[SOLVED] Impossible to install extensions
 

Hi to everyone,
I use Firefox 3.0.1 on Slackware Linux 12.1. The problem is that you can't install extensions. When I click on Add to Firefox button to install an extension, it doesn't open any page or any window. After a few minutes of waiting appears the classic Software Installation window, then I click on Install Now, it opens the Add-ons window in the Installation section. Below you see the name of the extension with the Waiting .... writing, and doesn't go on. I have already read this support page: http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/...nstall+add-ons, but all the remedies described are useless. Of course I also tried to delete the .mozilla directory, but nothing to do. I tried the Windows version and it works correctly, actually if I have to install extensions, I install them with Firefox on Windows and then copy the extensions in the Linux profile. I read that the problem occurs only with Slackware, with other distros it works properly.
Do you have any idea to solve it?

Thank you,

Scorpion77

Which Firefox package are you using (ie where did you get the package from)? I know Pat's SlackBuild modifies a few things, but I don't know if it touches the extensions (and I'm too lazy to download the patches to find out).

It's not a Firefox problem. Not only. I tried with Opera and Konqueror, but unsuccessfull. I read in another forum about the problem with tcp_window_scaling, but it is useless.
I tried Slax 6.0.7, which is a distro derivated from Slackware. With Slax all works perfectly, with any browser. So I can say it's a Slackware configuration problem, maybe the kernel configuration.

It will not be a kernel configuration problem. I believe you are the only one with this issue -- but I can't be sure (I know I haven't heard of it here before, but maybe I'm just not reading carefully enough). I am not currently using Firefox 3, but I use Opera and can install widgets just fine (though as far as I know there are no extensions to Opera). I know for sure that extensions work perfectly using Firefox 2. You could try installing extensions manually (see this thread -- you can use the same technique to install the extension locally to your user account by using the ~/.mozilla/firefox/profilename.default/extensions directory [change profilename to the randomly generated profile name]).

When did you install 12.1? Was it a fresh install or an upgrade? What have you installed (and how did you install it)? Have you made any customizations?

OK, I just installed Slackware 12.1 in a VM (excluding KDE), upgraded Firefox 2 (included) to Pat's Firefox 3 (in -current) using upgradepkg, and installed an extension successfully on the first try (using the generic-smp kernel in runlevel 4, but that should have no impact whatsoever on Firefox). You obviously have a problem with the Firefox package you are using (but you said you are having other browser problems as well) or your Slackware installation. It is most certainly not Slackware's fault and please do not blame the distro because of a configuration/installation error. I am willing to help you, but need more information about your Slackware installation and what you have done to it. You may be more successful with the advice of others since I am really just a n00b myself...but I'm here anyway.

I installed firefox 3.0.1 from the package at "www.getfirefox.com" moved it to /usr/lib/firefox-3.0.1 then set a smlink from firefox. That allowed me the option to change the link back to firefox-2.0.0.14 if I had problems. I installed several plugins and addons with no problems. Well, except for rhapsody's addon which I had to install manually from the xpi file. the helix (realplayer) addon installed automatically.

Could you post the output with:
ls -l /usr/lib/firefox
and
ls -l /usr/bin/firefox

andrea@darkstar:~$ ls -l /usr/lib/firefox
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 13 2008-09-13 23:39 /usr/lib/firefox -> firefox-3.0.1/

andrea@darkstar:~$ ls -l /usr/bin/firefox
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 30 2008-09-13 23:39 /usr/bin/firefox -> /usr/lib/firefox-3.0.1/firefox*

However I already explained that with Opera and Konquer I have the same problem. Even if I try to download an extension with the address it doesn't work:

root@darkstar:/WinD/LinuxStuff/slackware-updater/packages# wget https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/fir...-1.0rc2-fx.jar
--2008-09-13 23:34:22-- https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/fir...-1.0rc2-fx.jar
Resolving addons.mozilla.org... 63.245.213.32
Connecting to addons.mozilla.org|63.245.213.32|:443... connected.
ERROR: cannot verify addons.mozilla.org's certificate, issued by `/C=US/O=Equifax/OU=Equifax Secure Certificate Authority':
Unable to locally verify the issuer's authority.
To connect to addons.mozilla.org insecurely, use `--no-check-certificate'.
Unable to establish SSL connection.

And with --no-check-certificate:

root@darkstar:/WinD/LinuxStuff/slackware-updater/packages# wget https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/fir...-1.0rc2-fx.jar --no-check-certificate
--2008-09-13 23:34:44-- https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/fir...-1.0rc2-fx.jar
Resolving addons.mozilla.org... 63.245.213.32
Connecting to addons.mozilla.org|63.245.213.32|:443... connected.
WARNING: cannot verify addons.mozilla.org's certificate, issued by `/C=US/O=Equifax/OU=Equifax Secure Certificate Authority':
Unable to locally verify the issuer's authority.
HTTP request sent, awaiting response... 302 Found
Location: http://releases.mozilla.org/pub/mozi...-1.0rc2-fx.jar [following]
--2008-09-13 23:34:44-- http://releases.mozilla.org/pub/mozi...-1.0rc2-fx.jar
Resolving releases.mozilla.org... 32.1.6.176
Connecting to releases.mozilla.org|32.1.6.176|:80...

The most important thing I did is trying with a fresh installation of Slackware 12.1. The problem persists.
So it's logical to think that should be a hardware compatibility problem, maybe with the network adapter integrated into my motherboard.

