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KDE Login Manager missing the "session" tab

I just compiled and installed fluxbox. I want to add it to the list of window managers that show up on the login screen. When I open KDE's Login Manager, I noticed that there is no "Session" tab, so there is no way for me to add a new window manager from the GUI.

Then I poked around and found the kdmrc file, but it doesn't have a line that lists the Xsession types. I triple-checked, the line just ain't there.

Does Mandrake install a crippled KDM/Login Manager by default? I'm about to go nuts and start breaking stuff. Someone give me a clue.

Thanks.

No it doesn't disable it.

Try

urpmi mdkkdm kdm

and see if any missing files/programs get added.

Then you'll need to log in as root and go into the KDE (that's right KDE) control panel where you can control what kdm displays.

mdkkdm utilizes the kde display manager.

I tried urpmi, and here's what I get:

One of the following packages is needed:
1- mdkkdm-9.2-21mdk.i586
2- kdebase-kdm-3.2-79.2.100mdk.i586
What is your choice? (1-2) 1
Everything already installed

And then I tried it again and chose #2 and it still says "Everything already installed"

Quote:

Originally posted by culturejam
I tried urpmi, and here's what I get:

One of the following packages is needed:
1- mdkkdm-9.2-21mdk.i586
2- kdebase-kdm-3.2-79.2.100mdk.i586
What is your choice? (1-2) 1
Everything already installed

And then I tried it again and chose #2 and it still says "Everything already installed"

Something is amiss if it is asking that these be reselected.

try

rpm -qa | grep mdkkdm

and

rpm -qa | grep kdm

rpm -qa | grep mdkkdm:
mdkkdm-9.2-21mdk

rpm -qa | grep kdm:
mdkkdm-9.2-21mdk
kdebase-kdm-config-file-3.2-79.2.100mdk
kdebase-kdm-3.2-79.2.100mdk

Thanks for the help.

Weird.

Ok check the contents of /etc/X11/dm/Sessions

Under 10.0 I have an entry for each available WM.

E.G.

01KDE.desktop
02GNOME.desktop

etc

I can't be more specific because I've dropped 9.x altogether.

Here's what I've got in etc/X11/dm/Sessions/:

01KDE.desktop 03WindowMaker.desktop 05BlackBox.desktop
02GNOME.desktop 04Enlightenment.desktop 07IceWM.desktop
Default.desktop

Quote:

I can't be more specific because I've dropped 9.x altogether.

I'm not sure what you mean by this, but if it helps, I've never had any other version of Mandrake installed on this machine. I went straight from Win2k Server to Mdk 10.0.

Ok your Sessions folder looks ok.

The default manager is invoked via the /etc/X11/prefdm script.

cat the output of /etc/sysconfig/desktop (and post the result) to see which is your default Display manager which the DM service is attempting to load.

Then we can see which one is at fault.

First of all, thanks for all the help with this.

/etc/X11/prefdm:

Code:

#!/bin/sh



PATH=/sbin:/usr/sbin:/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/X11R6/bin

HOME=/root

export HOME



# We need to source this so that the login screens get translated

[ -f /etc/profile.d/10lang.sh ] && . /etc/profile.d/10lang.sh



# trap SIGTERM to be able to kill autologin

killed () {

    kill -15 $!

    exit

}



trap killed 15



# Run preferred X display manager



# Try autologin first, if wanted...

if [ -f /etc/sysconfig/autologin -a -x /usr/sbin/autologin ]; then

        . /etc/sysconfig/autologin

        if [ -n "$USER" -a "$AUTOLOGIN" = yes ]; then

            /usr/sbin/autologin &

            echo -n $$ > /var/lock/subsys/dm

            wait $!

        fi

fi



# we have to assume that /etc/sysconfig/desktop has two variables, DESKTOP

# and DISPLAYMANAGER because administors may prefer a specific DM regardless

# of desktops.

# DISPLAYMANAGER is referenced by this script, and DESKTOP is referenced

# as system-wide default by /etc/X11/Xsession script only when X-session

# is opened by "startx" command. 

# when DMs open an X-session, they send DESKTOP, which is in this case

# directly selected by users, as a commandline argument of /etc/X11/Xsession.

# actually Xsession script is only able to know by existance of its first

# argument whether it is called by DM or "startx". see the logic

# in /etc/X11/Xsession.

# If DISPLAYMANAGER is not defined, then assume that it is the same as DESKTOP

preferred=

if [ -f /etc/sysconfig/desktop ]; then

        . /etc/sysconfig/desktop >/dev/null 2>&1

        [ -z "$DISPLAYMANAGER" ] && DISPLAYMANAGER=$DESKTOP

        if [ "$DISPLAYMANAGER" = "GDM" -o "$DISPLAYMANAGER" = "gdm" -o "$DISPLAYMANAGER" = "GNOME" -o "$DISPLAYMANAGER" = "gnome" -o "$DISPLAYMANAGER" = "Gnome" ]; then

