Text whizzing by too fast

[utu]

@klaus2008

If I understand correctly, the /etc/init.d/knoppix-startx file
has a single long line to which you merely add material via a tee command.

I dont look for every instance of 'startx', do I?

And that I should save a copy of the init.d file before so editing.

Have I got that right?

[klaus2008]

@utu:

The file /etc/init.d/knoppix-startx is a file with many lines of code. But there is only one long line with startx being issued.

su -l -c "export STARTUP=$STARTUP ; exec /usr/bin/startx -- vt5 -dpi "$DPI" -br -noreset -nolisten tcp" "$USER" </dev/tty5 >/dev/tty5 2>&1 ; RC="$?"

I changed this line so that the output goes into a log file and to virtual terminal #6 instead of vt #5 since vt #5 is invisible while the Xserver is running.

su -l -c "export STARTUP=$STARTUP ; exec /usr/bin/startx -- vt5 -dpi "$DPI" -br -noreset -nolisten tcp" "$USER" </dev/tty5 2>&1 | /usr/bin/tee -a /var/log/knoppix-startx-dev-tty5.log >/dev/tty6 ; RC="$?"

I think it is always a good idea to make a backup copy of the file before altering it.

[krishna.murphy]

@utu:

The file /etc/init.d/knoppix-startx is a file with many lines of code. But there is only one long line with startx being issued.

su -l -c "export STARTUP=$STARTUP ; exec /usr/bin/startx -- vt5 -dpi "$DPI" -br -noreset -nolisten tcp" "$USER" </dev/tty5 >/dev/tty5 2>&1 ; RC="$?"

I changed this line so that the output goes into a log file and to virtual terminal #6 instead of vt #5 since vt #5 is invisible while the Xserver is running.

su -l -c "export STARTUP=$STARTUP ; exec /usr/bin/startx -- vt5 -dpi "$DPI" -br -noreset -nolisten tcp" "$USER" </dev/tty5 2>&1 | /usr/bin/tee -a /var/log/knoppix-startx-dev-tty5.log >/dev/tty6 ; RC="$?"

I think it is always a good idea to make a backup copy of the file before altering it.

One can also make a backup of knoppix-data.XXX to be certain that whatever changes are made can be entirely overridden in case a problem develops unexpectedly. Sometimes things just start acting goofy without much in the way of clues about what is needed to fix it.

Cheers!
Krishna

[utu]

@klauss2008:

Houston, we have a problem.

This line has a syntax error, according to Knoppix, cut-and-pasted from my new /etc/init.d/knoppix-startx:

su -l -c "export STARTUP=$STARTUP ; exec /usr/bin/startx -- vt5 -dpi "$DPI" -br -noreset -nolisten tcp" "$USER" </dev/tty5 2>&1 | /usr/bin/tee -a /var/log/knoppix-startx-dev-tty5.log >/dev/tty6 ; RC="$?"

This is the line you suggested, cut-and-pasted from Knoppix forum:

su -l -c "export STARTUP=$STARTUP ; exec /usr/bin/startx -- vt5 -dpi "$DPI" -br -noreset -nolisten tcp" "$USER" </dev/tty5 2>&1 | /usr/bin/tee -a /var/log/knoppix-startx-dev-tty5.log >/dev/tty6 ; RC="$?"

[utu]

@Klauss2008:

The original Knoppix line ends with:

"$USER" </dev/tty5 >/dev/tty5 2>&1 ; RC="$?"

Should we now have at this point:

"$USER" </dev/tty5 >/dev/tty5 2>&1; | /usr/bin/tee...

[klaus2008]

@utu:

exec /usr/bin/startx -- vt5 -dpi "$DPI" -br -noreset -nolisten tcp </dev/tty5 >/dev/tty5 2>&1

The intention is to direct input from /dev/tty5 to the program /usr/bin/startx and redirect the output from stdout and stderr to /dev/tty5. But the output is invisible while the Xserver is running.

exec /usr/bin/startx -- vt5 -dpi "$DPI" -br -noreset -nolisten tcp </dev/tty5 2>&1 | /usr/bin/tee -a /var/log/knoppix-startx-dev-tty5.log >/dev/tty6 ; RC="$?"

The aim is to redirect /usr/bin/startx's output (stdout plus stderr) to /usr/bin/tee via a pipe. The program /usr/bin/tee appends its input to the file /var/log/knoppix-startx-dev-tty5.log or creates that file if it does not exist. In addition the tee program's output is redirected to /dev/tty6.

If you do not need the output on a terminal then you could try

su -l -c "export STARTUP=$STARTUP ; exec /usr/bin/startx -- vt5 -dpi "$DPI" -br -noreset -nolisten tcp" "$USER" </dev/tty5 >>/var/log/knoppix-startx-dev-tty5.log 2>&1 ; RC="$?"

Maybe you are interested in reading more about I/O Redirection in the Advanced Bash-Scripting Guide: http://tldp.org/LDP/abs/html/io-redirection.html
There is also a simple example of using a pipe in the BASH Programming - Introduction HOW-TO http://tldp.org/HOWTO/Bash-Prog-Intro-HOWTO-4.html

If you write a semicolon ; then the Bash thinks that you want to mark the end of a command. In the example

</dev/tty5 >/dev/tty5 2>&1; | /usr/bin/tee

is no program that delivers input to the pipe. Thus you should get an error message.

[utu]

@klauss2008

I appreciate your tutelage, but I'd like to stick with your first suggestion.
As near as I can tell, I have exactly input your first proposed command.
If I have, there is a syntax error in it.
If I haven't then I can't see the difference.

Perhaps you can look more closely at my post #24, forget my post #25, and
see what needs to be done.
I think this might be the simplest way to proceed at this point.
I grasp your idea, but I'd like to defer 'understanding' the syntax to later.

So, is there a difference in the two lines I posted in #24?

Thanks for your patience.

[klaus2008]

@utu:

I do not see the difference between the two lines in your post #24. I put the old and the new knoppix-startx in a zip file so that you can compare them yourself. I do not get any syntax error messages and the log file is created as expected.
knoppix-startx.zip

[kl522]

As near as I can tell, I have exactly input your first proposed command.
If I have, there is a syntax error in it.
If I haven't then I can't see the difference.

How do you know that there is a syntax error ? Did you arrive at the conclusion based on the log file produced ? But 'tee' command appends to the log, so it could be the previous 'startx' which produced the syntax error. I suggest you remove the '-a' in the 'tee' command and test it again. This will make sure you are not seeing the history.

[utu]

@kl522 & klauss2008

Doing as root...
Having revised /knoppix-startx, either with or without -a in the tee command,
when I ctl-alt-backspace, I get the syntax error, and am locked out of X for 5 min.
Reboot gives the same syntax & lock-out situation

I get back here by re-writing knoppix-startx from knoppix-startx.orig
which I saved before we began tinkering with X itself.

I get the idea, however, this is not actually the file I want per se.
This file probably duplicates only a segment of the whole on-screen experience
that originally got my curiosity.

I can probably figure out the syntax problem on my own, eventually, I just thought
it might be obvious to some of the old hands at this.

If I can't figure this problem out in a short while, I think I need to research the init process
and get to understand it better. I've always felt like a daredevil when tinkering with
the guts of the X machinery up close.