Description of problem: This feature request is in relation to configuration of X for multiple simultaneous interactive users. i.e.: one host with multiple display/keyboard/mouse. X11R6.9 and X11R7.0 now natively include parameters to get this configured. It would be nice if Redhat included a utility to configure this feature without having to manually tweak configuration parameters. system-config-display might or might not be the best candidate for this RFE, please feel free to reassign to another package if this does not fit in here. Below is a mini-howto directly taken from http://blog.chris.tylers.info/index.php?/archives/14-Multiseat-X-Under-X11R6.97.0.html 1. Install your favorite distro. 2. Upgrade the X server to X.Org 6.9 or 7.0 if necessary (pre-release versions at http://x.org) - FC5 test releases include X.org 7.0. (Note that 6.9 and 7.0 are the same software, but 6.9 is a monolithic build and 7.0 is modular). 3. Configure and test a Xinerama configuration using "X -configure". (Refer to http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Xinerama-HOWTO/ if needed) 4. Plug in your additional USB keyboards and mice. 5. Find all of the keyboards and mice in /proc/bus/input/devices. Note the Handlers line for each device; find the 'eventX' value for each keyboard and the 'mouseX' value for each mouse. 6. Construct an InputDevice section for each keyboard, and place it in the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file: Section "InputDevice" Identifier "keyboardN" Driver "evdev" Option "Device" "/dev/input/eventX" EndSection Replace N with a sequential keyboard number, and X with the event handler identified in step 5. 7. Construct an InputDevice section for each mouse, and place it in the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file: Section "InputDevice" Identifier "mouseN" Driver "mouse" Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5" Option "Device" "/dev/input/mouseX" EndSection Replace N with the a sequential mouse number, and X with the mouse handler identified in step 5. 8. Create a ServerLayout section for each seat, and add it to the xorg.conf file: Section "ServerLayout" Identifier "seatN" Screen 0 "Screen0" 0 0 InputDevice "mouseN" "CorePointer" InputDevice "keybaordN" "CoreKeyboard" EndSection 9. Test the displays using the -novtswitch and -sharevts options: X -novtswitch -sharevts -layout seatN :0 Replace N with each seat number in turn. You probably won't be able to zap (Ctrl-Alt-Backspace) the server nor switch VTs, so you'll need another system with ssh access to terminate the X servers (or run something like 'while sleep 60 ; do killall X ; done' in the background). 10. Although you can start each X server using the X (or Xorg) binary, it's easier to track and kill individual servers if you link separate names (X0, X1) for each server: ln -s /usr/X11R6/bin/X /usr/X11R6/bin/X0 ln -s /usr/X11R6/bin/X /usr/X11R6/bin/X1 Note that the X server may be relocated - when I installed 6.9 from the X.org CVS onto FC4, the server went into /usr/X11R6/bin, but in FC5 (7.0) it's in /usr/bin. This command will work in any case: ln -s $(which X) $(which X)0 ln -s $(which X) $(which X)1 11. Add the new X servers to the display manager configuration. If you're using Fedora Core 4, for example, modify /etc/X11/gdm/gdm.conf: - Comment out this line by prepening the #: #0=Standard - Add these lines, one for each seat: 0=Standard0 1=Standard1 ... - Add these sections: [server-Standard0] name=Standard server command=/usr/X11R6/bin/X0 -novtswitch -sharevts -layout seat0 flexible=false [server-Standard1] name=Standard server command=/usr/X11R6/bin/X1 -novtswitch -sharevts -layout seat1 flexible=false 12. Restart the display manager and enjoy!
Adding FutureFeature keyword to RFE's.
Since this bugzilla report was filed, there have been several major updates in various components of the Xorg system, which may have resolved this issue. Users who have experienced this problem are encouraged to upgrade their system to the latest version of their packages (at least F12Beta, but even better if the very latest versions). Please, if you experience this problem on the up-to-date system, let us now in the comment for this bug, or whether the upgraded system works for you. If you won't be able to reply in one month, I will have to close this bug as INSUFFICIENT_DATA. Thank you. [This is a bulk message for all open Fedora Rawhide Xorg-related bugs. I'm adding myself to the CC list for each bug, so I'll see any comments you make after this and do my best to make sure every issue gets proper attention.]
This Bug predates discussions of multiseat at the feature level. Here are links to the wiki discussing the feature. http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Features/Multiseat http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Talk:Features/Multiseat