startx after configuring GNOME

opo · n00b Joined: 28 Jun 2004 Posts: 32 Location: Rome, Italy

Hi everyone, this might be a verry silly question but it happens that I don't know the answer...after a week of passion, but exciting and very instructive, I got GNOME installed with gdm login manager at startup! Now I have plenty of other things to configure still, but first of all I would like to better configure XFree to suit my harware best.
I would like to try different settings for my XF86Config and startx, but when I do it from a terminal window in GNOME the system tells me that there already is another X session open and refuses to do so.
Do I have to disable gdm at startup in rc.conf (and how?) or there is another way?

Thank U for your help.
opo

brenden · l33t Joined: 09 Mar 2004 Posts: 710 Location: Calgary, AB

I'm not sure that you can have 2 instances of X server running at the same time. However, X can be accessed remotely and simultaneously, so I guess it might be possible to run two sessions off it on the same box. Unfortunately, this will be no help to your "testing" since the config won't be rehashed when you open a new session. Your best bet is to just test it using your existing session (which means you won't be able to do much multi-tasking). On another note, the main console (tty) will remain available at all times, so you could use a framebuffer console and any CLI/svgalib apps you want (like links2 for web browsing) while messing with your X settings.

Hope that helps.

Paulten · Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2004 8:30 am Post subject:

Hi.

You probably added xdm to the default startup level, check it with "rc-status".
You remove xdm from the runlevel with "rc-update del script runlevel"
In your case, if you followed the installing manual: "rc-update del xdm default"
To add it again use add istead of del.
In rc.conf you specify if you want to run kdm or xdm, if nothing is set you use xdm ( I guess).

If you want to use startx, you probably need to create a .xinitrc in your home directory.

paul# cat .xinitrc
/usr/kde/3.2/bin/startkde

I use KDE as you can see.

( You can start 2 xservers btw, if you use "startx -- :2" )

Hope this helps.
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opo · n00b Joined: 28 Jun 2004 Posts: 32 Location: Rome, Italy

Paulten · Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2004 8:55 am Post subject:

From another tty(console(ctrl-alt-f1)) you can type startx -- :2 to startX on tty8(ctrl-alt-f

.
ca7 is where the default X is running.

Use the commands I wrote to you, stop xdm from starting and use startx the way you first planned.
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opo · n00b Joined: 28 Jun 2004 Posts: 32 Location: Rome, Italy

I'll try immediately when I'll get back to home from work, thank U Paulten, U've been very kind.

opo · n00b Joined: 28 Jun 2004 Posts: 32 Location: Rome, Italy

Ok Paulten, so I deleted xdm from runlevel default and now my session starts on a console, but when I type startx gnome appears again.
I have to admit that I haven't edited an .xinitrc in my home dir because I didn't know what to write instead of your

/usr/kde/3.2/bin/startkde

for gnome, and in addition I presumed it was something to start desktop environment when X starts, that is the opposite of what I wanted...

am I wrong?

Last but not least, I edited rc.conf and tried changing XSESSION variable from "Gnome" to "Xsession" but that didn't change anything....

...a long way to learn.....