GDM includes support for publishing user login information with the user and login session accounting framework known as ConsoleKit. ConsoleKit is able to keep track of all the users currently logged in. In this respect, it can be used as a replacement for the utmp or utmpx files that are available on most Unix-like Operating Systems.
When GDM is about to create a new login process for a user it will call
a privileged method of ConsoleKit in order to open a new session for this
user. At this time GDM also provides ConsoleKit with information about
this user session such as: the user ID, the X11 Display name that will be
associated with the session, the host-name from which the session
originates (useful in the case of an XDMCP session), whether or not this
session is attached, etc. As the entity that initiates the user process,
GDM is in a unique position to know about the user session and to be
trusted to provide these bits of information. The use of this privileged
method is restricted by the use of the D-Bus system message bus security
policy.
In case a user with an existing session has authenticated
at GDM and requests to resume that existing session, GDM calls a
privileged method of ConsoleKit to unlock that session. The exact
details of what happens when the session receives this unlock signal are
undefined and session-specific. However, most sessions will unlock a
screensaver in response.
When the user chooses to log out, or if GDM or the session quit unexpectedly the user session will be unregistered from ConsoleKit.
About
Copyrights
- Copyright © 1998, 1999 Martin K. Petersen
- Copyright © 2001, 2003, 2004 George Lebl
- Copyright © 2003, 2007, 2008 Red Hat, Inc.
- Copyright © 2003, 2011 Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
Legal Notice
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation Licence (GFDL), Version 1.1 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. You can find a copy of the GFDL at this link or in the file COPYING-DOCS distributed with this manual.
This manual is part of a collection of GNOME manuals distributed under the GFDL. If you want to distribute this manual separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the licence to the manual, as described in section 6 of the licence.
Many of the names used by companies to distinguish their products and services are claimed as trademarks. Where those names appear in any GNOME documentation, and the members of the GNOME Documentation Project are made aware of those trademarks, then the names are in capital letters or initial capital letters.
DOCUMENT AND MODIFIED VERSIONS OF THE DOCUMENT ARE PROVIDED
UNDER THE TERMS OF THE GNU FREE DOCUMENTATION LICENSE
WITH THE FURTHER UNDERSTANDING THAT:
-
DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" BASIS,
WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, WARRANTIES
THAT THE DOCUMENT OR MODIFIED VERSION OF THE
DOCUMENT IS FREE OF DEFECTS MERCHANTABLE, FIT FOR
A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR NON-INFRINGING. THE ENTIRE
RISK AS TO THE QUALITY, ACCURACY, AND PERFORMANCE
OF THE DOCUMENT OR MODIFIED VERSION OF THE
DOCUMENT IS WITH YOU. SHOULD ANY DOCUMENT OR
MODIFIED VERSION PROVE DEFECTIVE IN ANY RESPECT,
YOU (NOT THE INITIAL WRITER, AUTHOR OR ANY
CONTRIBUTOR) ASSUME THE COST OF ANY NECESSARY
SERVICING, REPAIR OR CORRECTION. THIS DISCLAIMER
OF WARRANTY CONSTITUTES AN ESSENTIAL PART OF THIS
LICENSE. NO USE OF ANY DOCUMENT OR MODIFIED
VERSION OF THE DOCUMENT IS AUTHORIZED HEREUNDER
EXCEPT UNDER THIS DISCLAIMER; AND
-
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES AND UNDER NO LEGAL
THEORY, WHETHER IN TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE),
CONTRACT, OR OTHERWISE, SHALL THE AUTHOR,
INITIAL WRITER, ANY CONTRIBUTOR, OR ANY
DISTRIBUTOR OF THE DOCUMENT OR MODIFIED VERSION
OF THE DOCUMENT, OR ANY SUPPLIER OF ANY OF SUCH
PARTIES, BE LIABLE TO ANY PERSON FOR ANY
DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR
CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANY CHARACTER
INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR LOSS
OF GOODWILL, WORK STOPPAGE, COMPUTER FAILURE OR
MALFUNCTION, OR ANY AND ALL OTHER DAMAGES OR
LOSSES ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO USE OF THE
DOCUMENT AND MODIFIED VERSIONS OF THE DOCUMENT,
EVEN IF SUCH PARTY SHALL HAVE BEEN INFORMED OF
THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.