How can I setup my system to run multiple X servers?

English Install/Boot/Login
1

I’ve been trying to find a way to run a separate X server so I could run old games and applications, and needs to run in 16bpp, it used to be simple with startx, but now I know I need to add permissions to my user in order to be able to run a separate X server, but I really don’t know where, I have tried to find information about this and it has not been easy…

I’m using KDE 4, distro ver 13.1 64bit.

I don’t know what other information is needed to help with this issue. I think this also may help other users…

2

I’m a bit interested in what comes out of this, but I don’t know much about it. I know how to have two different users logged in to the same system simultaneously by initiating a new user session ([ctl + alt + l] new), but this is probably not what you want.

3

IIRC you need to have


$HOME/.xinitrc

and


$HOME/.xserverrc

first. My guess is a solution should be found there.

The man page for startx also refers to this.

4

I used to create separate x servers with nvidia by passing something like --separate-x-screens to nvidia config, but that still launched 2 instances of gnome2 or kde with the same user at once. I used to do it so that i could change workspaces independently of each other i don’t do it anymore as enlightenment provides this behavior by default.

On the other hand rather then trying to run 2 xservers you could run dosbox or virtual box. There is also a x extention called xephyr that can be used to run a nested x server, maybe thats a better way to go i’ve never used it http://awesome.naquadah.org/wiki/Using_Xephyr

5

the “startx as user” is particular to openSUSE (as far as I know, though perhaps other distros have also revoked such default behaviour). In any regard, you can restore it easily via a simple change to /etc/permission local and running the chkstat script afterwards … I can’t believe Carlos didn’t reply here, as he’s provided the answer at least half a dozen times over the past year or so … perhaps he missed the thread rotfl! … do heed the security warning of doing such … or the ides of March

Anyway, and in any regard, a better way would be to configure your DM appropriately to launch other seats

one of the limitations here is that you’re just recycling the same X server configuration

Whether any of those solutions would be appropriate would depend upon how demanding the “old games” the OP wants to use are … Xephyr out of the box is completely unaccelerated (though there is some recent interest in providing a solution to this) … still, it is useful in some instances …https://forums.opensuse.org/showthread.php/491013-Software-tests-with-Xephyr?p=2590406#post2590406

6

Thank you Tyler that did the trick!

for those in the same boat:

  1. Open /etc/permissions.local and uncomment the last line
    /usr/bin/Xorg root:root 0755

  2. run chkstat /etc/permissions.local

  3. Modify the “0755” to the result given by chkstat