[SOLVED] Issue with appimages, Kubuntu 20.04.1

[brianinnes]

Hi All.

I'm having a few issues with appimages on my Kubuntu 20.04.1 install..

Basically I cannot run them, unless I run them as root.

I have the same issue on Manjaro 20.2 KDE, which I've recently replaced with Kubuntu 20.04.1

The Appimage (stored at /home/brian/Download/Graphics) I set to be executable using sudo chmod a+x ./krita-4.4.1-x86_64.appimage

Doing a little digging around, and this following appears towards the end of the log on the command line at the end if I run the app image using strace -f

openat(AT_FDCWD, "/home/brian/Downloads/Graphics/krita-4.4.1-x86_64.appimage", O_RDONLY) = 4 
mmap(NULL, 192512, PROT_READ|PROT_WRITE, MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_ANONYMOUS, -1, 0) = 0x7f80c4f89000 
read(4, "\177ELF\2\1\1\0AI\2\0\0\0\0\0\2\0>\0\1\0\0\0\220F@\0\0\0\0\0"..., 188456) = 188456 
write(3, "\177ELF\2\1\1\0AI\2\0\0\0\0\0\2\0>\0\1\0\0\0\220F@\0\0\0\0\0"..., 188456) = 188456 
close(4)                                = 0 
munmap(0x7f80c4f89000, 192512)          = 0 
lseek(3, 8, SEEK_SET)                   = 8 
write(3, "\0\0\0", 3)                   = 3 
clone(child_stack=NULL, flags=CLONE_CHILD_CLEARTID|CLONE_CHILD_SETTID|SIGCHLD, child_tidptr=0x7f80c55253d0) = 32547
wait4(-1, fusermount: mount failed: Operation not permitted 

Cannot mount AppImage, please check your FUSE setup. 
You might still be able to extract the contents of this AppImage  
if you run it with the --appimage-extract option.  
See [URL="https://github.com/AppImage/AppImageKit/wiki/FUSE?fbclid=IwAR3z7zS-VNk199ux52h4a8txKNEOSdghEJ3-rJDST93_npKA4BRWCiF1NuA"]https://github.com/AppImage/AppImageKit/wiki/FUSE[/URL]  
for more information 
open dir error: No such file or directory 
[{WIFEXITED(s) && WEXITSTATUS(s) == 127}], 0, NULL) = 32371 
--- SIGCHLD {si_signo=SIGCHLD, si_code=CLD_EXITED, si_pid=32371, si_uid=1000, si_status=127, si_utime=0, si_stime=0} --- 
close(3)                                = 0 
exit_group(127)                         = ? 
+++ exited with 127 +++

If I run the appimage from the terminal using sudo, absolutely no issues at all.

If I extract the appimage, using the --appimage-extract parameter, again no issues running the extracted appimage.

However I do prefer to keep appimages compressed.

I have the same issue with a few other appimages as well.

So I'm thinking this is a permissions error on my system somewhere.

I've been using the same home folder, on a separate /home partition on a separate drive (sdb1), with root on sda2 and /boot/efi on sda1.

I could try upgrading to Kubuntu 20.10, however I prefer to stick to LTS based releases.

I'm running the 5.4.0-58-generic kernel with the amdgpu opencl drivers from the AMD website (version 20.45) . I need these for OpenCompute Language acceleration to offload image processing from the CPU to my AMD RX580 GPU for Darktable photo editor. Perhaps this has caused an issue with the fusermount?

Any suggestions? It certainly is a mystery!

[claydoh]

don\t use sudo when chmod'ing? It is not necessary, and may be changing ownership/permissions?
You can set a file as executable in your file manager as well, via the right click. In Dolphin, it is Properties >> Permissions

I can't reproduce this here.
Downloaded Krita, and clicked it (without marking it executable) and it did run, after asking for permission to run it.
Same for Kdenlive.

Plasma version, or kernel should not matter as these are OS/system independent
Video drivers are not likely to have an effect here, either.

[brianinnes]

Thanks claydoh.

I'll have another look tomorrow. I may also try creating a new user, downloading a couple of appimages into that, and see if the same issues crop up.

