Show results from systemctl status display-manager
Here it is:
systemctl status display-manager
* display-manager-legacy.service - X Display Manager
Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/display-manager-legacy.service; en>
Active: active (running) since Mon 2026-02-02 12:54:24 EST; 3h 54min ago
Invocation: 79536b8f12114fd98afd962ceac20546
Process: 1636 ExecStart=/usr/lib/X11/display-manager start (code=exited, st>
Main PID: 1658 (xdm)
Tasks: 5 (limit: 19051)
CPU: 1min 32.376s
CGroup: /system.slice/display-manager-legacy.service
|-1658 /usr/bin/xdm
`-2113 /usr/bin/Xorg.bin -nolisten tcp -br vt7 -keeptty -auth /var>
Feb 02 12:54:22 localhost systemd[1]: Starting X Display Manager...
Feb 02 12:54:23 localhost display-manager[1649]: /etc/vconsole.conf available
Feb 02 12:54:23 localhost display-manager[1649]: XKBLAYOUT: us
Feb 02 12:54:23 localhost display-manager[1649]: XKBLAYOUT is already set. Bett>
Feb 02 12:54:24 localhost display-manager[1636]: Starting service xdm
Feb 02 12:54:24 localhost systemd[1]: Started X Display Manager.
That output confirms the display manager in use is XDM. You should be using GDM (GNOME Display Manager).
Not to confuse you, but the display-manager-legacy service is active, which is only intended to provide compatibility with old X11-only setups.
Check that gdm is installed…
rpm -q gdm
I would disable legacy service that and instead enable the display-manager.service like this
sudo systemctl disable display-manager-legacy
sudo systemctl enable display-manager
Reboot and when the system comes back up check systemctl status display-manager again. You should see gdmand not xdm as the main process.
Perhaps, also check sudo update-alternatives --display default-displaymanager and if it is not pointing to GDM, then do
sudo update-alternatives --config default-displaymanager
and configure it accordingly.
Report back.
1 Like
GDM is installed. I was able to enable it (but not as display-manager) and the screen changed to the Gnome I am used to. So, we’re much closer to fixing that issue. I enabled “gdm” and that’s when the change happened.
With the Gnome classic login, a new problem has surfaced. It won’t take my password. I can go into a terminal and login that way, both as myself and as root. I don’t know how to start the gui after going into terminal mode (ctl-alt-f1) - I may have learned that some time ago, but my focus has been elsewhere - I’m more of an appliance operator with Linux (due to other pressures). I’ve been around computers since the mid 70s - knowledgeable but not on the details of Linux.
BTW-
I also could not set GDM as a default by update-alternatives. It didn’t seem to recognize GDM even though systemctl recognized it as the enabled gui environment.
I really appreciate the time you’ve given to help with this issue. Without this computer running right, I’m pretty much dead in the water.
Thanks!
If gdm is enabled explicitly as a service that is ok.
systemctl status gdm
FWIW, I use Plasma 6 with SDDM as my login manager (Leap 16 and Slowroll), and I don’t use the update-alternatives framework at all. It’s getting phased out anyway.
From a TTY logged in as your user…
ls -ld $HOME
ls -l ~/.Xauthority
ls -ld ~/.config ~/.cache ~/.local
Check that owner and group are in that user’s name.
Also do rm -f ~/.Xauthority to remove temporary authentication cookies. (It is recreated automatically on the next successful graphical login.)
Report back.
done. ls showed correct username and group in each line. I tried the rm line also - nothing seemed to happen.
This might be important. I went back and checked on gdm. I got a couple of error messages that are tied to logging in.
systemctl status display-manager
● gdm.service - GNOME Display Manager
Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/gdm.service; enabled; preset: enabled)
Active: active (running) since Mon 2026-02-02 23:19:02 EST; 2min 47s ago
Invocation: f3ebff24f3e14e25b3c84bfab88e5ca8
Main PID: 1681 (gdm)
Tasks: 4 (limit: 19046)
CPU: 69ms
CGroup: /system.slice/gdm.service
└─1681 /usr/sbin/gdm
Feb 02 23:19:01 localhost systemd[1]: Starting GNOME Display Manager...
Feb 02 23:19:02 localhost systemd[1]: Started GNOME Display Manager.
