Difference between revisions of "LightDM"

Revision as of 13:16, 9 May 2013

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LightDM is a cross-desktop display manager that aims to be the standard display manager for the X server. Its key features are:

A lightweight codebase
Standards compliant (PAM, ConsoleKit, etc)
A well defined interface between the server and the user interface.
Cross-desktop (user interfaces can be written in any toolkit).

More details about LightDM's design can be found here.

Installation

Install lightdm from the official repositories. You can also install lightdm-devel^AUR for the development branch or lightdm-bzr^AUR from the AUR.

Greeter

You will also need to install a greeter (a user interface for LightDM). The reference greeter is lightdm-gtk-greeter, which is provided by lightdm-gtk3-greeter. KDE users can install lightdm-kde-greeter, a greeter based on Qt.

Other greeters can be installed from the AUR as well:

lightdm-webkit-greeter^AUR: A greeter that uses Webkit for theming.
lightdm-crowd-greeter^AUR: A 3D greeter that lets you select your profile from 3D characters walking around.
lightdm-unity-greeter^AUR: The greeter used by Ubuntu's Unity.
razor-lightdm-greeter^AUR: A greeter for the Razor-qt desktop environment.
lightdm-pantheon-greeter^AUR: A LightDM greeter from the ElementaryOS Project.

You can change the default greeter by changing the configuration file to state:

/etc/lightdm/lightdm.conf

greeter-session=lightdm-yourgreeter-greeter

It is also possible to change the default greeter at compile time by changing the line containing:

--with-greeter-session=lightdm-gtk-greeter

to

--with-greeter-session=lightdm-yourgreeter-greeter

Enabling LightDM

Make sure that the lightdm daemon is started at boot.

Testing

First, install xorg-server-xephyr from the official repositories.

Then, run LightDM as an X application:

$ lightdm --test-mode --debug

Optional Configuration and Tweaks

Some greeters have their own configuration files. For example, lightdm-gtk3-greeter has:

/etc/lightdm/lightdm-gtk-greeter.conf

and lightdm-kde-greeter has:

/etc/lightdm/lightdm-kde-greeter.conf

as well as a section in KDE's System Settings (recommended).

LightDM can be configured by directly modifying its configuration script or by using the lightdm-set-defaults applications that can be found in /usr/lib/lightdm/lightdm/. To see some of the options available, execute:

$ man lightdm-set-defaults

There are, however, a lot more variables to modify in the configuration file than by using the lightdm-set-defaults application.

Changing Background Images/Colors

Users wishing to have a flat color (no image) may simply set the background variable to a hex color.

Example:

background=#000000

If you want to use an image instead, see below.

GTK+ Greeter

Users wishing to customize the wallpaper on the greeter screen need to edit /etc/lightdm/lightdm-gtk-greeter.conf defining the background variable.

Example:

background=/usr/share/pixmaps/black_and_white_photography-wallpaper-1920x1080.jpg

Unity Greeter

Users using the lightdm-unity-greeter^AUR must edit the /usr/share/glib-2.0/schemas/com.canonical.unity-greeter.gschema.xml file and then execute:

# glib-compile-schemas /usr/share/glib-2.0/schemas/

According to this page.

Note: It is recommended to place the PNG or JPG file in /usr/share/pixmaps since the LightDM user needs read access to the wallpaper file.

KDE Greeter

Go to System Settings > Login Screen (LightDM) and change the background image for your theme.

Changing your avatar

Users wishing to customize their image on the greeter screen need to place an image called .face in their home directory. Make sure it can be read by LightDM.

Sources of Arch-centric 64x64 Icons

The archlinux-artwork package from the official repositories contains some nice examples that install to /usr/share/archlinux/icons and that can be copied to /usr/share/icons/hicolor/64x64/devices as follows:

# find /usr/share/archlinux/icons -name "*64*" -exec cp {} /usr/share/icons/hicolor/64x64/devices \;

After copying, the archlinux-artwork package can be removed.

