Red Hat Enterprise Linux-7-Beta-Desktop Migration and Administration Guide-En-US

Petr Kov Jana vrov

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.0 BetaDesktop Migration andAdministration Guide

A guide to the GNOME 3 Desktop migration planning and administrationon Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.0 Beta Desktop Migration and AdministrationGuide

A guide to the GNOME 3 Desktop migration planning and administrationon Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.

Petr KovRed Hat Engineering Content [email protected] vrovRed Hat Engineering Content [email protected]

Legal NoticeCopyright 2013 Red Hat, Inc.This document is licensed by Red Hat under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 UnportedLicense. If you distribute this document, or a modified version of it, you must provide attribution to RedHat, Inc. and provide a link to the original. If the document is modified, all Red Hat trademarks must beremoved.Red Hat, as the licensor of this document, waives the right to enforce, and agrees not to assert, Section4d of CC-BY-SA to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law.Red Hat, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, the Shadowman logo, JBoss, MetaMatrix, Fedora, the Infinity Logo,and RHCE are trademarks of Red Hat, Inc., registered in the United States and other countries.Linux is the registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in the United States and other countries.Java is a registered trademark of Oracle and/or its affiliates.XFS is a trademark of Silicon Graphics International Corp. or its subsidiaries in the United Statesand/or other countries.MySQL is a registered trademark of MySQL AB in the United States, the European Union and othercountries.Node.js is an official trademark of Joyent. Red Hat Software Collections is not formally related to orendorsed by the official Joyent Node.js open source or commercial project.The OpenStack Word Mark and OpenStack Logo are either registered trademarks/service marks ortrademarks/service marks of the OpenStack Foundation, in the United States and other countries andare used with the OpenStack Foundation's permission. We are not affiliated with, endorsed orsponsored by the OpenStack Foundation, or the OpenStack community.All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.AbstractThe Desktop Migration and Administration Guide documents the GNOME 3 Desktop migration planning,deployment, configuration, and administration on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7. It is oriented towardssystem administrators with a basic understanding of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux system. Note: Thisdocument is under development, is subject to substantial change, and is provided only as a preview.The included information and instructions should not be considered complete, and should be used withcaution.

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Table of ContentsPreface

1. Document Conventions1.1. Typographic Conventions1.2. Pull-quote Conventions1.3. Notes and Warnings

2. Getting Help and Giving Feedback2.1. Do You Need Help?2.2. We Need Feedback!

3. AcknowledgementsChapter 1. Introducing the GNOME 3 Desktop

1.1. What Is GNOME 3?1.2. What Is GNOME Shell?

1.2.1. Hardware Acceleration and Software Rendering1.2.2. Screencast Recording

1.3. What Is GNOME Classic?1.3.1. The GNOME Classic Extensions1.3.2. Switching from GNOME Classic to GNOME and Back1.3.3. Disabling GNOME Classic as the Default Session

1.4. Getting More InformationPart I. Migration PlanningChapter 2. Migration PlanningChapter 3. logind

3.1. Getting More InformationChapter 4 . GSettings and dconf

4.1. Getting More InformationChapter 5. PolicyKit

5.1. Policy Configuration5.2. Default Policy5.3. Checking Permissions from Scripts5.4. Extending polkit Configuration

Chapter 6. GDM6.1. Getting More Information

Chapter 7. GNOME Shell Extensions7.1. Replacement for the Clock Applet

7.1.1. Getting More InformationChapter 8. gnome-session

8.1. Getting More InformationChapter 9. Internationalization

9.1. Input Methods9.1.1. Configuring and Switching Input Methods9.1.2. Predictive Input Method for IBus9.1.3. IBus in the GNOME Desktop Replaces im-chooser

9.2. Changed File Locations

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Part II. Configuration and AdministrationChapter 10. Configuring Desktop with GSettings and dconf

10.1. User and System Settings10.2. What Are dconf Profiles?

10.2.1. Selecting a dconf Profile10.3. Configuring Custom Default Values

10.3.1. Locking Down Specific Settings10.4. Storing User Settings Over NFS

10.4.1. Ensuring That the glib2-fam Package Is Installed10.5. Browsing GSettings Values for Desktop Applications

Chapter 11. Default Appearance11.1. Branding Anaconda11.2. Branding Firstboot11.3. Boot Loader Screen

11.3.1. Distribution Name11.3.2. GRUB 2 Background

11.4. Plymouth11.4.1. Configuring Branded Theme11.4.2. Using Branded Logo

11.5. Customizing the Login Screen11.5.1. Disabling the User List11.5.2. Displaying Multiple Keyboard Layouts11.5.3. Setting the Default Background

11.5.3.1. Troubleshooting: What If the Background Does Not Update?11.5.4. Adding a Greeter Logo

11.5.4.1. Troubleshooting: What if the Logo Does Not Update?11.5.5. Displaying a Text Banner

11.5.5.1. Troubleshooting: What if the Banner Message Does Not Update?11.6. Customizing Desktop Backgrounds

11.6.1. Adding Extra Backgrounds11.6.2. Customizing the Default Desktop Background

11.7. Configuring Fonts11.7.1. Adding Extra Fonts for All Users11.7.2. Adding Extra Fonts for Individual Users11.7.3. Substituting Fonts11.7.4. Configuring Font Aliases11.7.5. Multiple Language Ordering11.7.6. Configuring Font Properties

Chapter 12. GNOME Shell Extensions12.1. What Are GNOME Shell Extensions?12.2. Enabling Machine-wide Extensions12.3. Locking Down Enabled Extensions12.4. Setting Up Mandatory Extensions

Chapter 13. Integrating Applications13.1. Adding an Application to the GNOME Desktop13.2. Customizing Menus

Getting More Information13.2.1. Removing a Menu Item for Individual Users13.2.2. Removing a Menu Item for All Users13.2.3. Removing a Submenu for Individual Users13.2.4. Removing a Submenu for All Users

13.3. Customizing Default Favorite Applications

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13.3.1. Setting Different Favorite Applications for Individual Users13.3.2. Setting the Same Favorite Applications for All Users

13.4. Configuring File Associations13.4.1. What Are MIME Types?

13.4.1.1. What Is the MIME Database?13.4.1.2. Getting More Information

13.4.2. Adding a Custom MIME Type for All Users13.4.3. Adding a Custom MIME Type for Individual Users13.4.4. Overriding the Default Registered Application for All Users13.4.5. Overriding the Default Registered Application for Individual Users

Chapter 14 . Customizing GNOME Desktop Features14.1. Enabling Ctrl+Alt+Backspace14.2. Enabling the Compose Key14.3. Disabling Command Line Access

14.3.1. Setting the org.gnome.desktop.lockdown.disable-command-line Key14.3.2. Disabling Virtual Terminal Switching

Chapter 15. Session Management15.1. What Is GDM?

15.1.1. Restarting GDM15.2. User Sessions

15.2.1. Using Enterprise Credentials to Log into GNOME15.2.1.1. Choosing to Use Enterprise Credentials During Welcome Screens15.2.1.2. Changing to Use Enterprise Credentials to Log into GNOME15.2.1.3. Troubleshooting and Advanced Setup15.2.1.4. Getting More Information

15.2.2. What Are Typical Processes in User Sessions?15.2.3. Configuring a User Default Session15.2.4. Creating a Custom Session15.2.5. Viewing User Session Logs

15.2.5.1. Getting More Information15.2.6. Configuring Automatic Login15.2.7. Configuring Automatic Logout15.2.8. Setting Screen Idle T ime15.2.9. Locking the Screen When the User Is Idle

Chapter 16. Virtual File Systems and Disk Management16.1. GVFS16.2. Back Ends for GVFS16.3. Mounting, Unmounting and Ejecting16.4. Nautilus and Open or Save File Dialog Bookmarks16.5. Configuring a Default Server List16.6. Exposing GNOME Virtual File Systems to All Other Applications16.7. Password Management of GVFS Mounts16.8. GVFS Tools and xdg-utils in GNOME16.9. Using GVFS Metadata16.10. Troubleshooting

16.10.1. Active VFS Mounts Are Invisible16.10.2. Connected USB Disk Is Invisible16.10.3. Nautilus Shows Unknown, or Unwanted Partitions16.10.4. Connection to Remote File System Is Unavailable16.10.5. What to Do If the Disk Is Busy?

