[CLUE-Tech] Building Kernel w/Debian

[Randy Arabie]

On Mon, 14 Oct 2002, Matt Gushee wrote:

> On Mon, Oct 14, 2002 at 07:27:51PM -0600, Randy Arabie wrote:
> > 
> > Good news: I got my kernel recompiled and the reboot 
> > seemed to work.
> > 
> > Bad news:  When I rebooted xdm took control (don't know
> > why, I didn't have it configured before)
> 
> Between this and my persistent DHCP problem ... I think we ought to have
> a contest for weirdest Linux problem.

Yeah, well I'm not a very proud contender ;)
 
> > I can't figure out how to get a shell prompt!!  I'm a 
> > little embarassed, it seems so elementry....there isn't 
> > even a [run command] or [xterm] option available via
> > the twm menu!
> 
> Do you mean you want to get a shell prompt right now to tweak your
> settings, or you want to be able to start a *Term in whatever window
> manager you have running now (are you sure it's twm?)?

Yeah.  I just wanted a prompt so I can get to my config 
files and fix things.
 
> > I've been using X, but I was starting it from the command
> > line.  I use xfce.  Right now, I've got a twm via the xdm 
> > login.
> > 
> > I know I could reboot into single user, and get a shell 
> > that way, but there must be another way....
> 
> Well, you know about Ctrl+Alt+F2 (or F3 .. F6) to get into another
> virtual console (i.e. one that isn't running X)? Then once you've got
> that, you can become root and start fixing things. I think what I did 
> to disable XDM was something like:

DoooH!!!  I was frantically doing Alt+F2 (and F3, 
F4, F5,...)!  I admit...I lost it there for a bit. 

Whew, thanks Mat.

>   1. # vim /etc/inittab
> 
>      [ made sure the default runlevel was 2:
> 
>        id:2:initdefault:
> 
>      ]
> 
>   2. # rm /etc/rc2.d/S99xdm
>   
>   3. # telinit 1    # to kill the running XDM session
> 
>   4. [ after logging in ] # telinit 2
> 
> But it's very strange that this should happen just because you compiled
> a kernel.
 
I'm the guy the help desk hates....

HELPDESK:  "What did you change?  Did you install any 
		new software?

ME:  "Absolutely not!  I haven't installed anything, or 
	changed any settings."

In fact, I did install xdm.  I haven't rebooted since 
then, Thursday I guess.  And, I didn't look a the config.  
But it really isn't the xdm config that is so bad, it is 
the fact that there were no menus set up in twm.

Anyway, I don't mind the xdm thing so much, in fact my 
wife will probably prefer it.  I just need to make it 
run xfce and get the menus and pagers in there.

Thanks for pulling me out of my brain cramp with your 
help!

-- 
Allons Rouler!
        
Randy