Enabling Autologin

Edit the LightDM configuration file and change these lines to:

/etc/lightdm/lightdm.conf

autologin-user=<your_username>
autologin-user-timeout=0

or execute:

# /usr/lib/lightdm/lightdm/lightdm-set-defaults --autologin=USERNAME

LightDM goes through PAM even when autologin is enabled. You must be part of the autologin group to be able to login without entering your password:

# groupadd autologin
# gpasswd -a username autologin

Note: GNOME users, and by extension any gnome-keyring user will have to set up a blank password to their keyring for it to be unlocked automatically.

Migrating from SLiM

Move the contents of xinitrc to xprofile, removing the call to start the window manager or desktop environment.

NumLock ON

Install the numlockx package and the edit /etc/lightdm/lightdm.conf adding the following line:

greeter-setup-script=/usr/bin/numlockx on

User switching under xfce4

With the release of Xfce4 4.10, user switching is supported natively. To use it with LightDM, users need only to create a symlink:

# ln -s /usr/lib/lightdm/lightdm/gdmflexiserver /usr/bin/gdmflexiserver

Alternatively, see the XScreenSaver#Lightdm article.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter consistent screen flashing and ultimately no lightdm on boot, ensure that you have defined the greeter correctly in lightdm's config file.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 [[Category:Display managers]]
-{{i18n|LightDM}}
+[[es:LightDM]]
+[[fr:LightDM]]
 {{Article summary start}}
 {{Article summary text|Provides an overview and setup of the Light Display Manager.}}
 {{Article summary heading|Related}}
 {{Article summary wiki|Display Manager}}
+{{Article summary wiki|GDM}}
+{{Article summary wiki|KDM}}
+{{Article summary wiki|SLiM}}
 {{Article summary end}}
-[http://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/LightDM Lightdm] LightDM is a cross-desktop display manager that aims to be the standard display manager for the X.org X server.
+[http://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/LightDM LightDM] is a cross-desktop display manager that aims to be the standard display manager for the X server. Its key features are:
+* A lightweight codebase
+* Standards compliant (PAM, ConsoleKit, etc)
+* A well defined interface between the server and the user interface.
+* Cross-desktop (user interfaces can be written in any toolkit).
+More details about LightDM's design can be found [http://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/LightDM/Design here].
 == Installation ==
+Install {{Pkg|lightdm}} from the [[official repositories]]. You can also install {{AUR|lightdm-devel}} for the development branch or {{AUR|lightdm-bzr}} from the [[AUR]].
-Currently,  {{AUR|lightdm}} resides in the [[AUR]].  Install it like any other AUR package.
+=== Greeter===
+You will also need to install a greeter (a user interface for LightDM). The reference greeter is ''lightdm-gtk-greeter'', which is provided by {{Pkg|lightdm-gtk3-greeter}}. KDE users can install {{Pkg|lightdm-kde-greeter}}, a greeter based on Qt.
-You will also need {{AUR|lightdm-gtk-greeter}} from the [[AUR]].
+Other greeters can be installed from the [[AUR]] as well:
+* {{AUR|lightdm-webkit-greeter}}: A greeter that uses Webkit for theming.
+* {{AUR|lightdm-crowd-greeter}}: A 3D greeter that lets you select your profile from 3D characters walking around.
+* {{AUR|lightdm-unity-greeter}}: The greeter used by Ubuntu's [[Unity]].
+* {{AUR|razor-lightdm-greeter}}: A greeter for the [[Razor-qt]] desktop environment.
+* {{AUR|lightdm-pantheon-greeter}}: A LightDM greeter from the ElementaryOS Project.
-Other greeters can be installed: {{AUR|lightdm-webkit-greeter}}, {{AUR|lightdm-crowd-greeter}}, {{AUR|lightdm-kde-greeter}} and {{AUR|lightdm-unity-greeter}}
