Re: GDM mailling list seems inactive

[George <jirka 5z com>]

On Wed, Nov 24, 2004 at 04:27:39PM -0500, Britton, Gerald wrote:
> Hi -- I followed the GDM mailling list links from your home page but there
> is nothing thee since Feb 2004.

Actually it's still active, last message yesterday.  It seems the archive is
broken.  Click "messages by date" and it works.

Martin: Can you check this out?  Perhaps something is not running to create
the proper html or whatnot, not sure how the archive works.

> I'm looking for an answer to a question that was posted back in January of
> this year.  Basically it concerns using xmessage to gbm-managed displays.
> Like the original author, I get responses like:
> 
> DISPLAY=":0" xmessage "Hi There"
> Xlib: connection to ":0.0" refused by server
> Xlib: No protocol specified
> 
> Error: Can't open display: :0

> PS fwiw I CAN xmessage the display if I don't log in via GDM (e.g. just "startx")

It all depends on what authentication you are using.  GDM is using
authentication files from the AuthDir (Is it named SysAuthDir? I can't
remember right now) from the configuration file.  Usually /var/lib/gdm or
/var/gdm or some such.  There there should be files
of the form <display name>.Xauth.  You need to set XAUTHORITY to this, so for
example

XAUTHORITY=/var/gdm/:0.Xauth DISPLAY=:0 xmessage "Hi There"

should work

If XAUTHORITY is not set, xlib looks in ~/.Xauthority which in case of
starting with startx is initialized for you, because you are starting the X
server so you own it.  GDM will setup ~/.Xauthority for you once you log in,
until then you have to use the system authority file as above.

George

-- 
George <jirka 5z com>
   History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.
                       -- Winston Churchill