Debian Bug report logs - #786707
emacs25: default info dir initialization slow with remote filesystems

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Message #5 received at submit@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Steve McIntyre <steve@einval.com>

To: Debian Bug Tracking System <submit@bugs.debian.org>

Subject: Info path handling broken

Date: Sun, 24 May 2015 16:53:16 +0100

Package: emacs24
Version: 24.4+1-5
Severity: important

Hi!

Since the Jessie upgrade, I've been having some occasional very long
startup delays with emacs. Using strace, I can see that emacs is
looking in /share/info at startup, and /share on my machine is an
auto-mounted network share on my home network. On that network, things
work OK but when elsewhere it's been taking quite a long time for the
autmount to timeout and fail. This is the cause of the delay.

However, in looking this up I can see that there's been quite a I've
tracked it down to quite a major change in info path handling from
emacs23 to emacs24 in lisp/info.el and it seems quite broken, in 3
different ways.

1. In Info-default-directory-list, the code builds a large set of
   possible info dirs to scan, combining ths set of prefixes
   ("/usr/local/" "/usr/" "/opt/" "/") and suffixes ("share/" ""
   "gnu/" "gnu/lib/" "gnu/lib/emacs/" "emacs/" "lib/"
   "lib/emacs/")). This includes a whole slew of directory
   combinations that I think make no sense for an info path on a
   Debian system, including things under /share, /gnu etc.

2. Why on earth is emacs checking the info path at all on startup?
   Shouldn't it wait until info functions are actually called for?

3. The documentation talks about setting INFOPATH in the environment
   to over-ride the use of this default directory list, but again
   using strace I can see no change to behaviour here at all if I set
   INFOPATH

I've trivially patched my own local emacs to at least remove the "/"
from the list of prefixes - patch available if you'd like to see it...

-- System Information:
Debian Release: 8.0
  APT prefers stable
  APT policy: (500, 'stable')
Architecture: amd64 (x86_64)
Foreign Architectures: i386

Kernel: Linux 3.16.0-4-amd64 (SMP w/4 CPU cores)
Locale: LANG=en_GB.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=en_GB.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/dash
Init: systemd (via /run/systemd/system)

Versions of packages emacs24 depends on:
ii  emacs24-bin-common     24.4+1-5
ii  gconf-service          3.2.6-3
ii  libacl1                2.2.52-2
ii  libasound2             1.0.28-1
ii  libatk1.0-0            2.14.0-1
ii  libc6                  2.19-18
ii  libcairo-gobject2      1.14.0-2.1
ii  libcairo2              1.14.0-2.1
ii  libdbus-1-3            1.8.16-1
ii  libfontconfig1         2.11.0-6.3
ii  libfreetype6           2.5.2-3
ii  libgconf-2-4           3.2.6-3
ii  libgdk-pixbuf2.0-0     2.31.1-2+b1
ii  libgif4                4.1.6-11
ii  libglib2.0-0           2.42.1-1
ii  libgnutls-deb0-28      3.3.8-6
ii  libgomp1               4.9.2-10
ii  libgpm2                1.20.4-6.1+b2
ii  libgtk-3-0             3.14.5-1
ii  libice6                2:1.0.9-1+b1
ii  libjpeg62-turbo        1:1.3.1-12
ii  libm17n-0              1.6.4-3
ii  libmagickcore-6.q16-2  8:6.8.9.9-5
ii  libmagickwand-6.q16-2  8:6.8.9.9-5
ii  libotf0                0.9.13-2
ii  libpango-1.0-0         1.36.8-3
ii  libpangocairo-1.0-0    1.36.8-3
ii  libpng12-0             1.2.50-2+b2
ii  librsvg2-2             2.40.5-1
ii  libselinux1            2.3-2
ii  libsm6                 2:1.2.2-1+b1
ii  libtiff5               4.0.3-12.3
ii  libtinfo5              5.9+20140913-1+b1
ii  libx11-6               2:1.6.2-3
ii  libxft2                2.3.2-1
ii  libxinerama1           2:1.1.3-1+b1
ii  libxml2                2.9.1+dfsg1-5
ii  libxpm4                1:3.5.11-1+b1
ii  libxrandr2             2:1.4.2-1+b1
ii  libxrender1            1:0.9.8-1+b1
ii  zlib1g                 1:1.2.8.dfsg-2+b1

emacs24 recommends no packages.

