XFree Local Multi-User HOWTO
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# 6.1. Configuring xdm and kdm

If everything is working now, it's time to setup the automatic starting of X on all displays. For xdm and kdm you have to modify one single file. For a Red Hat-like system this would be `/etc/X11/xdm/Xservers`; for other distributions check whether this file exists. If not, find your XFree86 configuration directory, and in it you'll find `xdm/Xservers`.

| Note

- SuSE uses:

  - `/etc/X11/XF86Config`

  - `/etc/X11/xdm/Xservers` for xdm

  - `/etc/opt/kde3/share/config/kdm/Xservers` for kdm

  you can make a backup copy of `/etc/opt/.../kdm/Xservers` and make a symbolic link from `/etc/X11/xdm/Xservers` to `/etc/opt/../kdm/Xservers`, in order to use the same configuration file for xdm and kdm.

- Debian uses:

  - `/etc/kde3/kdm/Xservers` for kdm

  you can make a backup copy of `/etc/kde3/kdm/Xservers` and make a symbolic link from `/etc/X11/xdm/Xservers` to `/etc/kde3/kdm/Xservers`, in order to use the same configuration file for xdm and kdm.

- Red Hat and Gentoo use:

  - `/etc/X11/XF86Config`

For every additional X server you should add a single line. You can copy the existing line, change the X server binary and display number, and append `-xf86config` [your configuration file]. My original xdm/Xservers:

    #####################################################################

    # $XConsortium: Xserv.ws.cpp,v 1.3 93/09/28 14:30:30 gildea Exp $
    #
    #
    # $XFree86: xc/programs/xdm/config/Xserv.ws.cpp,v 1.1.1.1.12.2 1998/10/04 15:23:14 hohndel Exp $
    #
    # Xservers file, workstation prototype
    #
    # This file should contain an entry to start the server on the
    # local display; if you have more than one display (not screen),
    # you can add entries to the list (one per line).  If you also
    # have some X terminals connected which do not support XDMCP,
    # you can add them here as well.  Each X terminal line should
    # look like:
    #	XTerminalName:0 foreign
    #
    :0 local /bin/nice -n -10 /usr/X11R6/bin/X :0 -deferglyphs 16 vt7

    ######################################################################

and the modified version:

    ######################################################################

    # $XConsortium: Xserv.ws.cpp,v 1.3 93/09/28 14:30:30 gildea Exp $
    #
    #
    # $XFree86: xc/programs/xdm/config/Xserv.ws.cpp,v 1.1.1.1.12.2 1998/10/04 15:23:14 hohndel Exp $
    #
    # Xservers file, workstation prototype
    #
    # This file should contain an entry to start the server on the
    # local display; if you have more than one display (not screen),
    # you can add entries to the list (one per line).  If you also
    # have some X terminals connected which do not support XDMCP,
    # you can add them here as well.  Each X terminal line should
    # look like:
    #	XTerminalName:0 foreign
    #

    :0 local /bin/nice -n -10 /usr/X11R6/bin/X0 :0 -deferglyphs 16 vt7
    :1 local /bin/nice -n -10 /usr/X11R6/bin/X1 :1 -xf86config /etc/X11/XF86Config-4.TNT2 vt17

    #######################################################################

If you have more video cards just add more lines:

    :2 local /bin/nice -n -10 /usr/X11R6/bin/X2 :2 -xf86config /etc/X11/XF86Config-4.[your 3rd card] vt18
    :3 local .....

If you use a single XFree configuration file :

    ######################################################################

    # $XConsortium: Xserv.ws.cpp,v 1.3 93/09/28 14:30:30 gildea Exp $
    #
    #
    # $XFree86: xc/programs/xdm/config/Xserv.ws.cpp,v 1.1.1.1.12.2 1998/10/04 15:23:14 hohndel Exp $
    #
    # Xservers file, workstation prototype
    #
    # This file should contain an entry to start the server on the
    # local display; if you have more than one display (not screen),
    # you can add entries to the list (one per line).  If you also
    # have some X terminals connected which do not support XDMCP,
    # you can add them here as well.  Each X terminal line should
    # look like:
    #	XTerminalName:0 foreign
    #

    :0 local /bin/nice -n -10 /usr/X11R6/bin/X0 :0 -layout first-Xserver -deferglyphs 16 vt7
    :1 local /bin/nice -n -10 /usr/X11R6/bin/X1 :1 -layout second-Xserver vt17

    #######################################################################

| Note

Under older versions of Backstreet Ruby (released before 7. Oct 2003) each console is represented by 8 tty's, so you should use:

    .....
    :0 local /bin/nice -n -10 /usr/X11R6/bin/X0 :0 -deferglyphs 16 vt7
    :1 local /bin/nice -n -10 /usr/X11R6/bin/X1 :1 -xf86config /etc/X11/XF86Config-4.TNT2 vt9
    .....

Or if you have more video cards just add more lines:

    :2 local /bin/nice -n -10 /usr/X11R6/bin/X2 :2 -xf86config /etc/X11/XF86Config-4.[your 3rd card] vt16
    :3 local .....

If you use a single XFree configuration file :

    ................
    :0 local /bin/nice -n -10 /usr/X11R6/bin/X0 :0 -layout first-Xserver -deferglyphs 16 vt7
    :1 local /bin/nice -n -10 /usr/X11R6/bin/X1 :1 -layout second-Xserver vt9
    ................

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