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<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?>
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<!-- $Header: /var/cvsroot/gentoo/xml/htdocs/doc/en/xorg-config.xml,v 1.15 2005/07/13 21:21:05 yoswink Exp $ -->
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<!DOCTYPE guide SYSTEM "/dtd/guide.dtd">
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<guide link="/doc/en/xorg-config.xml">
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<title>The X Server Configuration HOWTO</title>
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<author title="Author">
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<mail link="swift@gentoo.org">Sven Vermeulen</mail>
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</author>
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<abstract>
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Xorg is the X Window server which allows users to have a graphical
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environment at their fingertips. This HOWTO explains what Xorg is, how to
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install it and what the various configuration options are.
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</abstract>
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<!-- The content of this document is licensed under the CC-BY-SA license -->
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<!-- See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0 -->
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<license/>
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<version>1.12</version>
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<date>2005-09-09</date>
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<chapter>
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<title>What is the X Window Server?</title>
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<section>
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<title>Graphical vs Command-Line</title>
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<body>
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<p>
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The average user may be frightened at the thought of having to type in commands.
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Why wouldn't he be able to point and click his way through the freedom provided
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by Gentoo (and Linux in general)? Well, *big smile*, of course you are able to
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do this :-) Linux offers a wide variety of flashy user interfaces and
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environments which you can install on top of your existing installation.
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</p>
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<p>
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This is one of the biggest surprises new users come across: a graphical user
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interface is nothing more than an application which runs on your system. It is
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<e>not</e> part of the Linux kernel or any other internals of the system. It is
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a powerful tool that fully enables the graphical abilities of your workstation.
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</p>
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<p>
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As standards are important, a standard for drawing and moving windows on a
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screen, interacting with the user through mouse, keyboard and other basic, yet
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important aspects has been created and named the <e>X Window System</e>,
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commonly abbreviated as <e>X11</e> or just <e>X</e>. It is used on Unix, Linux
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and Unix-like operating systems throughout the world.
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</p>
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<p>
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The application that provides Linux users with the ability to run graphical
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user interfaces and that uses the X11 standard is Xorg-X11, a fork of
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the XFree86 project. XFree86 has decided to use a license that might not be
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compatible with the GPL license; the use of Xorg is therefore recommended.
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The official Portage tree does not provide an XFree86 package anymore.
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</p>
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</body>
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</section>
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<section>
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<title>The X.org Project</title>
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<body>
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<p>
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The <uri link="http://www.x.org">X.org</uri> project created and
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maintains a freely redistributable, open-source implementation of the X11
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system. It is an open source X11-based desktop infrastructure.
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</p>
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<p>
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Xorg provides an interface between your hardware and the graphical software
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you want to run. Besides that, Xorg is also fully network-aware, meaning you
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are able to run an application on one system while viewing it on a different
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one.
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</p>
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</body>
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</section>
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</chapter>
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<chapter>
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<title>Installing Xorg</title>
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<section>
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<title>Using emerge</title>
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<body>
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<p>
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Enough chitchat, let's get to business shall we? To install Xorg, you just
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need to run <c>emerge xorg-x11</c>. Installing Xorg does take a while
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though, so you might want to grab a snack while you are waiting.
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</p>
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<pre caption="Installing Xorg">
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# <i>emerge xorg-x11</i>
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</pre>
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<p>
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When the installation is finished, you might need to reinitialise some
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environment variables before you continue. Just run <c>env-update</c> followed
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by <c>source /etc/profile</c> and you're all set. This doesn't harm your system
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in any way.