Versions of packages emacs24 suggests:
pn  emacs24-common-non-dfsg  <none>

-- no debconf information

Message #10 received at 786707@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Steve McIntyre <steve@einval.com>

To: 786707@bugs.debian.org

Subject: Re: Info path handling broken

Date: Wed, 2 Aug 2017 20:32:42 +0100

Control: reassign -1 emacs25

On Sun, May 24, 2015 at 04:53:16PM +0100, Steve McIntyre wrote:
>Package: emacs24
>Version: 24.4+1-5
>Severity: important
>
>Hi!
>
>Since the Jessie upgrade, I've been having some occasional very long
>startup delays with emacs. Using strace, I can see that emacs is
>looking in /share/info at startup, and /share on my machine is an
>auto-mounted network share on my home network. On that network, things
>work OK but when elsewhere it's been taking quite a long time for the
>autmount to timeout and fail. This is the cause of the delay.
>
>However, in looking this up I can see that there's been quite a I've
>tracked it down to quite a major change in info path handling from
>emacs23 to emacs24 in lisp/info.el and it seems quite broken, in 3
>different ways.
>
>1. In Info-default-directory-list, the code builds a large set of
>   possible info dirs to scan, combining ths set of prefixes
>   ("/usr/local/" "/usr/" "/opt/" "/") and suffixes ("share/" ""
>   "gnu/" "gnu/lib/" "gnu/lib/emacs/" "emacs/" "lib/"
>   "lib/emacs/")). This includes a whole slew of directory
>   combinations that I think make no sense for an info path on a
>   Debian system, including things under /share, /gnu etc.
>
>2. Why on earth is emacs checking the info path at all on startup?
>   Shouldn't it wait until info functions are actually called for?
>
>3. The documentation talks about setting INFOPATH in the environment
>   to over-ride the use of this default directory list, but again
>   using strace I can see no change to behaviour here at all if I set
>   INFOPATH
>
>I've trivially patched my own local emacs to at least remove the "/"
>from the list of prefixes - patch available if you'd like to see it...

Hi,

I can see that this same issue is still present in emacs25 - I've just
installed that and looked in strace output (see below). Any chance of
a response here, please?

...
14564 stat("/opt/gnu/info", 0x7ffd0eeb5b30) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
14564 stat("/opt/gnu/lib/info", 0x7ffd0eeb5b30) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
14564 stat("/opt/gnu/lib/emacs/info", 0x7ffd0eeb5b30) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
14564 stat("/opt/emacs/info", 0x7ffd0eeb5b30) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
14564 stat("/opt/lib/info", 0x7ffd0eeb5b30) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
14564 stat("/opt/lib/emacs/info", 0x7ffd0eeb5b30) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
14564 stat("/share/info", 0x7ffd0eeb5b30) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
14564 stat("/info", 0x7ffd0eeb52e0)     = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
14564 stat("/gnu/info", 0x7ffd0eeb5b30) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
14564 stat("/gnu/lib/info", 0x7ffd0eeb5b30) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
14564 stat("/gnu/lib/emacs/info", 0x7ffd0eeb5b30) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
14564 stat("/emacs/info", 0x7ffd0eeb5b30) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
14564 stat("/lib/info", 0x7ffd0eeb5b30) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
14564 stat("/lib/emacs/info", 0x7ffd0eeb5b30) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
...

-- 
Steve McIntyre, Cambridge, UK.                                steve@einval.com
< Aardvark> I dislike C++ to start with. C++11 just seems to be
            handing rope-creating factories for users to hang multiple
            instances of themselves.

Message #21 received at 786707@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Rob Browning <rlb@defaultvalue.org>

To: bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org

Cc: Steve McIntyre <steve@einval.com>, 786707@bugs.debian.org, 786707-forwarded@bugs.debian.org

Subject: Re: emacs25: default info dir initialization slow with remote filesystems

Date: Thu, 03 Aug 2017 08:59:56 -0500

[If possible please preserve the 786707-forwarded@bugs.debian.org in replies]

It appears that when remote filesystems are involved, the probing to
initialize Info-default-directory-alist can be time consuming, even if
an INFOPATH has been specified.

This was reported as http://bugs.debian.org/786707, and additional
details are available there.

