GNOME desktop initialization

Initialization about GNOME desktop

If the system is configured to boot to run level 3 (console mode) the X-Windows is started by the command xinit. If configured to boot to run level 5 then the gdm will be executed at system start-up. The choice of using the KDE (kdm) or GNOME (gdm) login manager is set in the config file /etc/sysconfig/desktop. There are two options:

• DESKTOP="GNOME"
  (Configure with: /usr/sbin/gdmsetup)
  or
• DISPLAYMANAGER="KDE"

GDM Startup:

1. X-Windows command xinit:
   • /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc
     which sets the environment and calls:
   • /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc-common
     which set the root window, sets resource files for the:
     • keyboard (/etc/X11/Xmodmap)
     • fonts (/etc/X11/Xresources)
     • ...
     and executes X-Windows start-up scripts in /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc.d/...
   • /etc/X11/xinit/xinput.d/...
     language configurations ...
2. The login screen: /usr/bin/gdm
3. X-windows script /etc/X11/xdm/Xsession starts X-windows session and then calls /usr/bin/gnome-session
4. gnome-session : This sets up GNOME desktop environment.
   Config file: /usr/share/gnome/default.session
   

   01 # This is the default session that is launched if the user doesn't 02 # already have a session. 03 # The RestartCommand specifies the command to run from the $PATH. 04 # The Priority determines the order in which the commands are started 05 # (with Priority = 0 first) and defaults to 50. 06 # The id provides a name that is unique within this file and passed to the 07 # app as the client id which it must use to register with gnome-session. 08 # The clients must be numbered from 0 to the value of num_clients - 1. 09   10 [Default] 11 num_clients=7 12 0,id=default0 13 0,Priority=60 14 0,RestartCommand=<b>pam-panel-icon</b> --sm-client-id default0 15 1,id=default1 16 1,Priority=10 17 1,RestartCommand=<b>gnome-wm</b> --default-wm gnome-wm --sm-client-id default1 18 2,id=default2 19 2,Priority=40 20 2,RestartCommand=<b>gnome-panel</b> --sm-client-id default2 21 3,id=default3 22 3,Priority=40 23 3,RestartCommand=<b>nautilus</b> --no-default-window --sm-client-id default3 24 4,id=default4 25 4,Priority=60 26 4,RestartCommand=<b>rhn-applet-gui</b> --sm-client-id default4 27 5,id=default5 28 5,Priority=50 29 5,RestartCommand=<b>eggcups</b> --sm-client-id default5 30 6,id=default6 31 6,Priority=40 32 6,RestartCommand=<b>magicdev</b> --sm-client-id default6

   This config file lists the GNOME processes to start. GUI configuration tools:
   

   • /usr/bin/gnome-session-properties

     

   • /usr/bin/gnome-session-remove
   • /usr/bin/gnome-session-save

   gnome-session executable and config file starts:
   
   • pam-panel-icon
   • gnome-wm (Script /usr/bin/gnome-wm to start window manager)
     Script also identified in config file: /usr/share/gnome/default.wm

     1 [Default] 2 WM=gnome-wm

     Uses first window manager found in list in script: i.e. metacity sawfish sawmill enlightenment icewm wmaker fvwm2 qvwm fvwm twm kwm
     Gnome-wm also uses environment variable: WINDOW_MANAGER
     Script then uses gconftool to set gconf key. (gconf key: /desktop/gnome/applications/window_manager/default) Also starts omf
     Configure with /usr/bin/gnome-session-properties
   • gnome-panel (toolbar)
     Configure with gnome-panel-properties-capplet
     Add launcher with gnome-panel-add-launcher
   • nautilus : Manages desktop icons and provides a file manager.
   • rhn-applet-gui : up2date and network alert notification tool.
   • eggcups : printer support
   • magicdev
     CD and DVD mounter. Config tool: gnome-cd-properties
     Config files:
     • /etc/gconf/schemas/magicdev.schemas
     • /usr/share/applications/gnome-cd-properties.desktop
   Also uses ~/.gnome/session (Mine is empty)
   Can save with save-session for later start-up.

GDM commands:

• GDM Configuration GUI: /usr/sbin/gdmconfig (same as gdmsetup)
  
  
• Re-Start:
  • Red Hat/Fedora Core: /usr/sbin/gdm-restart
    /usr/sbin/gdm-safe-restart
  • S.u.S.e.: /opt/gnome/sbin/gdm-restart
    /opt/gnome/sbin/gdm-safe-restart
• Stop:
  • Red Hat/Fedora Core: /usr/sbin/gdm-stop
  • S.u.S.e.: /opt/gnome/sbin/gdm-stop

Components: ORBit: CORBA drag-drop Uses libgnorba for CORBA registry which calls gnome-name-service. gnome-name-service - Orbit name service GOAD is the GNOME Object Activation Directory. It keeps track of the CORBA object implementations on system.
Red Hat / Fedora Packages: usermode-gtk gnome-session magicdev gnome-panel