Table of Contents
XFree86 - X11R6 X server
XFree86 [:display] [option ...]
XFree86
is an X server that was originally designed for UNIX and UNIX-like operating
systems running on Intel x86 hardware. It now runs on a wider range of
hardware and OS platforms.
This work was originally derived from X386 1.2
which was contributed to X11R5 by Snitily Graphics Consulting Service. The
XFree86 X server architecture was redesigned for the 4.0 release, and it
includes among other things a loadable module system donated by Metro Link,
Inc. The current XFree86 release is compatible with X11R6.6.
XFree86
operates under a wide range of operating systems and hardware platforms.
The Intel x86 (IA32) architecture is the most widely supported hardware
platform. Other hardware platforms include Compaq Alpha, Intel IA64, SPARC
and PowerPC. The most widely supported operating systems are the free/OpenSource
UNIX-like systems such as Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD and OpenBSD. Commercial
UNIX operating systems such as Solaris (x86) and UnixWare are also supported.
Other supported operating systems include LynxOS, and GNU Hurd. Darwin
and Mac OS X are supported with the XDarwin(1)
X server. Win32/Cygwin is
supported with the XWin X server.
XFree86 supports connections
made using the following reliable byte-streams:
- Local
- On most platforms,
the "Local" connection type is a UNIX-domain socket. On some System V platforms,
the "local" connection types also include STREAMS pipes, named pipes, and
some other mechanisms.
- TCP/IP
- XFree86 listens on port 6000+n, where n is
the display number. This connection type can be disabled with the -nolisten
option (see the Xserver(1)
man page for details).
For
operating systems that support local connections other than Unix Domain
sockets (SVR3 and SVR4), there is a compiled-in list specifying the order
in which local connections should be attempted. This list can be overridden
by the XLOCAL environment variable described below. If the display name
indicates a best-choice connection should be made (e.g. :0.0), each connection
mechanism is tried until a connection succeeds or no more mechanisms are
available. Note: for these OSs, the Unix Domain socket connection is treated
differently from the other local connection types. To use it the connection
must be made to unix:0.0.
The XLOCAL environment variable should contain
a list of one more more of the following:
NAMED
PTS
SCO
ISC
which represent SVR4 Named Streams pipe, Old-style USL Streams pipe, SCO
XSight Streams pipe, and ISC Streams pipe, respectively. You can select
a single mechanism (e.g. XLOCAL=NAMED), or an ordered list (e.g. XLOCAL="NAMED:PTS:SCO").
This variable overrides the compiled-in defaults. For SVR4 it is recommended
that NAMED be the first preference connection. The default setting is PTS:NAMED:ISC:SCO.
To globally override the compiled-in defaults, you should define (and export
if using sh or ksh) XLOCAL globally. If you use startx/xinit, the definition
should be at the top of your .xinitrc file. If you use xdm, the definitions
should be early on in the /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/xdm/Xsession script.
In
addition to the normal server options described in the Xserver(1)
manual
page, XFree86 accepts the following command line switches:
- vtXX
- XX specifies
the Virtual Terminal device number which XFree86 will use. Without this
option, XFree86 will pick the first available Virtual Terminal that it
can locate. This option applies only to platforms such as Linux, BSD, SVR3
and SVR4, that have virtual terminal support.
- -allowMouseOpenFail
- Allow the
server to start up even if the mouse device can't be opened or initialised.
This is equivalent to the AllowMouseOpenFail XF86Config(5)
file option.
- -allowNonLocalModInDev
- Allow changes to keyboard and mouse settings from
non-local clients. By default, connections from non-local clients are not
allowed to do this. This is equivalent to the AllowNonLocalModInDev XF86Config(5)
file option.
- -allowNonLocalXvidtune
- Make the VidMode extension available
to remote clients. This allows the xvidtune client to connect from another
host. This is equivalent to the AllowNonLocalXvidtune XF86Config(5)
file
option. By default non-local connections are not allowed.
- -bgamma value
- Set
the blue gamma correction. value must be between 0.1 and 10. The default
is 1.0. Not all drivers support this. See also the -gamma, -rgamma, and -ggamma
options.