Chapter 17. Hardware Configuration17.1. Tablets

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17.1.1. My Wacom Tablet Is Not Mapped to the Correct Screen17.1.2. Where Is the Wacom Tablet Configuration Stored?17.1.3. When Sharing Home Directories Between Machines, the Wacom Settings Only Apply toOne Machine

Revision History

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Table of Contents

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Preface

1. Document ConventionsThis manual uses several conventions to highlight certain words and phrases and draw attention tospecific pieces of information.

In PDF and paper editions, this manual uses typefaces drawn from the Liberation Fonts set. TheLiberation Fonts set is also used in HTML editions if the set is installed on your system. If not, alternativebut equivalent typefaces are displayed. Note: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 and later include the LiberationFonts set by default.

1.1. Typographic ConventionsFour typographic conventions are used to call attention to specific words and phrases. Theseconventions, and the circumstances they apply to, are as follows.

Mono-spaced Bold

Used to highlight system input, including shell commands, file names and paths. Also used to highlightkeys and key combinations. For example:

To see the contents of the file my_next_bestselling_novel in your current workingdirectory, enter the cat my_next_bestselling_novel command at the shell promptand press Enter to execute the command.

The above includes a file name, a shell command and a key, all presented in mono-spaced bold and alldistinguishable thanks to context.

Key combinations can be distinguished from an individual key by the plus sign that connects each part ofa key combination. For example:

Press Enter to execute the command.

Press Ctrl+Alt+F2 to switch to a virtual terminal.

The first example highlights a particular key to press. The second example highlights a key combination:a set of three keys pressed simultaneously.

If source code is discussed, class names, methods, functions, variable names and returned valuesmentioned within a paragraph will be presented as above, in mono-spaced bold. For example:

File-related classes include filesystem for file systems, file for files, and dir fordirectories. Each class has its own associated set of permissions.

Proportional Bold

This denotes words or phrases encountered on a system, including application names; dialog-box text;labeled buttons; check-box and radio-button labels; menu titles and submenu titles. For example:

Choose System Preferences Mouse from the main menu bar to launch MousePreferences. In the Buttons tab, select the Left-handed mouse check box and clickClose to switch the primary mouse button from the left to the right (making the mousesuitable for use in the left hand).

To insert a special character into a gedit file, choose Applications Accessories


6

Character Map from the main menu bar. Next, choose Search Find from theCharacter Map menu bar, type the name of the character in the Search field and clickNext. The character you sought will be highlighted in the Character Table. Double-clickthis highlighted character to place it in the Text to copy field and then click the Copybutton. Now switch back to your document and choose Edit Paste from the gedit menubar.

The above text includes application names; system-wide menu names and items; application-specificmenu names; and buttons and text found within a GUI interface, all presented in proportional bold and alldistinguishable by context.

Mono-spaced Bold Italic or Proportional Bold Italic

Whether mono-spaced bold or proportional bold, the addition of italics indicates replaceable or variabletext. Italics denotes text you do not input literally or displayed text that changes depending oncircumstance. For example:

To connect to a remote machine using ssh, type ssh [email protected] at a shellprompt. If the remote machine is example.com and your username on that machine isjohn, type ssh [email protected] .

The mount -o remount file-system command remounts the named file system. Forexample, to remount the /home file system, the command is mount -o remount /home.

To see the version of a currently installed package, use the rpm -q package command. Itwill return a result as follows: package-version-release.

Note the words in bold italics above: username, domain.name, file-system, package, version and release.Each word is a placeholder, either for text you enter when issuing a command or for text displayed bythe system.

Aside from standard usage for presenting the title of a work, italics denotes the first use of a new andimportant term. For example:

Publican is a DocBook publishing system.

1.2. Pull-quote ConventionsTerminal output and source code listings are set off visually from the surrounding text.

Output sent to a terminal is set in mono-spaced roman and presented thus:

books Desktop documentation drafts mss photos stuff svnbooks_tests Desktop1 downloads images notes scripts svgs

Source-code listings are also set in mono-spaced roman but add syntax highlighting as follows:

Preface

7

static int kvm_vm_ioctl_deassign_device(struct kvm *kvm, struct kvm_assigned_pci_dev *assigned_dev){ int r = 0; struct kvm_assigned_dev_kernel *match;

mutex_lock(&kvm->lock);

match = kvm_find_assigned_dev(&kvm->arch.assigned_dev_head, assigned_dev->assigned_dev_id); if (!match) { printk(KERN_INFO "%s: device hasn't been assigned before, " "so cannot be deassigned\n", __func__); r = -EINVAL; goto out; }

kvm_deassign_device(kvm, match);

kvm_free_assigned_device(kvm, match);

out: mutex_unlock(&kvm->lock); return r;}

1.3. Notes and WarningsFinally, we use three visual styles to draw attention to information that might otherwise be overlooked.

Note

Notes are tips, shortcuts or alternative approaches to the task at hand. Ignoring a note shouldhave no negative consequences, but you might miss out on a trick that makes your life easier.

Important

Important boxes detail things that are easily missed: configuration changes that only apply to thecurrent session, or services that need restarting before an update will apply. Ignoring a boxlabeled Important will not cause data loss but may cause irritation and frustration.

Warning

Warnings should not be ignored. Ignoring warnings will most likely cause data loss.

2. Getting Help and Giving Feedback2.1. Do You Need Help?If you experience difficulty with a procedure described in this documentation, visit the Red Hat Customer


8

Portal at http://access.redhat.com. Through the customer portal, you can:

search or browse through a knowledgebase of technical support articles about Red Hat products.submit a support case to Red Hat Global Support Services (GSS).access other product documentation.

Red Hat also hosts a large number of electronic mailing lists for discussion of Red Hat software andtechnology. You can find a list of publicly available mailing lists at https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo.Click on the name of any mailing list to subscribe to that list or to access the list archives.

2.2. We Need Feedback!If you find a typographical error in this manual, or if you have thought of a way to make this manualbetter, we would love to hear from you! Please submit a report in Bugzilla: http://bugzilla.redhat.com/against the product Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.

When submitting a bug report, be sure to mention the manual's identifier: doc-Desktop_Migration_and_Administration_Guide

If you have a suggestion for improving the documentation, try to be as specific as possible whendescribing it. If you have found an error, please include the section number and some of the surroundingtext so we can find it easily.

3. AcknowledgementsCertain portions of this text first appeared in the GNOME Desktop System Administration Guide,copyright 2013 Red Hat, Inc. and others, published by the GNOME Project athttps://help.gnome.org/admin/system-admin-guide/stable/.

The editors of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 Desktop Migration and Administration Guide would like tothank the GNOME community members for their valuable contributions to the GNOME Desktop SystemAdministration Guide.

Preface

9

Chapter 1. Introducing the GNOME 3 Desktop

1.1. What Is GNOME 3?In Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7, GNOME 3 is the default desktop environment. It is the next major versionof the GNOME Desktop that introduces a new user interface and substantial feature improvements overthe previous GNOME 2 Desktop shipped with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 and 6.