Feb 02 23:19:48 localhost gdm-password][2326]: gkr-pam: unable to locate daemon control file
Feb 02 23:19:48 localhost gdm-password][2326]: gkr-pam: stashed password to try later in open session
Feb 02 23:19:49 localhost gdm-password][2326]: pam_unix(gdm-password:session): session opened for user root(uid=0) by root(uid=0)
Feb 02 23:19:49 localhost gdm-password][2326]: gkr-pam: gnome-keyring-daemon started properly and unlocked keyring
Feb 02 23:20:03 localhost gdm[1681]: Gdm: Child process -1863 was already dead.
Ok, good.
The session is still failing after PAM authentication, which means GNOME Wayland itself is failing to start the user session for some reason.
You mentioned Gnome Classic earlier? Does choosing a plain Gnome Wayland session work?
Plain Gnome? I don’t see “Wayland” anywhere. My username gets kicked out whether in Classic or “Plain Gnome”. I can log in as root. When I log in as root, the horrible orange background shows up once the login is complete - and I get warnings about it not being a good idea to run in root (totally agree).
I tried to see if gkr-pam showed up in my computer - not found, and a search of the repositories came up “not found”. Ditto for pam_unix. I’m not sure how to find out what the child process 1863 is.
I’m not a GNOME user, and don’t currently have the GDM (displaymanager) installed, but IIRC once you click a username (or type it if the system is set to manual login), GDM will show the password prompt, and session selection menu (the little gear icon in GNOME) appears? Hopefully, a GNOME user can clarify further here.
The gear appears after getting GDM working (as display manager). It gives two choices - Gnome and Gnome Classic. I think if we can get my login working, then it will be easier for me to figure out some of the other stuff.
I’m wondering if there was some step that didn’t get done during the (partially unattended) upgrade - and how to fix it.
From a TTY (CTRL+ALT+F3), create a new user for test purposes…
sudo useradd -m testuser
sudo passwd testuser
…then switch back to the graphical (GDM) login manager, and try logging in as testuser…plain GNOME. That will help tell if a user config issue or deeper system issue.
Is gnome-session installed? Please show zypper se -si gnome-session.
The OP did say he could log in to the desktop environment as root, so presumably that would require the session package to be installed already.
It’s installed, along with wayland.
zypper se -si gnome-session
Loading repository data...
Reading installed packages...
S | Name | Type | Version | Arch | Repository
---+------------------------+---------+-----------------+--------+----------------
i+ | gnome-session | package | 48.0-160000.2.2 | x86_64 | repo-oss (16.0)
i+ | gnome-session-core | package | 48.0-160000.2.2 | x86_64 | repo-oss (16.0)
i+ | gnome-session-lang | package | 48.0-160000.2.2 | noarch | repo-oss (16.0)
i+ | gnome-session-wayland | package | 48.0-160000.2.2 | x86_64 | repo-oss (16.0)
i+ | gnome-session-xsession | package | 48.0-160000.2.2 | x86_64 | repo-oss (16.0)
Note: For an extended search including not yet activated remote resources please use 'zypper
search-packages'.
1 Like
Two questions if you don’t mind.
1- How do I get back to the GUI from the TTY session?
2 - Could this be done in Terminal?
I don’t remember learning how to get back from a TTY session to the gui without rebooting.
Thanks!
Bob
Not really clear what you mean.
On a default Gnome install you have the GDM screen on VT7 (CTRL+ALT+F7).
The first graphical session should be on VT2 (CTRL+ALT+F2).
VT1 and VT3-VT6 offer TTY logins (but may have the second, third etc. graphical sessions running).
So hitting CTRL+ALT+Fn you can switch back and forth from GUI and TTY.
Then we have the “boot to a TTY” known as “runlevel 3” in the old days and as multi-user.target now, that can be reached appending a “3” (without quotes) to the boot command line or by issuing:
systemctl isolate multi-user.target
From that target you can start the graphical target with
systemctl isolate graphical.target
or with systemctl isolate default.targetwith the standard default config.
Switch back the login TTY (usually TTY1?).
OK, I tried that. (Had to reboot to return to the GUI - and then again to login as root.)
The new user/password did not help at all - it wasn’t recognized even though it exists. At least I was able to go back to the initial login (with the two choices - my login and testuser). My normal login locked out the password box (grayed out) like usual.
Can you show getent passwd <username> for your primary user?
Thanks! I thought it might be one of the ctrl-alt-fx combinations, but wasn’t sure at all.
I tried the ctrl-alt-f7 and it returned me to a login screen, but still can only login as root. Other attempts (my own login and the testuser login) didn’t work.
My login seems to lock out further attempts (the password box is grayed out), while the testuser just returns to the login.
Weird problems - I will be SO glad to get this fixed.
Thanks again!