xdm(1)


NAME

   xdm - X Display Manager with support for XDMCP, host chooser

SYNOPSIS

   xdm [ -config configuration_file ] [ -nodaemon ] [ -debug debug_level ]
   [ -error error_log_file  ]  [  -resources  resource_file  ]  [  -server
   server_entry ] [ -session session_program ]

DESCRIPTION

   Xdm  manages a collection of X displays, which may be on the local host
   or remote servers.  The design of xdm was guided  by  the  needs  of  X
   terminals  as  well  as  The  Open  Group standard XDMCP, the X Display
   Manager Control Protocol.   Xdm  provides  services  similar  to  those
   provided by init, getty and login on character terminals: prompting for
   login name  and  password,  authenticating  the  user,  and  running  a
   ``session.''

   A  ``session''  is  defined by the lifetime of a particular process; in
   the traditional character-based terminal world, it is the user's  login
   shell.   In  the xdm context, it is an arbitrary session manager.  This
   is because in a windowing environment, a  user's  login  shell  process
   does  not  necessarily  have  any terminal-like interface with which to
   connect.  When a real  session  manager  is  not  available,  a  window
   manager  or  terminal  emulator  is  typically  used  as  the ``session
   manager,'' meaning that termination  of  this  process  terminates  the
   user's session.

   When   the   session  is  terminated,  xdm  resets  the  X  server  and
   (optionally) restarts the whole process.

   When xdm receives an Indirect query via XDMCP, it  can  run  a  chooser
   process  to  perform  an  XDMCP  BroadcastQuery  (or  an XDMCP Query to
   specified hosts) on behalf of the display and offer a menu of  possible
   hosts that offer XDMCP display management.  This feature is useful with
   X terminals that do not offer a host menu themselves.

   Xdm can be configured to ignore BroadcastQuery messages  from  selected
   hosts.   This is useful when you don't want the host to appear in menus
   produced by chooser or X terminals themselves.

   Because xdm provides the first interface that users  will  see,  it  is
   designed  to  be  simple to use and easy to customize to the needs of a
   particular site.  Xdm has many options, most of which  have  reasonable
   defaults.   Browse through the various sections of this manual, picking
   and choosing the things you want to change.  Pay  particular  attention
   to  the  Session Program section, which will describe how to set up the
   style of session desired.

OVERVIEW

   xdm is highly configurable, and most of its behavior can be  controlled
   by  resource  files  and  shell  scripts.   The  names  of  these files
   themselves are resources read from the  file  xdm-config  or  the  file
   named by the -config option.

   xdm  offers  display  management  two  different ways.  It can manage X
   servers running on the local machine and specified in Xservers, and  it
   can  manage  remote  X servers (typically X terminals) using XDMCP (the
   XDM Control Protocol) as specified in the Xaccess file.

   The resources of the X clients run by xdm outside the  user's  session,
   including  xdm's own login window, can be affected by setting resources
   in the Xresources file.

   For X terminals that do not offer  a  menu  of  hosts  to  get  display
   management  from,  xdm  can  collect  willing hosts and run the chooser
   program to offer the user a menu.  For X displays attached to  a  host,
   this  step  is  typically  not used, as the local host does the display
   management.

   After resetting the X server, xdm runs the Xsetup script to  assist  in
   setting up the screen the user sees along with the xlogin widget.

   The  xlogin  widget,  which xdm presents, offers the familiar login and
   password prompts.

   After the user logs in, xdm runs the Xstartup script as root.

   Then xdm runs the Xsession script as the  user.   This  system  session
   file  may  do  some additional startup and typically runs the .xsession
   script in the user's home directory.  When the Xsession  script  exits,
   the session is over.

   At  the end of the session, the Xreset script is run to clean up, the X
   server is reset, and the cycle starts over.

   The file  /var/log/xdm.log will contain error  messages  from  xdm  and
   anything  output  to  stderr  by  Xsetup, Xstartup, Xsession or Xreset.
   When you have trouble getting xdm working, check this file  to  see  if
   xdm has any clues to the trouble.

OPTIONS

   All  of  these  options, except -config itself, specify values that can
   also be specified in the configuration file as resources.

   -config configuration_file
          Names the  configuration  file,  which  specifies  resources  to
          control  the  behavior  of  xdm.  /etc/X11/xdm/xdm-config is the
          default.  See the section Configuration File.

   -nodaemon
          Specifies     ``false''     as     the     value     for     the
          DisplayManager.daemonMode  resource.  This suppresses the normal
          daemon behavior, which is for xdm to close all file descriptors,
          disassociate  itself  from  the  controlling  terminal,  and put
          itself in the background when it first starts up.

   -debug debug_level
          Specifies the numeric value  for  the  DisplayManager.debugLevel
          resource.   A  non-zero  value  causes  xdm  to  print  lots  of
          debugging statements to  the  terminal;  it  also  disables  the
          DisplayManager.daemonMode   resource,   forcing   xdm   to   run
          synchronously.  To interpret these debugging messages, a copy of
          the  source  code for xdm is almost a necessity.  No attempt has
          been made to rationalize or standardize the output.

   -error error_log_file
          Specifies  the   value   for   the   DisplayManager.errorLogFile
          resource.   This  file  contains  errors  from  xdm  as  well as
          anything written to stderr by the various scripts  and  programs
          run during the progress of the session.

   -resources resource_file
          Specifies  the  value for the DisplayManager*resources resource.
          This file is  loaded  using  xrdb(1)  to  specify  configuration
          parameters for the authentication widget.

   -server server_entry
          Specifies  the  value  for  the DisplayManager.servers resource.
          See the section Local Server Specification for a description  of
          this resource.

   -udpPort port_number
          Specifies the value for the DisplayManager.requestPort resource.
          This sets the port-number  which  xdm  will  monitor  for  XDMCP
          requests.  If set to 0, xdm will not listen for XDMCP or Chooser
          requests.  As XDMCP uses the registered well-known UDP port 177,
          this  resource  should  not  be changed to a value other than 0,
          except for debugging.

   -session session_program
          Specifies the value  for  the  DisplayManager*session  resource.
          This  indicates the program to run as the session after the user
          has logged in.

   -xrm resource_specification
          Allows an arbitrary resource to  be  specified,  as  in  most  X
          Toolkit applications.

RESOURCES

   At  many stages the actions of xdm can be controlled through the use of
   its configuration file, which  is  in  the  X  resource  format.   Some
   resources  modify  the  behavior  of  xdm on all displays, while others
   modify its behavior on a single display.  Where  actions  relate  to  a
   specific  display,  the display name is inserted into the resource name
   between ``DisplayManager'' and the final resource name segment.