1.2. What Is GNOME Shell?GNOME Shell is the user interface of the GNOME Desktop, the crucial technology of GNOME 3. Itprovides basic user interface functions such as switching windows, launching applications, or displayingnotifications.

GNOME Shell introduces innovative user interface concepts to provide quality user experience, includinghardware acceleration on systems with modern graphics hardware.

Some of the major components of the GNOME Shell user interface include:

The top bar.The horizontal bar at the top of the screen provides access to some of the basic functions ofGNOME Shell, such as the Activities Overview, clock and calendar, system status icons,and the system menu at the top-left corner of the screen.

The Activit ies Overview.The Activities Overview features windows and applications views that let the user runapplications and windows and switch between them.

The search entry at the top allows for searching various items available on the desktop,including applications, documents, files, and configuration tools.

The vertical bar on the left side is called dash, and it contains a list of favorite and runningapplications.

The workspace list is displayed on the right side, and allows the user to switch betweenmultiple workspaces, or move applications and windows from one workspace to another.

The message tray.The message tray is a horizontal bar near the bottom of the screen, and shows when theuser presses Super+M. It provides access to pending notifications.

Components specific to GNOME Classic.GNOME Classic is the default GNOME Shell mode in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7. It changessome of the aspects of GNOME Shell behavior as well as the GNOME Shell appearance. Thatincludes the bottom bar with the window list, and the Applications and Places menus on thetop bar. For detailed information on GNOME Classic, see Section 1.3, What Is GNOMEClassic?.


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GNOME Shell features visual effects and makes use of hardware acceleration support provided by Clutter, an OpenGL-based graphics library.

For hardware acceleration to function properly, the graphics driver has to support GL 1.2 and the multi-texturing extension, or GL 1.3. Alternatively, the driver has to provide support for GLES 1.1 or GLES 2.0.Keep in mind that many GPU models and drivers do not properly implement support for GL or GLES, sohardware acceleration on systems with those GPUs and drivers may not be available.

On systems, including virtual machines, that do not meet the GPU and driver requirements, softwarerendering is used to provide the GNOME 3 user experience identical to that with supported hardwareacceleration. Software rendering is provided by the llvmpipe driver.

To determine whether the system is using software rendering and the llvmpipe driver, you can runthe glxinfo command:

$ glxinfo | grep rendererOpenGL renderer string: Gallium 0.4 on llvmpipe (LVVM 3.3, 128 bits)

Note that because the software renderer does not provide a fully-conformant OpenGL implementation,some programs may not function properly if they rely on the X server having a consistent view of GLXstate across applications. Consider upgrading your hardware, or run these programs on systems withGPUs and drivers that fully support hardware acceleration.

1.2.2. Screencast RecordingGNOME Shell features a built-in screencast recorder that allows users to record their desktop orapplication activity and distribute the recordings as high-resolution video files in the webm format.

Procedure 1.1. Making a Screencast

1. To start the recording, press Ctrl+Alt+Shift+R.When the recorder is capturing the screen activity, it displays a red circle in the bottom-rightcorner of the screen.

2. To stop the recording, press Ctrl+Alt+Shift+R. The red circle in the bottom-right corner ofthe screen disappears.

3. Navigate to the ~/Videos folder where you can find the recorded video with a file name thatstarts with Screencast and includes the date and time of the recording.

Note that the built-in recorder always captures the entire screen, including all monitors in multi-monitorsetups.

1.3. What Is GNOME Classic?GNOME Classic is a GNOME Shell feature and mode for users who prefer a more traditional desktopexperience. While GNOME Classic is based on GNOME 3 technologies, it provides a number of changesto the user interface:

The Applications and Places menus.The Applications menu is displayed at the top left of the screen. It gives the user access toapplications organized into categories. The user can also open the Activities Overviewfrom that menu.

The Places menu is displayed next to the Applications menu on the top bar. It gives the userquick access to important folders, for example Downloads or Pictures.


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The taskbar.The taskbar is displayed at the bottom of the screen, and features:

a window list,a notification icon displayed next to the window list,a short identifier for the current workspace and total number of available workspacesdisplayed next to the notification icon.

Four available workspaces.In GNOME Classic, the number of workspaces available to the user is by default set to 4.

Minimize and maximize buttons.Window titlebars in GNOME Classic feature the minimize and maximize buttons that let the userquickly minimize the windows to the window list, or maximize them to take up all of the space onthe desktop.

A tradit ional Super+Tab window switcher.In GNOME Classic, windows in the Super+Tab window switcher are not grouped byapplication.

1.3.1. The GNOME Classic ExtensionsGNOME Classic is distributed as a set of GNOME Shell extensions. The GNOME Classic extensionsare installed as dependencies of the gnome-classic-session package, which provides componentsrequired to run a GNOME Classic session. Because the GNOME Classic extensions are enabled bydefault on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7, GNOME Classic is the default Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 desktopuser interface.

AlternateTab ([email protected] ),Applications Menu ([email protected] ),Launch new instance ([email protected] ),Places Status Indicator ([email protected] ),Window List ([email protected] ).

1.3.2. Switching from GNOME Classic to GNOME and BackThe user can switch from GNOME Classic to GNOME by logging out and selecting GNOME from theSession list on the login screen.

To switch from GNOME Classic to GNOME from within the user session, run the following command:

$ gnome-shell --mode=user -r

To switch back to GNOME Classic from within the same user session, run the following command:

$ gnome-shell --mode=classic -r


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1.3.3. Disabling GNOME Classic as the Default SessionFor all newly created users on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7, GNOME Classic is set as the defaultsession. To override that setting for a specific user, you need to modify the user's account service in the/var/lib/AccountsService/users/username file. See Section 15.2.3, Configuring a User DefaultSession for details on how to do that.

1.4. Getting More InformationUsers can find more information on using GNOME 3, GNOME Shell, or GNOME Classic in GNOME Help,which is provided by the gnome-user-docs package. To access GNOME Help, press the Super key toenter the Activities Overview, type help, and then press Enter.


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Part I. Migration PlanningRed Hat Enterprise Linux 7.0 Beta Desktop Migration and Administration Guide

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Chapter 2. Migration PlanningMigration Planning focuses on the shift of the default Red Hat Enterprise Linux desktop environmentfrom GNOME 2, shipped with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 and 6, to GNOME 3, shipped with Red HatEnterprise Linux 7. Being obsolete, the key parts of the system have been updated, some of themreplaced.

One by one, this part of the guide briefly mentions the changes certain components have gone throughand describes the new features the components posses.

The migration from Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 to Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 concerns numerouschanges. However, the migration part you are reading now mentions changes in the system componentsconcerning the desktop only. For other components, for instance the GRUB 2 boot loader, packagemanagement, systemd, or printer configuration, see the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 SystemAdministrator's Guide, available fromhttp://access.redhat.com/site/documentation/Red_Hat_Enterprise_Linux/.

For detailed information about installing Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 and using the Anaconda installer,see the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 Installation Guide, available fromhttp://access.redhat.com/site/documentation/Red_Hat_Enterprise_Linux/.

For an overview of major changes in behavior and compatibility between Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 andRed Hat Enterprise Linux 7, see the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 Migration Planning Guide, available fromhttp://access.redhat.com/site/documentation/Red_Hat_Enterprise_Linux/.

Chapter 2. Migration Planning

15

Chapter 3. logindlogind (or more specifically systemd-logind) is a system service that manages user logins. Thisservice is responsible for the following:

keeping track of users and sessions, their processes and their idle states,creating control groups for user processes,providing PolicyKit-based access for users to operations such as system shutdown or sleep,implementing a shutdown/sleep inhibition logic for applications,handling of power/sleep hardware keys,multi-seat management, session switch management, and device access management for users,automatic spawning of text logins (gettys) on virtual terminal (console) activation and user runtimedirectory management.

