Thanks to George Gallen and Dr. Tom Blin for their replies,
***********************original message*********************
yesterday with an AS200 4/166 running DU3.2C i had a faulty disk, trying
to edit the fstab file in single users mode i was messing with display
settings and TERM = settings,. In the end i just unplugged the disk and it
boots
fine until it gets to the xserver wher it gives the following message,
X display manager could not start the X server. Try pressing the return
key for a console login prompt. Check error log file
/usr/var/X11/xdm/xdm-errors for furthur info.
pressing return does give a console login prompt and i can log in as
root but no xserver. ie just a black screen.
the error-log file reads
xdm error (pid 421) server unexpectedly died
xdm error (pid 421) server for display :0 cannot be started session
disabled.
If i run the bash shell and type env i can see that TERM=vt100 and
DISPLAYTYPE in rc.config is = nothing
when i vi files it scrolls down to the end of a page and i am unable to
go back up to edit lines !
****************************************************************
This reply from george hit the nail on the head !
for one thing my /etc/auth directory was non-existant so i had to mkdir auth
and then system.
i had to copy .new..ttys from another machine and then copy to the new
directory made.
it didnt work the first time as i forgot about permissions but when i
changed the permissions to be like those on other machine it worked fine.
the problem is the file: /etc/auth/system/ttys is screwed up.
copy either .new..ttys or .proto..ttys to ttys then reboot
This just recently happened to me. I was hooking up an external
tape drive when I made the SCSI total cable length too long,
my machine wound up resetting itself (system drives were on the
same SCSI bus as the tape drives)
screwed up my ttys file
screwed up my /tcb/files/auth/r/root
I tried to login at the console, told me root didn't exist
but I'll let you in anyway since your at the console (that was nice).
Also check /lost+found, to see if any files there will give
you hint (probably see part of the ttys file)
from Tom
couldnt use "ed"
Try setting TERM=pcterm and then exporting TERM. It might work.
Or use ed -- ed works even with hardcopy terminals. What, you don't know
how to use "ed"? It's a lot like the "vi" commands you get when you use the
":" escape..
Darrell King
SysAdmin
6142430
darrellk_at_apion-ti.com
Received on Wed Dec 09 1998 - 16:46:11 NZDT