disabling X display Manager

Hello,

When I boot into linux (I have a dual boot system) the XDM is automatically started. What file or files do I need to modify in order to disable this? Is there a linux equivalent to DOS's autoexec.bat?

Thanks,
Matthew Stapleton
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http://webpages.marshall.edu/~staple12
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Quoted 5 lines · Matthew Stapleton

Hello,

When I boot into linux (I have a dual boot system) the XDM is automatically started. What file or files do I need to modify in order to disable this? Is there a linux equivalent to DOS's autoexec.bat?

Depends on which distor you use, in slackware you edit /etc/inittab and make the default runlevel 3 as in;

id:3:initdefault:

Its around line 24 of the file.

Some other distros work the same, last time i commented on this it seemed some distos do it in other ways, i am sure the users of those distros will comment and help you further on your way.

Your other question is a script file with executable permissions, an example would be.
Create a file called my-first-script,

#!/bin/sh

/bin/echo "This is my first try at a script..."

/bin/date

/bin/echo "That is tdays date"

close file, change permissions;
chmod a+x my-first-script
Now type ./my-first-script

There is a man page for this sort of thing,
man bash

Quoted 5 lines

Thanks,
Matthew Stapleton
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
http://webpages.marshall.edu/~staple12
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Hello,

When I boot into linux (I have a dual boot system) the XDM is automatically started. What file or files do I need to modify in order to disable this? Is there a linux equivalent to DOS's autoexec.bat?

then look for a line like this one in /etc/inittab:
# The default runlevel. id:6:initdefault:

then look for a line like this one in /etc/inittab:
# The default runlevel. id:5:initdefault:

Quoted 5 lines · Matthew Stapleton

Hello,

When I boot into linux (I have a dual boot system) the XDM is automatically started. What file or files do I need to modify in order to disable this? Is there a linux equivalent to DOS's autoexec.bat?

How you disable xdm during boot/init varies a bit by distribution. But there are only 2 usual ways it gets started:

1. In /etc/inittab, some runlevels will start xdm (typically runlevel 5). If your distro does it this way, then look for a line like this one in /etc/inittab:
# The default runlevel.
id:6:initdefault:

and change it to read (probably)
# The default runlevel.
id:2:initdefault:

(This is the more common way of starting xdm.)

2. /etc/inittab will always start *some* init script (this is as close to autoexec.bat as you will get with Linux), and that script in turn customarily runs a bunch of other init scripts, each of which sets up some piece of the OS or starts some background process. Locations vary, but one example of where they are is
/etc/init.d for the actual scripts
/etc/rc2.d for symlinks to the ones run at runlevel 2
(there will be a corresponding /etc/rc?.d for
each runlevel, including an /etc/rcS.d for
single-user mode)

Look in the directory for the default runlevel for a symlink with a name something like "S99xdm". To stop xdm from starting during boot/init, remove this symlink. (This is the less common method of starting xdm, but the one I am more familiar with, since Debian does it this way.)

I've simplified the description of the boot/init process quite a bit in the above (I've lonly mentioned single-user mode in passing, for example), but not in ways that are relevant to the question aout xdm.

Quoted 11 lines

2. /etc/inittab will always start *some* init script (this is as close to autoexec.bat as you will get with Linux), and that script in turn customarily runs a bunch of other init scripts, each of which sets up some piece of the OS or starts some background process. Locations vary, but one example of where they are is
/etc/init.d for the actual scripts
/etc/rc2.d for symlinks to the ones run at runlevel 2
(there will be a corresponding /etc/rc?.d for each runlevel, including an /etc/rcS.d for single-user mode)

Quoted 5 lines

Look in the directory for the default runlevel for a symlink with a name something like "S99xdm". To stop xdm from starting during boot/init, remove this symlink.
(This is the less common method of starting xdm, but the one I am more familiar with, since Debian does it this way.)

On Thursday 12 June 2003 08:32, Ray Olszewski wrote:

(snip for bandwidth)

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2. /etc/inittab will always start *some* init script (this is as close to autoexec.bat as you will get with Linux), and that script in turn customarily runs a bunch of other init scripts, each of which sets up some piece of the OS or starts some background process. Locations vary, but one example of where they are is
/etc/init.d for the actual scripts
/etc/rc2.d for symlinks to the ones run at runlevel 2
(there will be a corresponding /etc/rc?.d for each runlevel, including an /etc/rcS.d for single-user mode)

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Look in the directory for the default runlevel for a symlink with a name something like "S99xdm". To stop xdm from starting during boot/init, remove this symlink.
(This is the less common method of starting xdm, but the one I am more familiar with, since Debian does it this way.)

