XDM Configuration

[Glynn Clements]

Jim Gifford wrote:

> I've been trying to sort out over the last few weeks how to get xdm 
> working. I'm able to get a login prompt, accept a password, but then it 
> restarts.
> 
> Is there any documentation on how to configure xdm?

"man xdm" tells you about the xdm-config file, and specifically about
the setup, startup, session and reset scripts. There isn't any point
in trying to document beyond that because those scripts are invariably
modified by distribution maintainers.

If XDM restarts shortly after completing the login dialog, this
indicates that the session script completes almost immediately. My
first guess is that the default session script is trying to run a
program which is missing (e.g. xsm or twm).

The only reliable documentation of the "session" is the script itself.
Read it, figure out what it's trying to do, and why it isn't working.
If the file ~/.xsession-errors exists, that may shed some light on the
matter.

-- 
Glynn Clements <glynn at gclements.plus.com>