Arch Linux

whoops

Member

Registered: 2009-03-19

Posts: 891

Start multiple non-startx x sessions (/xfce)

Hi!

I can't figure out how to start more non-start-x x(fce etc) sessions any more (same user that's already running startx on the first display, but not the startx one and on another display :3). Tried multiple approaches some of which I think used to work in the past ( with xinit directly, xfce4-session "-- :1" etc) but I can't make them work any more. Not sure if I'm just confused and forgot how to do it (haven't needed to in a while now) or if stuff chanced since X seems to be running in userspace somehow now and there might be some connection between Display Offset and TTY it's started from...?

So... help / example please?

Last edited by whoops (2014-08-21 11:22:12)

karol

Archivist

Registered: 2009-05-06

Posts: 25,440

Re: Start multiple non-startx x sessions (/xfce)

What exactly doesn't work? Post the errors you get and the exact commands you run and on which tty. Can you start xfce using startx?
Yes, it may be related to https://www.archlinux.org/news/xorg-ser … available/

whoops

Member

Registered: 2009-03-19

Posts: 891

Re: Start multiple non-startx x sessions (/xfce)

Nothing "exactly", just "in general" using xinit / x the way I used to a few years back.

I have no problems with startx, it works fine. I want to open a second / custom x session on a second display without using startx, by just running whatever I feel like at that moment manually. xfce4-session or just a standalone terminal without window manager doesn't really matter... I used to do it like that from a TTY when I wanted to test something quickly or for whatever reasons and I can't figure out how to do it any more.

Can't really list all of the commands... I probably tried several dozens of random variations on those general themes in a spontanious fit of "this USED to work, I think! I did it before!":

xfce4-session -- : 1
startxfce4 -- :2
xinit /usr/bin/xfce4-session -- nolisten=tcp :3
DISPLAY=2 xinit /usr/bin/startthefreakingXprogramplease -- :$DISPLAY

... also tried standalone xterminal and various other things. No luck.

The error messages I got during those (probably misguided) experiments ranged from "cannot open display: ."
to different x-server (EE)'s
aaaand on one try X segfaulted and xinit froze and I had to purge its "ghost" from the process list using a third TTY and sudo for some reason because it couldn't be killed :3

Long story short: I think this is more a "I can't figure out how to do that!" sort of problem then a "something is wrong with my system" sort of problem and I don't think listing everything I tried / did + how exactly it failed will help.

Any sort of working example might bring me back on track. Just: How start xinit / xserver / terminal whatever on [not the first / standard] display without using startx....?

edit:

Ok, the nolisten command seems to have been retired alltogether? If I start xfce4-session without nolisten, it starts but I get stuck there without any input working. Reconnecting usb devices did something (hard disk chattering) but still no input at all. Also no error messages (not even switching back to the first display or another TTY or sysrq worked, so I had to just turn the machine off ).

Last edited by whoops (2014-08-21 13:01:38)