Setting a delay for rc.4 execution

losingfight · 04-27-2005, 03:08 AM

I've been searching all over the place for a solution to this problem and I think that I finally have a solid lead, but I'm just not sure how to implement it. Basically my problem is that when i set my system to boot at run level 4, virtual terminals no longer work (blank screen with blinking text box); they work fine if i boot the system at run level 3 and then run startx. I read someplace that this could be due to the fact that gdm initiates too fast and screws with the virtual terminals. If this is the problem, are there any commands I can put in rc.4 or inittab that would delay the execution of either rc.4 or the gdm session manager? I just started this linux stuff a couple days ago, so if there are any other suggestions or solutions I'd be very grateful.

I just found that the sixth terminal is working, but the other 4 still don't.

win32sux · 04-27-2005, 03:14 AM

you could try putting a "sleep" in there right before the gdm line...

like, to sleep for 3 seconds before running gdm it would look like:

Code:

# Tell the viewers what's going to happen...
echo "Starting up X11 session manager..."

sleep 3

# Try to use GNOME's gdm session manager:
if [ -x /usr/bin/gdm ]; then
  exec /usr/bin/gdm -nodaemon
fi

BTW, i'm not really sure that your issue is actually caused by gdm starting too early...

but it won't hurt to try that sleep, though...

=)

losingfight · 04-27-2005, 03:34 AM

Well, I guess I was wrong, as the sleep did nothing. So it seems that I'm back to square one.

win32sux · 04-27-2005, 03:41 AM

do you use gdm in auto-login mode??

theYinYeti · 04-27-2005, 03:44 AM

Could you post your /etc/inittab file?

Yves.

losingfight · 04-27-2005, 03:50 AM

I'm not using auto-login mode. I realize now that when in run level 4 I should not have access to the virtual terminals, this was my original source of confusion I guess. With slackware I can access tty6 at least. Is there any way to be in level 4 with all the virtual terminals? Here is what my inittab looks like:

#
# inittab This file describes how the INIT process should set up
# the system in a certain run-level.
#
# Version: @(#)inittab 2.04 17/05/93 MvS
# 2.10 02/10/95 PV
# 3.00 02/06/1999 PV
# 4.00 04/10/2002 PV
#
# Author: Miquel van Smoorenburg, <miquels@drinkel.nl.mugnet.org>
# Modified by: Patrick J. Volkerding, <volkerdi@slackware.com>
#

# These are the default runlevels in Slackware:
# 0 = halt
# 1 = single user mode
# 2 = unused (but configured the same as runlevel 3)
# 3 = multiuser mode (default Slackware runlevel)
# 4 = X11 with KDM/GDM/XDM (session managers)
# 5 = unused (but configured the same as runlevel 3)
# 6 = reboot

# Default runlevel. (Do not set to 0 or 6)
id:4:initdefault:

# System initialization (runs when system boots).
si:S:sysinit:/etc/rc.d/rc.S

# Script to run when going single user (runlevel 1).
su:1S:wait:/etc/rc.d/rc.K

# Script to run when going multi user.
rc:2345:wait:/etc/rc.d/rc.M

# What to do at the "Three Finger Salute".
ca::ctrlaltdel:/sbin/shutdown -t5 -r now

# Runlevel 0 halts the system.
l0:0:wait:/etc/rc.d/rc.0

# Runlevel 6 reboots the system.
l6:6:wait:/etc/rc.d/rc.6

# What to do when power fails.
pf::powerfail:/sbin/genpowerfail start

# If power is back, cancel the running shutdown.
pg::powerokwait:/sbin/genpowerfail stop

# These are the standard console login getties in multiuser mode:
c1:1235:respawn:/sbin/agetty 38400 tty1 linux
c2:1235:respawn:/sbin/agetty 38400 tty2 linux
c3:1235:respawn:/sbin/agetty 38400 tty3 linux
c4:1235:respawn:/sbin/agetty 38400 tty4 linux
c5:1235:respawn:/sbin/agetty 38400 tty5 linux
c6:12345:respawn:/sbin/agetty 38400 tty6 linux

# Local serial lines:
#s1:12345:respawn:/sbin/agetty -L ttyS0 9600 vt100
#s2:12345:respawn:/sbin/agetty -L ttyS1 9600 vt100

# Dialup lines:
#d1:12345:respawn:/sbin/agetty -mt60 38400,19200,9600,2400,1200 ttyS0 vt100
#d2:12345:respawn:/sbin/agetty -mt60 38400,19200,9600,2400,1200 ttyS1 vt100

# Runlevel 4 used to be for an X window only system, until we discovered
# that it throws init into a loop that keeps your load avg at least 1 all
# the time. Thus, there is now one getty opened on tty6. Hopefully no one
# will notice. ;^)
# It might not be bad to have one text console anyway, in case something
# happens to X.
x1:4:wait:/etc/rc.d/rc.4

# End of /etc/inittab