[gentoo-user] X11 recovery ... somehow

[gentoo-user] X11 recovery ... somehow

[tuxic]

Hi,

I am running X11 with Nvidia-drivers 396.18-r1.

From time to time I accidentally hit a key combo
(ALT F*) and I am thrown to the LINUX console.

Back in the years when one setups X11 by hand
carefully inserting timings for the Cathod Ray Tube
it was possible to swicth back with CTRL-ALT-F12 
(or was it ALT-F12).

But this does not work for me.

1) For debugging purposes I would like to 
   get a fully working switch between the
   Linux console and X11 back and forth.
2) If that is not possible see below.

But!
If I was accidentally thrown to the Linux console
by my own eloborated usage of the keyboard (hrrrrmmmm)
I am able to do the following:

Login as myself (console login) and do another
startx.
This will start a new X11 session. 

Is it possible somehow to "take over" the original 
X11 session, which is still running in the background
to cleanly ending the tasks running and waiting for
my input?

Thanks a lot in advance for any help!

Cheers
Meino

Re: [gentoo-user] X11 recovery ... somehow

[Alarig Le Lay]

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Hi,

Can’t you just hit the Alt+F* corresponding to the tty from with you
opened the X11 session?

For example here, I open my X11 session on tty1, I can hit Ctrl-Alt+F2
to go to another console tty, and Alt+F1 will give me back the X11.

-- 
alarig

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Re: [gentoo-user] X11 recovery

[Philip Webb]

180506 tuxic@posteo.de wrote:
> I am running X11 with Nvidia-drivers 396.18-r1.

Here it's X11 + Nvidia 392.42 .

> From time to time I accidentally hit a key combo  ALT F*
> and I am thrown to the LINUX console.

Yes, it does happen to the best of us (smile).

> Back in the years when one setups X11 by hand
> carefully inserting timings for the Cathod Ray Tube
> it was possible to swicth back with CTRL-ALT-F12 (or was it ALT-F12).
> But this does not work for me.

I've never heard of that one & it doesn't work here.

What has always worked is  Control-Alt-F7 , if you started from TTY1 ;
IIRC if you start with TTY2, then 'startx', you come back via  C-A-F8  etc.
Perhaps you could test that & report back.

> 1) For debugging purposes I would like to get a fully working switch
> between the Linux console and X11 back and forth.
> 2) If that is not possible see below.  But!
> If I was accidentally thrown to the Linux console
> by my own eloborated usage of the keyboard (hrrrrmmmm)
> I am able to do the following:
> Login as myself (console login) and do another startx.
> This will start a new X11 session. 
> Is it possible somehow to "take over" the original X11 session,
> which is still running in the background
> to cleanly ending the tasks running and waiting for my input?

I suspect there is a way to do that, but I don't know how.

-- 
========================,,============================================
SUPPORT     ___________//___,   Philip Webb
ELECTRIC   /] [] [] [] [] []|   Cities Centre, University of Toronto
TRANSIT    `-O----------O---'   purslowatchassdotutorontodotca

Re: [gentoo-user] X11 recovery

[Mick]

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On Sunday, 6 May 2018 14:28:41 BST Philip Webb wrote:

> What has always worked is  Control-Alt-F7 , if you started from TTY1 ;
> IIRC if you start with TTY2, then 'startx', you come back via  C-A-F8  etc.
> Perhaps you could test that & report back.

From a console in Gentoo you should be able to switch to your primary xsession 
with:

 Alt+F7

Other distros may use Alt+F5.


> > 1) For debugging purposes I would like to get a fully working switch
> > between the Linux console and X11 back and forth.
> > 2) If that is not possible see below.  But!
> > If I was accidentally thrown to the Linux console
> > by my own eloborated usage of the keyboard (hrrrrmmmm)
> > I am able to do the following:
> > Login as myself (console login) and do another startx.
> > This will start a new X11 session.
> > Is it possible somehow to "take over" the original X11 session,
> > which is still running in the background
> > to cleanly ending the tasks running and waiting for my input?
> 
> I suspect there is a way to do that, but I don't know how.

From the console use Alt+F7.

From within the secondary xsession use Ctrl+Alt+F7.

Alt+F8/Ctrl+Alt+F8 should take you back to your secondary xsession.

