X bootup without login

phoeniXflame · 04-13-2003, 03:33 PM

hi guys, dont suppose anyone could point me in the direction of a HOWTO or guide or something that would explain how I could boot into an X session and run a program without having to login ? (in slack 8.1) I need this because I'm building a 'set top box' for my tele using a linux backend and I want the box to bootup and go straight into the software and not prompt for a login

PS. I do realise this is horribly unsecure

david_ross · 04-13-2003, 03:38 PM

In KDE:
System settings -> Login Screen

Set the system to automatically login a user at boot.

phoeniXflame · 04-13-2003, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by david_ross
In KDE:
System settings -> Login Screen

Set the system to automatically login a user at boot.

thx for quick reply, but I dont run KDE, I run fluxbox and its loaded via startx and .xinitrc in the home dir of the user I want to boot into

I actually dont really care which window manager it is as long as its NOT KDE or Gnome as I find both of them are far to bulky to just launch 1 program, waste of resources imo

Proud · 04-13-2003, 04:04 PM

I think you need to configure xdm instead of using kdm or gdm. You need to have a user logged in to use linux, that's how it works: with users and file permissions.

phoeniXflame · 04-13-2003, 04:14 PM

yes I realise you have to have someone logged in, I r not a total newbie

I was just thinking maybe it could be done from a bootup script whereby the script su's to the user and starts his X session, therefore bypassing the need for login (seeing as bootup scripts are ran as root)

david_ross · 04-13-2003, 04:17 PM

That sounds like it should would work - why not just try it.

phoeniXflame · 04-13-2003, 04:20 PM

heh good point, I'll give it a go, I'm always doing that, asking a question and THEN thinking about how I could solve it

phoeniXflame · 04-13-2003, 04:33 PM

ok I tried it with the following code ...

Code:

#!/bin/sh
exec /bin/su username -v "/usr/X11R6/bin/startx"

but that threw up loads of errors which I'm afraid I cant write here because they dissapear too fast :| any ideas ?

Proud · 04-13-2003, 04:40 PM

Erm, doesnt that try to run sh which then tries to run sh logged in as username?
Isnt there an .initrc or .xsession config file that's better to edit?

phoeniXflame · 04-13-2003, 04:50 PM

I cannot think of any way that editing either the xinitrc or xsession will help, because they are only executed when a user starts a session, and I need to get the session started in the first place

EDIT: and yea sorry, that meant to say /bin/su not /bin/sh

I've added the script to /etc/rc.d/rc.M (which is the multiuser runlevel script for slack 8) so that it checks for and executes my rc.xbootup script, but I get the following errors ...

Code:

Starting XbootUP ...
/usr/X11R6/bin/startx: xauth: command not found
/usr/X11R6/bin/startx: xauth: command not found
/usr/X11R6/bin/startx: xauth: command not found
/usr/X11R6/bin/startx: xauth: command not found
/usr/X11R6/bin/startx: xinit: command not found
/usr/X11R6/bin/startx: xauth: command not found

Proud · 04-13-2003, 05:16 PM

Well I'm guessing the xauth error is X wanting a user logged in.

Do you know how linux servers are set up so that the admin can log in remotely? Maybe you should research this a bit?

david_ross · 04-13-2003, 05:21 PM

Considering it says command not found it sounds like it is saying the command is not found. ie it ain't inn the path. This is perfectly understandable as the path isn't set until a user logs in. Try setting the path varibale before you issue the command to start X.

phoeniXflame · 04-13-2003, 05:49 PM

yea thx for that, I actually figured it out a min ago, I managed to solve the problem by adding an export command to the script to add the paths to the X binarys to the $PATH env. variable

so, just for future reference if anyone else wants to do this ....

==============================================

1: create a new user and create an .xinitrc file in the home directory of that user containing the commands to launch your desired window manager and program(s)

2: create a script and place it in /sbin or whereever you want, the script should contain something similar to this ..

Code:

#!/bin/sh
echo "Starting Custom Runlevel ..."

# Add any additional commands here

exec /bin/su - youruser -c "export PATH=$PATH:/usr/X11R6/bin;/usr/X11R6/bin/startx" < /dev/tty14 > /dev/tty15"

this will add the paths to the X binarys to your $PATH env. variable and execute the startx script under your user you created earlier.

3: edit your /etc/inittab file and change the default runlevel to the custom runlevel (which you are just about to create, which in my case was "id:7:initdefault" (or whichever runlevel you have next/free) then add the line "x:7:spawn:/location/to/your/script" after the default runlevel line (change the 7 to whatever runlevel u added in your initdefault)

4: reboot and pray

btw this was all done on my laptop running slackware 8.1 so I dont know whether this will apply to or work with other distros

==============================================

cuckoopint · 04-13-2003, 10:28 PM

I don't think a graphical login can let you do it, unless you hack the commands it executes. Looking at the /etc/inittab, one can try something like I recommended in:

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...ght=auto+login

Since, there was no reply, I'm not sure if it works, but there should not be a problem. Only difference is that you will also want to 'startx' automatically(at the end of that script, or something similar).

david_ross · 04-14-2003, 12:35 PM

Did you not read the posts?

He has already done it!