xfdesktop uses 30 GB!

[Ulli Horlacher]

(This is Xfce 4.12 on Xubuntu 16.04)

My xfdesktop uses 30 GB!

top - 12:21:25 up 10 days,  1:17, 21 users,  load average: 2.00, 2.02, 2.37
Tasks: 366 total,   1 running, 364 sleeping,   1 stopped,   0 zombie
%Cpu(s):  0.7 us,  2.2 sy,  0.0 ni, 84.6 id, 10.9 wa,  0.0 hi,  1.5 si,  0.0 st
KiB Mem : 16255072 total,   172284 free, 15902716 used,   180072 buff/cache
KiB Swap: 16777212 total,  2401388 free, 14375824 used.    42856 avail Mem 

  PID USER      PR  NI    VIRT    RES    SHR S  %CPU %MEM     TIME+ COMMAND                                                                                 
 7184 framstag  20   0 27.972g 0.014t    604 D  14.9 94.5  55:43.61 xfdesktop                                                                               
   

$ strace -p 7184
stat("/local/home/framstag/.local/share/applications/menus/applications/menus/.snapshot/2017-09-14_1100.hourly/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/.snapshot/2017-09-14_1000.hourly/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/.snapshot/2017-09-14_0904.single/applications/.snapshot/2017-09-08_1147.single/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/exo-mail-reader.desktop", 0x7ffcda546540) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
stat("/local/home/framstag/.local/share/applications/menus/applications/.snapshot/2017-09-14_1100.hourly/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/.snapshot/2017-09-14_0904.single/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/.snapshot/2017-09-08_1147.single/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/menulibre-kill-xserver.desktop", 0x7ffcda546540) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
stat("/local/home/framstag/.local/share/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/.snapshot/2017-09-14_1100.hourly/menus/applications/.snapshot/2017-09-14_1000.hourly/menus/.snapshot/2017-09-14_0904.single/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/.snapshot/2017-09-08_1147.single/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/userapp-xv-WBAGUY.desktop", 0x7ffcda546540) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
stat("/local/home/framstag/.local/share/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/.snapshot/2017-09-14_1100.hourly/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/.snapshot/2017-09-14_1000.hourly/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/.snapshot/2017-09-14_0904.single/applications/menus/.snapshot/2017-09-08_1147.single/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/menulibre-kill-xserver.desktop", 0x7ffcda546540) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
stat("/local/home/framstag/.local/share/applications/menus/applications/.snapshot/2017-09-14_1100.hourly/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/.snapshot/2017-09-14_1000.hourly/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/.snapshot/2017-09-14_0904.single/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/.snapshot/2017-09-08_1147.single/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/menulibre-kill-xserver.desktop", 0x7ffcda546540) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
stat("/local/home/framstag/.local/share/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/.snapshot/2017-09-14_1100.hourly/menus/.snapshot/2017-09-14_1000.hourly/applications/menus/.snapshot/2017-09-14_0904.single/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/.snapshot/2017-09-08_1147.single/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/menus/applications/menulibre-virtualbox.desktop", 0x7ffcda546540) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)

xfdesktop seems to get confused of the symbolic links in my
~/.local/share/applications/ directory: 

lrwxrwxrwx  root     root     - 2017-09-08 14:35:59 .snapshot/2017-09-08_1147.single -> /local/home/.snapshot/2017-09-08_1147.single/framstag/.local/share/applications
lrwxrwxrwx  root     root     - 2017-09-14 09:04:56 .snapshot/2017-09-14_0904.single -> /local/home/.snapshot/2017-09-14_0904.single/framstag/.local/share/applications
lrwxrwxrwx  root     root     - 2017-09-14 09:28:19 .snapshot/2017-09-14_0928.single -> /local/home/.snapshot/2017-09-14_0928.single/framstag/.local/share/applications
lrwxrwxrwx  root     root     - 2017-09-14 10:00:03 .snapshot/2017-09-14_1000.hourly -> /local/home/.snapshot/2017-09-14_1000.hourly/framstag/.local/share/applications
lrwxrwxrwx  framstag users    - 2016-11-02 19:16:09 menus -> ../../../.config/menus

I have created the "menus" symlink manually (for easy directory
navigation), I can delete it, but the .snapshot subdirectory links are
created automatically by the btrfs snaprotate cronjob.

==> (How) can I tell xfdesktop to ignore symlinks?!

-- 
Ullrich Horlacher              Server und Virtualisierung
Rechenzentrum TIK         
Universitaet Stuttgart         E-Mail: horlacher at tik.uni-stuttgart.de
Allmandring 30a                Tel:    ++49-711-68565868
70569 Stuttgart (Germany)      WWW:    http://www.tik.uni-stuttgart.de/
REF:<20170914102337.GA25779 at rus.uni-stuttgart.de>