WebDriverError: unknown error: Chrome failed to start: exited abnormally - google-chrome

Question

What I'm trying to achieve
Successfully run my protractor tests on headless chrome on Ubuntu 14 non gui.
Set up
Using multiple reference pages I have managed to successfully install: Xvfb Chrome latest browser Protractor 3.3.0 Java 7 (also tried with Java 8) and also set the LOCAL_HOME. Also, managed to start the Xvfb using this reference.
Protractor conf
exports.config = {
baseUrl: 'http://<qa environment>',
framework: 'jasmine',
seleniumAddress: 'http://localhost:4444/wd/hub',
jasmineNodeOpts: {
showColors:true,
defaultTimeoutInterval: 2500000
},
capabilities: {
'browserName': 'chrome'
},
specs: ['administration/*-spec.js'], //'signinandout/*-spec.js', 'homepage/*-spec.js',
onPrepare: function(){
//browser.driver.manage().window().setSize(1280, 1080);
}
}
Exception stack trace:
/usr/local/lib/node_modules/protractor/node_modules/selenium-webdriver/error.js:26
constructor(opt_error) {
^ WebDriverError: unknown error: Chrome failed to start: exited abnormally (Driver info:
chromedriver=2.21.371461
(633e689b520b25f3e264a2ede6b74ccc23cb636a),platform=Linux
3.13.0-87-generic x86_64) (WARNING: The server did not provide any stacktrace information) Command duration or timeout: 60.16 seconds
Build info: version: '2.52.0', revision: '4c2593c', time: '2016-02-11
19:06:42' System info: host: 'vagrant-ubuntu-trusty-64', ip:
'10.0.2.15', os.name: 'Linux', os.arch: 'amd64', os.version:
'3.13.0-87-generic', java.version: '1.7.0_101' Driver info:
org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver
at WebDriverError (/usr/local/lib/node_modules/protractor/node_modules/selenium-webdriver/error.js:26:26)
at Object.checkLegacyResponse (/usr/local/lib/node_modules/protractor/node_modules/selenium-webdriver/error.js:580:13)
at /usr/local/lib/node_modules/protractor/node_modules/selenium-webdriver/lib/webdriver.js:64:13
at Promise.invokeCallback_ (/usr/local/lib/node_modules/protractor/node_modules/selenium-webdriver/lib/promise.js:1329:14)
at TaskQueue.execute_ (/usr/local/lib/node_modules/protractor/node_modules/selenium-webdriver/lib/promise.js:2790:14)
at TaskQueue.executeNext_ (/usr/local/lib/node_modules/protractor/node_modules/selenium-webdriver/lib/promise.js:2773:21)
at /usr/local/lib/node_modules/protractor/node_modules/selenium-webdriver/lib/promise.js:2652:27
at /usr/local/lib/node_modules/protractor/node_modules/selenium-webdriver/lib/promise.js:639:7
at process._tickCallback (internal/process/next_tick.js:103:7) From: Task: WebDriver.createSession()
at acquireSession (/usr/local/lib/node_modules/protractor/node_modules/selenium-webdriver/lib/webdriver.js:62:22)
at Function.createSession (/usr/local/lib/node_modules/protractor/node_modules/selenium-webdriver/lib/webdriver.js:295:12)
at Builder.build (/usr/local/lib/node_modules/protractor/node_modules/selenium-webdriver/builder.js:458:24)
at Hosted.DriverProvider.getNewDriver (/usr/local/lib/node_modules/protractor/built/driverProviders/driverProvider.js:37:33)
at Runner.createBrowser (/usr/local/lib/node_modules/protractor/built/runner.js:182:43)
at /usr/local/lib/node_modules/protractor/built/runner.js:255:30
at _fulfilled (/usr/local/lib/node_modules/protractor/node_modules/q/q.js:834:54)
at self.promiseDispatch.done (/usr/local/lib/node_modules/protractor/node_modules/q/q.js:863:30)
at Promise.promise.promiseDispatch (/usr/local/lib/node_modules/protractor/node_modules/q/q.js:796:13)
at /usr/local/lib/node_modules/protractor/node_modules/q/q.js:556:49
[01:09:14] E/launcher - Process exited with error code 1

Answer 1

Check your Google chrome Version and its compatibility with the chrome driver.
You can check that from the Chromedriver Site and download the compatible version.
It worked for me.

Answer 2

probably your window screen size is not matching try giving maximize in onPrepare:
onPrepare: function(){
browser.driver.manage().window().maximize();
}

Answer 3

Open your project and Please update your npm modules by the following command.
project_root:\> npm update
Now update your selenium driver to the latest version using the following command
project_root:\> webdriver-manager update
Run your tests again.

Answer 4

Error due to Xvfb display is not specified here. Here , Selenium scripts are running using headless browser testing concept which is without GUI.
Hope u have used chromedriver, chrome binaries and XVfb. here chromedriver is initializing chrome binaries but chrome binary not able to sits on the monitor with XVfb .Thats y its throwing error as " Chrome failed to start:exit abnormally"
please follow the below steps before executing ur script.Example:(Execute this cmd in ur Unix server (ex.putty))
usr/bin/Xvfb :2 -ac -screen 0 1280x1024x24 &
export DISPLAY=:2
It will work definitely.