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Re: [Bug 1430620] Re: gnome-terminal writes excessively to /tmp (affecting SSD drives)

To: desktop-packages@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
From: Bryce Nesbitt <1430620@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 13 Mar 2015 06:10:29 -0000
Reply-to: Bug 1430620 <1430620@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sender: bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
The oom killer will only come along if some epic long files have been
cat'ed to the terminal,
and infinite scrollback is selected.  Speed, battery life, SSD life, energy
use and privacy are all reasons to have the common case be no disk writes.

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1430620

Title:
  gnome-terminal writes excessively to /tmp (affecting SSD drives)

Status in vte package in Ubuntu:
  New

Bug description:
  1) In a gnome-terminal run "sudo fatrace -f W -t" (filter for writes plus timestamps).
  2) In another window cat a file to the screen.
  3) Observe the activity.  I see large churn on the /tmp partitition:

  20:41:24.158837 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132835 (deleted)
  20:41:24.158837 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132835 (deleted)
  20:41:24.159268 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.159268 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.159674 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.159674 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.160171 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.160171 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.160603 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.160603 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.160919 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132835 (deleted)
  20:41:24.160919 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132835 (deleted)
  20:41:24.161093 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.161093 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.161545 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.161545 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.161999 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.161999 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.162447 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.162447 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.162825 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132835 (deleted)
  20:41:24.162825 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132835 (deleted)
  20:41:24.162899 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.162899 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.163366 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.163366 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.163817 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.163817 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.164331 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.164331 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.164729 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132835 (deleted)
  20:41:24.164729 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132835 (deleted)
  20:41:24.164729 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.164729 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.165219 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.165219 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.165674 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.165674 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.166128 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.166128 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.166587 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.166587 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.166660 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132835 (deleted)
  20:41:24.166660 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132835 (deleted)
  20:41:24.167056 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.167056 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.167529 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.167529 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.167949 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.167949 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.168451 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.168451 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.168524 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132835 (deleted)
  20:41:24.168524 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132835 (deleted)
  20:41:24.168889 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.168889 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.169364 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.169364 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.169808 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.169808 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.170281 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.170281 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.170354 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132835 (deleted)
  20:41:24.170354 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132835 (deleted)
  20:41:24.170744 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.170744 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.171222 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.171222 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.171699 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.171699 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.172114 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.172114 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.172298 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132835 (deleted)
  20:41:24.172298 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132835 (deleted)
  20:41:24.172617 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.172617 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.173055 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.173055 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.173528 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.173528 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.173997 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.173997 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.174286 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132835 (deleted)
  20:41:24.174286 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132835 (deleted)
  20:41:24.174470 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.174470 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.174908 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.174908 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.175387 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.175387 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.175808 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.175808 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.176240 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132835 (deleted)
  20:41:24.176240 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132835 (deleted)
  20:41:24.176240 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.176240 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.176752 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.176752 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.177217 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.177217 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.177659 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.177659 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.178119 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.178119 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.178119 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132835 (deleted)
  20:41:24.178119 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132835 (deleted)
  20:41:24.178584 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.178584 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.179053 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.179053 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132828 (deleted)
  20:41:24.184620 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132355 (deleted)
  20:41:24.184620 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132355 (deleted)
  20:41:24.196022 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132753 (deleted)
  20:41:24.196022 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132753 (deleted)
  20:41:24.196022 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132355 (deleted)
  20:41:24.196022 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132355 (deleted)
  20:41:24.196503 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132355 (deleted)
  20:41:24.196503 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132355 (deleted)

  Related, but not the same:
  https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/vte/+bug/865082?comments=all

  The excessive churn eventually gets flushed to disk, affecting the
  lifetime of SSD drives.

  
  Normal gnome terminal operation (no cat) results in endless streams of:
  20:44:25.107540 gnome-terminal(23352): RW /tmp/#132355 (deleted)
  20:44:25.138015 gnome-terminal(23352): RW /tmp/#132753 (deleted)
  20:44:25.138015 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132753 (deleted)
  20:44:25.138108 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132355 (deleted)
  20:44:25.138108 gnome-terminal(23352): RW /tmp/#132355 (deleted)
  20:44:25.168764 gnome-terminal(23352): RW /tmp/#132355 (deleted)
  20:44:25.168764 gnome-terminal(23352): RW /tmp/#132753 (deleted)
  20:44:25.168764 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132753 (deleted)
  20:44:25.168764 gnome-terminal(23352): W /tmp/#132355 (deleted)

  
  132753 is NOT the process number of the gnome-terminal.

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References

[Bug 1430620] [NEW] gnome-terminal writes excessively to /tmp (affecting SSD drives)
From: Bryce Nesbitt, 2015-03-11
[Bug 1430620] Re: gnome-terminal writes excessively to /tmp (affecting SSD drives)
From: Egmont Koblinger, 2015-03-12