   For local displays, the resource name and class are as  read  from  the
   Xservers file.

   For  remote  displays, the resource name is what the network address of
   the display resolves to.  See the removeDomain resource.  The name must
   match  exactly;  xdm is not aware of all the network aliases that might
   reach a given display.  If the name resolve fails, the address is used.
   The  resource  class  is  as  sent  by  the display in the XDMCP Manage
   request.

   Because the resource manager uses colons to separate the  name  of  the
   resource  from  its value and dots to separate resource name parts, xdm
   substitutes underscores for both dots and colons  when  generating  the
   resource name.  For example, DisplayManager.expo_x_org_0.startup is the
   name of the resource which defines  the  startup  shell  file  for  the
   ``expo.x.org:0'' display.

   DisplayManager.servers
          This  resource  either  specifies  a  file  name  full of server
          entries, one per line (if the value starts with a slash),  or  a
          single server entry.  See the section Local Server Specification
          for the details.

   DisplayManager.requestPort
          This indicates the UDP port number which xdm uses to listen  for
          incoming  XDMCP  requests.  Unless you need to debug the system,
          leave this with its default value of 177.

   DisplayManager.errorLogFile
          Error output is normally directed at  the  system  console.   To
          redirect it, set this resource to a file name.  A method to send
          these messages to syslog should be developed for  systems  which
          support  it;  however,  the wide variety of interfaces precludes
          any system-independent implementation.  This file also  contains
          any  output directed to stderr by the Xsetup, Xstartup, Xsession
          and Xreset files, so it will contain descriptions of problems in
          those scripts as well.

   DisplayManager.debugLevel
          If  the  integer  value  of  this resource is greater than zero,
          reams  of  debugging  information  will  be  printed.   It  also
          disables  daemon mode, which would redirect the information into
          the bit-bucket, and allows non-root  users  to  run  xdm,  which
          would normally not be useful.

   DisplayManager.daemonMode
          Normally,  xdm  attempts  to  make  itself into a daemon process
          unassociated with any terminal.  This is accomplished by forking
          and  leaving  the  parent  process  to  exit,  then closing file
          descriptors and releasing the  controlling  terminal.   In  some
          environments   this   is   not   desired  (in  particular,  when
          debugging).  Setting this resource  to  ``false''  will  disable
          this feature.

   DisplayManager.pidFile
          The  filename  specified  will  be  created  to contain an ASCII
          representation of the process-id of the main xdm  process.   Xdm
          also  uses  file  locking  on  this file to attempt to eliminate
          multiple daemons running on the same machine, which would  cause
          quite a bit of havoc.

   DisplayManager.lockPidFile
          This  is  the  resource  which  controls  whether  xdm uses file
          locking to keep multiple display managers from running amok.  On
          System V, this uses the lockf library call, while on BSD it uses
          flock.

   DisplayManager.authDir
          This names a directory  under  which  xdm  stores  authorization
          files  while  initializing  the  session.   The default value is
          /var/lib/xdm.   Can  be  overridden  for  specific  displays  by
          DisplayManager.DISPLAY.authFile.

   DisplayManager.autoRescan
          This  boolean  controls  whether  xdm rescans the configuration,
          servers, access control and authentication keys  files  after  a
          session terminates and the files have changed.  By default it is
          ``true.''  You can force xdm to reread these files by sending  a
          SIGHUP to the main process.

   DisplayManager.removeDomainname
          When  computing  the  display  name  for XDMCP clients, the name
          resolver will typically create a fully qualified host  name  for
          the  terminal.   As this is sometimes confusing, xdm will remove
          the domain name portion of the host name if it is  the  same  as
          the domain name of the local host when this variable is set.  By
          default the value is ``true.''

   DisplayManager.keyFile
          XDM-AUTHENTICATION-1 style XDMCP authentication requires that  a
          private  key  be  shared  between  xdm  and  the terminal.  This
          resource specifies the file containing those values.  Each entry
          in  the  file consists of a display name and the shared key.  By
          default, xdm does not include support for  XDM-AUTHENTICATION-1,
          as  it requires DES which is not generally distributable because
          of United States export restrictions.

   DisplayManager.accessFile
          To prevent unauthorized XDMCP service and to allow forwarding of
          XDMCP  IndirectQuery  requests, this file contains a database of
          hostnames  which  are  either  allowed  direct  access  to  this
          machine,  or  have  a  list  of hosts to which queries should be
          forwarded to.  The format of  this  file  is  described  in  the
          section XDMCP Access Control.

   DisplayManager.exportList
          A  list  of additional environment variables, separated by white
          space, to pass on to the Xsetup, Xstartup, Xsession, and  Xreset
          programs.

   DisplayManager.randomFile
          A  file  to checksum to generate the seed of authorization keys.
          This should be a file that changes frequently.  The  default  is
          /dev/mem.

   DisplayManager.randomDevice
          A   file   to  read  8  bytes  from  to  generate  the  seed  of
          authorization keys.  The default is  /dev/urandom . If this file
          cannot be read, or if a read blocks for more than 5 seconds, xdm
          falls back to using a checksum of  DisplayManager.randomFile  to
          generate the seed.

   DisplayManager.prngdSocket

   DisplayManager.prngPort
          A  UNIX  domain socket name or a TCP socket port number on local
          host on which a Pseudo-Random Number Generator Daemon, like  EGD
          (http://egd.sourceforge.net)  is listening, in order to generate
          the autorization keys. Either a non null port or a valid  socket
          name  must  be  specified. The default is to use the Unix-domain
          socket /tmp/entropy.

   On systems that don't have such a daemon, a fall-back entropy gathering
   system,  based on various log file contents hashed by the MD5 algorithm
   is used instead.

   DisplayManager.greeterLib
          On systems that support a dynamically-loadable greeter  library,
          the name of the library.  The default is
           /usr/lib/X11/xdm/libXdmGreet.so.

   DisplayManager.choiceTimeout
          Number  of seconds to wait for display to respond after user has
          selected a host from the chooser.  If the display sends an XDMCP
          IndirectQuery  within this time, the request is forwarded to the
          chosen host.  Otherwise, it is assumed to be from a new  session
          and the chooser is offered again.  Default is 15.

   DisplayManager.sourceAddress
          Use  the  numeric  IP  address  of  the  incoming  connection on
          multihomed hosts instead of the host  name.  This  is  to  avoid
          trying  to connect on the wrong interface which might be down at
          this time.

   DisplayManager.willing
          This specifies a program which is run (as) root when an an XDMCP
          BroadcastQuery  is received and this host is configured to offer
          XDMCP display management. The output  of  this  program  may  be
          displayed  on a chooser window.  If no program is specified, the
          string Willing to manage is sent.

