# Allow a program to continue after logoff

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Reason: Needs better introduction, the section #Conclusion is useless. (Discuss in Talk:Allow a program to continue after logoff#)

Have you ever had the need to leave a program running after you have logged off?

This article will show you how to easily achieve this goal. The things you need to do differ depending on if you are trying to keep a console application running (e.g. mutt, centerICQ) or a X application running (e.g. gaim, graveman). I have created a section for each scenario.

## Console applications

This article or section needs expansion.

Reason: Needs expansion with regard to systemd and its `KillUserProcesses` option. (Discuss in Talk:Allow a program to continue after logoff#)

You can use a terminal multiplexer to create a session and launch some program inside it. Then you can detach from the session and leave it running in background. When you reattach later (even after logout), you will find the session in the state you left it.

Popular terminal multiplexers are screen and tmux.

## X applications

### Secondary X server

xmove project seems dead, many applications do not work inside the xmove pseudo server. So an other solution is using a secondary real X server.

With your favourite editor make a script with this content, use chmod to make it executable (`chmod a+x scriptname.sh`).

    #!/bin/sh

    if [ $# -eq 0 ] ; then # check to see if arguments are given (color depth)
        a=24        # default color depth
    else
        a=$1        # use given argument
    fi

    if [ $a -ne 8 -a $a -ne 16 -a $a -ne 24 ] ; then
        echo "Invalid color depth. Use 8, 16, or 24."
        exit 1
    fi

    for display in 0 1 2 3 4 5 ; do
        if [ ! -f "/tmp/.X$display-lock" ] ; then
            exec startx -- :$display -depth $a -quiet
            exit 0
        fi
    done

    echo "No displays available."
    exit 1

executing this little script will start a new X server. Then you can simply start your application and lock the server with `xlock -mode blank` (you need the xlockmore package for using xlock.)

Do not start your application in the first X server. If it is not already started, start the first and start a second one. Use the second one for your applications.

This is important because some features, like AGP mode, works only on one X server and other users of the computer will be annoyed if those feature will be lacking because you started a X server for your own purposes. So just use the second, the first will be full featured for everyone who need.

### xpra

Xpra allows you to start X programs and leave them running after disconnecting to reconnect again at a later time. It is possible to start X programs on a remote machine, connect to the machine over ssh, disconnect and reconnect again while the programs continue running.

Read the Xpra article for more information.

### X2Go

X2Go supports suspending of sessions and reconnecting even from different client. While designed for remote access, it can be used even on localhost.

## Conclusion

Detaching programs is very useful in shared systems, you can easily leave the machine to someone else while your programs continue to run. At the moment, however, it is still easier to do this with console applications. Since in the Linux world almost every task has its console the only application it is a good idea use it with screen. In the above example using transmission and screen is actually easier than ktorrent and xmove.

Category:

- System administration

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