COMMAND

    xfs (+ gdm)

SYSTEMS AFFECTED

    Linux

PROBLEM

    Mike Leonhard found following.  RedHat 6.2 further extends the xfs
    problem with its buggy gdm.  gdm apparently ignores the --nodaemon
    option specified to it in inittab.  If the X server fails to  load
    for whatever reason, gdm will immediately reload it.  This  causes
    the console to become unusable - caught in a loop with the  screen
    flashing every  2 seconds  as the  X server  tries to  load.  On a
    machine with no network login capability the only way out of  this
    situation is to reboot the system by pressing CTRL-ALT-DEL on  the
    keyboard.  If gdm  would exit when the  X server quits, then  init
    would reload it in  a safe manner -  stopping for 5 min  if gdm is
    reloaded 10 times in one minute.

SOLUTION

    RedHat's updated  gdm rpm,  but did  not resolve  this issue.  GDM
    will not detach from the  controlling process if it is  started by
    init.   Ever.   No matter  whether -nodaemon  is specified or not.
    If it  did, you'd  end up  with a  whole forest  of competing  gdm
    processes.