Lionel Lecoq wrote: > > I suspect it is a permission problem ... > Lionel > --- Phil Newcombe <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Tim DeBoer wrote: > > > > > Hi Folks, > > > I can't start an X session as my regular user,(everything runs just fine > > > as root though), I get the following error: > > > > > > Fatal server error: > > > Cannot open log file "/var/log/XFree86.0.log" > > >
This seems to be by far the most frequently asked question on this list. There are three alternative solutions to this problem: 1. Use xdm. xdm is a little program that starts the Xserver, then puts up a login/password dialog box. It must be started by init, and init will make sure it gets restarted in the unlikely event that it dies. It inherits root permissions from init, so it has no trouble opening log files or the video device. The way you get init to run xdm varies with different systems: in traditional BSD systems, you just find the line in /etc/ttys that controls xdm, change the "off" to "on", and "kill -1 1". In Solaris 2 and similar SysV-influenced systems, there's something you do in /etc/inittab. It's been a while, I don't remember the details. Somebody else please step in. I have no idea how it might be done (or even if it can be done) in OS/2. xdm is the alternative that I personally recommend. If your system offers "virtual consoles" you give up nothing, just Ctl+Alt+F1 and X runs away and hides and you have a pure text-mode console, just like your grandfather used. But try a lightweight window manager like blackbox with rxvt terminals. Once you get your Xserver configured and tuned you won't be going back to text mode very often. I must also mention that Gnome, KDE, and I think even CDE come with their own alternatives to xdm. I believe the primary differences are eye candy. 2. Run your X server setuid root. The problem is more being able to open the graphic device than the log file, but setuid root will solve it, and that's the way it used to be done, back in the good old days when folks on the 'net trusted each other. If you don't trust all the millions of folks on the 'net, then be sure to firewall off TCP port 7001 from all the folks you don't trust. 3. Figure out how to use Xwrapper. I was disappointed to find there's not even a man page for it. I have no idea how xinit is supposed to know to run Xwrapper rather that the Xserver, unless by the X symlink, but then how does Xwrapper know which X server to run? -- Remember, more computing power was thrown away last week than existed in the world in 1982. -- http://www.tom.womack.net/computing/prices.html _______________________________________________ Newbie mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** To unsubscribe , or change message options, see: http://XFree86.Org/mailman/listinfo/newbie