+You can change the default greeter by changing the configuration file to state:
+{{hc|/etc/lightdm/lightdm.conf|
+greeter-session&#61;lightdm-yourgreeter-greeter
+}}
-To change the greeter from the default (lightdm-gtk-greeter) edit the lightdm PKGBUILD and change the line
+It is also possible to change the default greeter at compile time by changing the line containing:
   --with-greeter-session=lightdm-gtk-greeter
 to
   --with-greeter-session=lightdm-yourgreeter-greeter
-== Enabling Lightdm ==
+== Enabling LightDM ==
-Lightdm can be loaded on startup by entering it in the daemons array in {{ic|rc.conf}}, or by appending the following line to {{ic|inittab}}:
+Make sure that the '''lightdm''' daemon is [[Daemons#Managing_daemons|started]] at boot.
- x:5:respawn:/usr/sbin/lightdm >/dev/null 2>&1
+=== Testing ===
+First, [[Pacman|install]] {{Pkg|xorg-server-xephyr}} from the [[official repositories]].
-{{Note|The 'inittab' method is the preferred method to use a graphical greeter.}}
+Then, run LightDM as an X application:
+ $ lightdm --test-mode --debug
-{{Note|Lightdm needs [[dbus]] to be running.  If you get an error about "respawing too fast" you may have forgotten this.  Ensure that dbus is in your [[DAEMONS]] array in {{ic|rc.conf}}.}}
+== Optional Configuration and Tweaks ==
+Some greeters have their own configuration files. For example, {{Pkg|lightdm-gtk3-greeter}} has:
+  /etc/lightdm/lightdm-gtk-greeter.conf
+and {{Pkg|lightdm-kde-greeter}} has:
+ /etc/lightdm/lightdm-kde-greeter.conf
+as well as a section in KDE's System Settings (recommended).
-For systems using systemd, Lightdm also has a systemd service file, start it with {{ic|systemctl start lightdm.service}} or enable it for boot with {{ic|systemctl enable lightdm.service}}.
+LightDM can be configured by directly modifying its configuration script or by using the {{ic|lightdm-set-defaults}} applications
+that can be found in {{ic|/usr/lib/lightdm/lightdm/}}. To see some of the options available, execute:
+ $ man lightdm-set-defaults
-See [[Display Manager]] for detailed instructions.
+There are, however, a lot more variables to modify in the configuration file than by using the {{ic|lightdm-set-defaults}} application.
-== Optional Configuration and Tweaks ==
 === Changing Background Images/Colors ===
+Users wishing to have a flat color (no image) may simply set the '''background''' variable to a hex color.
+Example:
+ background=#000000
+If you want to use an image instead, see below.
+==== GTK+ Greeter ====
 Users wishing to customize the wallpaper on the greeter screen need to edit {{ic|/etc/lightdm/lightdm-gtk-greeter.conf}} defining the '''background''' variable.
@@ Line 42: / Line 78: @@
   background=/usr/share/pixmaps/black_and_white_photography-wallpaper-1920x1080.jpg
-{{Note|It is recommended to place png or jpg files in /usr/share/pixmaps since the lightdm user needs read access to the wallpaper file.}}
+==== Unity Greeter ====
+Users using the {{AUR|lightdm-unity-greeter}} must edit the {{ic|/usr/share/glib-2.0/schemas/com.canonical.unity-greeter.gschema.xml}} file and then execute:
+ # glib-compile-schemas /usr/share/glib-2.0/schemas/
-Users wishing to have a flat color (no image) may simply set the '''background''' variable to a hex color.
+According to [https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=149945 this] page.
-Example:
+{{Note|It is recommended to place the PNG or JPG file in {{ic|/usr/share/pixmaps}} since the LightDM user needs read access to the wallpaper file.}}
- background=#000000
-=== Changing the Icon ===
+==== KDE Greeter ====
-Users wishing to customize the icon (by default, the 'computer' graphic) should follow this 3-step procedure:
