make move from XDM to KDM, how???

Lleb_KCir · 12-02-2004, 07:28 PM

distro = debian sarge
kernel = 2.4.X (speakup on my laptop dont use speakup on my media box)
KDE vs >3.2.x (most current on both laptop and media box)

goals:

1. configure X11 forwarding for true desktop Xwindow to a remote system.
2. move from XDM to KDM without messing up my media box.*
3. get good enough to configure and setup a thin client (X11 forward) server at my business to access my accounting program from my POS (point of sale) computer)

* media box is hooked up to a TV and is used for playing DVDs and movie files with a little bit of file sharing via samba. will be used as a test bed for X11 forwarding to my laptop.

http://www.sunstatemartialarts.com/debian_media.html

discribes in detail how my media box is configured to do what it does.

this is from an e-mail from my LUG, but as i use xdm, not kdm i can not get this to work properly. also from what little i have found on the web, most threads/sites are sujesting converting to kdm or gdm depending on your GUI as they offer more power and more customization.

Quote:

To enable XDMCP, you configure your XDM/KDM/GDM login manager. In
KDM's,
/etc/kde3/kdm/kdmrc there's an [Xdmcp] section. just set Enable=true
and
restart kdm. You also need to add allowed ip addresses (or DNS domain
names) in /etc/kde3/kdm/Xaccess. There are plenty of examples in that
file.

Now, from any other machine you use xinit to connect to the server,
e.g.

xinit :1 -query [servername]

You'll get a login screen, just like you would at the console. Using
display :1 means it will activate on VT 8, so Ctl-Alt-F7 will toggle to
the local X display, Ctl-Alt-F8 will toggle to the remote display.
Login
with the "special" crossover user, and work away.

so in short is there a way to easily move from xdm, over to kdm without messing up my media box s-video settings and other settings that i currently have running?

FYI i can ssh -X user@server app and that works fine from either laptop or media box now that i have configured my laptop to allow that.

thanks for the help and time. please take baby steps, and be as detailed in each step as possible. pretend i know nothing about *nix and this is the first time you are walking someone though editing a file/files, etc...

thank you.

Brian1 · 12-02-2004, 07:32 PM

Edit /etc/inittab file. Change the last line to use /usr/bin/kdm instead of something like /etc/****/predm. Don't remember exactly what it was.

Brian1

winsnomore · 12-02-2004, 09:08 PM

There is a simpler and easier way.

Just download kdm from the gui apt manager.

It will install kdm as a dm and then will modify the login screen that gives you an option to select which dm
you want to run .. you can add others also if you want.

if I remember correctly sarge defaults to gdm and not xdm .. but who knows.

Hangdog42 · 12-02-2004, 09:14 PM

I've been doing a bit of reading about X11 forwarding lately and one thing to keep in mind is that using XDMCP is a serious security risk. Probably not a problem if you are just working on your LAN, but if your X11 client and POS computer are not, you are going to want to stick with the ssh -X tunnel.

Lleb_KCir · 12-02-2004, 10:21 PM

ok so when you say GUI apt-get, have yet to use that one. i have only used the CLI apt-get install app

yes xdmcp is security risk, for now it is just a test, at the office i will be running ssh -X ONLY, but i am wanting to learn how to set it up so i could also have a full desktop run remote. is there a way to do that via ssh -X?

ssh -X user@server startx

would that work?

Hangdog42 · 12-03-2004, 07:25 AM

Quote:

ssh -X user@server startx

I'm not sure if you can use startx or if you have to run the command that starts you desktop environment directly, but ssh -X user@server should properly open up the tunnel.

Lleb_KCir · 12-03-2004, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Brian1
Edit /etc/inittab file. Change the last line to use /usr/bin/kdm instead of something like /etc/****/predm. Don't remember exactly what it was.

Brian1

ok i looked in that file, and the last line has nothing to do with nothing, in fact it is # out.

Lleb_KCir · 12-04-2004, 08:11 AM

just so others will have an answere. the path was different for the kdm vs xdm. one of my complaints about linux is the inablilities of venders to get there act together when it comes to commonization of location.

anyways once i found the correct path for kdm and changed that it worked and i was able to dpkg --purge xdm from my system. laptop now runs kdm and it looks nice, now i can go forward from there with the rest of the stuff im tring to learn.

thanks all.

Brian1 · 12-04-2004, 09:40 AM

Did a quick copy of the last part of my /etc/inittab file.

# Run xdm in runlevel 5
x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/kdm -nodaemon

Lleb_KCir · 12-04-2004, 10:09 AM

Code:

# Example how to put a getty on a serial line (for a terminal)
#
#T0:23:respawn:/sbin/getty -L ttyS0 9600 vt100
#T1:23:respawn:/sbin/getty -L ttyS1 9600 vt100

# Example how to put a getty on a modem line.
#
#T3:23:respawn:/sbin/mgetty -x0 -s 57600 ttyS3

that is the end of me /etc/inittab

and here is the last portion that is not # out:

Code:

# Note that on most Debian systems tty7 is used by the X Window System,
# so if you want to add more getty's go ahead but skip tty7 if you run X.
#
1:2345:respawn:/sbin/getty 38400 tty1
2:23:respawn:/sbin/getty 38400 tty2
3:23:respawn:/sbin/getty 38400 tty3
4:23:respawn:/sbin/getty 38400 tty4
5:23:respawn:/sbin/getty 38400 tty5
6:23:respawn:/sbin/getty 38400 tty6

not a big deal, but that is why i was not sure about the line you were asking for.

Brian1 · 12-04-2004, 10:34 AM

Just add the line to the bottom and see if it works. That line I always edit to make kdm start up for me.

Here is what my entire /etc/inittab looks like. Note

is actual ' : p ' charaters but no space in between.

Code:

# inittab       This file describes how the INIT process should set up
#               the system in a certain run-level.
#
# Author:       Miquel van Smoorenburg, <miquels@drinkel.nl.mugnet.org>
#               Modified for RHS Linux by Marc Ewing and Donnie Barnes
#

# Default runlevel. The runlevels used by RHS are:
#   0 - halt (Do NOT set initdefault to this)
#   1 - Single user mode
#   2 - Multiuser, without NFS (The same as 3, if you do not have networking)
#   3 - Full multiuser mode
#   4 - unused
#   5 - X11
#   6 - reboot (Do NOT set initdefault to this)
# 
id:5:initdefault:

# System initialization.
si::sysinit:/etc/rc.d/rc.sysinit

l0:0:wait:/etc/rc.d/rc 0
l1:1:wait:/etc/rc.d/rc 1
l2:2:wait:/etc/rc.d/rc 2
l3:3:wait:/etc/rc.d/rc 3
l4:4:wait:/etc/rc.d/rc 4
l5:5:wait:/etc/rc.d/rc 5
l6:6:wait:/etc/rc.d/rc 6

# Trap CTRL-ALT-DELETE
ca::ctrlaltdel:/sbin/shutdown -t3 -r now

# When our UPS tells us power has failed, assume we have a few minutes
# of power left.  Schedule a shutdown for 2 minutes from now.
# This does, of course, assume you have powerd installed and your
# UPS connected and working correctly.  
pf::powerfail:/sbin/shutdown -f -h +2 "Power Failure; System Shutting Down"

# If power was restored before the shutdown kicked in, cancel it.
pr:12345:powerokwait:/sbin/shutdown -c "Power Restored; Shutdown Cancelled"


# 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
x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/kdm -nodaemon