In the process of trying to figure out why we are not able to login to the GNOME desktop using the Live CD created using the current Distro Constructor code, it was pointed out to us that the postrun stuff is not run correctly to setup GNOME in the microroot. Therefore, after logging in as root, it hangs forever with a message saying "Completing post install setup....".
I checked the content of the /var/spool/postrun directory in the microroot as suggested by Moinak. There are many entries there. Then, I checked the /var/log/postrun.log file, and see that some of the commands are failing because it is not able to locate certain libraries. I added quiet a few packages to the microroot package list so all the error messages about missing libraries will go away. Finally, I get to a point where everything is successful in the postrun.log. I thought that will be good enough. But when I create another image using these new set of packages for the microroot, I still get a lot of entries in the /var/spool/postrun directory, but the postrun.log reports everything passes. So, what is causing the failures? Perhaps more GNOME packages need to be included in the microroot? Also, with these few more GNOME packages in the microroot, and the postrun.log not reporting errors, the system crashes immediately after I login as root. It doesn't just "hang" there anymore like it use to. I know that postrun can complete successfully in the proto area. But the proto area has a lot more GNOME packages than the microroot. Adding the few GNOME packages to the microroot already caused its size to grow dramatically. I can not imagine having to include all the GNOME packages in the microroot. So, my questions is: do you know exactly which GNOME package is required to setup whatever it is necessary for the desktop to start? In the Live Media and the Slim Prototype code, the postrun stuff is run in the proto area. Then, the microroot is setup with the list of files in the "mkbootcd.files.minimal". I examined the mkbootcd.files.minimal file carefully, and I don't see any obvious GNOME related stuff get copied over to the microroot. Does that mean the postrun for GNOME does not have to happen in the microroot? Perhaps if somebody can explain exactly how the postrun stuff setup the GNOME desktop in the Live Media case, what kind of GNOME desktop startup setup needs to be present in the microroot, then, we will be able to better debug this problem with getting GNOME to start with the Distro Constructor code. Thanks, --Karen
