SDDM
Simple Desktop Display Manager (SDDM) is a modern display manager that supports both the X11 server and the Wayland protocol.
Installation
USE flags
USE flags for x11-misc/sddm Simple Desktop Display Manager
consolekit
|
Use ck-launch-session from sys-auth/consolekit by default in Xsession (no native support) |
elogind
|
Use sys-auth/elogind for session tracking. |
pam
|
Add support for PAM (Pluggable Authentication Modules)DANGEROUS to arbitrarily flip |
systemd
|
Enable use of systemd-specific libraries and features like socket activation or session tracking |
test
|
Enable dependencies and/or preparations necessary to run tests (usually controlled by FEATURES=test but can be toggled independently) |
Emerge
Install x11-misc/sddm:
root #emerge --ask x11-misc/sddmIf there are performance issues, it might help to add the sddm user to the video group:
root #usermod -a -G video sddmConfiguration
Files
SDDM has two configuration files: the package installed /usr/share/sddm/sddm.conf.d/00default.conf and /etc/sddm.conf which is used to override specific options. The second is not created by the package. KDE Plasma writes user changed options to /etc/sddm.conf. Both files have the same format. See comments in the file and man 5 sddm.conf for details on available options.
Prior to 0.18.0
Prior to 0.18.0 the configuration was only in /etc/sddm.conf. Some of the files may have had to be generated manually. If installing 0.18.0, skip ahead to Service section.
Keymap
To select the correct keymap on the login screen, add following lines to the /etc/sddm.conf file:
/etc/sddm.conf[X11] DisplayCommand=/etc/sddm/scripts/Xsetup
This file is not created automatically when the package is installed so you'll need to create it if you haven't done so already.
Next create the directory /etc/sddm/scripts
root #mkdir -p /etc/sddm/scriptsand the file /etc/sddm/scripts/Xsetup.
/etc/sddm/scripts/Xsetupsetxkbmap gb,us
the first country code is the default. Finally set execute permissions on the file /etc/sddm/scripts/Xsetup.
root #chmod a+x /etc/sddm/scripts/XsetupService
OpenRC
Set SDDM as the default display manager:
/etc/conf.d/xdmDISPLAYMANAGER="sddm"
To start SDDM on boot, add xdm to the default runlevel:
The dbus service gets pulled in dynamically.
root #rc-update add xdm defaultTo start SDDM now:
root #/etc/init.d/xdm startAfter logging in to the X session via sddm, it is a good idea to verify that ConsoleKit is working as intended. By typing ck-list-sessions all active sessions can be listed. The list should include your session, typically running on x11-display-device = '/dev/tty7'. This session should also read active = TRUE. Active being FALSE indicates an issue [1][2].
systemd
To start SDDM on boot:
root #systemctl enable sddm.serviceTo start SDDM now:
root #systemctl start sddm.servicePlasma
Graphical configuration is integrated in Plasma 5 system settings by installing kde-plasma/sddm-kcm:
root #emerge --ask kde-plasma/sddm-kcmTroubleshooting
Long load time before SDDM shows the greeter
A low entropy pool can cause long SDDM load time - see upstream bug report. If using systemd, the graphical target is reached and then everything appears to hang. Moving the mouse or using the keyboard will make the SDDM greeter launch (faster).
Solve the problem by using, for example, the sys-apps/haveged package to increase the entropy pool or by enabling RANDOM_TRUST_CPU kernel config option with a recent-enough CPU.
Permission denied errors in Xorg.log
The X server will not start and permission denied errors (such as the following) are present in the Xorg.log log file:
/var/log/Xorg.log/var/log/Xorg.0.log:[ 2058.998] (EE) /dev/dri/card0: failed to set DRM interface version 1.4: Permission denied /var/log/Xorg.0.log:[ 2061.229] (EE) intel(0): [drm] failed to set drm interface version: Permission denied [13].
It is likely the sddm user has not been added to the video group. Running the following command should fix the problem:
root #usermod -a -G video sddmMissing users
If the login screen is missing some user(s) to choose from, this might be caused by /etc/sddm.conf - standard MinimumUid is 1000 and some existing users may have lower uids.
/etc/sddm.conf[Users] MaximumUid=60000 MinimumUid=1000
X11: Incorrect layout on high DPI with fractional scaling and multiple monitors
If a scaling setting such as 1.5 (150%) is used, the second monitor (and others) might display incorrectly. An example screenshot is included. Note how the second half of the screen is actually starting in the first half and the aspect ratio of this screenshot is incorrect.
To fix this, use a script which SDDM will run right after initializing X but before loading the login screen. The default script for this is /usr/share/sddm/scripts/Xsetup. Copy this file to, for example /etc/sddm/Xsetup, and make necessary changes.
Example script to fix using dc and xrandr a scale of 1.5 with 2 4K monitors that are oriented horizontally and placed side-by-side:
/etc/sddm/Xsetup#!/bin/sh w=3840 h=2160 scale=1.5 # With a --scale 1.5 argument to xrandr, the virtual width of the left screen is 3840 / 1.5 or 2560. # We need to use the physical width: 3840 * 1.5 or 5760 to specify the X position of the second # screen (right of the left). # The multiplication/division with 10 is to avoid getting fractional results (5760.0). right_pos=$(dc -e "${scale} 10 * ${w} * 10 / p") xrandr \ --output DP-2 --scale "$scale" --mode "${w}x${h}" --pos 0x0 \ --output DP-4 --scale "$scale" --mode "${w}x${h}" --pos "${right_pos}x0"
Then, configure sddm to execute this script:
/etc/sddm.conf[X11] DisplayCommand=/etc/sddm/Xsetup
Remember that this script must be executable (e.g. chmod +x /etc/sddm/Xsetup). DisplayCommand is a path, not a command with arguments.
If SDDM still shows the incorrect layout or reverts to prior behavior, check that the DE has not added its own settings to SDDM.
See also
- LightDM — a cross-desktop display manager whose aim is to be the standard display manager for the X server.
- SLiM — a desktop-independent graphical display manager.