORKSFORME

(Core :: General, defect)

Description

[André Pedralho]

After long periods of time working Firefox opens many non-visible windows and the Xlib reaches its maximum number of clients allowed. Then, it is impossible to run any other application. If I try to do it I have the following answer from Xlib:

Xlib: connection to ":0.0" refused by server
Xlib: Maximum number of clients reached
xlsclients:  unable to open display ":0.0"

You can verify my supposing using the following commands when this limit reaches:
# xlsclients | wc -l
26
# xwininfo -root -children | wc -l
1028

The following links are related to this bug:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=133719&page=2
https://launchpad.net/distros/ubuntu/+source/firefox/+bug/70872

Comment 1

[Alexander Sack]

André, as you reported it here, may I assume that you were able reproduce this with vanilla firefox install from ftp.mozilla.org (vs. ubuntu's only)?

Comment 2

[André Pedralho]

(In reply to comment #1)
> André, as you reported it here, may I assume that you were able reproduce this
> with vanilla firefox install from ftp.mozilla.org (vs. ubuntu's only)?
> 

I can try this. I stopped to get this bug since I started to use the Tab Mix (http://tmp.garyr.net/) add-on. 

Comment 3

[André Pedralho]

I tested it for some days using the bon-echo version. I got the source code and compiled myself and I couldn't reproduce the bug. I would be a ubuntu packaging issue.

Comment 4

[Alexander Sack]

André, so can you still reproduce with latest ubuntu version as well?

Comment 5

[André Pedralho]

(In reply to comment #4)
> André, so can you still reproduce with latest ubuntu version as well?
> 
Yes, I can. I tried the 2.0.0.2+1-0ubuntu1 and I still getting the same environment:

It was working fine with the following results:
xlsclients | wc -l
30
xwininfo -root -children | wc -l
800

After the first frame pops-up I got the following results (I got this when I tried to write a email using the yahoo mail beta, I think because it tries to create 4 internal frames using AJAX and those frames got the NULL value as parent):
xlsclients | wc -l
30
xwininfo -root -children | wc -l
804

Maybe the Firefox installed and the GTK+ installed are incompatible. I mean, perhaps Firefox was compiled using another GTK+ version than I have here (2.10.9-0ubuntu2).

It may be creating a lot of memory leaks. Do you have any tools for getting where it is occurring, if it is occurring?

Comment 6

[Alexander Sack]

can you try to extract some testcase to reproduce? what page to visit and what to do in order to get this problem? maybe also: what extension is needed to get this etc.

Comment 7

[André Pedralho]

(In reply to comment #6)
> can you try to extract some testcase to reproduce? what page to visit and what
> to do in order to get this problem? maybe also: what extension is needed to get
> this etc.
> 
Well, I just could reproduce this bug after a long navigation period (I mean more than 4 days without close the browser). I just used FF without any extensions.

Do you have any suggestions about testcases or tools?

Comment 8

[Andre Pedralho]

(In reply to comment #2)
> I can try this. I stopped to get this bug since I started to use the Tab Mix
> (http://tmp.garyr.net/) add-on. 

I got the same error even using this extension in Firefox 2.0.0.3.

Comment 9

[Andre Pedralho]

Attachment: A screenshot of this annoying situation.

Comment 10

[Andre Pedralho]

I got the same outcome using Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:1.9a3)
Gecko/20070322 GranParadiso/3.0a3.

In the shell:

(gecko:19722): Gdk-WARNING **: GdkWindow 0x3b135d1 unexpectedly destroyed

(gecko:19722): Gdk-CRITICAL **: gdk_window_set_user_data: assertion `window != NULL' failed

(gecko:19722): Gdk-CRITICAL **: gdk_window_set_back_pixmap: assertion `GDK_IS_WINDOW (window)' failed

(gecko:19722): GLib-GObject-CRITICAL **: g_object_set_data: assertion `G_IS_OBJECT (object)' failed

(gecko:19722): GLib-GObject-CRITICAL **: g_object_set_data: assertion `G_IS_OBJECT (object)' failed

(gecko:19722): Gdk-CRITICAL **: gdk_x11_visual_get_xvisual: assertion `visual != NULL' failed

(gecko:19722): Gdk-CRITICAL **: gdk_x11_visual_get_xvisual: assertion `visual != NULL' failed

(gecko:19722): Gdk-CRITICAL **: gdk_window_move_resize: assertion `GDK_IS_WINDOW (window)' failed

(gecko:19722): Gdk-CRITICAL **: gdk_window_show_unraised: assertion `GDK_IS_WINDOW (window)' failed

(gecko:19722): Gdk-CRITICAL **: gdk_x11_visual_get_xvisual: assertion `visual != NULL' failed

(gecko:19722): Gdk-CRITICAL **: gdk_window_hide: assertion `GDK_IS_WINDOW (window)' failed

(gecko:19722): Gdk-CRITICAL **: gdk_window_set_user_data: assertion `window != NULL' failed

(gecko:19722): Gdk-CRITICAL **: _gdk_window_destroy_hierarchy: assertion `window != NULL' failed

(gecko:19722): GLib-GObject-CRITICAL **: g_object_unref: assertion `G_IS_OBJECT (object)' failed

Comment 11

[Daniel Holt]

I started getting this bug on Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux x86_64; en-US; rv:1.8.1.4) Gecko/20070603 Fedora/2.0.0.4-2.fc7 Firefox/2.0.0.4 after installing gnash-plugin (the plugin to use the gnash flash-player with Mozilla browsers) version 0.7.2-2. It didn't take a long period of browsing before the maximum number of windows was reached, i.e. it occurred fairly soon after starting or restarting Firefox.

After uninstalling the gnash plugin, the problem seems to have disappeared entirely.

Is there any further info I can provide that would be useful?

Comment 12

[cburroughs]

Daniel,
Do you have the the Macromeadia flash plugin installed?  Have you still not seen this behavior sicne 2007-06-20?

Comment 13

[Daniel Holt]

I did not now or ever install Adobe's flash player; and I have still not seen this behavior since last commenting.

Comment 14

[Daniel Brooks [:db48x]]

This bug is back. It's been happening off and on ever since I upgraded to Fedora 9 a while back. I've only now traced it down to Firefox as the cause.

Comment 15

[Zack Cornelius]

I can confirm this bug has reappeared in Ubuntu Hardy and Intrepid 

Currently running "Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:1.9.0.1) Gecko/2008071816 Ubuntu/8.10 (intrepid) Firefox/3.0.1"

I get this problem after 2 or 3 days of browsing.

Comment 16

[Jesse Ruderman]

kmike thinks this might be a duplicate of bug 263160.

Comment 17

[Karl Tomlinson (:karlt back Feb 10)]

Comment 9 and 10 is definitely bug 263160.

I don't know that would result in 
"Xlib: connection to ":0.0" refused by server
 Xlib: Maximum number of clients reached"
though.

Comment 18

[u597032]

Is this bug still relevant since flash and gnash are no longer supported. Or can this bug be closed by now?

Comment 19

[Daniel Brooks [:db48x]]

Wow, I haven’t seen this problem in a while. Just close the bug and hope nobody ever has to report a similar one.