The logind service is deeply integrated with systemd, the new initialization system in Red HatEnterprise Linux 7, and replaces the upstart initialization system from Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6. Withthis change comes a number of new features and functions. The following is a summary of those mostsignificant:

ConsoleKitThe ConsoleKit framework is deprecated in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7. Equivalentfunctionality is now provided by systemd. Both ConsoleKit and logind are services fortracking the currently running user sessions.

Note

ConsoleKit had the ability to run arbitrary shell scripts any time the active session onthe system changed (using virtual terminal switching). This functionality is no longerprovided.

the /var/log/ConsoleKit/history filePreviously, ConsoleKit was sending log files to /var/log/ConsoleKit/history, whichthe present logind does not support. The file has been replaced by the traditional wtmp and utmp files which now keep track of all logins and logouts on the system. /var/log/ConsoleKit/history provided basically the same information as the wtmp file,though in a different format. Given the overlap in functionality, logind only adopted the wtmpfile's role.

seat.d scriptsSince ConsoleKit is no longer in use, seat.d scripts no longer complement the ConsoleKit framework, and have been replaced by systemd-logind.

the ck-list-sessions commandConsoleKit provided the ck-list-sessions command, which returned extendedinformation about recent users, not only regular users but also GUI access with GDM. Thecomparable result can now be reached by running the loginctl command:


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$ loginctl list-sessions

multi-seat supportlogind along with GDM provide the multi-seat feature with which the user can attach anothermonitor, mouse, or keyboard to their machine. Doing so, an additional login screen appears andthe user can log in as if they were using another machine.

To list seats that are available on the system, run the following command:

$ loginctl list-seats

To show the status of a specific seat on the system, run the following command:

$ loginctl seat-status seat

where seat is the name of the seat, for example seat0.

To assign specific hardware to a particular seat, run the following command:

# loginctl attach seat device

where seat is the name of the seat, for example seat1, and device is the device namespecified with the /sys device path, for example /sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:02.0/drm/card0.

To change the assignment, assign the hardware to a different seat, or use the loginctl flush-devices command.

3.1. Getting More Informationsystemd-logind.service(8) The man page for logind provides more information on the logind usage and features. It also covers the APIs systemd-logind provides (logind D-Bus APIdocumentation).logind.conf(5) The man page for logind.conf discusses the login manager configurationfile.loginctl(1) The man page for the systemd login manager includes more information on themulti-seat feature.

Chapter 3. logind

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Chapter 4. GSettings and dconfOne of the major changes in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 is the transition from GConf to the combinationof the GSettings API and the dconf configuration system. While GSettings is a high-level API forapplication settings (or the so-called front end), dconf is the program that collects system's hardwareand software configuration (the back end for GSettings).

GConfAs mentioned above, the outdated GConf has been replaced by two configuration systems: GSettings and dconf, each of them providing different features on different levels.

The gsettings utility is a layer above dconf, Theoretically, gsettings can have other backends aside from dconf; however, those back ends are only used in unusual circumstances.Some of the dconf features are not abstracted at the gsettings level, so administratorsneed to use dconf to make use of them.

After changes to the files are made, the dconf utility is used to compile the files into adatabase read by dconf.

gconftoolConcurrently with GConf, gconftool-2 has been superseded by gsettings and dconf.Analogously, dconf-editor substitutes for gconf-editor, the previous graphical userinterface to edit a configuration database.

OverridingThe concept of keyfiles has been introduced in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7: dconf allows thesystem administrator to override the default settings by directly installing defaults overrides. Forexample, setting the default background for all users is now done using a dconf overrideplaced in a keyfile in the keyfile directory (for example, /etc/dconf/db/local.d/).

Locking the SettingsLocking is taking place on the dconf level. GSettings can only find out whether a particularsetting is locked or not. Newly, it is possible to lock down entire subpaths, which is supportedby creating a locks subdirectory in the keyfile directory (for example, /etc/dconf/db/local.d/locks/).

Note

dconf is optimized for reading, not for writing; that is the reason why this utility is usefulfor user settings.

NFS and dconfFor using dconf on home directories shared over NFS, it is necessary to add a line specifying service-db:keyfile/user at the beginning of the /etc/dconf/profiles/user file.See Section 10.4, Storing User Settings Over NFS for more information.


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4.1. Getting More InformationSee Chapter 10, Configuring Desktop with GSettings and dconf for more information on using GSettings and dconf to configure user settings.

Chapter 4. GSettings and dconf

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Chapter 5. PolicyKitThe PolicyKit utility is a framework, which provides an authorization API used by privileged programs(mechanisms) offering service to unprivileged programs (subjects). The following are details on thechanges PolicyKit, or its system name polkit, has undergone.

5.1. Policy ConfigurationAs far as the new features are concerned, authorization rules are newly defined in JavaScript .rule files.These .rule files are stored in two locations; whereas polkit rules for local customization are stored inthe /etc/polkit-1/rules.d/ directory, the third party packages are stored in the /usr/share/polkit-1/rules.d/ directory.

Note

Only two specific audiences are intended to use the authorization rules:

System AdministratorsSpecial-purpose Operating Systems or Environments

The following example shows a specific rule that allows mounting a file system on a system device forthe storage group.

Example 5.1. Allow Mounting a File system on a System device

# cat /etc/polkit-1/rules.d/10-enable-mount.rulespolkit.addRule(function(action, subject) { if (action.id == "org.freedesktop.udisks2.filesystem-mount-system" &&

subject.isInGroup("storage")) { return polkit.Result.YES; }});

The existing .conf and .pkla configuration mechanisms have been preserved, but note that newJavaScript rules may have precedence.

For more information, see:

polkit(8) The man page for the description of the JavaScript rules and the precedence rules.kla-admin-identities(8) and pkla-check-authorization(8) The man pages fordocumentation of the .conf and .pkla file formats, respectively.

5.2. Default PolicyThe default configuration now allows members of the wheel group (a system setting that providesadditional special system privileges that empower a user to execute restricted commands that ordinaryuser accounts cannot access) to authenticate for administrative actions using their own password


20

instead of asking for the root password.

Newly, it is also possible to allow the user administrative access within the Init ial Setup application:

Procedure 5.1. Administrative Access in the Init ial Setup

1. In the Init ial Setup application, proceed to the Create User phase.2. Click Make this user administrator to obtain the administrative rights.

5.3. Checking Permissions from ScriptsThe pkcheck utility, which checks whether a process is authorized for action, now supports a newformat, specifying the process by new arguments, which make the command safer. The new format looksas follows:

--process pid,start-time,uid

The --process option is not new, only the new parameters: pid, start_time, and uid are replaceablewith concrete values. The other values, mentioned in pkcheck(1) man page, still exist but are notconsidered safe.

Important

All scripts that invoke pkcheck need to use the new format to avoid a race condition.

5.4. Extending polkit ConfigurationSupport for replacing the back end authority implementation has been removed. A similar level offlexibility can be achieved by writing a JavaScript .rule file. With this rule it is possible to call anexternal program.

Support for replacing the PolkitBackendActionLookup implementation, interface used to providedata to authentication dialogs, has also been removed from polkit in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.

For more information on polkit, see the polkit(8) man page.

Chapter 5. PolicyKit

21

Chapter 6. GDMThe GNOME Display Manager (GDM) is now not necessarily operated from the command line only,the customizing or troubleshooting settings can be carried out in the user interface as well.

More changes have been done to GDM apart from logind, which GDM uses for defining and trackingusers. For more information on logind, see Chapter 3, logind.

The gdmflexiserver API is still available, but has lost a number of functions. Now, gdmflexiserver isused for initiating user switching.

