gdm/desktop password protected shutdown

[Jacob Anawalt]

I am using Debian Sid and I would like to enable graphical 
shutdown/reboot/halt of my system using either a menu item in my desktop 
(KDE/Gnome) or in the display manager (gdm). I don't want to enable it 
for everyone,  just for people who know the root password, or even 
nicer, accounts that are sudo enabled for the shutdown command.

I think it would be helpful if the person initiating the shutdown was 
given a message like 'The following users are logged in still, are you 
sure you want to shut down? (list)" and an option for the amount of 
delay for the shutdown command or to wait before suspending, but that's 
far from an initial requirement.

I tried adding gksu to the shutdown command in the gdm config file, and 
it didn't work. Shutdown disappeared from the 'system' menu in gdm. The 
same thing happened when I tried it with halt or suspend.

I could add gksu shutdown entries to personal menus for people I want to 
have access to the command, or some shell window calling sudo (or gksudo 
if it were available). This still wouldn't seem as optimal as a system 
based on sudo for shutdown. I know RH systems have shutdown in the 
desktop environment. Is there any disadvantage to running shutdown 
before logging out of your desktop session, if root shutdown privileges 
were available to the user (which isn't the way the RH shutdown is 
configured)? There must be a good reason that it's not in the Debian 
Gnome or KDE menus already.

I could just not have the system menu on GDM, I did that at first. I was 
annoyed with waiting for my display to switch modes to the Virtual 
Terminal so I could log in to run shutdown so I enabled the system menu. 
I also tried running shutdown with a conservative time parameter from an 
xterm then logged out of X. Both solutions seemed cludgy - at least not 
ones I want to explain to less technically inclined users.

It is interesting that when I choose 'configure' from the system menu I 
am prompted for the root password. Is there a configuration setting I 
have overlooked to make it do the same root password prompt for other 
system menu items?

I have looked into this, but it seems I haven't looked in the right 
places. Any pointers to projects implementing this, old discussions that 
have already hashed the topic to death, or insight to the best way to 
implement this is appreciated.

Jacob



--
To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] 
with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]