Beyond Linux® From Scratch - Version 2013-05-22

Chapter 30. GNOME Core Packages

GDM-3.6.2

Introduction to GDM

GDM is a system service that is responsible for providing graphical logins and managing local and remote displays.

This package is known to build and work properly using an LFS-7.2 platform.

Package Information

GDM Dependencies

Required

AccountsService-0.6.31, DConf-0.14.1, libcanberra-0.30, Linux-PAM-1.1.6, NSS-3.14.3 and yelp-xsl-3.6.1

Recommended

gobject-introspection-1.34.2, ISO Codes-3.42 and UPower-0.9.20

Optional

Check-0.9.10

Runtime Dependencies

ConsoleKit-0.4.6, gnome-session-3.6.2 and either gnome-shell-3.6.3.1 or Metacity-2.34.13

User Notes: http://wiki.linuxfromscratch.org/blfs/wiki/gdm

Installation of GDM

It is recommended to have a dedicated user and group to take control of the gdm daemon after it is started. Issue the following commands as the root user: 

groupadd -g 21 gdm &&
useradd -c "GDM Daemon Owner" -d /var/lib/gdm -u 21 \
        -g gdm -s /bin/false gdm &&
usermod -a -G audio gdm &&
usermod -a -G video gdm

Install GDM by running the following commands: 

./configure --prefix=/usr \
            --sysconfdir=/etc \
            --localstatedir=/var \
            --libexecdir=/usr/lib/gdm \
            --with-initial-vt=7 \
            --with-at-spi-registryd-directory=/usr/lib/at-spi2-core \
            --with-authentication-agent-directory=/usr/lib/polkit-gnome \
            --with-check-accelerated-directory=/usr/lib/gnome-session \
            --with-consolekit-directory=/usr/lib/ConsoleKit \
            --disable-static &&
make

If you have installed Check-0.9.10 and you wish to run the testsuite, issue: make check.

Now, as the root user: 

make install &&
chown -R -v gdm:gdm /var/lib/gdm /var/cache/gdm /var/log/gdm

Command Explanations

--with-initial-vt=7: This switch causes GDM to start on vt7 instead of the first free VT.

--with-*-directory=...: These switches specify the location of programs that are used at runtime.

--disable-static: This switch prevents installation of static versions of the libraries.

--with-default-pam-config=lfs: Use this switch if you did not create /etc/lfs-release or distribution auto detection will fail and you will be unable to use GDM.

Configuring GDM

Config Files

/etc/gdm/custom.conf

Configuration Information

The GDM daemon is configured using the /etc/gdm/custom.conf file. Default values are stored in GSettings in the gdm.schemas file. It is recommended that end-users modify the /etc/gdm/custom.conf file because the schemas file may be overwritten when the user updates their system to have a newer version of GDM.

[Important]

Important

If the system-wide D-BUS daemon was running during the installation of gdm, ensure you stop and restart the D-BUS daemon before attempting to start gdm.

gdm can be tested by executing it as the root user. If you wish to stop it you will need to go to a different tty and then kill it.

Boot Script

To start a graphical login when the system is booted, install the /etc/rc.d/init.d/gdm init script included in the blfs-bootscripts-20130512 package. 

make install-gdm

Now edit /etc/inittab with the following command. 

sed -i 's/id:3:initdefault:/id:5:initdefault:/' \
    /etc/inittab

Contents

Installed Programs: gdm and gdm-screenshot
Installed Libraries: libgdm.so and libgdmsimplegreeter.so
Installed Directories: /etc/dconf/db/gdm.d, /etc/gdm, /usr/include/gdm, /usr/lib/gdm, /usr/share/gdm, /usr/share/help/*/gdm, /var/cache/gdm, /var/gdm, /var/lib/gdm, /var/log/gdm and /var/run/gdm

Short Descriptions

gdm

is the GNOME based login prompt.

gdm-screenshot

is a GDM screenshot tool.

Last updated on 2013-02-10 18:12:25 +0000