Can I run a second KDE session, as different user?

Wed Mar 12 17:42:05 GMT 2003

Ok, that was quick, here is his reply:

        > I hope you will be so kind as to shed some light on this for
        us :-)
        > 
        oh, no, i explained this 20 times at various places already ...
        *whine*
        minimalistic instructions are in the README in the kdm source
        dir.
        more verbose instructions are at
        http://ktown.kde.org/~nolden/kde/README
        (section 6.1.4. The XP-Multi-Session feature).
        regarding the history ... this feature existed in a very
        rudimentary
        form in kde 3.0 alredy. it's in much better shape in suse's kde
        3.0.x
        packages. it is fully present in kde 3.1, but it's still not
        really
        ready, so it's not official yet. maybe in 3.2 ...

        greetings

Looking up the section he is talking about I found this explanation:

        6.1.4. The XP-Multi-Session feature 

        --

        KDM is also able to provide you a feature that is currently widespread
        by Windows XP, the multi-session feature. You were always able to do that
        more or less by changing to a console and startx -- :1 or -- :2 to start
        a new X-Server on the next vt (vt8 if vt7 is the default for the first
        one where your KDM runs on), but not from *within* KDE. This has changed
        lately, but you need to add the configuration lines necessary to

        /etc/kde3/kdm/Xservers:

        # Examples for multiple local X displays:
        # :0 local /usr/X11R6/bin/X :0 vt9 -bpp 16
        # :1 local /usr/X11R6/bin/X :1 vt10 -bpp 8
        :0 local at tty1 /etc/X11/X :0 vt7
        :1 local reserve /usr/bin/X11/X :1 vt8
        :2 local reserve /usr/bin/X11/X :2 vt9
        :3 local reserve /usr/bin/X11/X :3 vt10

        the displays :1, :2, :3 are marked as reserve and will be started only if
        requested. If those lines are present, you can start a new session login
        on the next vt with KDM through either

        a) the K Menu - above the "lock screen" entry you will see an entry
           "Start new session"

        b) when the screen is locked you will see a big button next to the
           password input field "Start new session"

        This is extremely useful if one computer is shared with your family
        members, kids and wife (or husband) alike so you don't have to close
        your session but just lock the screen.

        As a side note, each newly opened KDM login (and X-server) will consume
        the amount of graphics memory required, which is usually
        width*height*colordepth.

        Also, don't forget any sessions that a lingering in the background when
        you shut down the machine.

I tried it and it works!

Cheers,
 -Tako

PS: Can somebody tell me how to get the system to re-evaluate the
Xservers file without rebooting?

PS2: The only problem I still have with the system (but I had that
before as well) is that switching to a login screen other than the first
(:0) always shows an empty screen the first time. I have to switch back
to the existing session and than back again to the new one to get a
login dialog. Any ideas?

On Wed, 2003-03-12 at 18:12, Tako Schotanus wrote: 

> Hmm I did some looking around and found this bug report which seems to
> be exactly what you talked about:
> 
> http://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=48537
> 
> and the patch that actually implements it:
> 
> http://lists.kde.org/?l=kde-core-devel&m=103248620916086&w=2
> 
> In the page referred to by the first link it clearly states at the end
> that this is part of the KDE 3.1 release. I've sent an e-mail to the
> author of the patch asking him if he can explain how it works/how to
> turn it on, so hopefully I'll be able get some more info to y'all on
> this very soon.
> 
> Cheers,
> -Tako
> 
> On Wed, 2003-03-12 at 16:53, Johnny Ernst Nielsen wrote: 
> 
> > Good day Tako and Rex,
> > 
> > I found a bug report on a KDE-list that states something like this:
> > 
> > "The Start New Session menu item will be available in the K menu if 
> > KDM is allowed to start multiple X sessions."
> > 
> > This was posted late 2002, so it was a feature already in KDE 3.0
> > 
> > However, I have no idea as to how to toggle the feature on and off, 
> > just as I have no idea if it is KDM or X that you should fiddle with.
> > 
> > Anyway, if you look harder than what I did(*), it seems you can "just 
> > turn the feature on".
> > 
> > (*) I didn't bother looking too hard as my distro has it turned on for 
> > me by default.
> > 
> > Best regards :o)
> > 
> > Johnny :o)
> > 
> > Onsdag den 12. marts 2003 15:46 kvad Tako Schotanus:
> > > Maybe you're running KDM? For KDM it's in /etc/kde/kdm/Xservers
> > >
> > > And this is actually the way I have it running right now, but I
> > > must admit that I would love to see a K->StartNewSession option!
> > > :-D
> > >
> > > Cheers,
> > >  -Tako
> > >
> > > On Wed, 2003-03-12 at 13:36, Rex Dieter wrote:
> > > > FYI, I've never heard-of/seen any K->StartNewSession option,
> > > > though that may be an option particular to some distribution
> > > > (redhat certainly doesn't have that feature).
> > > >
> > > > On redhat, you can start multiple X servers, by adding them to
> > > > /etc/X11/xdm/Xservers.  Hmm... I just tried that, and couldn't
> > > > get it to work, though I know I've done it that way in the past.
> > > >
> > > > -- Rex
> > > >
> > > > On Tuesday 11 March 2003 5:45 pm, Tako Schotanus wrote:
> > > > > I can't find this option on my KDE 3.1 system (RedHat 8).
> > > > > Might it be it's not available there (either because of KDE 3.1
> > > > > or RH8)? Or could somebody tell me where to find the option or
> > > > > how turn it on?
> > > > >
> > > > > Thanks,
> > > > >  -Tako
> > ___________________________________________________
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> > More info: http://www.kde.org/faq.html.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> 
> 
> 
> Tako Schotanus <quintesse at palacio-cristal.com>

-- 

Tako Schotanus <quintesse at palacio-cristal.com>

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