Exclude/Hide a user from GDM Logon Window

[marcocrosio]

if you need to to exclude one or mode user from your gdm login window
you must edit "/etc/gdm/gdm.schemas" and add the user you want exclude from the <key>
"greeter/Exclude" (near the other user in <default></default>)

P.S. When Fedora could have a gdm config again?

[mano the shark]

My understanding is that the schemas file shouldn't be edited and /etc/gdm/custom.conf should be modified. I was able to exclude users from the gdm list with the following:

[greeter]
Exclude=user1, user2

http://library.gnome.org/admin/gdm/s...greetersection

P.S. Contrary to the above link, I did not have to add every user on the computer (root, bin, daemon, etc).

[Brian Zachary]

In Fedora 13, you can hide all users from the user list and simply login with a "Username:" prompt by altering this portion of /etc/gdm/gdm.schemas from true to false; this is essentially equivalent to clicking "Other" in the user list, and while it may not look ideal, it at least functions as it should.

    <schema>
      <key>greeter/IncludeAll</key>
      <signature>b</signature>
      <default>true</default>
    </schema>

to

    <schema>
      <key>greeter/IncludeAll</key>
      <signature>b</signature>
      <default>false</default>
    </schema>

[mano the shark]

gdm.schemas is not a configuration file and should not be treated as such. Edit /etc/gdm/custom.conf to accomplish what you need.

While the original thread was discussing how to hide individual users, here is how to hide all users from being displayed using /etc/gdm/custom.conf:

[greeter]
IncludeAll=false

[stevea]

if you need to to exclude one or mode user from your gdm login window
you must edit "/etc/gdm/gdm.schemas" and add the user you want exclude from the <key>
"greeter/Exclude" (near the other user in <default></default>)

P.S. When Fedora could have a gdm config again?

The days of a useful and configurable gdm are over.
I'll suggest you try kdm (you can still use it with a gnome session).

su -
<passwd>
yum -y install kdm
echo "DISPLAYMANAGER=KDE" > /etc/sysconfig/desktop
^D


It's just that easy.

[dawnyesky]

My understanding is that the schemas file shouldn't be edited and /etc/gdm/custom.conf should be modified. I was able to exclude users from the gdm list with the following:

[greeter]
Exclude=user1, user2

http://library.gnome.org/admin/gdm/s...greetersection

P.S. Contrary to the above link, I did not have to add every user on the computer (root, bin, daemon, etc).

it works, thx a lot~~

[pacifico]

Has anyone had success with this on F15?

I modified the /etc/gdm/custom.conf file with:

[greeter]
Exclude=build

to exclude the account I use for building RPMs from the face browser list.

At the next login, the build user continued to display.

Enabling debugging in /etc/gdm/custom.conf, logging out and relogging in as my primary account yielded the following when grepping /var/log/messages for "build":

pam: gdm-password[2227]: DEBUG(+): ActUserManager: user 'build' is now loaded
pam: gdm-password[2227]: DEBUG(+): ActUserManager: tracking user 'build'
pam: gdm-password[2227]: DEBUG(+): ActUserManager: user build changed
pam: gdm-fingerprint[2228]: DEBUG(+): ActUserManager: user 'build' is now loaded
pam: gdm-fingerprint[2228]: DEBUG(+): ActUserManager: tracking user 'build'
pam: gdm-fingerprint[2228]: DEBUG(+): ActUserManager: user build changed

I'm using a fully updated F15 system and rpm reports the gdm package as:
gdm-3.0.4-1.fc15.x86_64

Ideas?

-Al

[dd_wizard]

Bugzilla 723708 says it all. I'd recommend that everybody add a comment. It's been open since July 20, and It's still classed as "New". "The squeaky wheel..."

dd_wizard

[abmyers]

Is this still the case in F16?

Also, is it possible to alter the user images displayed on the login screen? In F15 I was able to set these in an "About Me" app for each user but I can't find this on my F16 desktop. Perhaps there's something I need to install? Can anyone tells me what it's called so I can install it via yum please?

Regards,
Andrew

[DBelton]

to change the image, you can go into the user editor (system settings-->user accounts) and just select the user, then click on the image for that user. A screen will come up to select an image.

(You can get there faster by opening the user menu in the upper right corner and click on the user image, or open the user menu, select system settings, then select user accounts.)

[weitjong]

As for hiding the user from GDM, I can say one thing about it from my own experience. The behaviour varies from one Fedora release to the next. Prior to F13, we had to use some kind of workaround to achieve this. In F13, Fedora seemed to got it right, as reported by the second poster above in this thread. But unfortunately, in F15 and F16 it is broken again. I did not try F14. Anyway, I end up using back the old workaround in F16 to hide my secret user account. The workaround is to have the UID < UID_MIN (500).

[abmyers]

to change the image, you can go into the user editor (system settings-->user accounts) and just select the user, then click on the image for that user. A screen will come up to select an image.

(You can get there faster by opening the user menu in the upper right corner and click on the user image, or open the user menu, select system settings, then select user accounts.)

Perfect, thanks!

[graesser]

I am sucessfully using the following work-around on Fedora 17:

# ln -s /bin/bash /usr/local/sbin/nologin

# edit /etc/passwd # Change login shell from /bin/bash to /usr/local/sbin/nologin

The particular login will no longer be displayed via GDM but you can still login via "other".

Gerry

[weitjong]

Thanks Gerry for sharing this work-around. It works like a charm in my F17.

[glennzo]

I am sucessfully using the following work-around on Fedora 17:

# ln -s /bin/bash /usr/local/sbin/nologin

# edit /etc/passwd # Change login shell from /bin/bash to /usr/local/sbin/nologin

The particular login will no longer be displayed via GDM but you can still login via "other".

Gerry

There are 2 users on this system, glenn and rsync. They are both shown in the default greeter. I want to hide rsync and show only glenn. Your suggestion will do that?

Well, it worked for Fedora 18.