[PLUG] First Time Debian Install

Richard Steffens rsteff at attbi.com
Sat Aug 31 19:32:10 UTC 2002


Richard Steffens <rsteff at attbi.com> writes:
 
> > I'm used to the logout options provided by Red Hat
> > 7.0 and 7.1, which include halt. Halt was not an option.

"Karl M. Hegbloom" wrote:

> I'm not sure what you are saying happened here, in that I don't know
> what screen you are on when you try to log in as root.   You had run
> "startx", but I don't know if you did that as "root" or as yourself.

I was on a text console when I logged in as rsteff, and when I ran
startx. 

> When you use "startx" rather than an X login manager, you do not need
> the "halt" option on a logout menu.  The "logout" there is to log out
> of X, back to your text mode shell.  Once there, you can use
> "Ctrl-Alt-DEL" or "halt" to shut down the computer.

Hmmm. When I logged out of KDE, I didn't get out of X, but was at the
KDE login screen.
 
> I can't imagine why it would not allow you to log in as root from the
> text console...

Didn't get back to a text console. Also, couldn't get to a text console.
I tried <ctrl><alt>F1, (and all the other function keys up through F8)
but all I get is a beep. Must be another configuration thing. What do
you call this one, and where do I change it so I can switch between
consoles?

> the X login managers do have configuration options to
> disallow root logins, and are shipped with somewhat parnoid security
> settings.  For "gdm", you must edit "/etc/gdm/gdm.conf", find the
> "[Security]" section, and change "AllowRoot" to "true", then restart
> "gdm" with "/etc/init.d/gdm restart".  After that, log into X as root,
> and look in the "System" menu (underfoot) for the "GDM Configurator".

> (For KDE's X login manager, log into X as root (IIRC it will let you
> do so by default), and use the control center to configure the KDM.)

There it is (GDM Configurator). One of the options is "Show the 'system'
menu, (for reboot, shutdown etc.) For now, I'm more familiar with Gnome,
so I'll just work with that. Later on I might try KDE.

Jeme A Brelin wrote:

> First, when you finished the install and were given a console for login,
> the init scripts installed by the recently configured packages had not
> run, so certain first-time-run options hadn't yet taken effect.  When you
> rebooted, the init script that fires up the display manager was run and
> the display manager has a default session/window manager configured.

That makes sense.

> You certainly
> don't want Halt as a logout option from your X session as a regular user
> and you probably don't want to run most session managers as root.  Best to
> setup an .xinitrc in /root that runs a very simple window manager and
> that's all for those very few times when you really must use X as root.

Brian Beattie wrote:

> Certainly you would not want a remote console or
> terminal for security reasons, but if I'm sitting at the connected
> display, I'm probably within reach of the power and reset switches, or I
> can just switch to the text console and give the three finger salute.
> The only thing one gains by not putting reboot and halt options on the
> logout popup, is inconvinence.

I have to agree with Brian on this one. I can see the advantages for
systems that are out where the "public" can access them, but not for the
one in my office at home.

Again, thanks for the help.

-- 
Regards,

Dick Steffens
"Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati"
http://rsteff.home.attbi.com/




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