Sending messages to tty1 after xdm exits

[moseley@hank.org]

I'm using xdm for logging in to my laptop.  I wanted to be able to 
shutdown so I added buttons to the xdm logging screen[1].

When the shutdown button is clicked this command is run:

  exec /sbin/shutdown -h now 2>/dev/console >/dev/console

The "problem" is that X shuts down and I see my original tty1 screen 
(with the left-over startup messages).  But the normal shutdown messages 
are *not* displayed.  I'd like to see those messages.

xdm normally starts xconsole via /etc/X11/xdm/Xsetup so I disabled that 
in case that was redirecting console messages, which then meant 
/dev/console was not where it used to be).

I also tried just running shutdown without redirecting to /dev/console, 
but that didn't do the trick, either.

I do see a few messages -- I assume those are messages sent to stderr 
instead of stdout (e.g. I get a warning about unloading some pcmcia 
stuff).

I also tried removing the --quiet option in /etc/init.d/xdm startup 
line, but that didn't help either.

Any other ideas?  

Install another display manager that has a shutdown button?  That's the 
easy way out, but I'm curious why I can't get this to work -- 
for educational experience, you know.


[1] See: http://neilt.org/computing/xdmshutdownbutton.html


-- 
Bill Moseley
moseley@hank.org