            preferred=gdm

        elif [ "$DISPLAYMANAGER" = "KDE" -o "$DISPLAYMANAGER" = "kde" ]; then

            preferred=mdkkdm

        elif [ "$DISPLAYMANAGER" = "KDM" -o "$DISPLAYMANAGER" = "kdm" ]; then

            preferred=kdm

        elif [ "$DISPLAYMANAGER" = "XDM" -o "$DISPLAYMANAGER" = "xdm" ] ; then

            preferred=xdm

        fi

fi

# xdm-like program are launched from the console, however, the locale-setting

# can be done in a way that console is not localize, while X11 is.

# That is handled by the lang.sh script, depending on the existance of

# $DISPLAY or $DESKTOP variable. Now that $DESKTOP is defined resource lang.sh

[ -z "$DESKTOP" ] && DESKTOP=dummy_DESKTOP_variable

. /etc/profile.d/10lang.sh

[ "$DESKTOP" = "dummy_DESKTOP_variable" ] && unset DESKTOP





if [ -z "$preferred" ] || ! which $preferred >/dev/null 2>&1; then

  if which mdkkdm >/dev/null 2>&1; then

        preferred=mdkkdm

  elif which kdm >/dev/null 2>&1; then

        preferred=kdm

  elif which gdm >/dev/null 2>&1; then

        preferred=gdm

  elif which xdm >/dev/null 2>&1; then

        preferred=xdm

  fi

fi



if [ -n "$preferred" ]; then 

        `which $preferred` -nodaemon $* >/dev/null 2>&1 &

        echo -n $! > /var/lock/subsys/dm

fi



exit 0

/etc/sysconfig/desktop:
DISPLAYMANAGER=KDE

Ok let's start things the "easy" way.

Go into the Mandrake Control Center/System/Display Manager and choose mdkKDM as your new default.

Then as root

service dm restart

Now see if you can choose the other WM's.

Bear in mind that you will not see the WM choices until you select a user.

After which you should see a pull down menu with all of the installed WMs.

Let me know if this works.

Okay, maybe you're misunderstanding what I'm trying to do. I want to add a new window manager to the dropdown list. The KDE Login Manager configuration tool does not have a tab called "Session" so that I can add a new WM. I can currently select from different WMs when I log in, but I can see no way to add a new WM to that list. Here's a screenshot of my KDE Login Manager so you can see what I'm talking about:

http://techdoc.no-ip.com/images/fp_screen2.jpg

As you can see, there is no "Session" tab, which is what all the howtos I've read say to look for when adding a new WM.

Ah, sorry.

I thought that you meant that the kdm login screen did not display the available WM's. Mea Culpa.

Usually the rpm for each WM adds the xxx.desktop enty to the /etc/X11/dm/Sessions directory.

Before you try editing one yourself, I'd suggest that you install Fluxbox via the RPM on PLF & Contrib.

Most of the WM's are already configured for Mandrake on these sources.

If you haven't done so, go here and follow the directions for setting up URPMI sources.

http://www.zebulon.org.uk/

Then just

urpmi fluxbox

btw: I stopped adding Window Managers when I hit 30, although more are available... heh.

I'll check out the urpmi page, thanks.

However, I've already compiled and installed fluxbox. It should now be a simple matter of going to the login manager and adding a new session option. I really wish I could just make the system work the way its supposed to.

Also, when I restarted kdm, it disabled my sound driver for some reason. I've just about had it with Mandrake. It's been nothing but headaches since I installed it. Never had this much trouble with Linux.

Thanks for the help, though.

Adding programs outside the contents of the repositories ends up breaking things sooner or later.

If you really need to compile something your best bet is to use the mdk.src.rpm files available via the repositories.

Remember that often the mdk packages have scripts that either add entries as required or provide the correct requires.

I've found that Mandrake 10 is fairly easy to maintain and is extremely stable (more so than any of the 9.x releases) PROVIDED you stick with the repository RPM's.

Unfortunately in their attempt to get your to cough up $$$ for their products, Mandrake does a very poor job telling the novice about the repositories and the required setup.

I guess this is their mechanism to push the Power Pack editions which come with all of the Contrib files.

urpmi fluxbox

really couldn't be any simpler... and it picks up the menu entries via the unified menu scheme, as do ALL of the other WindowManagers.

You really don't want to break this with a manual install from the non-distro oriented sources.