1.1 Logging In and Selecting a Desktop
If more than one user account is configured on your computer, usually all
users must authenticate—unless is enabled
for a certain user. Auto login lets a user automatically log in to the
desktop environment when the system starts. This feature can be enabled
or disabled during installation or at any time using the YaST User
Management module. For more information, refer to
Section 5.0, Managing Users with YaST,
(↑ Start-Up ).
If your computer is running in a network environment and you are not the
only person using the machine, you are usually prompted to enter your
username and password when you start your system. If you did not set up
your system and your user account, check with your system administrator
for your username and password.
The program managing the login process depends on the desktop environment
installed on your system. For GNOME, it is GDM. If the KDE desktop is
also installed on your system, it might be KDM.
The login screen has the following items:
1.1.1 What Is a Session?
A session is the period of time from when you log
in to when you log out. During a session, you can use applications,
print, browse the Web, and so on.
The login screen offers several login options. For example, you can
select the language of your session so that text that appears in the
interface is presented in that language.
After your username and password are authenticated, the Session Manager
starts. The Session Manager lets you save certain settings for each
session. It also lets you save the state of your most recent session and
return to that session the next time you log in.
The Session Manager can save and restore the following settings:
-
Appearance and behavior settings, such as fonts, colors, and mouse
settings.
-
Applications that you were running. such as a file manager or an OpenOffice.org
program.
HINT:
You cannot save and restore applications that Session Manager does
not manage. For example, if you start the vi editor from the command
line in a terminal window, Session Manager cannot restore your
editing session.
For information on configuring session preferences, see
Section 2.5.8, Managing Sessions.
1.1.2 Switching Desktops
If you installed both the GNOME and the KDE desktops, use the following
instructions to switch desktops.
-
Click .
In KDE, click the main menu button, then click .
-
On the login screen, click .
-
Select the desktop you want ( or
), then click .
-
Type your username, then press Enter.
-
Type your password, then press Enter.
1.1.3 Locking Your Screen
To lock the screen, you can do either of the following:
-
Click .
-
If the button is present on a panel, click it.
To add the button to a panel, right-click the
panel, then click .
When you lock your screen, the screen saver starts. To lock your screen
correctly, you must have a screen saver enabled. To unlock the screen,
move your mouse to display the locked screen dialog. Enter your username
and password, then press Enter.
For information on configuring your screen saver, see
Section 2.3.4, Configuring the Screen Saver.