   DisplayManager.DISPLAY.resources
          This resource specifies the name of the file  to  be  loaded  by
          xrdb  as  the resource database onto the root window of screen 0
          of the display.  The  Xsetup  program,  the  Login  widget,  and
          chooser  will use the resources set in this file.  This resource
          data base is loaded just before the authentication procedure  is
          started,  so  it can control the appearance of the login window.
          See the  section  Authentication  Widget,  which  describes  the
          various  resources  that  are appropriate to place in this file.
          There is no default value for this resource, but
           /etc/X11/xdm/Xresources is the conventional name.

   DisplayManager.DISPLAY.chooser
          Specifies the program run to offer  a  host  menu  for  Indirect
          queries redirected to the special host name CHOOSER.
           /usr/lib/X11/xdm/chooser   is  the  default.   See the sections
          XDMCP Access Control and Chooser.

   DisplayManager.DISPLAY.xrdb
          Specifies the program used to load the resources.   By  default,
          xdm uses  /usr/bin/xrdb.

   DisplayManager.DISPLAY.cpp
          This  specifies  the name of the C preprocessor which is used by
          xrdb.

   DisplayManager.DISPLAY.setup
          This specifies a program which is run (as root) before  offering
          the  Login window.  This may be used to change the appearance of
          the screen around the Login window or to put  up  other  windows
          (e.g.,  you  may  want  to  run  xconsole here).  By default, no
          program is run.  The conventional name for a file used  here  is
          Xsetup.  See the section Setup Program.

   DisplayManager.DISPLAY.startup
          This  specifies  a  program  which  is  run  (as root) after the
          authentication process succeeds.  By default, no program is run.
          The conventional name for a file used here is Xstartup.  See the
          section Startup Program.

   DisplayManager.DISPLAY.session
          This specifies the session to be executed (not running as root).
          By  default,   /usr/bin/xterm  is run.  The conventional name is
          Xsession.  See the section Session Program.

   DisplayManager.DISPLAY.reset
          This specifies a program  which  is  run  (as  root)  after  the
          session  terminates.   By  default,  no  program  is  run.   The
          conventional name is Xreset.  See the section Reset Program.

   DisplayManager.DISPLAY.openDelay

   DisplayManager.DISPLAY.openRepeat

   DisplayManager.DISPLAY.openTimeout

   DisplayManager.DISPLAY.startAttempts

   DisplayManager.DISPLAY.reservAttempts
          These  numeric  resources  control  the  behavior  of  xdm  when
          attempting  to  open  intransigent  servers.   openDelay  is the
          length of the pause  in  seconds  between  successive  attempts,
          openRepeat is the number of attempts to make, openTimeout is the
          amount of time to wait while actually attempting the open (i.e.,
          the  maximum  time  spent  in  the  connect(2)  system call) and
          startAttempts is the number of times this entire process is done
          before  giving up on the server.  After openRepeat attempts have
          been made, or if openTimeout seconds elapse  in  any  particular
          attempt,  xdm  terminates and restarts the server, attempting to
          connect again.  This process is repeated startAttempts times, at
          which point the display is declared dead and disabled.  Although
          this behavior  may  seem  arbitrary,  it  has  been  empirically
          developed  and  works  quite  well  on  most systems.  The bound
          reservAttempts is the number of times a  successful  connect  is
          allowed  to  be  followed  by  a fatal error.  When reached, the
          display is disabled.  The  default  values  are  openDelay:  15,
          openRepeat:   5,   openTimeout:   120,   startAttempts:   4  and
          reservAttempts: 2.

   DisplayManager.DISPLAY.pingInterval

   DisplayManager.DISPLAY.pingTimeout
          To discover when remote  displays  disappear,  xdm  occasionally
          pings them, using an X connection and XSync calls.  pingInterval
          specifies the time  (in  minutes)  between  each  ping  attempt,
          pingTimeout specifies the maximum amount of time (in minutes) to
          wait for the  terminal  to  respond  to  the  request.   If  the
          terminal  does  not  respond,  the  session is declared dead and
          terminated.  By default, both are set  to  5  minutes.   If  you
          frequently  use  X  terminals which can become isolated from the
          managing host, you may wish to increase this  value.   The  only
          worry is that sessions will continue to exist after the terminal
          has  been  accidentally  disabled.   xdm  will  not  ping  local
          displays.   Although  it  would  seem harmless, it is unpleasant
          when the workstation session is terminated as a  result  of  the
          server hanging for NFS service and not responding to the ping.

   DisplayManager.DISPLAY.terminateServer
          This  boolean  resource specifies whether the X server should be
          terminated when a session terminates (instead of resetting  it).
          This  option  can  be used when the server tends to grow without
          bound over time, in order to limit the amount of time the server
          is run.  The default value is ``false.''

   DisplayManager.DISPLAY.userPath
          Xdm  sets  the PATH environment variable for the session to this
          value.  It should be a colon separated list of directories;  see
          sh(1)   for   a   full   description.    The  default  value  is
          ``/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/games''.

   DisplayManager.DISPLAY.systemPath
          Xdm sets the PATH environment variable for the startup and reset
          scripts  to  the  value  of this resource.  The default for this
          resource                                                      is
          ``/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin''.
          Note the absence of ``.'' from  this  entry.   This  is  a  good
          practice  to follow for root; it avoids many common Trojan Horse
          system penetration schemes.

   DisplayManager.DISPLAY.systemShell
          Xdm sets the SHELL environment  variable  for  the  startup  and
          reset  scripts  to the value of this resource.  It is /bin/sh by
          default.

   DisplayManager.DISPLAY.failsafeClient
          If the default session fails to execute, xdm will fall  back  to
          this  program.   This program is executed with no arguments, but
          executes using the same environment  variables  as  the  session
          would  have  had (see the section Session Program).  By default,
          /usr/bin/xterm is used.

   DisplayManager.DISPLAY.grabServer

   DisplayManager.DISPLAY.grabTimeout
          To improve security, xdm grabs the  server  and  keyboard  while
          reading  the  login  name and password.  The grabServer resource
          specifies if the server should be held for the duration  of  the
          name/password  reading.  When ``false,'' the server is ungrabbed
          after the  keyboard  grab  succeeds,  otherwise  the  server  is
          grabbed  until  just  before the session begins.  The default is
          ``false.''  The grabTimeout resource specifies the maximum  time
          xdm  will  wait  for  the grab to succeed.  The grab may fail if
          some other client has the server grabbed,  or  possibly  if  the
          network  latencies  are  very high.  This resource has a default
          value of 3 seconds; you should be cautious when raising it, as a
          user  can  be spoofed by a look-alike window on the display.  If
          the grab fails, xdm kills and restarts the server (if  possible)
          and the session.

