Re: Installing X, Gnome, and Enlightenment in RH6.2...from scratch (read: *trying* to).

["Sourav K. Mandal" <smandal mit edu>]

""Michael V. Ferranti" <blades@inreach.com>" wrote:

> I'm having problems with my "server assigned DNS" ISP, and now have to
> run a server, rather than a workstation installation, and sue me, but I
> like my Gnome.  Problem is, I tried installing X, Gnome, and =
> Enlightenment,
> but she hangs trying to get the font server up.  Guess I'm missing an RPM
> or two - thought RPM's dependencies would catch it. 

Some questions:

* How are the two problems related?  Is it that you have to run a 
caching nameserver?

* I have the same setup as you, and have not had any problems with 
anything.  That said, things can obviously be highly configuration 
dependent.  As such, monitoring of error messages is critical.  When 
xfs (X Font Server) dies, what does it scream during its death 
throws?  These wails should show up in "/var/log/messages" or the 
like.

Okay, say that xfs doesn't say anything.  I would recommend the 
following for some simple first steps:

1.  ctl-alt-f1 or whatever to a text console; in case X crashes, you 
can still figure out what xfs is doing.

2.  Log in as root, or some other user with sufficient privilege.

3.  Run "xfs -droppriv 2>&1" ... the "-droppriv" switch has xfs run 
as user "xfs";  this may protect against a generalized hang. The 
stderror redirection to stdout is in case xfs gets cute with where 
it dumps its error messages (check "/etc/X11/fs/config").

4.  Try to decipher any messages you might get.

BTW, I am far from an X guru -- these are the steps I take whenever 
*any* server daemon is misbehaving, just from a common sense 
standpoint.  Good luck.

Regards,

Sourav Mandal

------------------------------------------------------------
Sourav K. Mandal

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Department of Physics
http://web.mit.edu/smandal/www/

"In enforcing a truth we need severity rather than
efflorescence of language. We must be simple, 
precise, terse."

                      -- Edgar Allan Poe, 
                        "The Poetic Principle"