X autostart programs on userless sytem?

Darktyco · 08-03-2004, 12:32 PM

I have a very minimal linux distro I've put together that has no login program or users at all. I'd like to have a certain program of mine loaded automatically when X is started, but since I have no users, where should my .xinitrc file be placed for this to happen? Or is there another file I must edit instead of .xinitrc?

Thanks

nhs · 08-03-2004, 02:00 PM

You must be running as some user. It just doesn't have a name or home directory. The UID is probably 0 so add a line to (or create) /etc/passwd:

root::0:0:superuser:/root:/bin/bash

This will define root's home directory to be /root which is where you should put .xinitrc.

Darktyco · 08-03-2004, 02:37 PM

Well, I gave it a shot but it didn't work. Are there any other files X uses that aren't user dependant?

Its probably worth mentioning that I'm using /usr/X11R6/bin/X instead of startx to load up xfree. I'm using X because it has the -allowMouseOpenFail option that lets it load even when there is no mouse (the system I'm working on has no mouse.) If there is some way to let X load up without a mouse using the startx command, then its possible your solution might work.

Tinkster · 08-03-2004, 02:52 PM

With the information you provided it's impossible
to assess the situation :)

What exactly is the boot-process doing?
E.g., what happens after rc.local? Are you
booting into init 3 (4,5), which actions are
assigned to that in /etc/inittab?
.xinitrc will be evaluated it the user types
startx on the prompt, .xsession if you use
e.g. kdm with an automatic login.

Cheers,
Tink

Darktyco · 08-03-2004, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Tinkster
With the information you provided it's impossible
to assess the situation

What exactly is the boot-process doing?
E.g., what happens after rc.local? Are you
booting into init 3 (4,5), which actions are
assigned to that in /etc/inittab?
.xinitrc will be evaluated it the user types
startx on the prompt, .xsession if you use
e.g. kdm with an automatic login.

Cheers,
Tink

I'm using the BusyBox init with a simple inittab that I wrote myself. BusyBox init has no runlevels. Besides basic system configuration the inittab file only starts up an ash shell.

I can't use startx unless I find a way for it to load X without a mouse. I start the server using "X -allowMouseOpenFail" so it still loads, but then it doesn't use /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc. I need to find a solution to either one

Tinkster · 08-03-2004, 03:22 PM

Add

Code:

       Option "AllowMouseOpenFail" "true"

to the server-section of your
XF86Config ...

Cheers,
Tink

Darktyco · 08-03-2004, 03:31 PM

Ah, thank you, everything is in order now