2.1 User Accounts
2.1.3 CDE v. command line environment
CDE Login Manager
Most Solaris workstations will have the graphical Common Desktop Environment (CDE) installed and will boot to a graphical environment. Before logging in to your account, CDE will display the graphical Login Manager screen shown in Figure

There are four buttons at the bottom of the Login Manager screen:

  • OK button - accepts the user name and password as entered. 
  • Start Over button - clears the user name and password fields. 
  • Options button - provides several choices for logging in. 
  • Help button - provides assistance for using Login Manager. 

Logging in identifies you to the system. You can login using the login screen shown, or at the command line. If you login at the CDE Login Manager screen, you will then enter the CDE (Graphical User Interface -GUI) environment.

Options Button
The CDE Login Manager Options pull-down menu provides a set of choices for logging in. There are five choices available with the Options menu: 

  • Language - The Language option is typically set at installation and is not used often.
  • Session - The Session option offers a choice of GUI desktop environments (CDE or Open Windows) and provides a failsafe login option which can be used for troubleshooting.
  • Remote Login - Remote Login allows you to login to another Solaris machine such as a server or another workstation on the network.
  • Command Line Login  - The Command Line Login option bypasses the GUI environment and goes directly to a console prompt and will stay at the command line.
  • Reset Login Screen - The Reset Login Screen option puts all settings back to their defaults.