LMDE 5 Update Problem with glibc

[hamaer]

Hi guys,
I apologize if I picked the wrong section but I thought that an update problem might fall under this category.
Brief description of the issue: I run LMDE5 for several weeks now. Installed it on my Dell Inspiron Notebook at the time when I updated my Dell Latitude with Mint 21 Cinnamon.

Every update of LMDE 5 was without issues since then, until two days ago. Update manager listed about a dozen files and everything was fine until 'gblic' got installed. It screwed the terminal up. Trying to open the terminal results in a twirling mouse pointer for a few moments, and then.... NOTHING.
Isolated the problem with help of Timeshift and repeatedly going back to the last correct installation.

The problem is the 'glibc GNU C Library: National Language (local) data (support)'.

With glibc installed: Terminal does not open.
Without glibc installation: Terminal operation normal.

Update Manager shows glibc data as follows:
__ copy __
Description
Machine-readable data files, shared objects and programs used by the C library for localization (l10n) and internationalization (i18n) support.

This package contains tools to generate locale definitions from source files (included in this package). It allows you to customize which definitions actually get generated. This is a space-saver over how this package used to be, with all locales generated by default. This created a package that unpacked to an excess of 30 megs.
Packages:
This update affects the following installed packages:
libc-bin, libc-dev-bin, libc-l10n, libc6, libc6-dev, locales

Change Log (last entry)
glibc (2.31-13+deb11u4) bullseye; urgency=medium
[ Aurelien Jarno ]
* debian/debhelper.in/libc-dev.NEWS: New file to explain how to update
programs to use the TI-RPC library instead of the Sun RPC one. Closes:
#1014735.
* debian/patches/git-updates.diff: update from upstream stable branch:
- Fix an off-by-one buffer overflow/underflow in getcwd() (CVE-2021-3999).
- Fix an overflow bug in the SSE2 and AVX2 implementations of wmemchr.
- Fix an overflow bug in the SSE4.1 and AVX2 implementations of wcslen and
wcsncat.
- Fix an overflow bug in the AVX2 and EVEX implementation of wcsncmp.
- Add a few EVEX optimized string functions to fix a performance issue (up
to 40%) with Skylake-X processors.
- Make grantpt usable after multi-threaded fork. Closes: #1015740.
- debian/patches/hurd-i386/git-posix_openpt.diff: rebase.
* debian/rules.d/build.mk: pass --with-default-link=no to configure to
ensure that libio vtable protection is enabled.
__ end of copy __

Can anybody help? I hope this forum is monitored by developers too. Thanks for your help and maybe passing it on to the right person. My hands are tight with an issue like this.

Hans

[antikythera]

You posted in the right section, I don't know why you get that particular issue though. The update didn't compromise either of my systems running LMDE5 but I don't use the same localisation as you (I'm using en_GB), so maybe it's an l10n bug specific to your install language?

[hamaer]

... but I don't use the same localisation as you (I'm using en_GB), so maybe it's an l10n bug specific to your install language?

Thanks for your reply. Maybe it is a localization issue, but I can only guess what's going on. That's why I copied the last 'update' reference as well. Hoping that someone reads this, who knows someone who knows who ..... Well, sometimes it works this way.
As for localization, I'm currently in Spain but use US English [en_US] versions on all software [OS and App] for decades. That includes MS and their Windows as well. Kicked it off my computer about 3 years ago, and never looked back.

[vimes666]

I ran into the same problem, however I did not have a snapshot so I was not able to figure out which update it was. The install was totally unusable with garbage popping up all over the screen although the login screen was still ok .The bare terminal with ctrl-alt-f1 works ok. The pc where this happens is an old HP Pavillion.
Good to know that it is gclibc so I can blacklist it when I reinstall the system.
For good measure here is the inxi -Fxzr

Code: Select all

System:    Kernel: 5.10.0-17-amd64 x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 10.2.1 Console: tty 1 Distro: LMDE 5 Elsie 
           base: Debian 11.2 bullseye 
Machine:   Type: Desktop System: ASUSTeK product: C51-MCP51 v: N/A serial: <filter> 
           Mobo: ASUSTek model: Hematite v: 1.00 serial: <filter> BIOS: Phoenix v: 5.01 date: 11/15/2006 
CPU:       Info: Dual Core model: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ bits: 64 type: MCP arch: K8 rev.F+ rev: 2 L2 cache: 1024 KiB 
           flags: lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 svm bogomips: 8818 
           Speed: 1000 MHz min/max: 1000/2200 MHz Core speeds (MHz): 1: 1000 2: 1000 
Graphics:  Device-1: NVIDIA C51 [GeForce 6150 LE] vendor: Hewlett-Packard driver: nouveau v: kernel bus ID: 00:05.0 
           Display: server: X.org 1.20.11 driver: loaded: nouveau unloaded: fbdev,modesetting,vesa tty: 180x56 
           Message: Advanced graphics data unavailable in console. Try -G --display 
Audio:     Device-1: NVIDIA MCP51 High Definition Audio vendor: Hewlett-Packard driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel 
           bus ID: 00:10.1 
           Sound Server: ALSA v: k5.10.0-17-amd64 
Network:   Device-1: NVIDIA MCP51 Ethernet vendor: Hewlett-Packard type: network bridge driver: forcedeth v: kernel port: dc00 
           bus ID: 00:14.0 
           IF: enp0s20 state: up speed: 100 Mbps duplex: full mac: <filter> 
           Device-2: Gemtek WUBR-177G [Ralink RT2571W] type: USB driver: rt73usb bus ID: 1-8:4 
           IF: wlx001a73084b30 state: down mac: <filter> 
Drives:    Local Storage: total: 614.81 GiB used: 9.23 GiB (1.5%) 
           ID-1: /dev/sda vendor: Toshiba model: MQ01ABD050 size: 465.76 GiB 
           ID-2: /dev/sdb vendor: Samsung model: HD160JJ P size: 149.05 GiB 
Partition: ID-1: / size: 47.76 GiB used: 9.23 GiB (19.3%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda3 
Swap:      ID-1: swap-1 type: partition size: 2.04 GiB used: 0 KiB (0.0%) dev: /dev/sdb5 
Sensors:   System Temperatures: cpu: 40.0 C mobo: N/A 
           Fan Speeds (RPM): N/A 
Repos:     Packages: 2034 
           No active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list 
           Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/official-package-repositories.list 
           1: deb http://linux-mint.froonix.org elsie main upstream import backport
           2: deb http://debian.mirror.cambrium.nl/debian/ bullseye main contrib non-free
           3: deb http://debian.mirror.cambrium.nl/debian/ bullseye-updates main contrib non-free
           4: deb http://security.debian.org/ bullseye-security main contrib non-free
           5: deb http://debian.mirror.cambrium.nl/debian/ bullseye-backports main contrib non-free
Info:      Processes: 179 Uptime: 4m Memory: 1.87 GiB used: 822.4 MiB (42.9%) Init: systemd runlevel: 5 Compilers: gcc: 10.2.1 
           Shell: Bash v: 5.1.4 inxi: 3.3.01 