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</p>
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<pre caption="Reinitialising the environment variables">
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# <i>env-update</i>
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# <i>source /etc/profile</i>
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</pre>
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</body>
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</section>
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</chapter>
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<chapter>
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<title>Configuring Xorg</title>
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<section>
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<title>The xorg.conf File</title>
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<body>
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<p>
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The configuration file of Xorg is called <path>xorg.conf</path> and it
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resides in <path>/etc/X11</path>. The Xorg-X11 package provides an example
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configuration as <path>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.example</path> which you can use to
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create your own configuration. It is heavily commented, but if you are in need
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of more documentation regarding the syntax, don't hesitate to read the man page:
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</p>
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<pre caption="Reading the xorg.conf man page">
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# <i>man 5 xorg.conf</i>
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</pre>
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<p>
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Happy reading for those of you willing to. We surely don't so we'll continue
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with checking out how we can create the file automatically.
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</p>
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</body>
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</section>
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<section>
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<title>Default: Automatic Generation of xorg.conf</title>
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<body>
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<p>
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Xorg itself is able to guess most parameters for you. In most cases, you
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will only have to change some lines to get the resolution you want up and
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running. If you are interested in more in-depth tweaking, be sure to check the
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resources at the end of this chapter. But first, let us generate a (hopefully
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working) Xorg configuration file.
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</p>
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<pre caption="Generating an xorg.conf file">
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# <i>Xorg -configure</i>
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</pre>
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<p>
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Be sure to read the last lines printed on your screen when Xorg has finished
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probing your hardware. If it tells you it failed at some point, you're forced to
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manually write an <path>xorg.conf</path> file. Assuming that it didn't fail, it
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will have told you that it has written <path>/root/xorg.conf.new</path> ready
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for you to test. So let's test :)
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</p>
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<pre caption="Testing the xorg.conf.new file">
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# <i>X -config /root/xorg.conf.new</i>
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</pre>
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<p>
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If all goes well, you should see a simple black and white pattern. Verify if
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your mouse works correctly and if the resolution is good. You might not be able
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to deduce the exact resolution, but you should be able to see if it's too low.
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You can exit any time by pressing Ctrl-Alt-Backspace.
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</p>
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</body>
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</section>
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<section>
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<title>Alternative: Semi-Automatic Generation of xorg.conf</title>
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<body>
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<p>
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Xorg provides a tool called <c>xorgconfig</c> which will ask you for various
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information regarding your system (graphical adapter, keyboard, ...). Based on
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your input it will create a <path>xorg.conf</path> file.
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</p>
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<pre caption="Semi-Automatic Generation of xorg.conf">
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# <i>xorgconfig</i>
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</pre>
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<p>
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Another tool, also provided by Xorg, is <c>xorgcfg</c>, which will first
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attempt to run <c>Xorg -configure</c> and then start the X server for more
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final tweaking.
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</p>
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<pre caption="Using xorgcfg">
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# <i>xorgcfg</i>
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<comment>(In case X crashes or the configuration fails, try:)</comment>
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# <i>xorgcfg -textmode</i>
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</pre>
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</body>
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</section>
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<section>
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<title>Copying over xorg.conf</title>
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<body>
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<p>
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Let us copy over the <path>xorg.conf.new</path> to
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<path>/etc/X11/xorg.conf</path> now, so we won't have to continuously run
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<c>X -config</c> -- typing just <c>X</c> or <c>startx</c> is far more easy :)
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</p>
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<pre caption="Copying over xorg.conf">
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# <i>cp /root/xorg.conf.new /etc/X11/xorg.conf</i>
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</pre>
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</body>
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</section>
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<section id="using_startx">
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<title>Using startx</title>
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<body>
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<p>
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Now try <c>startx</c> to start up your X server. <c>startx</c> is a script
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that executes an <e>X session</e>, that is, it starts the X servers and some
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graphical applications on top of it. It decides which applications to run
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using the following logic:
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</p>
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<ul>
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<li>
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If a file named <path>.xinitrc</path> exists in the home directory, it will
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execute the commands listed there.
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</li>
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<li>
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Otherwise, it will read the value of the XSESSION variable and will execute
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one of the sessions available in <path>/etc/X11/Sessions/</path>
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accordingly (you can set the value of XSESSION in <path>/etc/rc.conf</path>
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to make it a default for all the users on the system).
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</li>
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<li>
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If all of the above fail, it will fall back to a simple window manager,
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usually <c>twm</c>.