Sure. The only difference is /usr/lib/firefox used to be linked to "/usr/lib/firefox-2.0.0.14".



ED: Oops, I guess your question wasn't addressed to me. Disregard.

I can wget your linked file when passing the --no-check-certificate option, so it must be something with either your ethernet/wireless card drivers, your network setup or (doubtfully) your ISP. What is the output of the following commands (as root):
You may wish to try disabling ipv6 if you haven't already. You can blacklist it in /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist by adding the following line to the end of the file:
and restarting. If you don't want to restart you can try removing the module manually by typing the following command (as root):
If that doesn't work try the simpler `rmmod ipv6`.

Well, I forgot to say I updated it with the official Slackware package of Firefox 3.0.1.

Maybe it should be a kernel configuration problem, because with Slax 6.0.7 everything works perfectly, as I said in my post (http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...8/#post3279351).

The kernel configuration problem is often a scapegoat. It seems to be the go-to 'answer' for any problems. It is probably NOT a kernel configuration issue; the only kernel issue I could see is if the wrong module is being loaded for your network card (easily fixable without recompiling the kernel) or if other, better, out-of-tree modules are available (like the iwl/ipw thing). Other than that, it is likely a configuration problem. It *could* be a kernel issue, but stop blaming it on that without any evidence for it whatsoever.

Also, Slax is VERY, VERY different from Slackware. Just because it is based on Slackware does not mean that any of its init scripts or configurations are even similar let alone identical.

scorpion77, do you run firefox as root or simple user ?
Maybe a permissions problem also
maybe worth a check ?
What does make you think it is a kernel issue, do you have problem while browsing on linuxquestions.org for example ? Did you set a firewall ?

Did this get any further (your second wget command)? The 302 error is normal (it is a redirection). I get that too but then it downloads from the redirected URL. I get this:
If the command completes on your end, it is probably not a network issue (which I possibly incorrectly assumed before). If it doesn't, it may be.

I think I've found the origin of the problem: it's my wireless router, a D-Link DSL-G624T. As I've 2 computers, one in my room and one in the lounge, the only thing they share it's the router.
Here they are the outputs of the command you want to know (T3slider):

ifconfig -a
route -n
lspci -vv
lsmod

Ok, this problem is very strange. I disabled ipv6 with blacklist, and I can install the Chromifox extension just clicking on Add to Firefox button. But with wget, Opera and Konqueror doesn't work. Not always. It seems there is a kind of randomness, as after some minute it works... and now, again it doesn't work. It could be a timeout, but what is causing the timeout?

This is wget output when it works:
So, there are still two problems:

1) the method of disabling ipv6 works with random effects, so I need to understand why this behavior

2) currently Internet is based on ipv4 protocol. When it will become ipv6, will I not be able to connect anymore?

Looks like you have iptables running, as shown by your lsmod output
Have you checked if there is not a blocking rule somewhere
/usr/sbin/iptables -L for listing rules, or maybe try flush and reset the rules: /usr/sbin/iptables -F; /usr/sbin/iptables -X; /usr/sbin/iptables -P INPUT ACCEPT

Or if you have some rule that logs blocked incoming packets:
tail /var/log/syslog
dmesg
(see the logs just after you attempt an extension install)

I thinked to an iptables problem too. But this problem there was also when I tried with a fresh Slackware installation, without modifying iptables.

tail /var/log/syslog
last lines of dmesg
I just tried to flush and reset the rules, this is the output of iptables -L:

And just now it doesn't work. This problem is very difficult to solve.

Indeed :) but I often find that difficult problems are not that much difficult when you find the solution, usually it is a simple thing we forget to think.
So for now, the iptables rules are out of the problem, maybe a last check would be unload all the iptables modules, I don't know...

To resume the problem:
You have no internet connection problem, you can visit any web sites you want, with no issue, right ?
The problem only appear if you try to download a firefox extension ?

Did you check the permissions in your home directory, in ~/.mozilla and ~/.firefox ?

Right

Yes

Don't you remember, I have the same problem with Opera and Konqueror, even wget can't download the extensions. But the inability to download extensions seems to be random.

That becomes mystic, from the wget output we can see it uses port 80 (http), so nothing exotic
Now the only thing I can think as why it can't install extension, is something wrong on the software side,
so that's why I thought of a permission problem.
You say you have the same problem with Opera and Konqueror, but do they use the same firefox extensions and do they install them on the same place ? I don't know

You run your web browser as simple user right ? You never started any web browser as root, did you ?

When you say you have the same problem with Opera and Konqueror -- you are merely trying to download the same firefox extension so you can install it manually in Firefox, right? Or are you trying to install an Opera/Konqueror-specific extension?

After a deeper look on wget output, I see it initially try to connect to port 443 (https), you don't have problem with browsing https secure pages ?
In firefox > edit > preferences > advanced, are SSL3 and TLS enabled ? And on certificates, is ask me... checked ?

I SOLVED!

Now I can say with certainty: the problem is caused by the router D-Link DSL-G624T. I read on various sites it has problems with IPv6 connectivity, indeed disabling IPv6 connectivity module on Slackware it works, but not always. Today I did several tests and I can say that I finally solved the problem. I had to set the addresses of the DNS servers of my ISP in the file /etc/resolv.conf. Now everything works perfectly, even wget.
Thanks to all those who helped me and given tips to solve the problem. :D

Scorpion77

Congrat :)