Arch Linux

korimitsu

Member

Registered: 2016-08-14

Posts: 191

[Solved] Protocol error: bad desktop size 0x0 after last update

Just now I updated the Arch system, and now can't connect remotely using krfb. The system has KDE Plasma.

i get the error on my VNC client:

Protocol error: bad desktop size 0x0

Any ideas?

Last edited by korimitsu (2025-06-22 00:52:23)

korimitsu

Member

Registered: 2016-08-14

Posts: 191

Re: [Solved] Protocol error: bad desktop size 0x0 after last update

Fixed it by installing:

$ sudo pacman -S plasma-x11-session kwin-x11
warning: plasma-x11-session-6.4.0-4 is up to date -- reinstalling
warning: kwin-x11-6.4.0-1 is up to date -- reinstalling
resolving dependencies...
looking for conflicting packages...

Packages (2) kwin-x11-6.4.0-1  plasma-x11-session-6.4.0-4

Total Installed Size:  24.81 MiB
Net Upgrade Size:       0.00 MiB

:: Proceed with installation? [Y/n] 

Then logout and in sddm change from Plasma (Wayland) to Plasma (X11).

seth

Member

From: Don't DM me only for attention

Registered: 2012-09-03

Posts: 73,723

Re: [Solved] Protocol error: bad desktop size 0x0 after last update

https://archlinux.org/news/plasma-640-w … re-on-x11/ but the output there was the "installation" was actually inert?
(Or is that an artifact from a second call to produce the output for the post?)

Please always remember to mark resolved threads by editing your initial posts subject - so others will know that there's no task left, but maybe a solution to find.
Thanks.

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korimitsu

Member

Registered: 2016-08-14

Posts: 191

Re: [Solved] Protocol error: bad desktop size 0x0 after last update

I was not in X11, I was in Wayland, the problem is that after the update Wayland switched from XCB to PipeWire, and the newer one has serious bugs.

seth

Member

From: Don't DM me only for attention

Registered: 2012-09-03

Posts: 73,723

Re: [Solved] Protocol error: bad desktop size 0x0 after last update

I understand that you likely ran into a wayland session, leading to your vnc problem - the comment was about

warning: plasma-x11-session-6.4.0-4 is up to date -- reinstalling
warning: kwin-x11-6.4.0-1 is up to date -- reinstalling

Fwwi, xcb is an asynchronous implementation of the X11 protocol that has substituted resp. now  functions as base of Xlib. Pipewire is a userspace audio daemon and media dispatcher.
These things aren't related to each other at all and also not to your initial problem.

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korimitsu

Member

Registered: 2016-08-14

Posts: 191

Re: [Solved] Protocol error: bad desktop size 0x0 after last update

plasma-x11-session-6.4.0-4 and kwin-x11-6.4.0-1 were not installed when I ran into the issue, I pasted the code afterwards to demonstrate which versions I have.

What's the root cause of the issue then?

seth

Member

From: Don't DM me only for attention

Registered: 2012-09-03

Posts: 73,723

Re: [Solved] Protocol error: bad desktop size 0x0 after last update

What's the root cause of the issue then?

Works w/ the X11 session, doesn't w/ the wayland session?
https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=300882
https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=454036

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