   DisplayManager.DISPLAY.authorize

   DisplayManager.DISPLAY.authName
          authorize  is  a  boolean  resource  which  controls whether xdm
          generates  and  uses  authorization   for   the   local   server
          connections.   If  authorization  is used, authName is a list of
          authorization mechanisms  to  use,  separated  by  white  space.
          XDMCP   connections   dynamically  specify  which  authorization
          mechanisms are supported, so authName is ignored in  this  case.
          When  authorize  is  set  for a display and authorization is not
          available, the user is informed by having  a  different  message
          displayed  in  the  login  widget.   By  default,  authorize  is
          ``true,''   authName  is  ``MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1,''  or,  if  XDM-
          AUTHORIZATION-1  is  available, ``XDM-AUTHORIZATION-1 MIT-MAGIC-
          COOKIE-1.''

   DisplayManager.DISPLAY.authFile
          This file is used to communicate the authorization data from xdm
          to  the  server, using the -auth server command line option.  It
          should be kept in a directory which is not world-writable as  it
          could  easily  be removed, disabling the authorization mechanism
          in the server.  If not  specified,  a  name  is  generated  from
          DisplayManager.authDir and the name of the display.

   DisplayManager.DISPLAY.authComplain
          If set to ``false,'' disables the use of the unsecureGreeting in
          the login window.  See the section Authentication  Widget.   The
          default is ``true.''

   DisplayManager.DISPLAY.resetSignal
          The number of the signal xdm sends to reset the server.  See the
          section Controlling the Server.  The default is 1 (SIGHUP).

   DisplayManager.DISPLAY.termSignal
          The number of the signal xdm sends to terminate the server.  See
          the   section   Controlling  the  Server.   The  default  is  15
          (SIGTERM).

   DisplayManager.DISPLAY.resetForAuth
          The original  implementation  of  authorization  in  the  sample
          server  reread  the  authorization  file  at  server reset time,
          instead  of  when  checking  the  initial  connection.   As  xdm
          generates  the  authorization information just before connecting
          to  the  display,  an  old  server  would  not  get   up-to-date
          authorization  information.   This  resource  causes xdm to send
          SIGHUP to the server after  setting  up  the  file,  causing  an
          additional  server  reset  to  occur,  during which time the new
          authorization  information  will  be  read.   The   default   is
          ``false,'' which will work for all MIT servers.

   DisplayManager.DISPLAY.userAuthDir
          When xdm is unable to write to the usual user authorization file
          ($HOME/.Xauthority), it creates  a  unique  file  name  in  this
          directory  and points the environment variable XAUTHORITY at the
          created file.  It uses /tmp by default.

CONFIGURATION FILE

   First, the xdm configuration file should be set up.  Make  a  directory
   (usually  /etc/X11/xdm) to contain all of the relevant files.

   Here  is  a  reasonable  configuration  file, which could be named xdm-
   config:

        DisplayManager.servers:            /etc/X11/xdm/Xservers
        DisplayManager.errorLogFile:       /var/log/xdm.log
        DisplayManager*resources:          /etc/X11/xdm/Xresources
        DisplayManager*startup:            /etc/X11/xdm/Xstartup
        DisplayManager*session:            /etc/X11/xdm/Xsession
        DisplayManager.pidFile:            /var/run/xdm-pid
        DisplayManager._0.authorize:       true
        DisplayManager*authorize:          false

   Note that this file mostly contains references to  other  files.   Note
   also that some of the resources are specified with ``*'' separating the
   components.  These resources can be  made  unique  for  each  different
   display,  by  replacing  the  ``*'' with the display-name, but normally
   this is not very useful.  See the  Resources  section  for  a  complete
   discussion.

XDMCP ACCESS CONTROL

   The  database  file specified by the DisplayManager.accessFile provides
   information which xdm uses to control access from  displays  requesting
   XDMCP  service.   This  file  contains three types of entries:  entries
   which control the response to Direct  and  Broadcast  queries,  entries
   which control the response to Indirect queries, and macro definitions.

   The  format  of  the  Direct entries is simple, either a host name or a
   pattern, which is distinguished from a host name by  the  inclusion  of
   one  or  more  meta  characters  (`*' matches any sequence of 0 or more
   characters, and `?' matches any single character)  which  are  compared
   against  the  host  name of the display device.  If the entry is a host
   name, all comparisons are done using network  addresses,  so  any  name
   which  converts  to  the  correct  network  address  may  be used.  For
   patterns, only canonical host names are  used  in  the  comparison,  so
   ensure  that  you  do not attempt to match aliases.  Preceding either a
   host name or a pattern with a `!' character causes  hosts  which  match
   that entry to be excluded.

   To  only  respond  to  Direct  queries for a host or pattern, it can be
   followed by the optional ``NOBROADCAST'' keyword.  This can be used  to
   prevent  an  xdm  server  from  appearing  on  menus based on Broadcast
   queries.

   An Indirect entry also contains a host name or pattern, but follows  it
   with a list of host names or macros to which indirect queries should be
   sent.

   A macro definition contains a macro name and a list of host  names  and
   other  macros  that  the  macro expands to.  To distinguish macros from
   hostnames, macro names start with  a  `%'  character.   Macros  may  be
   nested.

   Indirect  entries  may  also specify to have xdm run chooser to offer a
   menu of hosts to connect to.  See the section Chooser.

   When checking access for a  particular  display  host,  each  entry  is
   scanned  in  turn and the first matching entry determines the response.
   Direct and Broadcast entries are ignored when scanning for an  Indirect
   entry and vice-versa.

   Blank  lines are ignored, `#' is treated as a comment delimiter causing
   the rest of that line to be ignored, and `\newline' causes the  newline
   to be ignored, allowing indirect host lists to span multiple lines.

   Here is an example Xaccess file:

   #
   # Xaccess - XDMCP access control file
   #

   #
   # Direct/Broadcast query entries
   #

   !xtra.lcs.mit.edu   # disallow direct/broadcast service for xtra
   bambi.ogi.edu       # allow access from this particular display
   *.lcs.mit.edu       # allow access from any display in LCS

   *.deshaw.com        NOBROADCAST         # allow only direct access
   *.gw.com                                # allow direct and broadcast

   #
   # Indirect query entries
   #

   %HOSTS              expo.lcs.mit.edu xenon.lcs.mit.edu \
                       excess.lcs.mit.edu kanga.lcs.mit.edu

   extract.lcs.mit.edu xenon.lcs.mit.edu   #force extract to contact xenon
   !xtra.lcs.mit.edu   dummy               #disallow indirect access
   *.lcs.mit.edu       %HOSTS              #all others get to choose

   If  compiled  with  IPv6  support, multicast address groups may also be
   included in  the  list  of  addresses  indirect  queries  are  set  to.
   Multicast  addresses may be followed by an optional / character and hop
   count. If no hop count is specified, the multicast hop  count  defaults
   to  1,  keeping the packet on the local network. For IPv4 multicasting,
   the hop count is used as the TTL.

