Shutdown / runlevel change messages go to vt8 - SOLUTION

[Jonathan Rawle]

Jonathan Rawle wrote:

> In FC4, the messages on shutdown or runlevel changes seem to go to vt8,
> instead of vt1 as with previous releases. I thought this was due to RHGB,
> but it seems to happen even with it disabled. A side-effect is that
> shutdowns proceed with a blank screen unless a key is pressed. Also,
> single user mode goes onto vt8.

I've managed to figure out the answer to my own question by a combination of
looking at the rhgb source and experimenting. Hope it's of use to others
too.

With FC1 and 2, some people (including, I must admit, myself) complained
that the startup sequence looked untidy, in particular the text login
showing between the graphical boot and the X login screen. The good people
working on rhgb have addressed this by keeping rhgb alive until the display
manager has started. This prevents the text login from being visible.

The side-effect of this is that X considers vt8 to be the terminal from
which is started. When X exits (for shutdown, reboot or runlevel change) it
returns to the terminal from which it was started: vt8. Console messages
then go to the currently active terminal. (The only thing I don't
understand is why the screen is blank until a key is pressed). 

To see shutdown messages again, and to return them to vt1, I
edited /etc/X11/prefdm. At the start there is a section to shut down rhgb.
After the closing "fi" statement, I added the line:

chvt 1

to switch to vt1 before X starts. I guess this will make the text login
visible again, but my monitor changes sync so slowly that I don't see it.
(Perhaps someone with a faster monitor can confirm this?)

Anyway, now people can choose whether they prefer a "tidy" startup, or to
see the shutdown messages.


Jonathan


-- 
http://jonathan.rawle.org/