Gnome X on RH9

[Rick Stevens]

karlp at ourldsfamily.com wrote:
>>karlp at ourldsfamily.com wrote:
>>
>>>I've had this problem intermittently:
>>>
>>>1: X takes a while to start. In XFree86.n.log there are some things
>>>about
>>>not being able to use this or that resolution because hsync is out of
>>>range, but I probed my monitor (a Dell 1028) and the returned values
>>>match
>>>the tech documents I've seen on the monitor (I look that stuff up for a
>>>monitor when I get it, then write it down on a label and affix it to the
>>>side). I'm not real sure what to look for...
>>>
>>>2: Gnome doesn't run except after a reboot. I have to login using KDE,
>>>WindowMaker or TWM to get a session started. So, I can run gnome once,
>>>then have to reboot if I have to run it a second time.
>>>
>>>3: (see # 1). When logging out, it takes at least 30 seconds for the
>>>login
>>>screen to come back.
>>>
>>>I've created an .xsession file and nothing comes to .xssession-errors. I
>>>created .xinitrc and tried various things there, too.
>>
>>First, verify that your /etc/inittab file has a line like:
>>
>>	x:5:respawn:/etc/X11/prefdm -nodaemon
> 
> 
> That's got to be there for KDE to start up, right? Yes, it's there. Always
> has been...

It's needed for X to start, to see if you want autologin and if not, to
find and start your display manager.

>>in it.  If so, then check to see if you have an /etc/sysconfig/desktop
>>file.  If you don't, create one and put the line:
>>
>>	DISPLAYMANGER=GNOME
> 
> 
> DESKTOP="GNOME" is there, but not DISPLAYMANAGER, so I added it. Since
> this is at home, I'll test tonight...

I have that also ("DESKTOP"), but prefdm looks for "$DISPLAYMANAGER".
I think you can force it this way.

>>in it.  That should default the display manager to Gnome.  You can also
>>specify the display manager from the login screen.
>>
>>As far as the slow shutdown is concerned, it depends on what programs
>>are running.  You may have something that's checkpointing to the disk
>>when it receives the session termination signal.
> 
> 
> No software running. The delay is after everything is closed down, the
> screen goes black just before X restarts, but it doesn't.
> 
> Also, when doing CTRL-ALT, F[1-6] from the login screen, I get a text
> login quickly, but pressing ALT, F7 to return to X takes another 30
> seconds, however it's different. The background screen comes up
> imediately, but the login window, though present, shows no text, border or
> anything else, just a gray square with a white-ish bar which becomes the
> input field for login name and password. No focus and no response either.
> Waiting for 30 seconds results in a login screen again. If I do CTRL-ALT,
> BKSPC, the server closes down like when logging off and then after 30
> seconds comes back.

Now that's starting to smell like a DNS issue, with the system trying to
reverse resolve its address to set up the required permissions and such.
Is this machine on a dialup or something?
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- Rick Stevens, Senior Systems Engineer     rstevens at vitalstream.com -
- VitalStream, Inc.                       http://www.vitalstream.com -
-                                                                    -
-      A day for firm decisions!!!   Well, then again, maybe not!    -
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