Re: Running tests with xvfb

[Ian Jackson <ijackson@chiark.greenend.org.uk>]

Jeff writes ("Running tests with xvfb"):
> I have a package whose tests crash X on my machine, which uses nouveau.
> This makes testing rather inconvenient.
> 
> Running the tests in a chroot with xvfb works, but takes an age (i.e. a
> couple of minutes) to set up the chroot. This is also not conducive to
> rapid testing of small changes.

1. Why are you setting up the chroot each time ?  You could keep it
set up.

> Running the test outside the chroot with xvfb still crashes X, because
> xvfb seems to grab the "real" X if it is there.

2. I think you mean "the test grabs the real X" not that xvfb grabs
it.

3. Probably the actual difference is that when you run the tests in a
chroot, something launders your environment so that DISPLAY is not
set.  (Or maybe that your chroot tool is providing a separate AF_UNIX
display numbering space, so that a default of ":0" now goes to Xvfb.)

If I am right you can fix this problem by starting Xvfb in your main
session, and running the tests with the appropriate setting of
DISPLAY.

If this does not work then I think it is a bug in the tests, which
should honour DISPLAY.

Ian.