Something I'm thinking may be causing an issue is that I've been using the same /home partition with the same user for. quite a few years now, and I kept it between different distro installs. Perhaps this has caused an issue with user permissions and user ID?

My previous distros have been Ubuntu Mate, Mint 19 Mate, Mint 19 Cinnamon, mint 20 Cinnamon, Manjaro 20.2 KDE and now Kubuntu 20.04.1 LTS. It may also be some .config file in my home dir may be causing an issue?

Perhaps I need to get a new hard drive for my /home partition, create a new user there, and then copy across data from my old home folder...

[GreyGeek]

Change your name:group to youraccount:youraccount and turn on the execute permission.
Then you can create a link in the Application menu. Download an icon that matches the app for use in the menu.

[jlittle]

Since you haven't mentioned it, check that your sdb1 is not mounted noexec. That's the default for user mounts, I think.

[brianinnes]

Change your name:group to youraccount:youraccount and turn on the execute permission.
Then you can create a link in the Application menu. Download an icon that matches the app for use in the menu.

Thanks. I've tried that, still no go.

[brianinnes]

Since you haven't mentioned it, check that your sdb1 is not mounted noexec. That's the default for user mounts, I think.

Thank you, I've checked my fstab, and sdb1 is mounted with the options defaults,user,exec,noatime

It certainly is a mystery!

[Snowhog]

Claydoh is right; you don't need to use sudo to chmod the permissions on an appimage file to make it executable.

You might find this useful: https://itsfoss.com/use-appimage-linux/

[brianinnes]

Out of interest, I downloaded one of the appimages I had been having problems with, Mandelbulber 2.24, https://sourceforge.net/projects/mandelbulber/ to my other system which I have hooked up to my TV as a HTPC system ( it runs Linux mint 20 Cinnamon).

No issues running the appimage on this system.

So this suggests that it could be an issue with my Kubuntu install.

One thing which could be causing the problem,is that I've used the same /home partition with the same user for the past few years. Perhaps there is some .config file in my home directory from my recent distro installations which could be causing the difficulties?

One way to test, prior to backing up all my data in my home folder and reinstalling with a freshly formatted drive for my home directory, would be to set up a virtual box ,and install Kubuntu onto that?

[Snowhog]

IF it's a configuration conflict in your user /home directory, test that theory out. Create a new user and logout/login using it. If the issue doesn't occur with that user, then the problem is in a configuration conflict in your normal user /home directory.

[brianinnes]

IF it's a configuration conflict in your user /home directory, test that theory out. Create a new user and logout/login using it. If the issue doesn't occur with that user, then the problem is in a configuration conflict in your normal user /home directory.

I think you may be on the button there, Snowhog.

I created a new user, called newbrian.

I then rebooted my system and logged into newbrian.

I then downloaded one of the appimages I had been having trouble with, Mandelbulber v2.24 from the site I linked to above.

i then double clicked on it from Dolphin, which asked me if I wanted to make it executable. Appimagelauncher then asked if I wanted to integrate it with my system, which I clicked OK on, and the appimage file was copied into /home/newbrian/Applications.

From there, I ran the appimage from dolphin by simply double clicking on it. No issues.

Running it from the command line, it outputted the following while running:

[FONT=monospace][COLOR=#000000][FONT=monospace][COLOR=#54ff54][B]newbrian@Giger[/B][/COLOR][COLOR=#000000]:[/COLOR][COLOR=#5454ff][B]~/Applications[/B][/COLOR][COLOR=#000000]$ ./Mandelbulber_v2-2.24-x86_64_079aeccebd3368269ebd912d26223870.appimage [/COLOR]
[/FONT]Mandelbulber 2.24 [/COLOR]
Log file name: /home/newbrian/.mandelbulber_log.txt 
Detected 4 CPUs 
Program data files directory /tmp/.mount_MandelMtL52f/usr/share/mandelbulber2/ 
Default data hidden directory: /home/newbrian/.mandelbulber/ 
Default data public directory: /home/newbrian/mandelbulber/ 
Settings file: /home/newbrian/.mandelbulber/mandelbulber_224.ini
[/FONT]

Again, zero issues.

Now if I ran the appimage using strace -f, this is where it eventually fell over.

