*BSD News Article 96477


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Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.carno.net.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!not-for-mail
From: David Henshaw <dhenshaw@silas.cc.monash.edu.au>
Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
Subject: Re: How to start the chooser in X-windows
Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 15:11:10 +1000
Organization: Monash University
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To: G|ran Hasse <gorhas@electra.saaf.se>
Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc:41854

G|ran Hasse wrote:
> 
> I am running several FreeBSD boxes and want to
> be able to logg into any box on the network.
> 
> For that I want the X-window program "chooser"
> started (by xdm) instead of the ordinary login.
> 
> I do this by first comment in the file
> 
> /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/xdm/Xservers
> 
> ...
> #:0 local /usr/X11R6/bin/X
> ...
> 
> Then  I start xdm in /etc/ttys with the usual command
> ...
> ttyv4   "/usr/X11R6/bin/xdm -nodaemon"  xterm on secure
> ...
> 
> Then I start the X-server in rc.local with the
> command
> 
> /usr/X11R6/bin/X -indirect my.system.name &
> 
> This works but if the X-server fails I have to restart
> it manualy.
> 
> Does anyone have a better idea?
> 
> NOTE! You must be carefull when experimenting with this.
> I you start X with the "-indirect" switch and someting
> goes wrong - you vill have a X-server restarting over and
> over and it is hard to get a sane console!
> 
> Try everyting by hand first before you put it into files
> for atomatic start.
> 
> Please drop me a mail.
> 
> GH

Now...when I first configured my FreeBSD box I remember reading about
the chooser in an X book.  If I remember correctly it uses XDMCP to find
out information about available X servers on a network.  Read the man
page on xdm for all the nitty-gritty details.  

If I remember correctly though, there was no need to alter the /etc/ttys
file the way you have.  In fact, someone has actually mentioned in the
documentation that this should be avoided.  Stick to altering the xdm
config and access files.  Sorry I can't remember the actual details.

-- 
David Henshaw
dhenshaw@silas.cc.monash.edu.au