On Thu, 24 Aug 2000, Ian Zimmerman wrote: > Xconsole is supposed to show messages coming from syslogd(8). For it > to work under linux, an entry has to be made in /etc/syslog.conf > looking like this: > > # The named pipe /dev/xconsole is for the `xconsole' utility. To use it, > # you must invoke `xconsole' with the `-file' option: > # > # $ xconsole -file /dev/xconsole [...] > # > # NOTE: adjust the list below, or you'll go crazy if you have a reasonably > # busy site.. > # > daemon.info;mail.info;\ > auth.info;*.notice;cron.* |/dev/xconsole > > and of course /dev/xconsole must be an existing named pipe. > > What is a bit unusual about xconsole is that it is the only X program > that runs while xdm (or its replacements kdm or gdm) waits for user > login (though this can be disabled in /etc/X11/xdm/xdm-options). I've > observed that attempts to start an additional copy of xconsole after > logging in, either from a script like ~/.xsession or from an xterm, > don't result in the creation of a new window: instead, the command > line parameters (window geometry, font etc.) seem to be applied to the > existing window. I don't know myself how this works, and I'd be > grateful if someone can explain; but my point is that it seems there > is a problem with this mechanism on your system. KDE probably runs > xconsole after you log in just because it remembers it had one when > you logged out, and instead of reconnecting to the running copy > (passed in from kdm) it somehow ends up creating a new window.
Ian, Thank you for your response which I am studying - it takes me some time to take new information onboard!! Unfortunately, I decided to reinstall Slink on the second box and so am now unable to experiment with the syslog.conf file. (Since I moved over to Debian it has not been necessary to reinstall - I've had no crashes. From time to time, however, I choose to reinstall on the second box just for practise and experience, so this was no problem). As I keep detailed notes of what I do, it may be possible to recreate the position - I shall attempt to do so in due course. I am grateful, regards, John.
