SLiM

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Summary
Provides an overview of the Simple Login Manager.
Related
Display Manager
Note: It is not clear whether SLiM upstream development is in an active state, see the changelog.

SLiM is an acronym for Simple Login Manager. SLiM is simple, lightweight and easily configurable. SLiM is used by some because it does not require the dependencies of GNOME or KDE and can help make a lighter system for users that like to use lightweight desktops like Xfce, Openbox, and Fluxbox.

1 Installation

Install SLiM from the extra repository: 

# pacman -S slim

2 Configuration

2.1 Enabling SLiM

SLiM can be loaded on startup by entering it in your daemons array in rc.conf or by modifying inittab. If you use systemd, just enable slim.service. Dbus appears to be required since version 1.3.3 of SLiM.

2.2 Single environments

To configure SLiM to load a particular environment, edit your ~/.xinitrc to load your desktop environment: 

#!/bin/sh

#
# ~/.xinitrc
#
# Executed by startx (run your window manager from here)
#

exec [session-command]

SLiM reads the local ~/.xinitrc configuration and then launches the desktop according to what is in that file. If you do not have a ~/.xinitrc file, you can use the skeleton file by: 

$ cp /etc/skel/.xinitrc ~

Remember to make .xinitrc executable: 

 chmod +x ~/.xinitrc

Replace [session-command] with the appropriate session command. Some examples of different desktop start commands: 

exec awesome
exec dwm
exec startfluxbox
exec fvwm2
exec gnome-session
exec openbox-session
exec startkde
exec startlxde
exec startxfce4
exec enlightenment_start
exec ck-launch-session $ONE_OF_THE_ABOVE

For detailed instructions on how to start the various environments, refer to the appropriate wiki pages.

Note: slim is ConsoleKit capable since version 1.3.3. Unless you happen to run an old version, you must no longer include ck-launch-session from your .xinitrc or slim.conf login_cmd.

2.3 Autologin

To make SLiM automatically login as a specified user (without having to type a password) the following lines in /etc/slim.conf should be changed. 

# default_user        simone

Uncomment this line, and change "simone" to the user to be logged into automatically. 

# auto_login          no

Uncomment this line and change the 'no' to 'yes'. This enables the auto login feature.

2.4 Multiple environments

To be able to choose from multiple desktop environments, SLiM can be setup to log you into whichever you choose.

Put a case statement similar to this one in your ~/.xinitrc file and edit the sessions variable in /etc/slim.conf to match the names that trigger the case statement. You can choose the session at login time by pressing F1. Note that this feature is experimental. 

# The following variable defines the session which is started if the user doesn't explicitly select a session
# Source: http://svn.berlios.de/svnroot/repos/slim/trunk/xinitrc.sample

DEFAULT_SESSION=twm

case $1 in
kde)
	exec startkde
	;;
xfce4)
	exec startxfce4
	;;
icewm)
	icewmbg &
	icewmtray &
	exec icewm
	;;
wmaker)
	exec wmaker
	;;
blackbox)
	exec blackbox
	;;
*)
	exec $DEFAULT_SESSION
	;;
esac

Note that, in this script, the default option simply executes, e.g., exec icewm (if that is the default session), without icewmbg and icewmtray. You may want simply to repeat everything you've put under, e.g., icewm) again under *). When done use F1 to cycle through sessions in SLiM.

2.5 Themes

Install the parabola-themes-slim package: 

# pacman -S parabola-themes-slim

Look in the directory of /usr/share/slim/themes to see the themes available. Enter the theme name on the current_theme line in /etc/slim.conf: 

#current_theme       default
current_theme        Parabola-black

To preview a theme run while an instance of the Xorg server is running by: 

$ slim -p /usr/share/slim/themes/<theme name>

To close, type "exit" in the Login line and press Enter.

2.5.1 Dual screen setup

You can customize the slim theme in /usr/share/slim/themes/<your-theme>/slim.theme to turn these percents values. The box itself is 450 pixels by 250 pixels: 

input_panel_x           50%
input_panel_y           50%

into pixels values: 

# These settings set the "theme-name-simplyblack" panel in the center of a 1440x900 screen
input_panel_x           495
input_panel_y           325

# These settings set the "theme-name-retro" panel in the center of a 1680x1050 screen
input_panel_x           615
input_panel_y           400

If your theme has a background picture you should use the background_style setting ('stretch', 'tile', 'center' or 'color') to get it correctly displayed. Have a look at the very simple and clear official documentation about slim themes for further details.

