[mythtv-users] Auto login as user and start Myth.

[Phill Wiggin]

On 11/28/05, Robin Gilks <g8ecj at gilks.org> wrote:
>
> > This is probably easy, but I can't think of an obvious way to
> > automatically
> > login as a user.  From that point you need to start X and mythfrontend,
> > but
> > that is probably easy as long as one can figure out how to execute a
> > script
> > as a particular user.
> >
> > The overall idea is to have the system get to the point that you can use
> > the
> > remote automatically after you turn it on.  I'm using Gentoo Linux.  This
> > shouldn't be that hard, but I just don't see an obvious starting point
> > other
> > than maybe figuring out the init process from inittab or maybe something
> > like
> > xdm that does autologins.
> >
>
> I'm running gentoo on a keyboardless/mouseless box so this is what I came
> up with.
>
> If not already using it, emerge mingetty and put the following into
> /etc/inittab - this will log you in as the mythtv user:
> c7:12345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty --autologin=mythtv tty7
>
> Next, make sure that you have a home directory for the mythtv user in
> /etc/passwd:
> mythtv:x:1000:100::/home/mythtv:/bin/bash
>
> In that home directory, create a .bash_profile file like this - this
> starts up X only if running on vertual terminal 7, so if you telnet or ssh
> into the box it doesn't throw a wobbly. It also restarts X if the frontend
> crashes:
> if [ -z "$DISPLAY" ] && [ $(tty) == /dev/tty7 ]; then
>   while [ 1 == 1 ]
>   do
>     startx
>     sleep 10
>   done
> fi
>
> The next step is to get X to start up a window manager and the mythtv
> frontend. This is done in .xinitrc which should contain something like
> this. Note that by uncommenting a line or two I can also run up the setup
> or an xterm:
> xset -dpms s off
> xsetroot -solid black
> x11vnc -many -q -bg -rfbauth .vnc/passwd
> fvwm2 &
> mythfrontend > /home/mythtv/mythfrontend.log 2>&1
> #mythtv-setup
> #xterm
>
> Finally, a bit of fine tuning of the window manager (fvwm2 in my case but
> other lightweight ones could be used). This is my .fvwm2rc file:
> # Submitted by Scott Elliott <selliott at insight.rr.com>
> Style "*"       RandomPlacement, DumbPlacement
> Style myth*     NoTitle, NoHandles, Sticky, WindowListSkip, SloppyFocus,
> GrabFocus, BorderWidth 0
> Style xmame*    NoTitle, NoHandles, Sticky, WindowListSkip, SloppyFocus,
> GrabFocus, BorderWidth 0, StaysOnTop
> Style mplayer*  NoTitle, NoHandles, Sticky, WindowListSkip, SloppyFocus,
> GrabFocus, BorderWidth 0
>
>
> Enjoy...
>
> --
> Robin Gilks
>

Fantastic! Thanks Robin.  Very clean and easy.

For the archives, I had a small problem where mythtv was getting
logged in, but X wasn't starting.  The only thing I had to change was:

if [ -z "$DISPLAY" ] && [ $(tty) == /dev/tty7 ]; then
to
if [ -z "$DISPLAY" ] && [ $(tty) == /dev/vc/7 ]; then

and it worked like a charm.

Thanks much!

Phill W.