

This is a version of xdm ( X Display Manager ) for linux.
binaries are linked -static with 2.2.2d libs and X-1.1 libs.
file xdm.diff contains my changes against X11R5 distribution.

You need Linux 0.97pl2 are newer versions.
I found that it doesn't work with Linux 0.97. ( problems with file locking )
You need a /dev/console device.

INSTALLATION


1. MAKE  SURE YOU HAVE A SET OF EMERGENCY FLOPPIES TO BOOT FROM.
   THE FLOPPIES SHOULD CONTAIN A SMALL TEXT EDITOR.

2. unpack the archive, be careful about restoring file mode bits.
   /usr/bin/X11/sessreg is a SETUID program.

3. read the xdm.n manual.

4. Change the scripts in /usr/lib/X11/xdm to meet your needs.
   Xsetup_0: is executed before each session.
             I load there my xmodmap, you may add xsetroot, xconsole ...
   Xsession: The Session script.
             contains the standard clients, if the user
             has no .xsession file.
             handles the login entries in /etc/utmp, /etc/wtmp with the
             program sessreg.
   xdm-config is the major xdm configuration file.
   xdm-errors contains error messages from the last run of xdm.
   xdm-pid is some kind of lock file.

NOW THE CRITICAL STEPS

5. change /etc/rc:

add the line
	echo 'Starting xdm...' ; /usr/bin/X11/xdm

6. Now you have to instruct init, that you don't want
   further getty's /logins at your virtual screens.

   I use init from poeigl-package, if you use the same init then
   comment out the terminal entries from /etc/inittab,
   that normally cause login at your virtual screens
   ( tty1,tty2,tty3,tty4  in my setup )
   by prepending a '#' character.
   Entries for your serial lines may be left unchanged.

7. If you have done all this, you should sync and reboot.
   Now the xdm should take over the terminal.
   after a while a login window should appear.


ERRORS:
   If something is going wrong, use the disks mentioned
   in step 1. of INSTALLATION  to change back /etc/rc and /etc/inittab.

   If the xdm doesn't start at all,
   look at the file /usr/lib/X11/xdm/xdm-errors.

   If the login window appears, but you only get beeps from
   your keystrokes, may be there is another process ( getty, login...)
   and you didn't change inittab with full success.

   If you type an wrong user or passwd in the login window,
   a 'Login incorrect' message should appear.
   If the window disappears, you have typed a correct user/passwd
   combination and your session is started. Further errors
   will be recorded in $HOME/.xsession-errors.

   The session terminates, when the last foreground command 
   ( i.e. not started with '&' ) from your .xsession  file
   resp. from the /usr/lib/X11/xdm/Xsession file terminates.
   In my case I use my window manager as such a command,
   when I leave the window manager, the session terminates.

   If the xterm's don't start, but other applications do,
   check that there exists /dev/console, if not make it:
     for example
        ln /dev/tty1 /dev/console

-- 
__________________________________________________________________________
|Steffen Zahn                      | email: zahn@informatik.hu-berlin.de |
|Humboldt-Universitaet zu Berlin   | Tel  : +49 30 2805194 App. 17       |
|Fachbereich Informatik            |                                     |
|Postfach 1297                     |                                     |
|O-1086 Berlin                     |                                     |
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