[comp.sys.sgi] Window Manager

finnd%vax.runit.unit.uninett@NORUNIX.BITNET (Finn Drablos) (01/24/89)

>With normal user accounts, login at the console doesn't come up
>with the window manager, but after some seconds, returns to login
>prompt.  Root works fine, as usual.

I have no suggestions about what is wrong, but we have had similar problems
with our 4D/70 GT. We are running a pre-release version of the CLS/UX Cray-
link software for communication with our local Cray. If we log off the
Iris when CLS/UX is running, login on the graphics console does not work.
Every other character typed at the login: prompt is not echoed, and even if
we type every character twice, it is not accepted, and we are returned to
the login: prompt. Sometimes we are able to get around it by doing a kill
of the grcons process, but it does not always work.
We have also had some problems with the 4DDN software that we installed in
december. When we log off the Iris with 4DDN running, the window manager is
not able to load, and this also slows down all other processes (included
starting a reboot ....). This may be a memory problem (we have 8 MB).
Silicon Graphics Sweden have been contacted, but they have not yet been
able to say if this is the problem.
Any suggestions ?

Finn Drablos
MR-Senteret, SINTEF, N-7034 TRONDHEIM, NORWAY
+47-7-597710
finnd@vax.runit.unit.uninett
finnd%vax.runit.unit.uninett@tor.nta.no
finnd%vax.runit.unit.uninett@norunix

blbates@AERO4.LARC.NASA.GOV (Bates TAD/HRNAB ms294 x2601) (01/24/89)

     I don't know if this will be any help, but, we have a 3130 and
for a while we had some similar problems with Mex.  Root could log
in and use Mex with no problems, however, if a normal user got on
and tried to use Mex it wouldn't let them.  I found out that the
permision status of the window devices in /dev (/dev/ttyw*) had been
changed, denying anyone, but root, from read and write permision.
I would change this, but the next time root used Mex, they would be
changed back. Finally, I added a line to the root .logout and that
fixed our problem.  Then line follows:

  chmod a+rw /dev/ttyw*

I hope this is of some use.
--

					Brent

msc@ramoth.SGI.COM (Mark Callow) (02/02/89)

In article <19*finnd@vax.runit.unit.uninett>, finnd%vax.runit.unit.uninett@NORUNIX.BITNET (Finn Drablos) writes:
> >With normal user accounts, login at the console doesn't come up
> >with the window manager, but after some seconds, returns to login
> >prompt.  Root works fine, as usual.
> 
> I have no suggestions about what is wrong, but we have had similar problems
> with our 4D/70 GT. We are running a pre-release version of the CLS/UX Cray-
> link software for communication with our local Cray. If we log off the
> Iris when CLS/UX is running, login on the graphics console does not work.
> Every other character typed at the login: prompt is not echoed, and even if
> we type every character twice, it is not accepted, and we are returned to
> the login: prompt. Sometimes we are able to get around it by doing a kill
> of the grcons process, but it does not always work.
These symptoms are typical when a daemon holds /dev/console open.  This leads
to the following sequence of events:
    1.	the console wsh and it's child shell do not get a controlling tty
    2.	because there's no controlling tty and consequently no process group
	the shell doesn't get killed on logout.
    3.  the phantom shell is still reading the keyboard when the new getty
	is spawned.
    4.  having two things reading the keyboard leads to the symptoms described.

I suspect that CLS/UX has a daemon process that is holding /dev/console open.
The fix is to make CLS/UX not hold open /dev/console.

	-Mark
--
	-Mark

kastella@milton.u.washington.edu (Ken Kastella) (08/28/90)

We have a 4D70/GT and it appears the window manager is acting strangely.  
Background windows have started showing through the foreground window.  It
is as if all the pixels are not being drawn in the foreground window.  We
re-booted the machine and when it was coming down it gave the message:
"Window manager was killed by signal 15".  Any ideas about what is going on
would be appreciated.  



		Thanks,	
			Ken Kastella