Thanks
-- 
Rob Browning
rlb @defaultvalue.org and @debian.org
GPG as of 2011-07-10 E6A9 DA3C C9FD 1FF8 C676 D2C4 C0F0 39E9 ED1B 597A
GPG as of 2002-11-03 14DD 432F AE39 534D B592 F9A0 25C8 D377 8C7E 73A4

Message #27 received at 786707@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Glenn Morris <rgm@gnu.org>

To: Rob Browning <rlb@defaultvalue.org>

Cc: 27933@debbugs.gnu.org, 786707@bugs.debian.org, 786707-forwarded@bugs.debian.org, Steve McIntyre <steve@einval.com>

Subject: Re: bug#27933: emacs25: default info dir initialization slow with remote filesystems

Date: Thu, 03 Aug 2017 11:29:52 -0400

Presumably this is less bad since some changes in Emacs master.
See 8ff9c4109fd and 2a2c6ee8d18.

http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/emacs-diffs/2016-05/msg00336.html
http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/emacs-diffs/2016-05/msg00338.html

Message #33 received at 786707@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Steve McIntyre <steve@einval.com>

To: Glenn Morris <rgm@gnu.org>

Cc: Rob Browning <rlb@defaultvalue.org>, 27933@debbugs.gnu.org, 786707@bugs.debian.org, 786707-forwarded@bugs.debian.org

Subject: Re: bug#27933: emacs25: default info dir initialization slow with remote filesystems

Date: Thu, 3 Aug 2017 17:39:35 +0100

On Thu, Aug 03, 2017 at 11:29:52AM -0400, Glenn Morris wrote:
>
>Presumably this is less bad since some changes in Emacs master.
>See 8ff9c4109fd and 2a2c6ee8d18.
>
>http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/emacs-diffs/2016-05/msg00336.html
>http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/emacs-diffs/2016-05/msg00338.html

Hi Glenn,

I've checked yesterday using emacs25 (version 25.1+1-4 in Debian
stretch). I guess those changes didn't make it in before that release
- the second diff you've linked is exactly the trivial change I've
been using locally to solve the problem for me... :-)

-- 
Steve McIntyre, Cambridge, UK.                                steve@einval.com
"I can't ever sleep on planes ... call it irrational if you like, but I'm
 afraid I'll miss my stop" -- Vivek Das Mohapatra

Message #36 received at 786707@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Glenn Morris <rgm@gnu.org>

To: Steve McIntyre <steve@einval.com>

Cc: Rob Browning <rlb@defaultvalue.org>, 27933@debbugs.gnu.org, 786707@bugs.debian.org, 786707-forwarded@bugs.debian.org

Subject: Re: bug#27933: emacs25: default info dir initialization slow with remote filesystems

Date: Thu, 03 Aug 2017 12:41:48 -0400

Steve McIntyre wrote:

> I've checked yesterday using emacs25 (version 25.1+1-4 in Debian
> stretch). I guess those changes didn't make it in before that release

Indeed not.

Message #43 received at 786707@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Steve McIntyre <steve@einval.com>

To: Glenn Morris <rgm@gnu.org>

Cc: Rob Browning <rlb@defaultvalue.org>, 27933@debbugs.gnu.org, 786707@bugs.debian.org, 786707-forwarded@bugs.debian.org

Subject: Re: bug#27933: emacs25: default info dir initialization slow with remote filesystems

Date: Thu, 3 Aug 2017 17:49:13 +0100

On Thu, Aug 03, 2017 at 12:41:48PM -0400, Glenn Morris wrote:
>Steve McIntyre wrote:
>
>> I've checked yesterday using emacs25 (version 25.1+1-4 in Debian
>> stretch). I guess those changes didn't make it in before that release
>
>Indeed not.

OK, cool - thanks for clarifying!

So, I am still curious about a couple of points from my initial bug
report. Maybe you can help with those too?

>2. Why on earth is emacs checking the info path at all on startup?
>   Shouldn't it wait until info functions are actually called for?
>
>3. The documentation talks about setting INFOPATH in the environment
>   to over-ride the use of this default directory list, but again
>   using strace I can see no change to behaviour here at all if I set
>   INFOPATH

-- 
Steve McIntyre, Cambridge, UK.                                steve@einval.com
"Arguing that you don't care about the right to privacy because you have
 nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about free
 speech because you have nothing to say."
   -- Edward Snowden

Message #49 received at 786707@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>

To: Steve McIntyre <steve@einval.com>

Cc: rgm@gnu.org, 27933@debbugs.gnu.org, 786707@bugs.debian.org, rlb@defaultvalue.org, 786707-forwarded@bugs.debian.org

Subject: Re: bug#27933: emacs25: default info dir initialization slow with remote filesystems

Date: Thu, 03 Aug 2017 20:25:14 +0300

> Date: Thu, 3 Aug 2017 17:49:13 +0100
> From: Steve McIntyre <steve@einval.com>
> Cc: 27933@debbugs.gnu.org, 786707@bugs.debian.org,
> 	Rob Browning <rlb@defaultvalue.org>, 786707-forwarded@bugs.debian.org
> 
> >2. Why on earth is emacs checking the info path at all on startup?

