Bug#529394: GDM: "Xserver not found: " followed by garbage

[Julien Cristau]

severity 529394 normal
tag 529394 confirmed upstream
retitle 529394 gdm: quotes in config file confuse the parser
found 529394 2.20.10-1
kthxbye

On Tue, May 19, 2009 at 15:46:34 +0930, john wrote:

> This is on a media center with dual display adapters, one connected to a TV
> and one to a monitor.
> 
> The machines was installed as etch but upgraded to Lenny, and rarely rebooted.
> Restarted recently to increaee RAM (possibly, for the first time since the
> upgrade) and gdm failed to start X on either display.
> 
> Contents of /var/log/gdn/:0.log:
>   GDM: Xserver not found: <90>:<F3><98>^R^? -auth /var/lib/gdm/:0.Xauth -nolisten tcp vt7
>   Error: Command could not be executed!
>   Please install the X server or correct GDM configuration and restart GDM.gdm[4499]: WARNING: gdm_server_spawn: Xserver not found: <90>:<F3><98>^R^? -auth /var/lib/gdm/:0.Xauth -nolisten tcp vt7
> 
> Pasted from "less", so (e.g.) <90> is "really" 0x90. Different garbage string
> each time.

I managed to reproduce this.
> 
> My /etc/gdm/gdm.conf:
[...]
>   [server-TV]
>   name=TV server
>   command=/usr/bin/X -dpi 96 -audit 0 -layout "PEG-TV" -novtswitch
>   flexible=true
> 
The quotes in the command are confusing it.  Removing them should make
things work.

Cheers,
Julien