[ltp] Debian Testing (Lenny) and X Display Manager Problems on T20

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 04:46:10 -0500

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I upgraded my T20 system running Debian "Etch" to "Testing" (Lenny), by 
changing /etc/apt/sources-list to point to the testing distribution, 
then doing an
apt-get --u dist-upgrade. I had been running Fluxbox under gdm, and upon 
rebooting with the new system, I was asked if I wanted to make Fluxbox 
the default session. I hadn't seen this before, but I answered "yes". I 
was then logged on with a Gnome session, which I found a little strange 
after I had just said to make Fluxbox the default. But
whatever: I logged out and attempted to log back in, this time 
specifying specifically that Fluxbox was to be used. Except: the 
keyboard and mouse appeared not to work. So
I rebooted. Then the screen went blank as soon as gdm was started. I 
couldn't get the text consoles via F1-F5 or so: I just had to restart 
into single-user mode to be able to communicate with the computer. Since 
Debian has a default run state of 2, which starts gdm, I removed 
/etc/rc2.d/gdm. OK, it didn't start gdm by default. (Really, I don't 
understand this: there should be some run states between 1 (single-user) 
and 2 (regular use) which don't start X, but I guess that's up to me). I 
figured, maybe the problem is with gdm, so I installed kdm and xdm. I 
made xdm the default display manager. Upon rebooting, I got a screen 
which is all black about halfway up, then a gray band, and then the top 
1/3 or so is gray, and the console characters will appear in it - but 
only after they've scrolled up. So I can't see the results of what I've 
typed until I hit enter a lot of times to scroll the screen up: page up 
doesn't work.
So I can't communicate very well with the computer. I tried using ssh 
from another computer: the connection is rejected. Evidently I need to 
have sshd installed:
apt-get install sshd doesn't do anything because it doesn't find a sshd 
package. Adding this capability means knowing the name of the package I 
have to install, and I don't know that: all I know is that my machines 
to which I can connect with ssh have sshd_config in the /etc/ssh 
directory, and this one doesn't: it's just got ssh_config. That's about 
the extent of my insufficient knowledge about that.
I must have messed up the video interface, probably when I installed xdm 
and made it the default. Booting into single-user mode is no better 
anymore: although theoretically it doesn't start any of the display 
managers, it gets to some part about "savagexxxx" (reading the screen 
upon boot) and then I get the "banded" display I described. Echoed 
characters appear slowly, seemingly forming out of a mist on my screen. 
Starting xdm or kdm produces a change: the top band gets a light 
background, and a darker gray rectange (truncated, because it's hidden 
behind the other bands) appears. Looks almost like it's going to be an 
xterm, but no characters appear: at least, I haven't been able to make 
any appear.
So can anyone suggest something?  I removed /etc/rc1.d/Sxxgdm, 
/etc/rc1.d/Sxxkdm, etc. What can you suggest? I guess I could just 
reinstall from a netinst CD, but I'd like to rescue this if I can, and I 
figure I should be able to.

Thanks,

Frank Huddleston

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<font size=3D"-1"><font face=3D"Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">I upgraded =
my
T20 system running Debian "Etch" to "Testing" (Lenny), by changing
/etc/apt/sources-list to point to the testing distribution, then doing
an <br>
apt-get --u dist-upgrade. I had been running Fluxbox under gdm, and
upon rebooting with the new system, I was asked if I wanted to make
Fluxbox the default session. I hadn't seen this before, but I answered
"yes". I was then logged on with a Gnome session, which I found a
little strange after I had just said to make Fluxbox the default. But <br=
>
whatever: I logged out and attempted to log back in, this time
specifying specifically that Fluxbox was to be used. Except: the
keyboard and mouse appeared not to work. So <br>
I rebooted. Then the screen went blank as soon as gdm was started. I
couldn't get the text consoles via F1-F5 or so: I just had to restart
into single-user mode to be able to communicate with the computer.
Since Debian has a default run state of 2, which starts gdm, I removed
/etc/rc2.d/gdm. OK, it didn't start gdm by default. (Really, I don't
understand this: there should be some run states between 1
(single-user) and 2 (regular use) which don't start X, but I guess
that's up to me). I figured, maybe the problem is with gdm, so I
installed kdm and xdm. I made xdm the default display manager. Upon
rebooting, I got a screen which is all black about halfway up, then a
gray band, and then the top 1/3 or so is gray, and the console
characters will appear in it - but only after they've scrolled up. So I
can't see the results of what I've typed until I hit enter a lot of
times to scroll the screen up: page up doesn't work. <br>
So I can't communicate very well with the computer. I tried using ssh
from another computer: the connection is rejected. Evidently I need to
have sshd installed: <br>
apt-get install sshd doesn't do anything because it doesn't find a sshd
package. Adding this capability means knowing the name of the package I
have to install, and I don't know that: all I know is that my machines
to which I can connect with ssh have sshd_config in the /etc/ssh
directory, and this one doesn't: it's just got ssh_config. That's about
the extent of my insufficient knowledge about that.<br>
I must have messed up the video interface, probably when I installed
xdm and made it the default. Booting into single-user mode is no better
anymore: although theoretically it doesn't start any of the display
managers, it gets to some part about "savagexxxx" (reading the screen
upon boot) and then I get the "banded" display I described. Echoed
characters appear slowly, seemingly forming out of a mist on my screen.
Starting xdm or kdm produces a change: the top band gets a light
background, and a darker gray rectange (truncated, because it's hidden
behind the other bands) appears. Looks almost like it's going to be an
xterm, but no characters appear: at least, I haven't been able to make
any appear.<br>
</font></font><font size=3D"-1"><font face=3D"Helvetica, Arial, sans-seri=
f">So
can anyone suggest something?=C2=A0 I removed /etc/rc1.d/Sxxgdm,
/etc/rc1.d/Sxxkdm, etc. What can you suggest? I guess I could just
reinstall from a netinst CD, but I'd like to rescue this if I can, and
I figure I should be able to.<br>
<br>
Thanks,<br>
<br>
Frank Huddleston<br>
<br>
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