Re: GDM failsafe session query

[Telsa Gwynne <hobbit aloss ukuu org uk>]

On Thu, Apr 29, 2004 at 10:16:01AM +0100 or thereabouts, Roger Burroughes wrote:
> Folks,
> 
> 	I have a question about failsafe sessions when a user's home
> directory isn't available (for whatever reason). I've been trying to
> track down what happens (or doesn't happen), but without much
> success...
> 
> 	When a user starts logging-in via GDM using the standard
> greeter (and assuming there is no home directory available for this
> user - everything works OK when it IS available), a warning message is
> displayed:
> 
>    "Your home directory is listed as:
>     '/home/infteach'
>     but it does not appear to exist.
>     Do you want to log in with the root
>     directory as your home directory?
> 
>     It is unlikely anything else will work unless
>     you use a failsafe session"
> 
> 	(This message is displayed even when a failsafe session is
> explicitly selected from the "Session" menu.) 

This suggestion came from someone else. Pardon me if it is not too 
coherent :) 

If there is no home directory, it can't write to the home 
directory. (Well, yes...) If it can't write to the home directory, 
it can't write the .Xauthority file. Is that .Xauthority file 
needed for applications to run?

The person who mentioned this thinks it might be. 

It might explain this, at least: 

> it's not even trying to run /etc/X11/gdm/Xsession (no
> /tmp/xses-infteach is created).

..perhaps? 


> 	Does anybody have any pointers or clues as to what's happening
> here? Once gdm-binary has called gdmlogin, what is the next in line to
> be called? Or could my problem be within gdmlogin? (Although I have
> looked at what documentation I can find, I couldn't see an execution
> path for the various components of a successful login.)

I tend to use startx rather than a display manager, so I am not
very clear on this. Sorry.

Telsa