- -bpp n
- No longer supported. Use -depth to set the color depth, and
use -fbbpp if you really need to force a non-default framebuffer (hardware)
pixel format.
- -configure
- When this option is specified, the X server loads
all video driver modules, probes for available hardware, and writes out
an initial XF86Config(5)
file based on what was detected. This option currently
has some problems on some platforms, but in most cases it is a good way
to bootstrap the configuration process. This option is only available when
the server is run as root (i.e, with real-uid 0).
- -crt /dev/ttyXX
- SCO only.
This is the same as the vt option, and is provided for compatibility with
the native SCO X server.
- -depth n
- Sets the default color depth. Legal values
are 1, 4, 8, 15, 16, and 24. Not all drivers support all values.
- -disableModInDev
- Disable dynamic modification of input device settings. This is equivalent
to the DisableModInDev XF86Config(5)
file option.
- -disableVidMode
- Disable
the the parts of the VidMode extension (used by the xvidtune client) that
can be used to change the video modes. This is equivalent to the DisableVidModeExtension
XF86Config(5)
file option.
- -fbbpp n
- Sets the number of framebuffer bits per
pixel. You should only set this if you're sure it's necessary; normally the
server can deduce the correct value from -depth above. Useful if you want
to run a depth 24 configuration with a 24 bpp framebuffer rather than the
(possibly default) 32 bpp framebuffer (or vice versa). Legal values are
1, 8, 16, 24, 32. Not all drivers support all values.
- -flipPixels
- Swap the
default values for the black and white pixels.
- -gamma value
- Set the gamma
correction. value must be between 0.1 and 10. The default is 1.0. This value
is applied equally to the R, G and B values. Those values can be set independently
with the -rgamma, -bgamma, and -ggamma options. Not all drivers support this.
- -ggamma value
- Set the green gamma correction. value must be between 0.1 and
10. The default is 1.0. Not all drivers support this. See also the -gamma,
-rgamma, and -bgamma options.
- -ignoreABI
- The X server checks the ABI revision
levels of each module that it loads. It will normally refuse to load modules
with ABI revisions that are newer than the server's. This is because such
modules might use interfaces that the server does not have. When this option
is specified, mismatches like this are downgraded from fatal errors to
warnings. This option should be used with care.
- -keeptty
- Prevent the server
from detaching its initial controlling terminal. This option is only useful
when debugging the server. Not all platforms support (or can use) this
option.
- -keyboard keyboard-name
- Use the XF86Config(5)
file InputDevice section
called keyboard-name as the core keyboard. This option is ignored when the
Layout section specifies a core keyboard. In the absence of both a Layout
section and this option, the first relevant InputDevice section is used
for the core keyboard.
- -layout layout-name
- Use the XF86Config(5)
file Layout
section called layout-name. By default the first Layout section is used.
- -logfile
filename
- Use the file called filename as the X server log file. The default
log file is /var/log/XFree86.n.log on most platforms, where n is the display
number of the X server. The default may be in a different directory on
some platforms. This option is only available when the server is run as
root (i.e, with real-uid 0).
- -logverbose [n]
- Sets the verbosity level for information
printed to the X server log file. If the n value isn't supplied, each occurrance
of this option increments the log file verbosity level. When the n value
is supplied, the log file verbosity level is set to that value. The default
log file verbosity level is 3.
- -modulepath searchpath
- Set the module search
path to searchpath. searchpath is a comma separated list of directories
to search for X server modules. This option is only available when the server
is run as root (i.e, with real-uid 0).
- -nosilk
- Disable Silken Mouse support.
- -pixmap24
- Set the internal pixmap format for depth 24 pixmaps to 24 bits
per pixel. The default is usually 32 bits per pixel. There is normally little
reason to use this option. Some client applications don't like this pixmap
format, even though it is a perfectly legal format. This is equvalent to
the Pixmap XF86Config(5)
file option.
- -pixmap32
- Set the internal pixmap format
for depth 24 pixmaps to 32 bits per pixel. This is usually the default. This
is equvalent to the Pixmap XF86Config(5)
file option.
