maybe xorg server?: gnome is not starting without a screen connected?

[Eric Gunther]

On Sat, 2017-03-11 at 20:26 +0100, Simon Eigeldinger wrote:
> Hi Eric,
> 
> I understood before as well.
> I tested Fedora, Ubuntu Gnome, OpenSUSE, Paldo, Debian Testing,
> Manjaro 
> and some more i can't remember at the moment.
> 
> Though i don't understand why the system should stop booting without
> a 
> screen connected. Because a half booted machine doesn't make sense.
> 
> Screen auto detection isn't a bad thing but not booting is as well.
> 
> Greetings,
> Simon
> 
> 
> 
> Am 11.03.2017 um 19:44 schrieb Eric Gunther:
> > On Sat, 2017-03-11 at 19:11 +0100, Simon Eigeldinger wrote:
> > > Hi Eric and all,
> > > 
> > > I guess we need to get that implemented into the server itself.
> > > Because contacting all the distros might be to difficult. that
> > > might
> > > be
> > > a workaround but i think we need to get that fixed.
> > > 
> > > Greetings,
> > > Simon
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > Am 11.03.2017 um 14:06 schrieb Eric Gunther:
> > > > On Fri, 2017-03-10 at 20:52 +0100, Simon Eigeldinger wrote:
> > > > > Hi all,
> > > > > 
> > > > > I am a blind person from austria.
> > > > > I am using the computer often without a screen.
> > > > > I figured out on many distros there are issues with the
> > > > > desktop
> > > > > without
> > > > > a screen.
> > > > > Seems the desktop isn't coming up when no screen is
> > > > > connected?
> > > > > I read in the arch wiki that this is caused by the screen
> > > > > auto
> > > > > config
> > > > > function of the server.
> > > > > can that be worked around?
> > > > > I wanted to install a system on a machine but the live dvd
> > > > > seems
> > > > > not
> > > > > to
> > > > > come up because of this.
> > > > > Is there something i can specify at boot? for example some
> > > > > parameters
> > > > > i
> > > > > can enter at the boot menu?
> > > > > 
> > > > > 
> > > > > For people using no screen this is pretty frustrating.
> > > > > 
> > > > > greetings and thanks for helping,
> > > > > Simon
> > > > > 
> > > > > ---
> > > > > Diese E-Mail wurde von Avast Antivirus-Software auf Viren
> > > > > geprüft.
> > > > > https://www.avast.com/antivirus
> > > > > 
> > > > > _______________________________________________
> > > > > xorg at lists.x.org: X.Org support
> > > > > Archives: http://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/xorg
> > > > > Info: https://lists.x.org/mailman/listinfo/xorg
> > > > > Your subscription address: %(user_address)s
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > As a somewhat amature user of X, I spent some time last night
> > > > looking
> > > > at info on this.  I think you want a 'headless' setup. 
> > > >  Although in
> > > > your case I am not sure this is appropriate.  Often people will
> > > > login
> > > > to a machine like this over the internet via ssh.  So you need
> > > > another
> > > > computer to login to the 'headless' one.
> > > > 
> > > > What I found is that you probably have to modify xorg.conf or
> > > > 10
> > > > -monitor.conf in the /etc/X11/ and /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/
> > > > directories
> > > > respectively.  This does not seem like a good soultion,
> > > > particularly in
> > > > the case of a liveDVD.
> > > > 
> > > > I think the best solution would be to email a maintainer of the
> > > > liveDVD
> > > > or support for the distribution that your trying to use,
> > > > whether it
> > > > be
> > > >  forum, mailing list, or irc(chat).
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > Have a good day,
> > > > 
> > > > eg
> > > > _______________________________________________
> > > > xorg at lists.x.org: X.Org support
> > > > Archives: http://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/xorg
> > > > Info: https://lists.x.org/mailman/listinfo/xorg
> > > > Your subscription address: %(user_address)s
> > > > 
> > > 
> > Hi Simon,
> > 
> > 
> > I think you may have misunderstood.  The proper (As far as I know)
> > way
> > to set up when having dificulties is with the configuration files. 
> >  As
> > far as contacting all the distros, I was going to ask;  which
> > liveDVD
> > are you trying to run?  In any event I was saying that you should
> > probably talk to the maintainer/support/community of that* distro.
> >  Also I think it is unlikely, but probably not impossible, to issue
> > parameters at boot that will assist you.
> > 
> > Greetings,
> > 
> > Eric Gunther
> > _______________________________________________
> > xorg at lists.x.org: X.Org support
> > Archives: http://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/xorg
> > Info: https://lists.x.org/mailman/listinfo/xorg
> > Your subscription address: %(user_address)s
> > 
> 

Hi Simon,

I am a desktop opensuse user and I believe they have a very supportive
community, I'm not involved but that has been my impression.

a quick search led me here:
https://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse/2009-11/msg00383.html

which I think is related.

furthermore this may help:

https://en.opensuse.org/openSUSE:Communication_channels

Honestly, I think its a bit quirky that a system wont work without a
monitor but I have to point out initially you said that it would not
get to the desktop.  So it is booting fine presumably.  The command
line interface is usefull for many tasks.
 
Since you mention screen auto detection, I have seen mention of saving
a file with EDID info in it.

another quick search and take this for example:

 http://kodi.wiki/view/Creating_and_using_edid.bin_via_xorg.conf

All of this though requires some sort of configuration, either from the
command line or from a text editor ( I think ).  As I mentioned before
the common case is that people will login to a headless machine via
ssh.  This can come with additional difficulties.


"half a booted machine doesn't make sense"

Thing is that your computer is telling you the same thing.

"that might be a workaround but i think we need to get that fixed."

You may have some luck at this mailing list or other xorg mailing lists
as well, I really don't know.  From my end though, this is not
something I am capable of.

here may help:

https://www.x.org/wiki/XorgMailingLists/


good luck and,

Have a good day,

eg