Multiple Graphical Users Logged in at the Same Time January 23, 2006
Posted by Carthik in guides, ubuntu.trackback
There are several ways to share the same desktop between family members. But it gets tricky when you have, say a graphical program running that has to keep running, and your sister wants to use the computer. In this situation, it is useful to have more than one graphical session running. Your work will continue uniterrupted even as your sister can use the desktop.
Update:
Andreas (in the comments) has a simpler method:
but i don’t get the point why gdmflexiserver should be necessary. and you dont need kde to do this 😉
menu -> lock screen -> switch user -> enter user name (it even can be the same, and you’ll be able to start a second session) -> enter passwort -> e voila, you have a second desktop running. if you now switch back by pressing ctrl+alt+f7 you are asked for your user password, since you locked the screen to switch user.
I love this! One couldn’t ask for a better readership! 🙂
The simplest way of doing this is by starting gdmflexiserver
$gdmflexiserver
This will start a new graphical server which you can switch to by using Ctrl+Alt+F8. You can return to your own graphical session using Ctrl+Alt+F7. You can create more such sessions – you get the idea.
Ideally, FUSA should be in Ubuntu already – but since it is not, you can install it and use it. Being beta software, it might be buggy, and I’d rather just do this using gdmflexiserver – but if you are adventurous, please do try out FUSA — it is a lot easier to use, as the website will tell you.
Ubuntu Blog 
Hi,
thanks for pointing in the right direction of this handy – just to warn people though, it does not like external monitors bein gplugged and used in dual monitor mode! (tends to crash system – at least on my IBM T42P)
not played around much with configurations – but just to warn of potential problems.
R
also, if you have Xnest installed, you can
gdmflexiserver –xnest
on another virtual desktop… works great for testing GDM themes, as well 🙂
[…] read more […]
For Kubuntu users, pull up the K menu, go to “Switch Users,” and click “Start New Session.”
Since I finally retired the old, pathetic PII notebook (which I used to log into X sessions on the desktop remotely), my wife and I have shared the desktop with independent sessions.
Oh, in case it wasn’t apparent, each session can log into whatever desktop they want, be it Gnome, KDE, Xcfe, Blackbox, Matchbox, whatever.
With Ctrl+Alt+F7, Ctrl+Alt+F8, you’re just switching between standard Linux ttys.
hi there,
great blog! 🙂
but i don’t get the point why gdmflexiserver should be necessary. and you dont need kde to do this 😉
menu -> lock screen -> switch user -> enter user name (it even can be the same, and you’ll be able to start a second session) -> enter passwort -> e voila, you have a second desktop running. if you now switch back by pressing ctrl+alt+f7 you are asked for your user password, since you locked the screen to switch user.
am i missing a point which is covered bye gdmflexiserver?
bye
Andreas
Thanks Andreas – I knew there must be a simpler method!
no problem. by the way this was by trial and error 😉 so i can’t say i knew this before i tried it myself 🙂
Great solution. I have a Wife, two Kids and a cat who need access to the internet. Ran out of house space this week and one computer had to go. ‘lock screen -> switch user -> enter user name’ got things sorted.
Which package installs the ‘Lock Screen’ feature?
A search of main and universe repos suggests that gnome-screensaver supports Lock Screen and User Switching but in practice there is Lock Screen but no user switching.
Small digression:
Where do I read/learn about these ALT+ and CTRL+ALT+ special shortcuts?
… I am such a noob! I never knew about gconf-editor (Applications-> System-> Configuration Editor) before today. That’s why I love Linux – there’s so much yet to learn!
Here’s the complete picture for other’s in my shoes!
$ sudo apt-get install gnome-screensaver
$ gconf-editor
or Applications-> System-> Configuration Editor
edit boolean key:
/apps/gnome-screensaver/user_switch_enabled
= TRUE
CTRL+Q to quit gconf-editor
To Lock Screen:
In desktop Panel menu: System-> Lock Screen
To bring up unlock dialog:
While screen saver is running: any mouse/keybd action
To Switch User:
In Unlock Dialog box: Switch User…
Just curious…is there any way to have multiple people using the desktop at the same time? As in one would be at the console, and another would be using remote desktop, but both would be logged on and active at the same time.
my question exactly…My girlfriend uses the computer and I would like to connect and run the xwindows environment from my ibook. Please help……
Yes, that is possible. Use FreeNX or a VNC tool to connect to the computer remotely, while another user is using the desktop.
There are several ways to run remote X sessions. As mentioned you can use FreeNX or VNC. You can also log in remotely using XDMCP.
For XDMCP you first need to enable remote logins on the host machine’s display manager. With gdm, use ‘sudo gdmconfig’ for a nice graphic config tool, and enable remote login. For kdm you will have to edit kdmrc (hint: look for the Xdmcp section).
Great!
It couldn’t be easier!
I LOVE Ubuntu (I’ve intalled Linux in my home computer only 1 day ago! hehe)
I just wrote a Howto on how to safely test new X configurations without shutting down any applications: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=4211618
gdmflexiserver is the basis of this as well.
Cheers!
Hi, I’ve been searching around to find a solution and no joy yet. I’m running MythBuntu and wish to leave that as the primary, automatic login. This is running through a GeForce 8500 to a good old fashioned CRT TV (ultimately a 1080p HDTV via HDMI when I save the money), so low-res (800×600 or less) – no good for admin, surfing etc. What I want is to use the second graphics card (onboard GeForce 6150?) to run a monitor at a usable resolution which seems to be 1024×768 at minimum. This would be via a VNC connection normally, but with the option of via a VGA connection. This seems to be a necessity in my experience with linux so far as a backup. This clearly needs to be a completely separate GDM login session. Any ideas?
how to put screen saver at startup
Ubuntu 8.10, Gnome
Go to new console session by pressing Ctrl+Alt+F1, Log in and type in this:
$sudo gdm -nodaemon
You will get blue screen (or not), choose No and after few error messages you will have another session running.
works for me.
For Kubuntu users, pull up the K menu, go to “Switch Users,” and click “Start New Session.”
Thanks Andreas – I knew there must be a simpler method!
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