   Examples:

   rincewind.sample.net ff02::1                 #IPv6 Multicast to ff02::1
                                                #with a hop count of 1
   ponder.sample.net    CHOOSER 239.192.1.1/16  #Offer a menu of hosts
                                                #who respond to IPv4 Multicast
                                                # to 239.192.1.1 with a TTL of 16

CHOOSER

   For X terminals that do not offer a host menu for use with Broadcast or
   Indirect  queries,  the  chooser  program can do this for them.  In the
   Xaccess file, specify ``CHOOSER'' as the first entry  in  the  Indirect
   host  list.  Chooser will send a Query request to each of the remaining
   host names in the list and offer a menu of all the hosts that respond.

   The list may consist of the word ``BROADCAST,'' in which  case  chooser
   will  send a Broadcast instead, again offering a menu of all hosts that
   respond.  Note that on some operating systems, UDP  packets  cannot  be
   broadcast, so this feature will not work.

   Example Xaccess file using chooser:

   extract.lcs.mit.edu  CHOOSER %HOSTS          #offer a menu of these hosts
   xtra.lcs.mit.edu     CHOOSER BROADCAST       #offer a menu of all hosts

   The    program    to    use   for   chooser   is   specified   by   the
   DisplayManager.DISPLAY.chooser resource.  For more flexibility at  this
   step,  the  chooser  could  be  a shell script.  Chooser is the session
   manager here; it is run instead of a child xdm to manage the display.

   Resources  for  this  program  can  be  put  into  the  file  named  by
   DisplayManager.DISPLAY.resources.

   When  the user selects a host, chooser prints the host chosen, which is
   read by the parent xdm, and exits.  xdm closes its connection to the  X
   server, and the server resets and sends another Indirect XDMCP request.
   xdm  remembers  the  user's  choice  (for  DisplayManager.choiceTimeout
   seconds)  and  forwards  the request to the chosen host, which starts a
   session on that display.

LISTEN

   The following configuration directive is also defined for  the  Xaccess
   configuration file:

   LISTEN interface [list of multicast group addresses]
          interface may be a hostname or IP address representing a network
          interface on this machine, or the wildcard *  to  represent  all
          available network interfaces.

   If  one  or more LISTEN lines are specified, xdm only listens for XDMCP
   connections on the specified interfaces. If multicast  group  addresses
   are  listed  on  a  listen  line, xdm joins the multicast groups on the
   given interface.

   If no LISTEN lines are given, the original behavior of listening on all
   interfaces  is preserved for backwards compatibility.  Additionally, if
   no LISTEN is specified, xdm joins  the  default  XDMCP  IPv6  multicast
   group, when compiled with IPv6 support.

   To  disable listening for XDMCP connections altogther, a line of LISTEN
   with no addresses may be specified, or the previously supported  method
   of setting DisplayManager.requestPort to 0 may be used.

   Examples:
   LISTEN * ff02::1    # Listen on all interfaces and to the
                       # ff02::1 IPv6 multicast group.
   LISTEN 10.11.12.13  # Listen only on this interface, as long
                       # as no other listen directives appear in
                       # file.

IPv6 MULTICAST ADDRESS SPECIFICATION

   The    Internet   Assigned   Numbers   Authority   has   has   assigned
   ff0X:0:0:0:0:0:0:12b as the permanently  assigned  range  of  multicast
   addresses  for  XDMCP. The X in the prefix may be replaced by any valid
   scope identifier, such as 1 for Interface-Local, 2  for  Link-Local,  5
   for  Site-Local,  and so on.  (See IETF RFC 4291 or its replacement for
   further details and scope definitions.)  xdm defaults to  listening  on
   the Link-Local scope address ff02:0:0:0:0:0:0:12b to most closely match
   the old IPv4 subnet broadcast behavior.

LOCAL SERVER SPECIFICATION

   The resource DisplayManager.servers gives a server specification or, if
   the  values  starts  with  a  slash  (/), the name of a file containing
   server specifications, one per line.

   Each specification indicates  a  display  which  should  constantly  be
   managed  and  which  is not using XDMCP.  This method is used typically
   for local servers only.  If the resource  or  the  file  named  by  the
   resource is empty, xdm will offer XDMCP service only.

   Each specification consists of at least three parts:  a display name, a
   display class, a display type, and (for local servers) a  command  line
   to  start the server.  A typical entry for local display number 0 would
   be:

     :0 Digital-QV local /usr/bin/X :0

   The display types are:

   local     local display: xdm must run the server
   foreign   remote display: xdm opens an X connection to a running server

   The display name must be something that can be passed in  the  -display
   option  to  an X program.  This string is used to generate the display-
   specific resource names, so be careful to match the  names  (e.g.,  use
   ``:0  Sun-CG3  local  /usr/bin/X  :0'' instead of ``localhost:0 Sun-CG3
   local  /usr/bin/X  :0''  if  your  other  resources  are  specified  as
   ``DisplayManager._0.session'').  The display class portion is also used
   in the display-specific resources, as the class of the resource.   This
   is useful if you have a large collection of similar displays (such as a
   corral of X terminals) and would like to set resources  for  groups  of
   them.  When using XDMCP, the display is required to specify the display
   class, so the manual for your particular X terminal should document the
   display  class  string for your device.  If it doesn't, you can run xdm
   in debug mode and look at the resource strings which it  generates  for
   that device, which will include the class string.

   When  xdm  starts  a  session,  it  sets  up authorization data for the
   server.  For local  servers,  xdm  passes  ``-auth  filename''  on  the
   server's command line to point it at its authorization data.  For XDMCP
   servers, xdm passes the authorization data to the server via the Accept
   XDMCP request.

RESOURCES FILE

   The  Xresources  file is loaded onto the display as a resource database
   using xrdb.  As the authentication widget reads  this  database  before
   starting up, it usually contains parameters for that widget:

        xlogin*login.translations: #override\
             Ctrl<Key>R: abort-display()\n\
             <Key>F1: set-session-argument(failsafe) finish-field()\n\
             <Key>Return: set-session-argument() finish-field()
        xlogin*borderWidth: 3
        xlogin*greeting: CLIENTHOST
        #ifdef COLOR
        xlogin*greetColor: CadetBlue
        xlogin*failColor: red
        #endif

   Please note the translations entry; it specifies a few new translations
   for the widget which allow users to escape  from  the  default  session
   (and  avoid  troubles that may occur in it).  Note that if #override is
   not specified, the default translations are removed and replaced by the
   new value, not a very useful result as some of the default translations
   are quite useful (such as ``<Key>: insert-char ()'' which  responds  to
   normal typing).

