Bug#867745: libpam-systemd: log out from a TTY and your X input devices get lost!

[Brian Potkin]

On Sun 09 Jul 2017 at 00:37:08 -0700, Grant Chesy wrote:

> Followup-For: Bug #806256
> Package: systemd
> Version: 232-25
> 
> Hello, I also experienced this bug.
> 
> steps to reproduce:
> 1. start X with startx
> 2. switch to any VT from X
> 3. log in as the same user* as the user running X
> 4. logout from VT.  If login to the VT was as the same user as the user
> running X, the VT closed and I was automatically switched back to X without
> input working.

Yep. I'll draw attention to #791342 and #858073. They are likely filed
against the wrong package.
 
> *If the login to the VT was as root, the problem did not occur.  Upon
> logout, the VT just displayed a new login prompt, as expected, and I was
> able to switch back to the functioning X session logged in as my regular
> user.
> 
> Reproducible=always.

I've just spent some time re-testing. Reproducible on up-to-date stretch
and sid distributions.
 
> In my case, no keypresses would work after returning to X except magic
> sysreq.  But, X was still updating the display.  xorg cpu utilization went
> to 120% while in this broken state (dual core 8yr old netbook).

CTRL+ALT+F1 closes X for me and returns things to normal.

> Since you asked the original submitter about window manager, I am running
> e17.

fvwm here. But I do not think the WM is relevant.

> I reverted back to sysvinit/uninstalled systemd (and configured Xwrapper to
> run X as root again, so it would start without the systemd bits). With
> systemd gone, the problem no longer occurs.

A simple change to PID 1 as init makes no difference to the behaviour
here. Altering ~/,bash_logout gives a quick fix (workaround?).

-- 
Brian.