Re: xdm init level question
John Reinke <jmreinke@falcon.cc.ukans.edu> writes:
JR> I'm glad this question was asked - I'm learning a lot on this list.
JR> I plan to set my system up like this, so I don't boot directly into X, but
JR> how should I start xdm? If I run xdm or switch to a runlevel with X, will
JR> I still be logged in as root? What if X crashes and returns the system to
JR> non-X, will whoever is using it then have console access as root?
So X and console login, under Linux, is *not* an either-or case.
Under the default Debian setup, you get console logins on tty1..6, and
X starts (by default) on tty7. This means that you can press
Ctrl+Alt+F1..6 to get six different text logins, even after X is
running.
This in turn means that even if xdm is running, you can get a text
login (by pressing Ctrl+Alt+F1). If xdm isn't running, the easiest
way to get an X session is by running 'startx', which will start X on
tty7. Regardless of whether this session exits or not, your original
login is still available on the text console.
(The "approved" way to never ever get an xdm screen, BTW, is to remove
the xdm package. This may or may not be suitable for you. Twiddling
the rc.d links can get pretty much the same effect.)
--
David Maze dmaze@mit.edu http://www.mit.edu/~dmaze/
"Theoretical politics is interesting. Politicking should be illegal."
-- Abra Mitchell
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