[X2Go-User] Pulseaudio doesn't start on Win7

[Michael DePaulo]

Hi Ralf,

I am the Windows maintainer for X2Go Client. I also am maintaining the
Windows builds of PulseAudio.

Sorry that you are running into this problem, and sorry for not
getting back to you earlier. Something came up in my personal life
that kept me busy, and I contribute in my free time.

See the rest of my responses inline below.

On Fri, Dec 5, 2014 at 5:16 AM, Ralf <x2go-list at bergfelde.homelinux.net> wrote:
> Hi!
>
> I did some further research and now it is running as desired:
>
> First part has nothing to do with x2go - it's a pulseaudio problem or more
> specific a driverproblem with Intel-Onboardsound.
> Pulseaudio will terminate with a nasty error on win7. Can be seen by running
> pulseaudio.exe in an administrative command-window.
>
> This can be solved if the line
> load-module module-waveout sink_name=output source_name=input
> is edited to
> load-module module-waveout record=0 sink_name=output source_name=input
> in the default.pa

It sounds like record=0 disables microphone input on the device.
http://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/PulseAudio/Documentation/User/Modules/#index9h3

Lately I have been working on building PulseAudio 6.0RC1; I was
successful. Now I am making X2Go Client for Windows work with it.
(There is a source code change required to X2Go Client for Windows.)
Once I have a build of X2Go Client for Windows with PulseAudio 6.0RC1
(or 6.0RC2, or 6.0 final, etc) ready, I would like you to try it.
Perhaps PulseAudio's 6.0's new logic will work around the bug in your
audio driver.

If not, I would be more than happy to add an option somewhere in X2Go
Client to pass record=0 to module-waveout. It sounds like it should
probably in the X2Go Client for Windows Settings (Options ->
Settings), rather than a session's settings.

> ... and there comes the problem with the pulseaudio from x2go. There is no
> default.pa to be edited.
> I have taken the lastest pulseaudio for windows (1.1) and started it
> manually before connecting with x2go.
> Check with pulseaudio.exe --dump-conf to be sure your edited default.pa is
> used.

We do not use default.pa because we generate our own custom config.pa
. This custom config.pa is used instead of default.pa .

More info about default.pa:
Launch x2goclient.exe and connect to a session with audio enabled.
Then look under C:\Users\mike.DEPAULO\.x2go\pulse\ .There should be a
subdirectory in the format "tmp.p*", where "*" is a 3 to 5 digit
number. Its timestamp should indicate that it was created when you
connected. Until you quit x2goclient, there will be a config.pa file
under it. I've attached a sample one.

> Starting pulseaudio by hand before an x2go-session brings the next problem:
> The x2go-client tries to start pulseaudio automatically and if the
> standardport 4713 is already in use it takes the next free port.
> Here 4714 ... although it will not start (remember the first problem with
> driver) it gives this port as targetserver to his session.
> This will end in no audiosound - running pulse on pc is on port 4713, the
> x2go-session will send to 4714 -> no way.
> There are two ways to avoid this:
> Easy way: First start x2go-session without audioforward over ssh, then start
> pulseaudio on commandline.
> You can check with netstat -a if pulseaudio occupies port 4713 on your
> windows pc and in your x2go-session have a look at 'less
> $PULSE_CLIENTCONFIG'
> if your windowspc is used as targetserver by pulseaudio with the right port.
> This way works fine for people knowing what to do and which are comfortable
> using a commandline.
>
> For automated deploying dockercontainers to "normal user staff" do
> following:
> Attention these are "bad" ideas, because something is hardcoded and must be
> kept in mind when changing for example the dockercontainer-image.
> If people should use a "full" desktop put following little script in
> /etc/profile.d and make it executable for all:
> write_pulseclient_conf.sh
> --------------------------------------------------------
> #!/bin/sh
>
> PORT=4731
> SERVER=`echo $SSH_CONNECTION | awk -F " " '{print $1}'`
> echo "default-server = "$SERVER":"$PORT > $PULSE_CLIENTCONFIG
> --------------------------------------------------------
> this will overwrite the "wrong" conf send be x2go-client and change the
> pulseserver-port to whatever you have choosen.
> Here 4731
>
> For people who should only get a windowed application like iceweasel it
> get's more complicated, because they are not loading a profile.
> But it works this way ...
> Take the script /usr/bin/x2goruncommand.
> Search the line:
> echo "exec $cmd" >> "$MESSAGE_FILE"
> Add after that line the following line:
> /etc/profile.d/write_pulseclient_conf.sh
> This will run the little script from above everytime a x2go-session is
> started (yes it will run 2 times when someone connects to a full
> desktopsession, but it is an ugly hack, right?)
>
> So there is only one question left:
> How to change the pulseaudio-serverport on your windows?
> Again it is the default.pa .
> Search:
> load-module module-native-protocol-tcp listen=0.0.0.0 auth-anonymous=1
> Change to:
> load-module module-native-protocol-tcp listen=0.0.0.0 port=4731
> auth-anonymous=1
> ... and done. Simple after reading the pulseaudio docs on modules ... and
> don't expect to find the "port=" in the doc about module-native-protocol-tcp
> :)
>
> Famous last words ... this is my way how it works for me in an internal
> network, where security is less then "in the wild". The audio-connection is
> NOT encrypted this way.
> Audio is not that good, but enough to have a look at trainingvideos on eg.
> youtube - make sure to use html5 ... flashaudio is horrible in this
> szenario.
>
> Many thanks to uncountable websites and others for the view into the
> mechanics of pulseaudio ...and to the x2go-team to write readable code :)
>
> Have a nice time
> Ralf

Thank you for spending time your time to figure this out. Hopefully
your workaround will not be necessary for very long.

[...]
>>
>> Is there a chance to give an modified default.pa to the "internal"
>> pulseaudio-server of the x2go-client or even better: is it possible to
>> use an "external" pulseaudio.exe with the x2go-client?

I am confident that I can fix this bug under your case by either
Upgrading PulseAudio to 6.0, or by adding a record=0 option. If any
other use case requires one of those 2 approaches, then I will look
into adding them.

Whether or not another use case is discovered, patches are welcome.

-Mike

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