Multiseat

[Asheesh Laroia]

I am trying to run a multiseat system, so more than one user can log in to 
the same computer and get a graphical interface.  I have two keyboards and 
two mice connected to the same computer, and two monitors each attached to 
separate ATI Radeon video cards.  (A PCI Radeon 7000 powers one monitor, 
while an AGP Radeon 9250 powers the other.)

With Debian Sarge, I had a setup where init scripts would start X servers, 
and GDM would only run Xnest rather than a real X server.  Performance 
wasn't great, and every once in a while one monitor would just go blank 
(perhaps the other one went to DPMS sleep).

I noticed the multiseat udeb in the new Hoary system, so I installed Hoary 
instead.  I can get separated keyboard and mouse input on the two X 
servers in Hoary, but when one X server quits (e.g., when a user logs 
out), the second monitor goes blank.

Does anyone have any advice or experience with this?  I'm looking 
particularly at Fabio M. Di Nitto <fabbione at ubuntu.com>, since he's 
responsible for the multiseat package, and Daniel Stone, since he's 
contributed to the X packages.

Any advice would be appreciated.  This is for the JHU student computing 
group, ACM.

-- Asheesh.

-- 
We are each only one drop in a great ocean -- but some of the drops sparkle!