-- 
Regards,
Mick

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Re: [gentoo-user] X11 recovery

[tuxic]

On 05/06 03:15, Mick wrote:
> On Sunday, 6 May 2018 14:28:41 BST Philip Webb wrote:
> 
> > What has always worked is  Control-Alt-F7 , if you started from TTY1 ;
> > IIRC if you start with TTY2, then 'startx', you come back via  C-A-F8  etc.
> > Perhaps you could test that & report back.
> 
> From a console in Gentoo you should be able to switch to your primary xsession 
> with:
> 
>  Alt+F7
> 
> Other distros may use Alt+F5.
> 
> 
> > > 1) For debugging purposes I would like to get a fully working switch
> > > between the Linux console and X11 back and forth.
> > > 2) If that is not possible see below.  But!
> > > If I was accidentally thrown to the Linux console
> > > by my own eloborated usage of the keyboard (hrrrrmmmm)
> > > I am able to do the following:
> > > Login as myself (console login) and do another startx.
> > > This will start a new X11 session.
> > > Is it possible somehow to "take over" the original X11 session,
> > > which is still running in the background
> > > to cleanly ending the tasks running and waiting for my input?
> > 
> > I suspect there is a way to do that, but I don't know how.
> 
> From the console use Alt+F7.
> 
> From within the secondary xsession use Ctrl+Alt+F7.
> 
> Alt+F8/Ctrl+Alt+F8 should take you back to your secondary xsession.
> 
> -- 
> Regards,
> Mick

Hi,

oh YEAH!
This little thread is becoming a life-saver for me! :)

Mu remembrance of ALT-something-F12 may be from times one 
has to configure X11 by hand (timings etc...you know...or not,
if you are younger/luckier).

Ok...what works here is:

One X11-session
From X11:
CTRL-ALT-F1: Console 1
...
CTRL-ALT-F<n>: Console <n> (n:1...6)

From the console, opened that way:
ALT-F<n>: Console <n> (n:1...6)

ALT-F7: Back to X11

Now with two X11-sessions:
Firstly:
CTRL-ALT-F1: Console 1
ALT-F2: Console 2, login as user and startx (start X)
ALT-F2: Console 2, login as user and startx (start X)

which starts a new X11-session, which is than bound to ALT-F8 from the
console and CTRL-ALT from the previous X11 session.
Interesting:
If an application is running, which is able to interpret 
ALT-something-keystrokes as shortcuts - this comes first!
X11 gives the applications priority.

At least with my configuration (devilspie and openbox).

A big thank yu to all who have answered my question :)
Great help!
Cheers
Meino

[gentoo-user] Re: X11 recovery ... somehow

[Nikos Chantziaras]

On 06/05/18 15:45, tuxic@posteo.de wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I am running X11 with Nvidia-drivers 396.18-r1.
> 
>  From time to time I accidentally hit a key combo
> (ALT F*) and I am thrown to the LINUX console.
> 
> Back in the years when one setups X11 by hand
> carefully inserting timings for the Cathod Ray Tube
> it was possible to swicth back with CTRL-ALT-F12
> (or was it ALT-F12).

You can't switch to the console with alt+fN. X11 to console requires 
ctrl+alt+fN. From console to X11, it's just alt+fN.

On most modern installs, X11 runs on tty1 (when running systemd) or tty7 
(when running openrc.) So just try alt+f1 or alt+f7 to go back to X11.

Re: [gentoo-user] X11 recovery ... somehow

[J. Roeleveld]

On Sunday, May 6, 2018 2:45:51 PM CEST tuxic@posteo.de wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I am running X11 with Nvidia-drivers 396.18-r1.
> 
> From time to time I accidentally hit a key combo
> (ALT F*) and I am thrown to the LINUX console.
> 
> Back in the years when one setups X11 by hand
> carefully inserting timings for the Cathod Ray Tube
> it was possible to swicth back with CTRL-ALT-F12
> (or was it ALT-F12).
> 
> But this does not work for me.
> 
> 1) For debugging purposes I would like to
>    get a fully working switch between the
>    Linux console and X11 back and forth.
> 2) If that is not possible see below.
> 
> But!
> If I was accidentally thrown to the Linux console
> by my own eloborated usage of the keyboard (hrrrrmmmm)
> I am able to do the following:
> 
> Login as myself (console login) and do another
> startx.
> This will start a new X11 session.
> 
> Is it possible somehow to "take over" the original
> X11 session, which is still running in the background
> to cleanly ending the tasks running and waiting for
> my input?

When  I switch to the console (using <CTRL>+<ALT>+F1), I usually find the X-
session by using <ALT>+<LEFT ARROW KEY> until I get to the X-session.

--
Joost

[gentoo-user] Re: X11 recovery ... somehow

[Grant Edwards]

On 2018-05-06, tuxic@posteo.de <tuxic@posteo.de> wrote:

> I am running X11 with Nvidia-drivers 396.18-r1.
>
> From time to time I accidentally hit a key combo
> (ALT F*) and I am thrown to the LINUX console.
>
> Back in the years when one setups X11 by hand
> carefully inserting timings for the Cathod Ray Tube
> it was possible to swicth back with CTRL-ALT-F12 
> (or was it ALT-F12).
>
> But this does not work for me.

It depends on the number of virtual consoles your system is
configured for. 6 VCs is common, so it would then be ALT-F7.

-- 
Grant Edwards               grant.b.edwards        Yow! Are we live or on
                                  at               tape?
                              gmail.com