Picking up on that thread, I'm running Deb 3.0, logging into Gnome, and I'd very much prefer a text login.
My /etc/inittab contains
# The default runlevel.
id:2:initdefault:

and /etc/rc2.d contains
S99gdm -> ../init.d/gdm

*Before* I change things I'd like to make absolutely sure - removing (or
renaming) S99gdm will leave me with a text login, right? (I don't wish
to remove it and then find I can't get back in! :)

And then, to start X, do I just use 'startx' as I'm used to with RH? (There seems to be one in /usr/X11R6/bin though its contents are somewhat cryptic to me).

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*Before* I change things I'd like to make absolutely sure - removing (or
renaming) S99gdm will leave me with a text login, right? (I don't
wish to remove it and then find I can't get back in! :)

To be "absolutely" sure, check /etc/inittab for lines of this form:

         1:2345:respawn:/sbin/getty 38400 tty1
         2:23:respawn:/sbin/getty 38400 tty2
         3:23:respawn:/sbin/getty 38400 tty3
         4:23:respawn:/sbin/getty 38400 tty4
         5:23:respawn:/sbin/getty 38400 tty5
         6:23:respawn:/sbin/getty 38400 tty6

I have no real doubt that your system will offer a standard console login, but seeing that these lines are present (the ones above come from Debian Sid, but this is extremely standard inittab content) is as close to "absolutely" as I can get you.

The other thing to do is to check that when you do start X via gdm, the consoles are present. From the gdm display, you should be able to access them by pressing CTRL-ALT-F1 through CTRL-ALT-F6.

Quoted 3 lines

And then, to start X, do I just use 'startx' as I'm used to with RH? (There seems to be one in /usr/X11R6/bin though its contents are somewhat cryptic to me).

It's been awhile since I did a Debian-Woody install, but my memory is that there is some specific package you need to install to get startx. If you did a standard X install of Woody, it was probably included. But your phrasing "seems to be" gives me pause -- either an executable app (a script, actually) of this name *is* or *is not* present. Try checking with "which startx".

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         1:2345:respawn:/sbin/getty 38400 tty1

Yep, they're there. Would the '2345' be runlevels?

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The other thing to do is to check that when you do start X via gdm, the consoles are present. From the gdm display, you should be able to access them by pressing CTRL-ALT-F1 through CTRL-ALT-F6.

Yes, they do. But then I didn't know how to get the gdm back :)
Never mind, I just rebooted it.

[...]

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The other thing to do is to check that when you do start X via gdm, the consoles are present. From the gdm display, you should be able to access them by pressing CTRL-ALT-F1 through CTRL-ALT-F6.

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Yes, they do. But then I didn't know how to get the gdm back :)
Never mind, I just rebooted it.

CTRL-ALT-F7 (typically - technically, it is the first VT not occupied by a console, and that is typically F7).
[...]

[...]
Just a clarification on the ctrl-alt-F7 bit. I have understood, and have proven in practice, that only alt-F7 is necessary to get back to whatever x session is running in whichever virtual console. In other words, I can do ctrl-alt-F3 and log in. Providing no other x session is running in any other console, I can type "startx" and have Xwindows open up in that console. Should I switch to another virtual console by, say, pressing ctrl-alt-F1, the way I get back to the console where X is running is to

press alt-F7 (wihtout using the ctrl key) - no matter on which virtual console I've started it. I'm rehearsing this from memory, but I'm pretty sure that's the way I handle virtual consoles and Xwindows. Of course ctrl-alt-F7 does also get you back to that running x session but, according to my experience, the ctrl key has no role in effecting this. Anyway, I'm not trying to be nit-pickey here, just curious about the way this works and whether I'm doing and understanding things correctly. Can you comment further on this ctrl key aspect, Ray?

At 11:29 PM 6/18/2003 +1200, cr wrote:
[...]

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         1:2345:respawn:/sbin/getty 38400 tty1

Yep, they're there. Would the '2345' be runlevels?

Yes.
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The other thing to do is to check that when you do start X via gdm, the consoles are present. From the gdm display, you should be able to access them by pressing CTRL-ALT-F1 through CTRL-ALT-F6.

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Yes, they do. But then I didn't know how to get the gdm back :)
Never mind, I just rebooted it.

CTRL-ALT-F7 (typically - technically, it is the first VT not occupied by a console, and that is typically F7).
[...]