+Go to ''System Settings > Login Screen (LightDM)'' and change the background image for your theme.
-# Copy a 64x64 image to {{ic|/usr/share/icons/hicolor/64x64/devices}}
+=== Changing your avatar ===
-# Run {{ic|gtk-update-icon-cache /usr/share/icons/hicolor}}
+Users wishing to customize their image on the greeter screen need to place an image called {{ic|.face}} in their home directory. Make sure it can be read by LightDM.
-# Edit {{ic|/usr/share/lightdm-gtk-greeter/greeter.ui}}
-Search for 'image1' and edit the 'property' xml to be the filename (less the extension).  By default it should be 'computer' by default.
 ==== Sources of Arch-centric 64x64 Icons ====
-The archlinux-artwork package in [extra] contains some nice examples that install to {{ic|/usr/share/archlinux/icons}} and that can be copied to {{ic|/usr/share/icons/hicolor/64x64/devices}} as follows:
+The {{Pkg|archlinux-artwork}} package from the [[official repositories]] contains some nice examples that install to {{ic|/usr/share/archlinux/icons}} and that can be copied to {{ic|/usr/share/icons/hicolor/64x64/devices}} as follows:
   # find /usr/share/archlinux/icons -name "*64*" -exec cp {} /usr/share/icons/hicolor/64x64/devices \;
-After copying, the archlinux-artwork package can be removed.
+After copying, the {{Pkg|archlinux-artwork}} package can be removed.
 === Enabling Autologin ===
-Edit {{ic|/etc/lightdm/lightdm.conf}} and change these lines to:
+Edit the LightDM configuration file and change these lines to:
+{{hc|/etc/lightdm/lightdm.conf|<nowiki>
+autologin-user=<your_username>
+autologin-user-timeout=0</nowiki>
+}}
+or execute:
+ # /usr/lib/lightdm/lightdm/lightdm-set-defaults --autologin=USERNAME
- [SeatDefaults]
+LightDM goes through PAM even when {{ic|autologin}} is enabled. You must be part of the {{ic|autologin}} group to be able to login without entering your password:
-  autologin-user=your_user
-  autologin-user-timeout=0
+  # groupadd autologin
- pam-service=lightdm-autologin
+  # gpasswd -a ''username'' autologin
+{{Note|GNOME users, and by extension any gnome-keyring user will have to set up a blank password to their keyring for it to be unlocked automatically.}}
+=== Migrating from SLiM ===
+Move the contents of [[xinitrc]] to [[xprofile]], removing the call to start the [[window manager]] or [[desktop environment]].
 === NumLock ON ===
 Install the {{ic|numlockx}} package and the edit {{ic| /etc/lightdm/lightdm.conf}} adding the following line:
   greeter-setup-script=/usr/bin/numlockx on
+=== User switching under xfce4 ===
+With the release of Xfce4 4.10, user switching is supported natively. To use it with LightDM, users need only to create a symlink:
+ # ln -s /usr/lib/lightdm/lightdm/gdmflexiserver /usr/bin/gdmflexiserver
+Alternatively, see the [[XScreenSaver#Lightdm]] article.
+== Troubleshooting ==
+If you encounter consistent screen flashing and ultimately no lightdm on boot, ensure that you have defined the greeter correctly in lightdm's config file.
+== See Also ==
+* [https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LightDM Ubuntu Wiki article]
+* [http://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/LightDM Gentoo Wiki article]
+* [https://launchpad.net/lightdm Launchpad Page]
+* [http://www.mattfischer.com/blog/?tag=lightdm LightDM blog]

Difference between revisions of "LightDM"

Revision as of 13:16, 9 May 2013

Contents

Installation

Greeter

Enabling LightDM

Testing

Optional Configuration and Tweaks

Changing Background Images/Colors

GTK+ Greeter

Unity Greeter

KDE Greeter

Changing your avatar

Sources of Arch-centric 64x64 Icons

Enabling Autologin

Migrating from SLiM

NumLock ON

User switching under xfce4

Troubleshooting

See Also

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