X server won't start - xfs: cannot establish any listening sockets

[Antonio Querubin]

On Wed, 7 Jan 2004, Chris McD wrote:

> after restarting my computer X won't start as the kernel enters run
> lever 5. the auto x config starts but cannot fix it.  I get these
> outputs from the logs in /var/log/:
>
> XFree86.0.log:
> > Could not init font path element unix/:7100, removing from list!
> >
> > Fatal server error:
> > could not open default font 'fixed'
>
> messages:
> > Jan  7 21:29:09 home xfs: xfs startup succeeded
> > Jan  7 21:29:09 home xfs: cannot establish any listening sockets
> > [..]
> > Jan  7 21:29:18 home gpm[2531]: O0o.oops(): [gpm.c(949)]:
> > Jan  7 21:29:18 home gpm[2531]: mouse initialization failed
> > Jan  7 21:29:26 home gdm[2717]: gdm_slave_xioerror_handler: Fatal X error - Restarting :0
> > Jan  7 21:29:35 home gdm[2720]: gdm_slave_xioerror_handler: Fatal X error - Restarting :0
> > Jan  7 21:29:48 home gdm[2723]: gdm_slave_xioerror_handler: Fatal X error - Restarting :0
> > [etc]
>
> I don't really know much about this but it seems that the problem is the
> x font server, specifically "xfs: cannot establish any listening sockets" .
> Restarting xfs doesn't seem to make any difference. Does anyone know
> what the problem is and what to do about it?

On some systems, gpm and the X server don't along.  Try stopping gpm first
before starting gdm or the X server.