[MarcelMe]

The problem with the update LMDE5 glibc (2.31-13+deb11u4) bullseye and 'gnome-terminal does not open', 'National Language (local) data support' has to do with the language settings. If a different language is chosen for the region and date as for the system interface, both language supports must be installed. This can be done in Preferences-Languages. Then set system locale to 'system wide' with su login. If all goes well, system locale becomes identical to interface language, see the attachment. Restart LMDE5.

[hamaer]

Thanks for your info MarcelMe,
I guess you hit the nail on the head. That is indeed the way my system is set up. LMDE 5's OS setting is in US English. However, being in Spain, I need date, currency and decimal settings according to Spain's European settings for date [dd/mm/yyyy], currency [EUR], and currency decimal separation with a comma instead of decimal point.

I'll go and follow your recommendations. Thanks for you input and help. I'll be back here and report afterwards.

Hans

[hamaer]

The problem with the update LMDE5 glibc (2.31-13+deb11u4) bullseye and 'gnome-terminal does not open', 'National Language (local) data support' has to do with the language settings. If a different language is chosen for the region and date as for the system interface, both language supports must be installed. This can be done in Preferences-Languages. Then set system locale to 'system wide' with su login. If all goes well, system locale becomes identical to interface language. Restart LMDE5.

Follow up: Everything is fine now. I had it set 'system wide' before already. However, the Castilian Spanish showed two packs/files missing. Updated Castilian Spanish, restarted and everything is working as expected.
Thanks a lot and have a great weekend,
Hans

[hamaer]

Issue Update Correction:

Just to let everybody know, that the language setting fix - [English and Spanish, see former reply] - did not work like I earlier wrote yesterday. When I booted the little DELL Notebook this morning, it was the same problem again [terminal not opening].

English (United States) as OS language. Spanish (Castilian, Spain) as second one for time format and regional settings. Both fully installed, and applied 'system wide' of course.

I used Timeshift again to install the version before 'glibc' update, and blacklisted the file in LMDE5's Update Manager for only this version. It works just fine this way. All I can do now is to check this language library each time it shows up with an updated version. If push comes to shove, I may need to leave it that way for a long time. It just works fine without the updated version.

BTW, it's just the Debian version that created some trouble. My other DELL [workhorse] runs on Mint 21 Cinnamon [and 20.3 before] without any issues. But then, the Debian version does the same [with the exception of this one single issue].

Thanks for you to steer me in the right direction.
Hans

[MarcelMe]

Somehow after setting the local language, with the installation of the language supports, the 'apply system wide' setting must be reaffirmed with su login. If this is not done, the setting is apparently not retained. I have now added an image to my earlier post showing what it should look like. Perhaps this will help because in my situation, which I assume is similar, it now works.
By the way, I think it's a bad thing that the Debian glibc update can leave users with a crippled system. I know it is volunteer work but surely everyone should commit to the rules of proper dependency testing. I hope the Debian community cares about this.

[hamaer]

Thanks for going the extra length and posting a screenshot, MarcelMe. I fixed it last night.
However, I was there before and did this the first time.

Yep, I agree, the update should not have broken [or partially broken] the system. Here is what I had to do. When I did this the first time I clicked on [Apply System Wide] of course. However, the button's reaction showed that I clicked it, but no su password was asked for. So I thought this would be it.

After reporting the correction the next morning, I gave it a second thought and ran Timeshift again to get the last version with an operative terminal one more time, made sure that 'Spanish, Castilian, Spain" was fully installed as well, got glibc installed, and clicked [Apply System Wide] again. Same result as before. Some information got somehow, somewhere retained, despite of running Timeshift.

So I went the brutal way and flushed everything from package and application caches to logfiles with 'Stacer'. Then repeated the procedure one more time, and this time I was asked for the su password after clicking on [Apply System Wide]. Closed languages, rebooted, and everything was fine from that moment on.
I describe this here so detailed and step for step, in case someone else bumps into the same issue I had. They would have at least some instruction right from the start.

Hans

[MarcelMe]

Hans,

You're welcome.
Great that it worked out for you too. I expect for many users this will be quite complicated.
The good news is that the glibc 2.31-13+deb11u4 will be redistributed with the bug fixed. I hope it won't take long.
Have a nice week,

Marcel.