   This file may also contain resources for the setup program and chooser.

SETUP PROGRAM

   The  Xsetup file is run after the server is reset, but before the Login
   window is offered.  The file is typically a shell script.  It is run as
   root, so should be careful about security.  This is the place to change
   the root background or bring up other windows that should appear on the
   screen along with the Login widget.

   In   addition   to  any  specified  by  DisplayManager.exportList,  the
   following environment variables are passed:

        DISPLAY        the associated display name
        PATH           the value of DisplayManager.DISPLAY.systemPath
        SHELL          the value of DisplayManager.DISPLAY.systemShell
        XAUTHORITY     may be set to an authority file

   Note that since xdm grabs the keyboard, any other windows will  not  be
   able to receive keyboard input.  They will be able to interact with the
   mouse,  however;  beware  of  potential  security   holes   here.    If
   DisplayManager.DISPLAY.grabServer  is  set,  Xsetup will not be able to
   connect to the display at all.  Resources for this program can  be  put
   into the file named by DisplayManager.DISPLAY.resources.

   Here is a sample Xsetup script:

        #!/bin/sh
        # Xsetup_0 - setup script for one workstation
        xcmsdb < /etc/X11/xdm/monitors/alex.0
        xconsole -geometry 480x130-0-0 -notify -verbose -exitOnFail &

AUTHENTICATION WIDGET

   The  authentication widget prompts the user for the username, password,
   and/or other required authentication data from  the  keyboard.   Nearly
   every   imaginable   parameter  can  be  controlled  with  a  resource.
   Resources for this  widget  should  be  put  into  the  file  named  by
   DisplayManager.DISPLAY.resources.  All of these have reasonable default
   values, so it is not necessary to specify any of them.

   The  resource  file  is  loaded  with  xrdb(1)  so  it  may   use   the
   substitutions defined by that program such as CLIENTHOST for the client
   hostname in the login message, or C pre-processor #ifdef statements  to
   produce different displays depending on color depth or other variables.

   Xdm  can  be  compiled  with  support  for  the Xft(3) library for font
   rendering.   If this support is present, font faces are specified using
   the  resources  with  names  ending  in ``face'' in the fontconfig face
   format described in the Font Names section of fonts.conf(5).   If  not,
   then  fonts  are  specified  using  the  resources with names ending in
   ``font'' in the traditional X Logical Font Description format described
   in the Font Names section of X(7).

   xlogin.Login.width, xlogin.Login.height, xlogin.Login.x, xlogin.Login.y
          The   geometry   of   the  Login  widget  is  normally  computed
          automatically.  If you wish to position  it  elsewhere,  specify
          each of these resources.

   xlogin.Login.foreground
          The color used to display the input typed by the user.

   xlogin.Login.face
          The  face used to display the input typed by the user when built
          with Xft support.  The default is ``Serif-18''.

   xlogin.Login.font
          The font used to display the input typed by the  user  when  not
          built with Xft support.

   xlogin.Login.greeting
          A  string  which  identifies  this  window.   The default is ``X
          Window System.''

   xlogin.Login.unsecureGreeting
          When X authorization is requested in the configuration file  for
          this  display  and  none  is  in use, this greeting replaces the
          standard  greeting.   The  default  is  ``This  is  an  unsecure
          session''

   xlogin.Login.greetFace
          The  face  used  to  display  the  greeting  when built with Xft
          support.  The default is ``Serif-24:italic''.

   xlogin.Login.greetFont
          The font used to display the greeting when not  built  with  Xft
          support.

   xlogin.Login.greetColor
          The color used to display the greeting.

   xlogin.Login.namePrompt
          The  string  displayed  to  prompt for a user name.  Xrdb strips
          trailing white space from resource values, so to add  spaces  at
          the end of the prompt (usually a nice thing), add spaces escaped
          with backslashes.  The default is ``Login:  ''

   xlogin.Login.passwdPrompt
          The string displayed to prompt for a password, when not using an
          authentication system such as PAM that provides its own prompts.
          The default is ``Password:  ''

   xlogin.Login.promptFace
          The face used to display prompts when built  with  Xft  support.
          The default is ``Serif-18:bold''.

   xlogin.Login.promptFont
          The  font  used  to  display  prompts  when  not  built with Xft
          support.

   xlogin.Login.promptColor
          The color used to display prompts.

   xlogin.Login.changePasswdMessage
          A message  which  is  displayed  when  the  users  password  has
          expired.  The default is ``Password Change Required''

   xlogin.Login.fail
          A message which is displayed when the authentication fails, when
          not using an authentication system such as PAM that provides its
          own prompts.  The default is ``Login incorrect''

   xlogin.Login.failFace
          The face used to display the failure message when built with Xft
          support.  The default is ``Serif-18:bold''.

   xlogin.Login.failFont
          The font used to display the failure message when not built with
          Xft support.

   xlogin.Login.failColor
          The color used to display the failure message.

   xlogin.Login.failTimeout
          The  number  of  seconds  that the failure message is displayed.
          The default is 10.

   xlogin.Login.logoFileName
          Name of an XPM format pixmap to display in the  greeter  window,
          if built with XPM support.   The default is no pixmap.

   xlogin.Login.logoPadding
          Number  of  pixels  of  space  between the logo pixmap and other
          elements of the greeter window, if the pixmap is displayed.  The
          default is 5.

   xlogin.Login.useShape
          If  set to ``true'', when built with XPM support, attempt to use
          the X Non-Rectangular Window Shape Extension to set  the  window
          shape.  The default is ``true''.

   xlogin.Login.hiColor, xlogin.Login.shdColor
          Raised  appearance  bezels may be drawn around the greeter frame
          and text input boxes by setting these resources.  hiColor is the
          highlight  color,  used  on the top and left sides of the frame,
          and the bottom and right sides of text input  areas.    shdColor
          is  the  shadow color, used on the bottom and right sides of the
          frame, and the top and left sides  of  text  input  areas.   The
          default  for  both  is  the  foreground  color, providing a flat
          appearance.

   xlogin.Login.frameWidth
          frameWidth is the width in pixels of the area around the greeter
          frame drawn in hiColor and shdColor.

   xlogin.Login.innerFramesWidth
          innerFramesWidth  is the width in pixels of the area around text
          input areas drawn in hiColor and shdColor.