3 Other options

A few things you might like to try.

3.1 Match SLiM and Desktop Wallpaper

To share a wallpaper between SLiM and your desktop, rename the used theme background, then create a link from your desktop wallpaper file to the default SLiM theme: 

# mv /usr/share/slim/themes/default/background.jpg{,.bck}
# ln -s /path/to/mywallpaper.jpg /usr/share/slim/themes/default/background.jpg

3.2 Shutdown, reboot, suspend, exit, launch terminal from SLiM

You may shutdown, reboot, suspend, exit or even launch a terminal from the SLiM login screen. To do so, use the values in the username field, and the root password in the password field:

  • To launch a terminal, enter console as the username (defaults to xterm which must be installed separately... edit /etc/slim.conf to change terminal preference)
  • For shutdown, enter halt as the username
  • For reboot, enter reboot as the username
  • To exit to bash, enter exit as the username
  • For suspend, enter suspend as the username (suspend is disabled by default, edit /etc/slim.conf as root to uncomment the suspend_cmd line and, if necessary modify the suspend command itself (e.g. change /usr/sbin/suspend to sudo /usr/sbin/pm-suspend))

3.3 SLiM init error with rc.d daemon

If you initialize SLiM with /etc/rc.conf inside the DAEMONS array and it fails to initialize it's most likely a lock file issue. SLiM creates a lock file in /var/lock on each initialization, however, in most cases the lock folder in /var does not exist preventing SLiM from initializing. Check to make sure /var/lock exists, if it does not you can create it by typing the following: 

# mkdir /var/lock/

3.4 Power-off error with Splashy

If you use Splashy and SLiM, sometimes you can't power-off or reboot from menu in GNOME, Xfce, LXDE or others. Check your /etc/slim.conf and /etc/splash.conf; set the DEFAULT_TTY=7 same as xserver_arguments vt07.

3.5 Power-off tray icon fails

If your power off tray icon fails, it could be due to not having root privileges. To start a tray icon with root privileges, be sure to have SLiM start the program. Edit /etc/slim.conf as follows: 

sessionstart_cmd 	/path/to/tray/icon/program &

3.6 Login information with SLiM

By default, SLiM fails to log logins to utmp and wtmp which causes who, last, etc. to misreport login information. To fix this edit your slim.conf as follows: 

 sessionstart_cmd    /usr/bin/sessreg -a -l $DISPLAY %user
 sessionstop_cmd     /usr/bin/sessreg -d -l $DISPLAY %user

3.7 Custom SLiM Login Commands

You can also use the sessionstart_cmd/sessionstop_cmd in /etc/slim.conf to log specific infomation, such as the session, user, or theme used by slim: 

 sessionstop_cmd /usr/bin/logger -i -t ASKAPACHE "(sessionstop_cmd: u:%user s:%session t:%theme)"
 sessionstart_cmd /usr/bin/logger -i -t ASKAPACHE "(sessionstart_cmd: u:%user s:%session t:%theme)"

Or if you want to play a song when slim loads (and you have the beep program installed) 

 sessionstart_cmd /usr/bin/beep -f 659 -l 460 -n -f 784 -l 340 -n -f 659 -l 230 -n -f 659 -l 110

3.8 SLiM and Gnome Keyring

If you are using SLiM to launch a Gnome session and have trouble accessing your keyring, for example not being automatically authenticated on login, add the following lines to /etc/pam.d/slim (as discussed here). 

auth       optional    pam_gnome_keyring.so
session    optional    pam_gnome_keyring.so    auto_start

You also have to add to /etc/pam.d/passwd: 

password        optional        pam_gnome_keyring.so

If you use a screensaver you also have to add 

auth    optional        pam_gnome_keyring.so

to /etc/pam.d/gnome-screensaver for example (replace gnome-screensaver with slimlock,slock,whatever you use). If you don't do that, your keyring is locked when screen is locked by your screensaver and not unlocked again after logging back in.

