If more than one user account is configured on your computer, usually all users must authenticate—unless is enabled for a certain user. Auto login lets a user automatically log in to the desktop environment when the system starts. This feature can be enabled or disabled during installation or at any time using the YaST User Management module. For more information, see Section 5.1, Managing User Accounts in the openSUSE 10.3 Start-Up Guide.
If your computer is running in a network environment and you are not the only person using the machine, you are usually prompted to enter your username and password when you start your system. If you did not set up your system and your user account, check with your system administrator for your username and password.
The program managing the login process depends on the desktop environment installed on your system. For GNOME, it is GDM. If the KDE desktop is also installed on your system, it might be KDM.
The login screen has the following items:
Login prompt: Enter your username and password to log in.
Language menu: Select a language for your session.
Session menu: Select the desktop to run during your session. If other desktops are installed, they appear in the list.
Restart: Select to restart the computer.
Shut Down: Select to shut down the computer.
A session is the period of time from when you log in to when you log out. During a session, you can use applications, print, browse the Web, and so on.
The login screen offers several login options. For example, you can select the language of your session so that text that appears in the interface is presented in that language.
After your username and password are authenticated, the Session Manager starts. The Session Manager lets you save certain settings for each session. It also lets you save the state of your most recent session and return to that session the next time you log in.
The Session Manager can save and restore the following settings:
Appearance and behavior settings, such as fonts, colors, and mouse settings.
Applications that you were running. such as a file manager or an OpenOffice.org program.
HINT:You cannot save and restore applications that Session Manager does not manage. For example, if you start the vi editor from the command line in a terminal window, Session Manager cannot restore your editing session.
For information on configuring session preferences, see Managing Sessions.
If you installed both the GNOME and the KDE desktops, use the following instructions to switch desktops.
Click .
In KDE, click the main menu button, then click .
On the login screen, click .
Select the desktop you want ( or ), then click .
Type your username, then press Enter.
Type your password, then press Enter.
To lock the screen, you can do either of the following:
Click .
If the button is present on a panel, click it.
To add the button to a panel, right-click the panel, then click .
When you lock your screen, the screen saver starts. To lock your screen correctly, you must have a screen saver enabled. To unlock the screen, move your mouse to display the locked screen dialog. Enter your username and password, then press Enter.
For information on configuring your screen saver, see Configuring the Screen Saver.