The kdm Handbook
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# Chapter 1. Introduction

kdm provides a graphical interface that allows you to log in to a system. It prompts for login (username) and password, authenticates the user and starts to run a "session". kdm is a "drop-in" replacement for xdm, the X Display Manager, and is superior to it in a number of ways.

The user-interface to kdm is through two dialogue boxes. The main dialogue box has these features:

- A "Login" field for you to enter your username.

- A "Pass" field for you to enter your password.

- A region to the left of the "Login" and "Pass" fields which can be used to display either a static image or an analogue clock.

- (Optionally) a graphical image of each user (for example, a digitised photograph). Clicking on an image is equivalent to typing the associated username into the "Login" field. (This feature is an imitatation of the login box on IRIX).

- A "session type" drop-down box that allows kdm to be used to start sessions with various different window managers or desktop environments installed on the system, including KDE, KDE2 and GNOME.

- A "Go!" button that validates the username/password combination and attempts to start a session of the selected type.

- A "Cancel" button that clears the text from the "Login" and "Pass" fields.

- (Optionally) a "Shutdown" button that displays the "Shutdown" dialogue box.

The "Shutdown" dialogue box presents a set of radio buttons that allow one of these options to be selected:

Shutdown

  Shut the system down in a controlled manner, ready for power-down.

Restart

  Shut the system down and reboot. For systems that use Lilo, an optional drop-down box allows you to select a particular operating-system kernel to be used for the reboot.

Restart X Server

  Stop and then restart the X-server. Typically, you might need to use this option if you have changed your X11 configuration in some way.

Console Mode

  Stop the X-server and return the system to console mode. This is achieved by bringing the system down to run-level 3. Typically, the system manager might need to use this option before upgrading or re-configuring X11 software.

Pressing the "OK" button initiates the selected action; pressing the "Cancel" button returns to the main kdm dialogue box.

The next chapter explains how to configure kdm. Subsequent chapters describe how to configure your system in order to use kdm, how to build and install kdm from source, and how to learn more about kdm and the KDE project.

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