Note

The gdmflexiserver API may change in future versions.

6.1. Getting More InformationFor more information on GDM, see Section 15.1, What Is GDM?.

For information on configuring and managing user sessions, see Section 15.2, User Sessions.

For information on customizing the login screen appearance, see Section 11.5, Customizing the LoginScreen.


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Chapter 7. GNOME Shell ExtensionsGNOME Shell in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 does not support applets, which were used to customize thedefault GNOME 2 interface in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 and 6. As a replacement, Red Hat EnterpriseLinux 7 introduces GNOME Shell extensions that allow for modifying the default GNOME Shell interfaceand its parts, such as window management and application launching.

7.1. Replacement for the Clock AppletGNOME 2 in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 and 6 featured the Clock applet, which provided access to thedate, time and calendar from the GNOME 2 Panel. In Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7, that applet is replacedby the Clocks application, which is provided by the gnome-clocks package. The user can access thatapplication by clicking the calendar on GNOME Shell's top bar and selecting Open Clocks.

7.1.1. Getting More InformationSee Section 12.1, What Are GNOME Shell Extensions? for more detailed information on what GNOMEShell extensions are and how to configure and manage them.

Chapter 7. GNOME Shell Extensions

23

Chapter 8. gnome-sessionThe gnome-session program has also been updated in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7. It starts theGNOME Desktop as it used to; nonetheless, some of its components have changed.

gnome-session-propertiesThe gnome-session-properties application is still part of the gnome-session package.However, its functionality has been limited to the start-up programs and one option for savingcurrently running applications when logging out. The latter functionality has been kept from RedHat Enterprise Linux 6.

named sessionThe Save now button is able to save a session in a specific time and to name it. The savedsessions are restored on login. When you click Automatically remember runningapplications when logging out in gnome-session-properties, the list of savedapplications is shown on login as well.

With this update, it is also possible to create multiple layouts and rename them, or to be able toselect multiple user sessions for one user account.

8.1. Getting More InformationFor detailed information on session management, see Chapter 15, Session Management.


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Chapter 9. Internationalization

9.1. Input MethodsThe default input framework for the GNOME Desktop in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 is IBus (IntelligentInput Bus). It features an input method user interface and integrates with GNOME 3 so that im-chooser, which was used in GNOME 2 in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6, is not needed anymore whenusing GNOME 3.

9.1.1. Configuring and Switching Input MethodsUsers can use the Region & Language panel in the GNOME Settings to configure their inputmethods. More information on using input methods can be found in GNOME Help. To access it, pressthe Super key to enter the Activities Overview, type help, and then press Enter.

For non-GNOME sessions, IBus can configure both XKB layouts and input methods in the ibus-setuptool and switch them with a shortcut.

The default shortcut to switch input sources is Super+Space. In Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6, theshortcut was Ctrl+Space.

9.1.2. Predictive Input Method for IBusibus-typing-booster is a predictive input method for the IBus platform. It predicts complete wordsbased on partial input. Users can select the desired word from a list of suggestions and improve theirtyping speed and spelling. ibus-typing-booster also works with the Hunspell dictionaries and canmake suggestions for a language using a Hunspell dictionary.

9.1.3. IBus in the GNOME Desktop Replaces im-chooserBecause IBus is now integrated with the GNOME Desktop, im-chooser is deprecated except for usingnon-IBus input methods.

9.2. Changed File LocationsIn Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7, the following changes have been made to the location of the input methodand font configuration files, and directories:

The .xinputrc file has been moved from the user's home directory to the ~/.config/imsettings/ directory.The .imsettings.log file has been moved from the user's home directory and can now be foundin ~/.cache/imsettings/log.The ~/.fonts.conf file has been deprecated. Users are encouraged to move the file to the ~/.config/fontconfig/ directory.The ~/.fonts.conf.d directory has been deprecated. Users are encouraged to move thedirectory to the ~/.config/fontconfig/ directory.All disabled fontconfig configuration files in the /etc/fonts/conf.avail/ directory havebeen moved to the /usr/share/fontconfig/conf.avail/ directory. If you have any localsymbolic links pointing to the old location, remember to update them.

Chapter 9. Internationalization

25

Part II. Configuration and AdministrationRed Hat Enterprise Linux 7.0 Beta Desktop Migration and Administration Guide

26

Chapter 10. Configuring Desktop with GSettings and dconf

10.1. User and System Settingsdconf is a key-based configuration system which manages user settings. It is the back end for GSettings used in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7. dconf manages a range of different settings, includingGDM, application, and proxy settings.

A profile is a list of configuration databases. Each of the system databases is generated from a keyfiledirectory. Each keyfile directory contains one or more keyfiles. Each keyfile contains at least one dconfpatch and one or more keys and the corresponding values.

Key pairs which are set in a dconf profile will override the default settings unless there is a problemwith the value that you have set.

See Section 10.2, What Are dconf Profiles? for more information on profiles.

10.2. What Are dconf Profiles?A profile is a list of system's hardware and software configuration databases, which the dconf toolcollects. dconf profiles allow you to compare identical systems to troubleshoot hardware or softwareproblems.

The dconf tool stores its profiles in text files. The $DCONF_PROFILE environment variable can specifya relative path to the file from the /etc/dconf/profile/ directory, or an absolute path, such as in auser's home directory.

10.2.1. Selecting a dconf ProfileOn startup, dconf consults the $DCONF_PROFILE environment variable whether the variable is set. Ifset, dconf attempts to open the named profile and aborts afterwards if this step fails.

As long as the environment variable is not set, dconf attempts to open the profile named user. Providedthis step still fails, dconf falls back to an internal hard-wired configuration.

Each line in a profile specifies one dconf database. The first line indicates the database used to writechanges whereas the remaining lines show read-only databases. The following is a sample profilestored in /etc/dconf/profile/user:

user-db:usersystem-db:localsystem-db:site

This sample profile specifies three databases: user is the name of the user database which cannormally be found in ~/.config/dconf, and local and site are system databases, located in /etc/dconf/db/.

Important

The dconf profile for a session is determined at login, so users will have to log out and log in toapply a new dconf user profile to their session.


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10.3. Configuring Custom Default ValuesMachine-wide default settings can be set by providing a default for a key in a dconf profile. Thesedefaults can be overridden by the user.

To set a default for a key, the user profile must exist and the value for the key must be added to a dconf database.

Example 10.1. Set the Default Background

1. Create the user profile in /etc/dconf/profile/user:

user-db:usersystem-db:local

local is the name of a dconf database.2. Create a keyfile for the local database in /etc/dconf/db/local.d/01-background, which

contains the following default settings:

# dconf path[org/gnome/desktop/background]

# GSettings key names and their corresponding valuespicture-uri='file:///usr/local/share/backgrounds/wallpaper.jpg'picture-options='scaled'primary-color='000000'secondary-color='FFFFFF'

3. Update the system databases:

# dconf update

Important

When the user profile is created or changed, the user will need to log out and log in again beforethe changes will be applied.

10.3.1. Locking Down Specific SettingsThe lockdown mode in dconf is a useful tool for preventing users from changing specific settings.

To lock down a GSettings key, you will need to create a locks subdirectory in the keyfile directory.The files inside this directory contain a list of keys to lock, and you may add any number of files to thisdirectory.

The example bellow demonstrates how to lock settings for the default wallpaper. Follow the procedurefor any other setting you need to lock.