It doesn't do that here, not in the current development sources.
After I start "emacs -Q", (featurep 'info) evaluates to nil and
Info-directory-list is unbound.

> >   Shouldn't it wait until info functions are actually called for?

It should, and it does.

> >3. The documentation talks about setting INFOPATH in the environment
> >   to over-ride the use of this default directory list, but again
> >   using strace I can see no change to behaviour here at all if I set
> >   INFOPATH

My reading of the code is that if INFOPATH is set in the environment
of the shell from which Emacs is started, then the value of that
variable is used in preference to Info-default-directory-list.  Maybe
you didn't start Emacs from the shell whose environment you changed?

Message #53 received at 786707@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Glenn Morris <rgm@gnu.org>

To: Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>

Cc: Steve McIntyre <steve@einval.com>, 27933@debbugs.gnu.org, 786707@bugs.debian.org, rlb@defaultvalue.org, 786707-forwarded@bugs.debian.org

Subject: Re: bug#27933: emacs25: default info dir initialization slow with remote filesystems

Date: Thu, 03 Aug 2017 13:35:25 -0400

Eli Zaretskii wrote:

>> >2. Why on earth is emacs checking the info path at all on startup?
>
> It doesn't do that here, not in the current development sources.
> After I start "emacs -Q", (featurep 'info) evaluates to nil and
> Info-directory-list is unbound.

Info-default-directory-list, which is the thing that stats the
filesystem, is autoloaded.

This area seems overly complicated, probably due to hysterical raisins.
IIRC we've discussed it before.

>> >3. The documentation talks about setting INFOPATH in the environment
>> >   to over-ride the use of this default directory list, but again
>> >   using strace I can see no change to behaviour here at all if I set
>> >   INFOPATH

The default still gets set, just not used. You might wonder, why bother
setting something that's not used...


Ideally Info-default-directory-list would go away. leaving only
Info-directory-list initialized in a standard fashion. But I haven't
looked at the details.

Message #59 received at 786707@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>

To: Glenn Morris <rgm@gnu.org>

Cc: steve@einval.com, 27933@debbugs.gnu.org, 786707@bugs.debian.org, rlb@defaultvalue.org, 786707-forwarded@bugs.debian.org

Subject: Re: bug#27933: emacs25: default info dir initialization slow with remote filesystems

Date: Thu, 03 Aug 2017 21:31:53 +0300

> From: Glenn Morris <rgm@gnu.org>
> Cc: Steve McIntyre <steve@einval.com>,  27933@debbugs.gnu.org,  786707@bugs.debian.org,  rlb@defaultvalue.org,  786707-forwarded@bugs.debian.org
> Date: Thu, 03 Aug 2017 13:35:25 -0400
> 
> Eli Zaretskii wrote:
> 
> >> >2. Why on earth is emacs checking the info path at all on startup?
> >
> > It doesn't do that here, not in the current development sources.
> > After I start "emacs -Q", (featurep 'info) evaluates to nil and
> > Info-directory-list is unbound.
> 
> Info-default-directory-list, which is the thing that stats the
> filesystem, is autoloaded.

But who loads it?

Message #63 received at 786707@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Glenn Morris <rgm@gnu.org>

To: Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>

Cc: steve@einval.com, 27933@debbugs.gnu.org, 786707@bugs.debian.org, rlb@defaultvalue.org, 786707-forwarded@bugs.debian.org

Subject: Re: bug#27933: emacs25: default info dir initialization slow with remote filesystems

Date: Thu, 03 Aug 2017 17:37:17 -0400

Eli Zaretskii wrote:

>> Info-default-directory-list, which is the thing that stats the
>> filesystem, is autoloaded.
>
> But who loads it?

Autoloaded variables are dumped with Emacs.

Message #69 received at 786707-done@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: "J. Smith" <etaion12-qrov@yahoo.co.uk>

To: "786707-done@bugs.debian.org" <786707-done@bugs.debian.org>

Subject: Re: Bug#786707

Date: Thu, 3 Jan 2019 19:46:07 +0000 (UTC)

Version: 26.1

In Emacs 26.1, the default Info-default-directory-list contains only a few /usr/share and /usr/local/share,info entries, so I am taking the liberty of closing this.

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