Starting second X server simultaneously

TheGiantPotato · 08-29-2005, 04:42 AM

How do I start a second X server to run alongside the one that is already residing at tty7?

There must be a way to do this, or else it would be impossible to deal-head a system independently. Unfortunately, there is almost no docutmentation available on dual-heading, and X server documentation I can find does not cover starting second X servers.

So far, if I enter a second terminal (Alt+Ctrl+F1, for example) and enter the command Xorg I get this:

Code:

Fatal server error:
Server is already active for display 0
        If this server is no longer running, remove /tmp/.X0-lock
        and start again.


Please consult the The X.Org Foundation support
         at http://wiki.X.Org
 for help.

I read /tmp/.X0-lock and it says simply:

Code:

Cute...

So I need to unlock Xorg to start a second server? I'm just floating in very unfamiliar territory. Any help?

End state I am looking to achieve is having a fuly dual-headed machine, two sets of i/o peripherals, running independent terminals (and therefore logins). This is already possible in a limited way by having one running X and one not, or both not... but X should be able to run twice so long as the system can support it, and this one definitely can.

homey · 08-29-2005, 05:54 AM

I don't know how you can get the second session to use the second head but here is a command which I use. I just open the xterm for this one.
gdmflexiserver

Here are a couple of other options which may work.
Start another instance of KDE: startx -- :1

Switch to another desktop without closing KDE: For example fluxbox
Ctrl Alt F2
startx `which startfluxbox` -- :4
Exit fluxbox before pressing Ctrl Alt F7 to get back into KDE

TheGiantPotato · 08-29-2005, 07:04 PM

This starts another KDE session, but what I really need is a fresh instance of X to include a login screen, and the option to use any desktop, just as if I'm logging on for the first time.

I'll keep playing in this direction. Thanks for the help.

Vgui · 08-30-2005, 12:23 AM

I haven't looked hugely into it as I haven't had a need, but you might want to checkout a program called xnest, I think it can handle multiple X sessions and the like.

oneandoneis2 · 08-30-2005, 04:17 AM

It's very simple:

startx -- :1.0

tty7 = 0.0, so starting X on 1.0 puts it on tty8. It just needs you to tell it not to start in the default 0.0 position

TheGiantPotato · 09-01-2005, 08:19 PM

How would I go about starting it on tty1 or 3 or whatever? I tried starting it on 8 and it tells me the server is not allowed to connect to that particular tty. It tried its best though. I got the standard X-mouse widget, the screen mode was correct, but it could not initialize anything else. I'm assuming that the real problem is not that it was tty8, but something else in my configuration that doesn't like having two servers running.

Thanks a lot. I'm going to research the startx and xinit scripts. I didn't know what they did before. I was trying tot alk directly to Xorg, and that's a headache.