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Example 10.2. How to Lock the Default Wallpaper

1. Set a default wallpaper.2. Create a directory named /etc/dconf/db/local.d/locks/.3. Edit /etc/dconf/db/local.d/locks/00-default-wallpaper, listing one key per line:

# Prevent users from changing values for the following keys:/org/gnome/desktop/background/picture-uri/org/gnome/desktop/background/picture-options/org/gnome/desktop/background/primary-color/org/gnome/desktop/background/secondary-color


# dconf update

10.4. Storing User Settings Over NFSFor dconf to work correctly when using Network File System (NFS) home directories, the dconfkeyfile back end must be used.

If the dconf keyfile back end is not used, the user settings may not be retrieved or updated properly.

Procedure 10.1. Sett ing the dconf Keyfile Back End

1. Edit the /etc/dconf/profile/user file on every client. If one does not already exist, create it.2. Add a line containing service-db:keyfile/user to the file and save your changes.

The dconf keyfile back end will only take effect the next time that the user logs in. It polls the keyfile todetermine whether updates have been made, so settings may not be updated immediately.

10.4.1. Ensuring That the glib2-fam Package Is InstalledNote that the glib2-fam package must be installed on the system when using the dconf keyfile backend. Otherwise notifications on configuration changes made on remote machines will not work properly.To make sure that the package is installed on the system, run the following command:

# yum install glib2-fam

10.5. Browsing GSettings Values for Desktop ApplicationsThere are two tools you can use to browse GSettings values:

The dconf-editor GUI tool.The gsettings command line utility.

Both dconf-editor and gsettings let you browse and change options for system and applicationpreferences. You can even use them to change preferences that do not exist in the graphical userinterface.

dconf-editor is better to use if you are not familiar with the options available in an application. However,


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as a command line application, gsettings is more powerful than dconf-editor. Bash completion isprovided for gsettings, and you can write scripts that include gsettings commands.

You may not have dconf-editor installed on the system by default. To install it, run the followingcommand:

# yum install dconf-editor


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Chapter 11. Default Appearance

11.1. Branding AnacondaConcerning the welcome graphics in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 installer, there is none. The installer,Anaconda, displays only the variant name from the Operation System release data.

From the appearance point of view, there is little to customize as Anaconda has relatively few images.The most significant of these are the images that cycle along the bottom of the screen while packagesare installing. These are provided by the redhat-logos package. Any images placed into the /usr/share/anaconda/pixmaps/rnotes/ or /usr/share/anaconda/pixmaps/rnotes/language_code/ directories will be cycled through,approximately one per minute, during the installation.

11.2. Branding FirstbootBeing a deprecated tool, Firstboot runs only if there are some third-party modules installed. It can bebranded with the image files that are included in the /usr/share/firstboot/themes/ directory.

11.3. Boot Loader ScreenThe Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 boot loader is GRUB 2. You can change the GRUB 2 appearance inseveral aspects. They are detailed below.

11.3.1. Distribution NameIn the default setup, GRUB 2 displays a title containing the distribution name. You can change the title bycustomizing the GRUB_DISTRIBUTOR variable in the /etc/default/grub file.

Procedure 11.1. Sett ing the Distribution Name

1. As root, open the /etc/default/grub file.2. Use the GRUB_DISTRIBUTOR variable to specify your own distribution name. The following is the

excerpt of the /etc/default/grub file:

GRUB_TIMEOUT=5GRUB_DISTRIBUTOR="$(sed 's, release .*$,,g' /etc/system-release)"...

Important

After every change to /etc/default/grub, you need to regenerate the actual configuration fileby running the grub2-mkconfig -o /boot/grub2/grub.cfg command as root.

Also, you can change the colors of the text displayed at the GRUB 2 screen, by modifying the /etc/grub.d/40_custom file or by adding another file in the /etc/grub.d/ directory. You can addthe following directives to the file:

set color_normal=foreground/backgroundset color_highlight=foreground/background


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set menu_color_normal=foreground/backgroundset menu_color_highlight=foreground/background

See the grub(8) man page for more information on the semantics and accepted values for thesevariables.

11.3.2. GRUB 2 BackgroundThere is no GRUB background configured in the default setup. Nevertheless, it is possible to add animage to the boot loader screen. To configure a background image for GRUB 2, follow the procedurebelow:

1. As root, open the /etc/default/grub file.2. Edit the following configuration variables in the file:

GRUB_TERMINAL=gfxterm

Important

It is necessary to have a GRUB 2 Unicode font installed for the gfxterm console to beused. No font is provided by default, so it is necessary to convert an existing TTF orOTF file to the PF2 format used by GRUB 2 by running the grub2-mkfont command.The output file name must be unicode.pf2 to work correctly with the defaultconfiguration as written by grub2-mkconfig. When the background is correctlywritten into the configuration by grub2-mkconfig, the following will be displayed onthe console output:

Found background: path_to_the_image.png

GRUB_BACKGROUND=path_to_the_image.png

The image file can reside outside of the /boot directory. However, it must be in a volume GRUB 2 is able to read; supported formats are PNG, JPEG, and TGA.

11.4. PlymouthPlymouth is a graphical boot system and logger for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7, which makes use ofthe kernel-based mode setting (KMS) and Direct Rendering Manager (DRM). Plymouth also handlesuser interaction during boot.

You can customize the boot screen appearance by choosing from various static or animated graphicalthemes, which users see on the system boot.

11.4.1. Configuring Branded ThemeEach theme for Plymouth is composed of a theme data file and a compiled splash plugin module. Thedata file has a .plymouth extension, and is installed in the /usr/share/plymouth/themes/directory.

The configuration data is specified under a [Plymouth Theme] section, in the key=value format.Valid keys for this group are Name, Description, and ModuleName. While the first two keys are self-


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explanatory, the third specifies the name of a Plymouth splash plugin module. Different plugins providedifferent animations at boot time and the underlying implementation of the various themes. The followingis a sample beginning of a .plymouth file:

[Plymouth Theme]Name=ChargeDescription=A theme that features the shadowy hull of my logo charge up and finally burst into full form.ModuleName=two-step

Procedure 11.2. Sett ing Up the Boot Splash

1. As root, install the themes you can choose from by running the following command:

# yum install plymouth\*

You can run the plymouth-set-default-theme --list command to see the installedthemes.

2. Change the default theme with the plymouth-set-default-theme command along with thechosen theme. For example, you choose the spinfinity theme, so you type on the commandline:

plymouth-set-default-theme spinfinity

3. Keep in mind that you have to rebuild the initrd daemon after changing the theme otherwiseyour theme will not show in the boot screen. Do so by running the dracut -f command.

If you do not want to choose from the given list of themes, you can create your own. The easiest way isto copy an existing theme and modify it.

Procedure 11.3. Creating Your Own Theme

1. Copy an entire content of a Plymouth directory. As a template directory, use, for example, thedefault theme for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7, /usr/share/plymouth/themes/charge/charge.plymouth, which uses a two-stepsplash plugin with the following settings:

[Plymouth Theme]Name=ChargeDescription=A theme that features the shadowy hull of my logo charge up and finally burst into full form.ModuleName=two-step

[two-step]ImageDir=/usr/share/plymouth/themes/chargeHorizontalAlignment=.5VerticalAlignment=.5Transition=noneTransitionDuration=0.0BackgroundStartColor=0x202020BackgroundEndColor=0x202020

2. Save the charge.plymouth file with a new name in the /usr/share/plymouth/themes/newtheme/ directory, in the following format:


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newtheme.plymouth

3. Update the settings in your /usr/share/plymouth/themes/newtheme/newtheme.plymouthfile as needed.

4. Set your newtheme as default by running the plymouth-set-default-theme newthemecommand.

5. Rebuild the initrd daemon after changing the theme by running the dracut -f command.

11.4.2. Using Branded LogoSome of the plugins show a branded logo as part of the splash animation. If you wish to add your ownlogo into your theme, follow the short procedure below.

Important

Keep in mind that the image format for your own branded logo must be PNG.

