How to switch from kdm to gdm?

bkeating · 01-09-2003, 04:52 PM

kdm is set to load for login... I would like to use gdm instead. What conf is this directive defined?

http://art.gnome.org has some pretty slick login screen themes for gdm

Jadrano · 01-09-2003, 05:25 PM

It probably depends on the distribution (with SuSE 8.1 a string ["kdm", "gdm", ...] is assigned in /etc/sysconfig/displaymanager, which is used in /etc/init.d/xdm for setting the exact location [/opt/kde/bin/kdm, ...]).
I'd suggest a text search for "DISPLAYMANAGER=" in /etc and subdirectories to find the relevant configuration file(s).
(Many distributions also provide a graphical tool for choosing the login manager.)

born4linux · 01-09-2003, 08:26 PM

u can also do this in /etc/inittab. in RHL's inittab, it is usually in the last line of that file (the default is prefdm entry which you can change to the path of the win manager desired).

hth

bkeating · 01-09-2003, 08:49 PM

Running Mandrake 9.0

i do not have a /etc/sysconfig/displaymanager file or dir

and tty's are at the bottom of my inittab

acid_kewpie · 01-10-2003, 02:25 AM

well the situation here is that the actual login manager to be used is determined by the prefdm script as mentioned above. if it says you run kde then it will automatically run kdm etc...

Code:

# Run gettys in standard runlevels
1:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty1
2:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty2
3:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty3
4:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty4
5:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty5
6:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty6

# Run xdm in runlevel 5
# xdm is now a separate service
x:5:respawn:/etc/X11/prefdm -nodaemon

that's the bit of inittab to change. that seems to be the most appropriate place to change it, as opposed to the prefdm script itself. that's the md82 version, so you really raelly should have something similar to that

flashingcurser · 01-10-2003, 07:39 AM

In slackware edit:

vim /etc/rc.d/rc.4

# out the lines with KDM

Then it will choose the next login manager. This is assuming that you have edited the inittab to use a graphical login.

Oh BTW, in slackware it's runlevel 4 for a graphical login (as oposed to RH's run lvl 5)

bkeating · 01-12-2003, 04:08 AM

GOT IT!

It's defined in the file /etc/sysconfig/desktop

shouldn't be that hard to find

I remember Mandrake (same version im running) would show such options in it's 'control panel' but no longer show. weird but yup yu, asll is well! GDM mmmmmmmmm

acid_kewpie · 01-12-2003, 04:14 AM

yeah i saw that variable in the prefdm script but could't see where it was meant to be sourced from...

Cool

hatrisc · 01-13-2003, 12:04 AM

aghh... i spent so much time looking for that solution one day. after reading all sorts of scripts, i finally found stupid DESKTOP="kdm" in /etc/sysconfig. i was so mad