Display Manager

A display manager works in conjunction with the operating system. It presents a GUI front-end that prompts/re-prompts the user for a login name and password. It is also interacts with other programs to set up the X environment (desktop etc). Finally it terminates the user session and re-presents a login screen for the next user.

Examples of display managers are - xdm, gdm and kdm.

If you are quickly coming to the conclusion that running Linux in a GUI mode is going to be all so tedious and ugly, you should persevere. It really isn’t difficult at all. The purpose of these exercises is to show you the underlying working of the X window system, so that you will be able to use it and troubleshoot it more effectively. The more familiar you are with its internal workings and its various components, the easier it will be to manage it.

To use a display manager

1. Make sure you are logged in as root on tty1.

2. Kill all the X servers’ you might have running. Type:



3. We will start by making some of our changes more permanent. Copy the configuration
file you have been using thus far from root’s home directory to it’s proper location i.e.
“/etc/X11/” ; you will also rename the file at the same time. Type


4. Next start “gdm” in the background. Type:


You will get a login screen like the one below:


NOTE:

If things look too broken or the X server does not startup properly, just simply copy back the original configuration file that you had backed up to /etc/X11/xorg.conf.bak. Rename it back to the proper configuration file name of /etc/X11/xorg.conf (Typing this command will achieve this for you:
“# cp /etc/X11/xorg.bak /etc/X11/xorg.conf) - then kill the X server and repeat the step above.

5. Log into the system as the super user with root’s password.

6. Reboot the system after successfully logging in. Press:

<CTRL> <ALT> <DELETE>


In the dialog box that pops up, select the “Restart the computer” radio button and click “OK” to
reboot the system.

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