Procedure 11.4 . Add Your Logo to the Theme

1. Create an image file named logo.png with your own logo.2. Edit the /usr/share/plymouth/themes/newtheme.plymouth file by updating the ImageDir

key to point to the directory with the logo.png image file you created earlier. For example:

ImageDir=/usr/share/plymouth/themes/newtheme

For more information on Plymouth, see the plymouth(8) man page.

11.5. Customizing the Login Screen11.5.1. Disabling the User ListYou can disable the user list shown on the login screen by setting the org.gnome.login-screen.disable-user-list GSettings key.

When the user list is disabled, users need to type their user name and password at the prompt to log in.

Procedure 11.5. Sett ing the org.gnome.login-screen.disable-user-list Key

1. Create a gdm database for machine-wide settings in /etc/dconf/db/gdm.d/00-login-screen:

[org/gnome/login-screen]# Do not show the user listdisable-user-list=true


# dconf update

11.5.2. Displaying Multiple Keyboard Layouts


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You can change the system keyboard layout settings to add alternative keyboard layouts for users tochose from on the login screen. This can be helpful for users who normally use different keyboardlayouts from the default and who want to have those keyboard layouts available at the login screen.

Procedure 11.6. Changing the System Keyboard Layout Sett ings

1. Find the code of the desired languages layouts in the /usr/share/X11/xkb/rules/base.lstfile under the section named ! layout.

2. Use the localectl tool to change the system keyboard layout settings as follows:

localectl set-x11-keymap layout

You can specify multiple layouts as a comma-separated list. For example, to set es as the defaultlayout, and us as the secondary layout, run the following command:

$ localectl set-x11-keymap es,us

3. Log out to find that the defined layouts are available at the top bar on the login screen.

Note that you can also use the localectl tool to specify the machine-wide default keyboard model,variant, and options. See the localectl(1) man page for more information.

11.5.3. Setting the Default BackgroundThe background of the login screen is controlled by the org.gnome.desktop.background.picture-uri GSettings key. Since GDM uses its own dconfprofile, you can set the default background by changing the settings in that profile.

Procedure 11.7. Sett ing the org.gnome.desktop.background.picture-uri Key

1. Create a gdm database for machine-wide settings in /etc/dconf/db/gdm.d/01-corp-login:

[org/gnome/desktop/background]picture-uri='file:///opt/corp/background.jpg'

Replace /opt/corp/background.jpg with the path to the image file you want to use as the loginscreen background.


# dconf update

11.5.3.1. Troubleshooting: What If the Background Does Not Update?Make sure that you have run the dconf update command to update the system databases.

In case the logo does not update, try restarting GDM. For more information, see Section 15.1.1,Restarting GDM.

11.5.4. Adding a Greeter LogoThe greeter logo on the login screen is controlled by the org.gnome.login-screen.logoGSettings key. Since GDM uses its own dconf profile, you can add a greeter logo by changing thesettings in that profile.

Procedure 11.8. Sett ing the org.gnome.login-screen.logo Key


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1. Create a gdm database for machine-wide settings in /etc/dconf/db/gdm.d/01-logo:

[org/gnome/login-screen]logo='/usr/share/pixmaps/logo/greeter-logo.png'

Replace /usr/share/pixmaps/logo/greeter-logo.png with the path to the image file youwant to use as the greeter logo.


# dconf update

11.5.4 .1. Troubleshooting: What if the Logo Does Not Update?Make sure that you have run the dconf update command to update the system databases.

In case the logo does not update, try restarting GDM. For more information, see Section 15.1.1,Restarting GDM.

11.5.5. Displaying a Text BannerThe text banner on the login screen is controlled by the following GSettings keys:

org.gnome.login-screen.banner-message-enableenables showing the banner message.

org.gnome.login-screen.banner-message-textshows the text banner message in the login window.

Note that since GDM uses its own dconf profile, you can configure the text banner by changing thesettings in that profile.

Procedure 11.9. Displaying a Text Banner on the Login Screen

1. Create a gdm database for machine-wide settings in /etc/dconf/db/gdm.d/01-banner-message:

[org/gnome/login-screen]banner-message-enable=truebanner-message-text='Type the banner message here'


# dconf update

Important

Keep the banner message reasonably short as longer texts may not fit in the screen.

11.5.5.1. Troubleshooting: What if the Banner Message Does Not Update?If the banner message does not show, make sure you have run the dconf update command.


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In case the banner message does not update, try restarting GDM. For more information, seeSection 15.1.1, Restarting GDM.

11.6. Customizing Desktop BackgroundsYou can make extra backgrounds available to users on your system.

To do so, create an XML file in the /usr/share/gnome-background-properties/ directory,specifying your extra backgrounds. The following is a simple example:

Company Background Firmenhintergrund /usr/local/share/backgrounds/company-wallpaper.jpg zoom solid #ffffff #000000

11.6.1. Adding Extra BackgroundsIn one configuration file, it is possible to add multiple backgrounds by specifying more elements.

See the following example which shows an XML file with two elements, specifying twodifferent backgrounds:

Company Background Firmenhintergrund /usr/local/share/backgrounds/company-wallpaper.jpg zoom solid #ffffff #000000 Company Background 2 Firmenhintergrund 2 /usr/local/share/backgrounds/company-wallpaper-2.jpg zoom solid #ff0000 #00ffff


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11.6.2. Customizing the Default Desktop BackgroundYou can configure the default desktop background and its appearance by setting the relevant GSettingskeys in the org.gnome.desktop.background schema.

Procedure 11.10. Sett ing the Default Background

1. Create a local database for machine-wide settings in /etc/dconf/db/local.d/01-background:

# Specify the dconf path[org/gnome/desktop/background]

# Specify the path to the desktop background image filepicture-uri='file:///usr/local/share/backgrounds/wallpaper.jpg'# Specify one of the rendering options for the background image:# 'none', 'wallpaper', 'centered', 'scaled', 'stretched', 'zoom', 'spanned'picture-options='scaled'# Specify the left or top color when drawing gradients, or the solid colorprimary-color='000000'# Specify the right or bottom color when drawing gradientssecondary-color='FFFFFF'

2. Override the user's setting and prevent the user from changing it in /etc/dconf/db/local.d/locks/background:

# List the keys used to configure the desktop background/org/gnome/desktop/background/picture-uri/org/gnome/desktop/background/picture-options/org/gnome/desktop/background/primary-color/org/gnome/desktop/background/secondary-color


# dconf update

11.7. Configuring FontsA component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7, fontconfig is a library to configure and customize fonts.It simplifies font management and provides advanced display features, such as anti-aliasing. fontconfig allows applications that are compatible with the library to access fonts installed on thesystem by the system administrator or individual users.

To compile a list of fonts available on the system, fontconfig searches directories that are by defaultlisted in the /etc/fonts/fonts.conf configuration file.

For more information on fontconfig and its configuration, see the fonts-conf(5) man page.

11.7.1. Adding Extra Fonts for All UsersYou can install an extra font which will be available to users in applications that use fontconfig forfont handling.

Procedure 11.11. Installing an Extra Font


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1. Copy the font to the /usr/local/share/fonts/ directory to install it.2. You may need to run the following command to update the font cache:

$ fc-cache /usr/local/share/fonts/

You may need to restart running applications to see the changes. User sessions do not need to berestarted.

Alternatively, you can also install fonts in other system directory than /usr/local/share/fonts/ ifthat directory is listed in the /etc/fonts/fonts.conf file. If it is not, then you need to create yourown machine-wide configuration file in /etc/fonts/local.conf and list there the directory you wantto use. See the fonts-conf(5) man page for more information.