- -pointer pointer-name
- Use the XF86Config(5)
file InputDevice section called pointer-name as the
core pointer. This option is ignored when the Layout section specifies
a core pointer. In the absence of both a Layout section and this option,
the first relevant InputDevice section is used for the core pointer.
- -probeonly
- Causes the server to exit after the device probing stage. The XF86Config
file is still used when this option is given, so information that can be
auto-detected should be commented out.
- -quiet
- Suppress most informational
messages at startup. The verbosity level is set to zero.
- -rgamma value
- Set
the red gamma correction. value must be between 0.1 and 10. The default is
1.0. Not all drivers support this. See also the -gamma, -bgamma, and -ggamma
options.
- -scanpci
- When this option is specified, the X server scans the PCI
bus, and prints out some information about each device that was detected.
See also scanpci(1)
and pcitweak(1)
.
- -screen screen-name
- Use the XF86Config(5)
file Screen section called screen-name. By default the screens referenced
by the default Layout section are used, or the first Screen section when
there are no Layout sections.
- -showconfig
- This is the same as the -version
option, and is included for compatibility reasons. It may be removed in
a future release, so the -version option should be used instead.
- -weight nnn
- Set RGB weighting at 16 bpp. The default is 565. This applies only to those
drivers which support 16 bpp.
- -verbose [n]
- Sets the verbosity level for information
printed on stderr. If the n value isn't supplied, each occurrance of this
option increments the verbosity level. When the n value is supplied, the
verbosity level is set to that value. The default verbosity level is 0.
- -version
- Print out the server version, patchlevel, release date, the operating
system/platform it was built on, and whether it includes module loader
support.
- -xf86config file
- Read the server configuration from file. This option
will work for any file when the server is run as root (i.e, with real-uid
0), or for files relative to a directory in the config search path for
all other users.
The XFree86 server is normally configured to recognize
various special combinations of key presses that instruct the server to
perform some action, rather than just sending the keypress event to a client
application. The default XKEYBOARD keymap defines the key combinations listed
below. The server also has these key combinations builtin to its event handler
for cases where the XKEYBOARD extension is not being used. When using the
XKEYBOARD extension, which key combinations perform which actions is completely
configurable.
For more information about when the builtin event handler
is used to recognize the special key combinations, see the documentation
on the HandleSpecialKeys option in the XF86Config(5)
man page.
The special
combinations of key presses recognized directly by XFree86 are:
- Ctrl+Alt+Backspace
- Immediately kills the server -- no questions asked. This can be disabled
with the DontZap XF86Config(5)
file option.
- Ctrl+Alt+Keypad-Plus
- Change video
mode to next one specified in the configuration file. This can be disabled
with the DontZoom XF86Config(5)
file option.
- Ctrl+Alt+Keypad-Minus
- Change
video mode to previous one specified in the configuration file. This can
be disabled with the DontZoom XF86Config(5)
file option.
- Ctrl+Alt+Keypad-Multiply
- Not treated specially by default. If the AllowClosedownGrabs XF86Config(5)
file option is specified, this key sequence kills clients with an active
keyboard or mouse grab as well as killing any application that may have
locked the server, normally using the XGrabServer(3)
Xlib function.
- Ctrl+Alt+Keypad-Divide
- Not treated specially by default. If the AllowDeactivateGrabs XF86Config(5)
file option is specified, this key sequence deactivates any active keyboard
and mouse grabs.
- Ctrl+Alt+F1...F12
- For BSD and Linux systems with virtual terminal
support, these keystroke combinations are used to switch to virtual terminals
1 through 12, respectively. This can be disabled with the DontVTSwitch
XF86Config(5)
file option.
XFree86 uses a configuration file called
XF86Config for its initial setup. Refer to the XF86Config(5)
manual page
for information about the format of this file.
The X server config
file can be found in a range of locations. These are documented fully in
the XF86Config(5)
manual page. The most commonly used locations are shown
here.
- /etc/X11/XF86Config
- Server configuration file
- /etc/X11/XF86Config-4
- Server configuration file
- /etc/XF86Config
- Server configuration file
- /usr/X11R6/etc/XF86Config
- Server configuration file
- /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/XF86Config
- Server configuration
file
- /var/log/XFree86.n.log
- Server log file for display n.