   xlogin.Login.sepWidth
          sepWidth is the width in pixels of the bezeled line between  the
          greeting and input areas drawn in hiColor and shdColor.

   xlogin.Login.allowRootLogin
          If  set  to ``false'', don't allow root (and any other user with
          uid = 0) to log in directly.  The  default  is  ``true''.   This
          setting  is  only checked by some of the authentication backends
          at this time.

   xlogin.Login.allowNullPasswd
          If set to ``true'', allow an otherwise failing password match to
          succeed  if the account does not require a password at all.  The
          default is ``false'', so only users that have passwords assigned
          can log in.

   xlogin.Login.echoPasswd
          If  set  to  ``true'',  a placeholder character (echoPasswdChar)
          will be shown for fields normally  set  to  not  echo,  such  as
          password input.  The default is ``false''.

   xlogin.Login.echoPasswdChar
          Character  to  display  if  echoPasswd  is true.  The default is
          ``*''.  If set to an empty value, the cursor  will  advance  for
          each character input, but no text will be drawn.

   xlogin.Login.translations
          This  specifies  the  translations  used  for  the login widget.
          Refer to the X Toolkit documentation for a  complete  discussion
          on translations.  The default translation table is:

               Ctrl<Key>H:    delete-previous-character() \n\
               Ctrl<Key>D:    delete-character() \n\
               Ctrl<Key>B:    move-backward-character() \n\
               Ctrl<Key>F:    move-forward-character() \n\
               Ctrl<Key>A:    move-to-begining() \n\
               Ctrl<Key>E:    move-to-end() \n\
               Ctrl<Key>K:    erase-to-end-of-line() \n\
               Ctrl<Key>U:    erase-line() \n\
               Ctrl<Key>X:    erase-line() \n\
               Ctrl<Key>C:    restart-session() \n\
               Ctrl<Key>\\:   abort-session() \n\
               <Key>BackSpace:delete-previous-character() \n\
               <Key>Delete:   delete-previous-character() \n\
               <Key>Return:   finish-field() \n\
               <Key>:         insert-char() \

   The actions which are supported by the widget are:

   delete-previous-character
          Erases the character before the cursor.

   delete-character
          Erases the character after the cursor.

   move-backward-character
          Moves the cursor backward.

   move-forward-character
          Moves the cursor forward.

   move-to-begining
          (Apologies  about  the spelling error.)  Moves the cursor to the
          beginning of the editable text.

   move-to-end
          Moves the cursor to the end of the editable text.

   erase-to-end-of-line
          Erases all text after the cursor.

   erase-line
          Erases the entire text.

   finish-field
          If the cursor is in the name field,  proceeds  to  the  password
          field;  if  the  cursor  is  in  the  password field, checks the
          current name/password pair.  If the name/password pair is valid,
          xdm  starts  the  session.   Otherwise  the  failure  message is
          displayed and the user is prompted again.

   abort-session
          Terminates and restarts the server.

   abort-display
          Terminates  the  server,  disabling  it.   This  action  is  not
          accessible  in  the  default  configuration.   There are various
          reasons to stop xdm on a system console, such as  when  shutting
          the  system  down, when using xdmshell, to start another type of
          server, or to generally  access  the  console.   Sending  xdm  a
          SIGHUP  will  restart  the display.  See the section Controlling
          XDM.

   restart-session
          Resets the X server and starts a new session.  This can be  used
          when  the  resources have been changed and you want to test them
          or when the screen has been overwritten with system messages.

   insert-char
          Inserts the character typed.

   set-session-argument
          Specifies a single word argument which is passed to the  session
          at startup.  See the section Session Program.

   allow-all-access
          Disables  access  control  in the server.  This can be used when
          the .Xauthority file cannot be created by xdm.  Be very  careful
          using  this;  it  might be better to disconnect the machine from
          the network before doing this.

   On  some  systems  (OpenBSD)  the  user's  shell  must  be  listed   in
   /etc/shells to allow login through xdm. The normal password and account
   expiration dates are enforced too.

STARTUP PROGRAM

   The Xstartup program is run as root when  the  user  logs  in.   It  is
   typically  a shell script.  Since it is run as root, Xstartup should be
   very careful about security.  This is the place to put  commands  which
   add  entries  to utmp or wtmp files, (the sessreg program may be useful
   here), mount users' home directories from file servers,  or  abort  the
   session if logins are not allowed.

   In   addition   to  any  specified  by  DisplayManager.exportList,  the
   following environment variables are passed:

        DISPLAY        the associated display name
        HOME           the initial working directory of the user
        LOGNAME        the user name
        USER           the user name
        PATH           the value of DisplayManager.DISPLAY.systemPath
        SHELL          the value of DisplayManager.DISPLAY.systemShell
        XAUTHORITY     may be set to an authority file
        WINDOWPATH     may be set to the "window path" leading to the X server

   No arguments are passed to the script.  Xdm  waits  until  this  script
   exits  before  starting  the  user  session.  If the exit value of this
   script is non-zero, xdm discontinues the  session  and  starts  another
   authentication cycle.

   The  sample  Xstartup  file  shown  here  prevents login while the file
   /etc/nologin exists.  Thus this is not a complete example, but simply a
   demonstration of the available functionality.

   Here is a sample Xstartup script:

        #!/bin/sh
        #
        # Xstartup
        #
        # This program is run as root after the user is verified
        #
        if [ -f /etc/nologin ]; then
             xmessage -file /etc/nologin -timeout 30 -center
             exit 1
        fi
        sessreg -a -l $DISPLAY -x /etc/X11/xdm/Xservers $LOGNAME
        /etc/X11/xdm/GiveConsole
        exit 0

SESSION PROGRAM

   The Xsession program is the command which is run as the user's session.
   It is run with the permissions of the authorized user.

   In  addition  to  any  specified  by   DisplayManager.exportList,   the
   following environment variables are passed:

        DISPLAY        the associated display name
        HOME           the initial working directory of the user
        LOGNAME        the user name
        USER           the user name
        PATH           the value of DisplayManager.DISPLAY.userPath
        SHELL          the user's default shell (from getpwnam)
        XAUTHORITY     may be set to a non-standard authority file
        KRB5CCNAME     may be set to a Kerberos credentials cache name
        WINDOWPATH     may be set to the "window path" leading to the X server

   At  most  installations,  Xsession  should  look  in  $HOME  for a file
   .xsession, which contains commands that each user would like to use  as
   a  session.  Xsession should also implement a system default session if
   no user-specified session exists.