If you are using an alternative directory, remember to specify the directory name when updating the fontcache with the fc-cache command:

$ fc-cache directory_name

11.7.2. Adding Extra Fonts for Individual UsersYou can install an extra font which will be available to a specific user on your system in applications thatuse fontconfig for font handling.

Procedure 11.12. Installing an Extra Font

1. Copy the font to the ~/.fonts directory to install it.2. You may need to run the following command to update the font cache:

$ fc-cache ~/.fonts

You may need to restart running applications to see the changes. User sessions do not need to berestarted.

11.7.3. Substituting FontsWhen an application requests a font that is not available on the system, fontconfig reads the /etc/fonts/fonts.conf configuration file to determine the most similar available font to substitutefor the requested font. Individual characters can also be substituted if they are not present in therequested font.

To configure a font substitution for a specific font, you can use the Fonts Tweak Tool. Note that thetool can only be used for per-user configuration.

Fonts Tweak Tool may not be installed by default on the system, to install it, run the followingcommand:

# yum install fonts-tweak-tool

Procedure 11.13. Substituting a Font

1. Start the Fonts Tweak Tool by pressing the Super key to enter the Activities Overview,type Fonts Tweak Tool, and then press Enter.

2. Click the Font Substitutions tab.3. Click the + button at the bottom left of the left pane, select or type the name of the font you want to


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Click the + button at the bottom left of the left pane, select or type the name of the font you want tosubstitute, and then click Add.

4. Click the + button at the bottom left of the right pane, select the name of the font you want to useto substitute for the first font, and then click Add.

5. Click Close.

11.7.4. Configuring Font AliasesFor each locale, Fonts Tweak Tool allows the individual users to configure different font aliases: SansSerif, Serif, Monospace, Cursive, and Fantasy. Users can override system default fonts by selecting acustom font for each of these aliases.



Procedure 11.14 . Configuring a Font Alias


2. Click the Font Aliases tab.3. Click the + button at the bottom left of the left pane, select or type the name of the locale you want

to configure the font aliases for, and then click Add.To configure default font aliases regardless of the used locale, select Default from the list oflocales.

4. At the right pane, locate the font alias you want to override the system defaults for, and select thecustom font from the drop-down list.

5. Click Close.

11.7.5. Multiple Language OrderingFonts Tweak Tool allows users who have multiple languages configured for the user interface tochange the order in which the languages are displayed in applications. This feature makes it possible toalways display Latin characters with Latin fonts, for example. To do so, configure English as the primarylanguage, and a language that uses non-Latin fonts as secondary.



Procedure 11.15. Configuring Multiple Languages


2. Click the Language Ordering tab.3. Click the + button at the bottom left of the window, select or type the name of the language you

want to configure as primary, and then click Add.4. To add another language, click the + button at the bottom left of the window, select the name of

the language you want to configure as secondary, and then click Add.Repeat this step to add more languages.


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5. Click Close.

Important

When multiple languages are configured, some applications (such as xterm and other Xftapplications) may not display all characters for the user's languages properly. This is due to thelack of support for fallback fonts in those applications, or in the rendering libraries theapplications are using.

11.7.6. Configuring Font PropertiesFonts Tweak Tool lets users change various font properties, allowing for fine-grained per-user fontconfiguration.



Procedure 11.16. Changing the Font Properties


2. Click the Fonts Properties tab.3. Click the + button at the bottom left of the window, select or type the name of the font you want to

change the properties for, and then click Add.Repeat this step to add more fonts.

4. Change the font properties as needed.5. Click Close.

Depending on the added font, some of the font properties that the user can configure in the FontsProperties tab include:

Use the embedded bitmap font if available.This is useful for users who prefer bitmap fonts over outline fonts. To use the embeddedbitmap font, add a suitable font and click Use embedded bitmap font if any.

Use the JIS X 2013:2004 glyphs.To use Japanese glyphs from the JIS X 2013:2004 standard, rather than from JIS X 2013:2000or older, add a font that supports JIS X 2013:2004, and then click on jp04 in the Features list.


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12.1. What Are GNOME Shell Extensions?GNOME Shell extensions allow customizing the default GNOME Shell interface and its parts, such aswindow management and application launching.

Each GNOME Shell extension is identified by a unique identifier, the uuid. The uuid is also used for thename of the directory where an extension is installed. You can either install the extension per-user in ~/.local/share/gnome-shell/extensions/uuid, or machine-wide in /usr/share/gnome-shell/extensions/uuid.

Important

Before deploying third-party GNOME Shell extensions on Red Hat Enterprise Linux, make sure toread the following document to learn about the Red Hat support policy for third-party software:

How does Red Hat Global Support Services handle third-party software, drivers, and/oruncertified hardware/hypervisors?

To view installed extensions, you can use Looking Glass, GNOME Shell's integrated debugger andinspector tool.

Procedure 12.1. View installed extensions

1. Press Alt+F2.2. Type in lg and press Enter to open Looking Glass.3. On the top bar of Looking Glass, click Extensions to open the list of installed extensions.

12.2. Enabling Machine-wide ExtensionsTo make extensions available to all users on the system, install them in the /usr/share/gnome-shell/extensions directory. Note that newly-installed machine-wide extensions are disabled bydefault. To enable the extensions for all users, you need to set the org.gnome.shell.enabled-extensions key.

Procedure 12.2. Sett ing the org.gnome.shell.enabled-extensions key

1. Create a local database for machine-wide settings in /etc/dconf/db/local.d/00-extensions:

[org/gnome/shell]# List all extensions that you want to have enabled for all usersenabled-extensions=['[email protected]', '[email protected]']


# dconf update


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12.3. Locking Down Enabled ExtensionsIn GNOME Shell, you can prevent the user from enabling or disabling extensions by locking down the org.gnome.shell.enabled-extensions and org.gnome.shell.development-tools keys.

Locking down the org.gnome.shell.development-tools key ensures that the user cannot useGNOME Shell's integrated debugger and inspector tool (Looking Glass) to disable any mandatoryextensions.

Procedure 12.3. Lock Down the org.gnome.shell.enabled-extensions andorg.gnome.shell.development-tools Keys

1. Create a local database for machine-wide settings in /etc/dconf/db/local.d/00-extensions:

[org/gnome/shell]# List all extensions that you want to have enabled for all usersenabled-extensions=['[email protected]', '[email protected]']# Disable access to Looking Glassdevelopment-tools=false

2. Override the user's setting and prevent the user from changing it in /etc/dconf/db/local.d/locks/extensions:

# Lock the list of enabled extensions/org/gnome/shell/enabled-extensions/org/gnome/shell/development-tools


# dconf update

After locking down the org.gnome.shell.enabled-extensions and org.gnome.shell.development-tools keys, any extensions installed in ~/.local/share/gnome-shell/extensions or /usr/share/gnome-shell/extensions thatare not listed in the org.gnome.shell.enabled-extensions key will not be loaded by GNOMEShell, thus preventing the user from using them.

12.4. Setting Up Mandatory ExtensionsIn GNOME Shell, you can provide a set of extensions that the user has to use. To do so, install theextensions in the /usr/share/gnome-shell/extensions directory and then lock down the org.gnome.shell.enabled-extensions and org.gnome.shell.development-tools keys.

Locking down the org.gnome.shell.development-tools key ensures that the user cannot useGNOME Shell's integrated debugger and inspector tool (Looking Glass) to disable any mandatoryextensions.

Procedure 12.4 . Lock down the org.gnome.shell.enabled-extensions andorg.gnome.shell.development-tools keys

1. Create a local database for machine-wide settings in /etc/dconf/db/local.d/00-extensions-mandatory:


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Red Hat Enterprise Linux-7-Beta-Desktop Migration and Administration Guide-En-US

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