Hello ltsp-discuss-list,
I finally wrote a small howto on how to run mozilla on several
displays, logged in as the same user. This time I even did save the
file before my proprietary MS-OS decided not to resume its work :-/
Comments welcome.
Anselm <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
- What's this about?
Mozilla (Version 1.0 for us, YMMV) usually does not allow the same
user to be logged in on more than one terminal and run the browser
at the same time.
- But that's what profiles are for, aren't they?
I think so. But sooner or later, your mozilla will crash - or some
user does not "close" mozilla but terminate his session with
ctrl-alt-backspace. At this moment, mozilla does not remove its
"lock" file inside the profile directory, and, on the next start,
refuses to load this profile, as it "is in use by another user".
- So, let's just remove that lockfile on every mozilla start, will we?
OK, that's fine.
- And is there a way to reset the browser to standard behaviour, while we
are working on this subject?
Yep.
----SNIP
#!/bin/sh
case $USER in (gast)
cd /home/$USER/.mozilla
cd `env | grep DISPLAY | sed s/DISPLAY=// | sed s/\.raum5.kfg:0// | sed
s/\.0//`
test -d * || exit
cd *
pwd
# For restoring defaults
rm -r ./*
tar -xzf /var/gastmozilla.tgz
# alternatively for just removing the lock
#rm -f lock
;;
mozilla -P `env | grep DISPLAY | sed s/DISPLAY=// | sed s/\.raum5.kfg:0// |
sed s/\.0//` $*
exit
;;
esac
echo "Starting as user $USER..."
mozilla $*
----SNAP
Store this e.g. as "/usr/local/bin/mozilla-starter". Its function should be
obvious: If called as "gast" (the only user that should really be logged in
several times at once), change into the mozilla settings folder, into the
right profile (all computers are named <terminal>.raum5.kfg, while profiles
are called like <terminal>, see the parallel), if you like, restore defaults
and run the appropriate profile.
- Where to put, what to run?
Store in e.g. /usr/local/bin.
Change your icewm menu (yeah, I like that Desktop) to call
/usr/local/bin/mozilla-starter instead of /bin/mozilla (or so).
This script checks who runs it, so if usual users run it, they
will experience no difference. That's done so that you need no
special menu file for user "guest".
- I have several users (e.g. "guest" for pupils, "guestteacher" for teachers
or so) and they all need this feature.
That's a problem!? Hmmmm. Well, hmmm, it probably is not. You should
be able to adapt that small script to your needs. Much luck. Ask if
you need help on that.
- How do I get the default settings?
Sorry, that's some work to do. Log in as the required user ("gast"
for us) and create all the profiles you need. Then you can write-
protect the file "appreg" inside .mozilla, which will prefent users
from changing profile settings while not knowing what they do.
Change into one profile directory, which will contain another directo-
ry with a cryptic name. Change into that too and execute
"tar -czf /tmp/gastmozilla.tgz". If you like to change the settings
on that profile before, the better (e.g. set browser look & feel,
default language, cookie acceptance behaviour, set proxies...).
Su to root, move that gastmozilla.tgz to /var and make it owner root
world readable.
- What happens when users execute mozilla-starter (e.g. clicking on an icon
in icewm menu) while it is running yet on the very same terminal screen?
We experienced no problem. It seems as if mozilla just didn't care.
Of course, one could catch this with looking if there is a mozilla
running yet, but that was to complex for us.
- What happens when user manipulate the .mozilla directory structure?
To protect the "rm -r ./*" command, we first assure that what we
chdir'er into is really a directory. But honestly, if you cannot
trust your guest users that they don't delete their home directories
or so, you better had one user + home directory for each terminal
so that a script restores the complete directory content on login.
Look into the Xstartup etc. files and ask your local gdm/kdm/xdm guru.
- Help, I'm in trouble!
There are a lot of mostly friendly and helpful people on the ltsp-
discuss- mailing-list. Ask them, or mail me at
anselm DOT lts AT hoffmeister MINUS online DOT de
Comments, corrections, welcome. Spam goes to /dev/null.