However, this fix alone no longer works since Gnome 2.30. Further changes are necessary as described here. Modifying the login_cmd line in /etc/slim.conf: 

login_cmd exec ck-launch-session dbus-launch /bin/bash -login ~/.xinitrc %session >~/.xsession-errors 2>&1

As of GNOME 3, simply adding dbus-launch after ck-launch-session will work, without needing to edit /etc/pam.d/slim.

As of GNOME 3.1, you need to add dbus-launch after ck-launch-session and edit /etc/pam.d/{slim,passwd}, otherwise the keyring will not be automatically unlocked. I never tried it on 3.0, so maybe the above information about GNOME 3 is wrong.

The solutions mentioned here and also further information are found here.

If you have problems keeping the keyring unlocked for longer sessions, there is another thing that Gnome does: Look at /etc/xdg/autostart/{gnome-keyring-gpg.desktop, gnome-keyring-pkcs11.desktop, gnome-keyring-secrets.desktop, gnome-keyring-ssh.desktop}.

Append the following lines to .xinitrc just before you start your wm (example here is awesome wm): 

/usr/bin/gnome-keyring-daemon --start --components=gpg
/usr/bin/gnome-keyring-daemon --start --components=pkcs11
/usr/bin/gnome-keyring-daemon --start --components=secrets
/usr/bin/gnome-keyring-daemon --start --components=ssh
/usr/bin/awesome

After login check if there is only one gnome-keyring-daemon instance running (ps -A | grep gnome). If those lines are executed too early then you have 4 instances running which is not good.

You also should notice that seahorse for example does not show any pkcs11 errors anymore and that your keyring is unlocked all the time and does not lock itself anymore. Finally gnome-keyring is fully functional like in Gnome. See also here.

3.9 SLiM and Environment Variables

If you have trouble with environment variables changing after a session is started, one cause could be the module pam_env.so, by default, reads the file /etc/environment and sets up the environment accordingly.

For example: I use SLiM, which fires up a XFCE4 session upon valid authentication. When this is done my terminal(xfterm4) can't print Unicode characters(LC_* environment variables has been defaulted/altered to "POSIX"). But when I start XFCE4 manually, like so: startxfce4, Unicode characters on my terminal works fine.

This can be fixed by adding this to /etc/environment or your user specific file: $HOME/.pam_environment: 

# You can change these to fit your preference, of course.
LANG="en_US.UTF-8"
LC_COLLATE="C"

Alternatively, you can modify the line in /etc/pam.d/slim from: 

session		required	pam_env.so

To: 

session		required	pam_env.so	envfile=<yourfile>

Where <yourfile> is the name of the file you want PAM to recognize as your default environment file, when starting a new session from SLiM.

3.10 Setting DPI with SLiM

The Xorg server generally picks up the DPI but if it doesn't you can specify it to SLiM. If you set the DPI with the argument -dpi 96 in /etc/X11/xinit/xserverrc it will not work with SLiM. To fix this change your slim.conf from: 

 xserver_arguments   -nolisten tcp vt07

to 

 xserver_arguments   -nolisten tcp vt07 -dpi 96

3.11 Use a random theme

Use the current_theme variable as a comma separated list to specify a set from which to choose. Selection is random.

3.12 Move the whole session to another VT

Lets say you have commented out tty terminals 3-6 as you may not use them. (You may use screen and therefore only need one terminal) So, to move the X-Server you need to change one number in the /etc/slim.conf file. Just a few lines down you should see: 

xserver_arguments -nolisten tcp vt07

Simply change the vt07 to lets say vt03 as there is no agetty started there.

3.13 Automatically mount your encrypted /home on login

You can use pam_mount.

4 All Slim Options

Here is a list of all the slim configuration options and their default values.

Note: welcome_msg allows 2 variables %host and %domain
sessionstart_cmd allows %user (execd right before login_cmd) and it is also allowed in sessionstop_cmd
login_cmd allows %session and %theme

5 See also

6 Acknowledgement

This wiki article is based on ArchWiki. We may have removed non-FSDG bits from it.
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