[FONT=monospace][COLOR=#000000][

[/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=monospace][COLOR=#000000][FONT=monospace][COLOR=#54ff54][B]newbrian@Giger[/B][/COLOR][COLOR=#000000]:[/COLOR][COLOR=#5454ff][B]~/Applications[/B][/COLOR][COLOR=#000000]$ strace -f ./Mandelbulber_v2-2.24-x86_64_079aeccebd3368269ebd912d26223870.appimage [/COLOR]
...
...
...
[/FONT]pid  4843] write(1, "Cannot mount AppImage, please ch"..., 53Cannot mount AppImage, please check your FUSE setup. [/COLOR]
) = 53 
[pid  4843] write(1, "You might still be able to extra"..., 172You  might still be able to extract the contents of this AppImage  
if you run it with the --appimage-extract option.  
See https://github.com/AppImage/AppImageKit/wiki/FUSE  
) = 172 
[pid  4843] write(1, "for more information\n", 21for more information 
) = 21 
[pid  4843] exit_group(0)               = ? 
[pid  4843] +++ exited with 0 +++ 
[pid  4842] <... read resumed>"", 1)    = 0 
[pid  4842] --- SIGCHLD {si_signo=SIGCHLD, si_code=CLD_EXITED,  si_pid=4843, si_uid=1002, si_status=0, si_utime=0, si_stime=0} --- 
[pid  4842] wait4(4843, NULL, 0, NULL)  = 4843 
[pid  4842] openat(AT_FDCWD, "/tmp/.mount_Mandels5EZ2j", O_RDONLY) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory) 
[pid  4842] dup(2)                      = 4 
[pid  4842] fcntl(4, F_GETFL)           = 0x2 (flags O_RDWR) 
[pid  4842] fstat(4, {st_mode=S_IFCHR|0600, st_rdev=makedev(0x88, 0x1), ...}) = 0 
[pid  4842] write(4, "open dir error: No such file or "..., 42open dir error: No such file or directory 
) = 42 
[pid  4842] close(4)                    = 0 
[pid  4842] exit_group(127)             = ? 
[pid  4842] +++ exited with 127 +++ 
<... wait4 resumed>[{WIFEXITED(s) && WEXITSTATUS(s) == 127}], 0, NULL) = 4842 
--- SIGCHLD {si_signo=SIGCHLD, si_code=CLD_EXITED, si_pid=4842, si_uid=1002, si_status=127, si_utime=0, si_stime=0} --- 
close(3)                                = 0 
exit_group(127)                         = ? 
+++ exited with 127 +++

[/FONT]

However is strace -f the correct command to use? Possibly not!

Now then, running the application from the terminal using this:

[FONT=monospace][COLOR=#54ff54][B]newbrian@Giger[/B][/COLOR][COLOR=#000000]:[/COLOR][COLOR=#5454ff][B]~/Applications[/B][/COLOR][COLOR=#000000]$ strace ./Mandelbulber_v2-2.24-x86_64_079aeccebd3368269ebd912d26223870.appimage [/COLOR]
[/FONT]

shows a lot of strace info on the terminal. Zero issues running the application.

So overall I think it's been a couple of things. Firstly some configuration conflict on my /home directory caused by previous distro installs.

Secondly my incorrect use of the strace -f command, which may have been leading me on a wild goose chase.

I think I do have a way forward, basically backup my date from the my home folder, then do a clean install using a new /home partition with a new user, then restore my data, without touching any configuration files.

Does this seem a reasonable way forward?

[brianinnes]

Anyway, I bought an 8TB external USB3.0 drive, so I'm slowly backing up all my files.

While this is a slow process at least it'll get all my stuff backed up, which will mean I'll be able to do a clean install with a nice fresh /home partition and user, without any old .config files cluttering things up!

[brianinnes]

Good news!

Following backing up my data, I renamed the old .config files to .configOLD, similarly with the dot files in my home directory.

Rather than formatting my home partition, I risked a reinstall using the same home partition and user name. The install went smoothly, and all the appimages I had been having issues with, run without any hitch at all.

So I suspect it's been some configuration conflict caused by an old .config file from previous distro installs :-)

[brianinnes]

Marking the original post as solved as problem fixed by removing old configuration files.