Turning OFF the Login Screen

**TommyHill** · 08-13-2005, 02:08 AM

I installed KNOPPIX onto a hard drive and I would like to remove the login screen... I want KNOPPIX to boot to the desktop without the need to sign in the "User Name and Password" Is there a way to turn off this feature ?

In Windows XP I would leave thie user information blank during the installation process... and then I would never see a login screen again. Can I do the same with linux ?

Tommy

**UnderScore** · 08-13-2005, 02:30 AM

This is a large security risk. It is not enabled by default to prevent random people from using a PC without authority. By enabling this feature, the security is circumvented.

That said, you can enable this in the KDE Control Center under the System Administration section, then Login Manager, and then under the Convienence tab. You will have to use the button labeled "Administrator Mode" and enter the root user password in order to make changes.

**TommyHill** · 08-13-2005, 02:59 AM

The reaason for turning off the login screen is because I want to build an unattended headless server... If there is a power failure, I would like the system to re-boot automatically.

Will I automatically default to the root directory if I turn off the login feature ?

Tommy

**UnderScore** · 08-13-2005, 03:12 AM

I am a bit confused. Do you need a GUI desktop session for your server running all the time?
You can boot a PC into command line console mode as the default boot & then run the GUI session as you need it. Right next to me is a Debian 3.1 box that is a file server. It default boots to command line but I did install the GUI on it and I can run it as a desktop I the need arose. It has a keyboard/mouse/monitor plugged into it but it is not necessary at all since it is possible to administrate the server remotely.

**TommyHill** · 08-14-2005, 02:33 AM

I know how to go into text mode while booting from the KNOPPIX CD... but how would I do that when I do a full install on a hard drive and the default mode uses the GUI interfece ?

I'm setting up an asterisk server and do not need the GUI all the time...

--Tommy

**UnderScore** · 08-14-2005, 03:53 AM

So you want text mode console as the default? If you then you need to edit the /etc/inittab file and change the default runlevel from 5 to 2.
In the /etc/inittab file:

Code:

...
...
# The default runlevel
id:5:initdefault:

change the 5 to 2

Code:

...
...
# The default runlevel
id:2:initdefault:

The you can either reboot or force it to level 2 via the command: init 2

I hope this helps.
James

**ockham23** · 08-14-2005, 09:53 AM

I think UnderScore mentioned the key words: remote control. If you set up SSH with FreeNX server on the host and NXclient on the client, you can log in remotely from either Linux or Windows machines. You can even obtain root access if you open a terminal window from within your remote KDE session and provide the password. A person sitting in front of the host will only see the login screen, so the log in barrier remains intact even while you are doing maintenance from a remote computer (or a laptop directly connected through a crossover patch cable). It is also possible to shut down the host remotely by sending "shutdown -h now".

Of course, you must put the server behind a firewall if you want it to connect to the Internet.

**TommyHill** · 08-16-2005, 04:11 AM

I'm impressed with FreeNX server... I tired it today and I was very suprised to see how well it worked. I tried VNC long long ago and had problems with the system crashing. FreeNX server works better than expected...

Thanks

**TommyHill** · 08-16-2005, 04:20 AM

Thanks Underscore... I'll try that when I get Asterisk setup...

So far I have Asterisk and KNOPPIX installed on a hard drive... The installation went smoothly. I also took your advice on how to remove the logon screen... The system boot directly into my desktop without any problems.

I noticed Asterisk doesn't start automatically when I re-boot and there are a few things I need to do before starting Asterisk. How can I setup KNOPPIX to start a few tasks at startup ? Here are a few examples :

modprobe zaptel
modprobe wcfxo
ztcfg -vvvv

asterisk -cd vvvvvv

These are the commands that need to be started and in this order... How can I execute these commands automatically on startup ?

--Tommy

**UnderScore** · 08-16-2005, 04:46 AM

The modprobe lines can be dropped into /etc/modules-2.6.* file.

So you want to start/run a service at bootup. Starting services like apache or bind are done through the scripts contained in the /etc/init.d/ directory. To start apache:
/etc/init.d/apache start
To stop apache:
/etc/init.d/apache stop
Where "/etc/init.d/apache" is the execution of the script and "start" or "stop" is an argument passed to the script. If you need to create your own script, well the Debian developers have left us a skeleton script at /etc/init.d/skeleton. See:
http://www.debian.org/doc/FAQ/ch-cus...tombootscripts
http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-pol...tml#s-sysvinit

This might seem like overkill but as a sysadmin I tend to do this the 'proper' way even if it is overkill.