Resolving Chrome Launch Issues After Hostname Change in Rocky Linux 9
This article addresses a specific issue encountered when attempting to launch Google Chrome after modifying the hostname on a Rocky Linux 9 system. The problem manifests as Chrome failing to start, accompanied by error messages suggesting a conflict with an existing Chrome process.
Issue Description
Upon changing the hostname in Rocky Linux 9, attempts to launch Google Chrome were unsuccessful. When initiating Chrome from the command line using `google-chrome`, the following error message was displayed:
[6128:6128:0706/205226.592952:ERROR:process_singleton_posix.cc(353)] The profile appears to be in use by another Google Chrome process (4177) on another computer (localhost.localdomain). Chrome has locked the profile so that it doesn't get corrupted. If you are sure no other processes are using this profile, you can unlock the profile and relaunch Chrome.
[6128:6128:0706/205226.593044:ERROR:message_box_dialog.cc(144)] Unable to show a dialog outside the UI thread message loop: Google Chrome - The profile appears to be in use by another Google Chrome process (4177) on another computer (localhost.localdomain). Chrome has locked the profile so that it doesn't get corrupted. If you are sure no other processes are using this profile, you can unlock the profile and relaunch Chrome.
[6142:6142:0100/000000.602832:ERROR:zygote_linux.cc(673)] write: Broken pipe (32)This error suggests that Chrome believes another instance is already running on a different system, preventing the launch of a new instance.
Root Cause Analysis
Upon investigation, it was determined that this issue is related to a known bug in Chrome. The bug report can be found at the following URL:
- https://issues.chromium.org/issues/41103620
- https://askubuntu.com/questions/476918/google-chrome-wont-start-after-changing-hostname
The problem appears to be triggered by the change in hostname, causing Chrome to misinterpret the system’s identity and erroneously lock the user profile.
Resolution
To resolve this issue, the following command can be executed in the terminal:
rm -rf ~/.config/google-chrome/Singleton*This command removes the Singleton files in the Chrome configuration directory, which are responsible for ensuring only one instance of Chrome is running. By deleting these files, Chrome is forced to recreate them, effectively resetting its understanding of running instances.
Conclusion
I have outlined a specific issue that can occur when changing the hostname on a Rocky Linux 9 system, resulting in the inability to launch Google Chrome. By understanding the root cause and applying the provided solution, users can quickly resolve this problem and resume normal use of the Chrome browser.
It is recommended that users experiencing similar issues after modifying system configurations consider this potential solution. As always, it is advisable to keep systems and applications updated to the latest versions to benefit from bug fixes and improvements.