- /usr/X11R6/bin/*
- Client binaries
- /usr/X11R6/include/*
- Header files
- /usr/X11R6/lib/*
- Libraries
- /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/*
- Fonts
- /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/rgb.txt
- Color names
to RGB mapping
- /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/XErrorDB
- Client error message database
- /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/app-defaults/*
- Client resource specifications
- /usr/X11R6/man/man?/*
- Manual pages
- /etc/Xn.hosts
- Initial access control list for display n
X(7)
, Xserver(1)
, xdm(1)
, xinit(1)
, XF86Config(5)
, xf86config(1)
, xf86cfg(1)
,
xvidtune(1)
, apm(4)
, ati(4)
, chips(4)
, cirrus(4)
, cyrix(4)
, fbdev(4)
, glide(4)
,
glint(4)
, i128(4)
, i740(4)
, i810(4)
, imstt(4)
, mga(4)
, neomagic(4)
, nsc(4)
,
nv(4)
, r128(4)
, rendition(4)
, s3virge(4)
, siliconmotion(4)
, sis(4)
, sunbw2(4)
,
suncg14(4)
, suncg3(4)
, suncg6(4)
, sunffb(4)
, sunleo(4)
, suntcx(4)
, tdfx(4)
,
tga(4)
, trident(4)
, tseng(4)
, v4l(4)
, vesa(4)
, vga(4)
, vmware(4)
,
README <http://www.xfree86.org/current/README.html
>,
RELNOTES <http://www.xfree86.org/current/RELNOTES.html
>,
README.mouse <http://www.xfree86.org/current/mouse.html
>,
README.DRI <http://www.xfree86.org/current/DRI.html
>,
Status <http://www.xfree86.org/current/Status.html
>,
Install <http://www.xfree86.org/current/Install.html
>.
XFree86 has many
contributors world wide. The names of most of them can be found in the
documentation, CHANGELOG files in the source tree, and in the actual source
code.
XFree86 was originally based on X386 1.2 by Thomas Roell, which was
contributed to the then X Consortium's X11R5 distribution by SGCS.
The project
that became XFree86 was originally founded in 1992 by David Dawes, Glenn
Lai, Jim Tsillas and David Wexelblat.
XFree86 was later integrated in the
then X Consortium's X11R6 release by a group of dedicated XFree86 developers,
including the following:
Stuart Anderson [email protected]
Doug Anson [email protected]
Gertjan Akkerman [email protected]
Mike Bernson [email protected]
Robin Cutshaw [email protected]
David Dawes [email protected]
Marc Evans [email protected]
Pascal Haible [email protected]
Matthieu Herrb [email protected]
Dirk Hohndel [email protected]
David Holland [email protected]
Alan Hourihane [email protected]
Jeffrey Hsu [email protected]
Glenn Lai [email protected]
Ted Lemon [email protected]
Rich Murphey [email protected]
Hans Nasten [email protected]
Mark Snitily [email protected]
Randy Terbush [email protected]
Jon Tombs [email protected]
Kees Verstoep [email protected]
Paul Vixie [email protected]
Mark Weaver [email protected]
David Wexelblat [email protected]
Philip Wheatley [email protected]
Thomas Wolfram [email protected]
Orest Zborowski [email protected]
The current XFree86 core team consists of:
Stuart Anderson [email protected]
Robin Cutshaw [email protected]
David Dawes [email protected]
Egbert Eich [email protected]
Marc Evans [email protected]
Dirk Hohndel [email protected]
Alan Hourihane [email protected]
Harald Koenig [email protected]
Marc La France [email protected]
Kevin Martin [email protected]
Rich Murphey [email protected]
Takaaki Nomura [email protected]
Keith Packard [email protected]
Jon Tombs [email protected]
Mark Vojkovich [email protected]
David Wexelblat [email protected]
XFree86 source is available from the FTP server <ftp://ftp.XFree86.org/pub/XFree86/>,
and from the XFree86 CVS server <http://www.xfree86.org/cvs/
>. Documentation
and other information can be found from the XFree86 web site <http://www.xfree86.org/
>.
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