automatic session logs me into gnome

[Anthony Ewell]

Anthony Ewell wrote:
> Hi All,
> 
>     This time I am working on a CentOS 4.4 server.
> (Same as RHEL 4.4, roughly based on Fedora Core 3.)
> 
>     I have a server I need to boot straight into
> XFce and run Parallels virtual machine.  Security
> is not an issue.  I have gdm.conf set to:
> 
>          #DefaultSession=default.desktop
>          DefaultSession=xfce.desktop
> 
>     If I log in manually, without going into gdm's
> sessions, I get XFce.  Joy, almost.
> 
>     If I set gdm to "Automatically" log me in, it
> automatically logs me into STINKIN' GNOME! No joy!
> 
>     How Do I get gdm to automatically log me into
> XFce instead of gnome?  (I suspect I have to
> find where gdm reads "default.desktop", but
> I have yet to find it.)

Hi All,

    The missing ingredient was a utility called
"switchdesk".  This also comes with a switchdesk-gui,
(a.k.a switchdesk-gui.py) which, for some reason was
not installed on the computer.  Weird, because it is
part of the switchdesk srpm.

    My mistake was thinking that there was some "global"
value out there for everyone.  In actuality, each user
has to set his own default.

    By the way, if you use switchdesk from the command
line, the syntax is
          switchdesk xfce   (all lower case, no 4 in the xfce)

    After installing the switchdesk-gui icon and figuring
out it was actually called switchdesk-gui.py, it miraculously
appeared in the XFce control panel.  Hmmmm.

    The other missing ingredient was a utility called
/usr/sbin/gdmsetup.  This allowed me to configure
which user was to be auto logged in, among other things.
This utility does not show up in XFce control panel
but should.  I made my own entry on a separate configuration
panel that has a bunch of those cool redhat-config utilities.

   I sincerely appreciate all the help everyone gave me
in tracing all this down.

--Tony