   An argument may be passed  to  this  program  from  the  authentication
   widget  using  the  `set-session-argument' action.  This can be used to
   select different styles of session.  One good use of this feature is to
   allow the user to escape from the ordinary session when it fails.  This
   allows users to  repair  their  own  .xsession  if  it  fails,  without
   requiring   administrative   intervention.    The   example   following
   demonstrates this feature.

   This example recognizes the special ``failsafe'' mode, specified in the
   translations  in  the  Xresources  file,  to provide an escape from the
   ordinary  session.   It  also  requires  that  the  .xsession  file  be
   executable so we don't have to guess what shell it wants to use.

        #!/bin/sh
        #
        # Xsession
        #
        # This is the program that is run as the client
        # for the display manager.

        case $# in
        1)
             case $1 in
             failsafe)
                  exec xterm -geometry 80x24-0-0
                  ;;
             esac
        esac

        startup=$HOME/.xsession
        resources=$HOME/.Xresources

        if [ -f "$startup" ]; then
             exec "$startup"
        else
             if [ -f "$resources" ]; then
                  xrdb -load "$resources"
             fi
             twm &
             xman -geometry +10-10 &
             exec xterm -geometry 80x24+10+10 -ls
        fi

   The  user's  .xsession  file  might  look  something like this example.
   Don't forget that the file must have execute permission.
        #! /bin/csh
        # no -f in the previous line so .cshrc gets run to set $PATH
        twm &
        xrdb -merge "$HOME/.Xresources"
        emacs -geometry +0+50 &
        xbiff -geometry -430+5 &
        xterm -geometry -0+50 -ls

RESET PROGRAM

   Symmetrical with Xstartup, the Xreset script  is  run  after  the  user
   session  has  terminated.  Run as root, it should contain commands that
   undo the effects of commands in Xstartup, updating entries in  utmp  or
   wtmp   files,   or  unmounting  directories  from  file  servers.   The
   environment variables that were passed to Xstartup are also  passed  to
   Xreset.

   A sample Xreset script:
        #!/bin/sh
        #
        # Xreset
        #
        # This program is run as root after the session ends
        #
        sessreg -d -l $DISPLAY -x /etc/X11/xdm/Xservers $LOGNAME
        /etc/X11/xdm/TakeConsole
        exit 0

CONTROLLING THE SERVER

   Xdm  controls local servers using POSIX signals.  SIGHUP is expected to
   reset the server, closing all client connections and  performing  other
   cleanup duties.  SIGTERM is expected to terminate the server.  If these
   signals  do  not  perform   the   expected   actions,   the   resources
   DisplayManager.DISPLAY.resetSignal                                  and
   DisplayManager.DISPLAY.termSignal can specify alternate signals.

   To control remote terminals not using XDMCP, xdm  searches  the  window
   hierarchy on the display and uses the protocol request KillClient in an
   attempt to clean up the terminal for the next session.   This  may  not
   actually  kill  all  of  the  clients, as only those which have created
   windows will be noticed.  XDMCP provides a more  sure  mechanism;  when
   xdm closes its initial connection, the session is over and the terminal
   is required to close all other connections.

CONTROLLING XDM

   Xdm responds to two signals: SIGHUP and SIGTERM.  When sent  a  SIGHUP,
   xdm  rereads  the  configuration file, the access control file, and the
   servers file.  For the servers file, it notices if  entries  have  been
   added  or removed.  If a new entry has been added, xdm starts a session
   on the  associated  display.   Entries  which  have  been  removed  are
   disabled  immediately,  meaning  that  any  session in progress will be
   terminated without notice and no new session will be started.

   When sent a SIGTERM, xdm terminates all sessions in progress and exits.
   This can be used when shutting down the system.

   Xdm attempts to mark its various sub-processes for ps(1) by editing the
   command line argument  list  in  place.   Because  xdm  can't  allocate
   additional  space  for  this  task,  it  is  useful to start xdm with a
   reasonably long command line  (using  the  full  path  name  should  be
   enough).  Each process which is servicing a display is marked -display.

ADDITIONAL LOCAL DISPLAYS

   To  add  an additional local display, add a line for it to the Xservers
   file.  (See the section Local Server Specification.)

   Examine   the   display-specific   resources   in   xdm-config   (e.g.,
   DisplayManager._0.authorize)  and  consider  which  of  them  should be
   copied for the  new  display.   The  default  xdm-config  has  all  the
   appropriate lines for displays :0 and :1.

OTHER POSSIBILITIES

   You  can  use xdm to run a single session at a time, using the 4.3 init
   options or other suitable  daemon  by  specifying  the  server  on  the
   command line:

        xdm -server ":0 SUN-3/60CG4 local /usr/bin/X :0"

   Or,  you might have a file server and a collection of X terminals.  The
   configuration for this is identical to the  sample  above,  except  the
   Xservers file would look like

        extol:0 VISUAL-19 foreign
        exalt:0 NCD-19 foreign
        explode:0 NCR-TOWERVIEW3000 foreign

   This  directs  xdm  to manage sessions on all three of these terminals.
   See the section Controlling Xdm for a description of using  signals  to
   enable and disable these terminals in a manner reminiscent of init(8).

LIMITATIONS

   One  thing  that  xdm isn't very good at doing is coexisting with other
   window systems.  To use multiple window systems on the  same  hardware,
   you'll probably be more interested in xinit.

ASYNCHRONOUS EVENTS

   xdm  uses  SIGALRM  and SIGUSR1 for its own inter-process communication
   purposes, managing the relationship between the parent xdm process  and
   its  children.   Sending these signals to any xdm process may result in
   unexpected behavior.

   SIGHUP causes xdm to rescan its configuration files and reopen its  log
          file.

   SIGTERM
          causes xdm to terminate its children and shut down.

   SIGUSR2
          causes  xdm  to  reopen  its  log  file.   This is useful if log
          rotation is desired, but SIGHUP is too disruptive.

FILES

   /etc/X11/xdm/xdm-config
                       the default configuration file

   $HOME/.Xauthority   user authorization file where xdm stores  keys  for
                       clients to read

   /usr/lib/X11/xdm/chooser
                       the default chooser

   /usr/bin/xrdb       the default resource database loader

   /usr/bin/X          the default server

   /usr/bin/xterm      the default session program and failsafe client

   /var/lib/xdm/A<display>-<suffix>
                       the default place for authorization files

   /tmp/K5C<display>   Kerberos credentials cache

SEE ALSO

   X(7),    xinit(1),   xauth(1),   xrdb(1),   Xsecurity(7),   sessreg(1),
   Xserver(1), xdmshell(1), fonts.conf(5), xdm.options(5).
   X Display Manager Control Protocol
   IETF RFC 4291: IP Version 6 Addressing Architecture.

AUTHOR

   Keith Packard, MIT X Consortium





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