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</li>
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</ul>
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<pre caption="Starting X">
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# <i>startx</i>
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</pre>
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<p>
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If you see an ugly, loathsome, repulsive, deformed window manager, that's
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<c>twm</c>. To finish the twm session, type in <c>exit</c> or Ctrl-D in the
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upcoming xterms. You can also kill the X session using the Ctrl-Alt-Backspace
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combination. This will however make X exit disgracefully -- something that you
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might not always want. It doesn't hurt though :)
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</p>
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</body>
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</section>
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</chapter>
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<chapter>
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<title>Tweaking xorg.conf</title>
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<section>
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<title>Setting your Resolution</title>
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<body>
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<p>
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If you feel that the screen resolution is wrong, you will need to check two
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sections in your configuration. First of all, you have the <e>Screen</e> section
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which lists the resolutions, if any that your X server will run at. By
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default, this section might not list any resolutions at all. If this is the
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case, Xorg will estimate the resolutions based on the information in the
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second section, <e>Monitor</e>.
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</p>
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<p>
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What happens is that Xorg checks the settings of <c>HorizSync</c> and
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<c>VertRefresh</c> in the <e>Monitor</e> section to compute valid resolutions.
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For now, leave these settings as-is. Only when the changes to the <e>Screen</e>
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section (which we will describe in a minute) don't work, then you will need to
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look up the specs for your monitor and fill in the correct values. You can also
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use a tool that searches for your monitor's specs, such as
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<c>sys-apps/ddcxinfo-knoppix</c>.
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</p>
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<warn>
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Do <b>not</b> "just" change the values of these two monitor related variables
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without consulting the technical specifications of your monitor. Setting
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incorrect values lead to out-of-sync errors at best and smoked up screens at
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worst.
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</warn>
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<p>
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Now let us change the resolutions. In the next example from
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<path>/etc/X11/xorg.conf</path> we add the <c>Modes</c> lines and the
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<c>DefaultDepth</c> so that our X server starts with 24 bits at 1024x768 by
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default. Don't mind the given strings -- they are examples and will most likely
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differ from the settings on your system.
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</p>
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<pre caption="Changing the Screen section in /etc/X11/xorg.conf">
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Section "Screen"
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Identifier "Default Screen"
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Device "S3 Inc. ProSavage KN133 [Twister K]"
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Monitor "Generic Monitor"
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<i>DefaultDepth 24</i>
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<comment># Skipping some text to improve readability</comment>
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SubSection "Display"
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Depth 24
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<i>Modes "1024x768"</i>
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EndSubSection
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EndSection
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</pre>
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<p>
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Run X (<c>startx</c>) to discover it uses the resolution you want :)
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</p>
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</body>
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</section>
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<section>
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<title>Configuring your Keyboard</title>
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<body>
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<p>
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To setup X to use an international keyboard, search for the <e>InputDevice</e>
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section that configures the keyboard and add the <c>XkbLayout</c> option to
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point to the keyboard layout you want. As an example, we show you how to apply
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for the Belgian layout. Just substitute the country-keycode with yours:
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</p>
|
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<pre caption="Changing the keyboard layout">
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Section "InputDevice"
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Identifier "Generic Keyboard"
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Driver "keyboard"
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Option "CoreKeyboard"
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Option "XkbRules" "xorg"
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Option "XkbModel" "pc105"
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<i>Option "XkbLayout" "be"</i>
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EndSection
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| 348 |
</pre>
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| 349 |
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| 350 |
</body>
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| 351 |
</section>
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| 352 |
<section>
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| 353 |
<title>Configuring your Mouse</title>
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| 354 |
<body>
|
| 355 |
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| 356 |
<p>
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| 357 |
If your mouse isn't working, you will first need to find out if it is detected
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by the kernel at all. Mice are (device-wise) seen as
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<path>/dev/input/mouse0</path> (or <path>/dev/input/mice</path> if you want to
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use several mice). In some cases <path>/dev/psaux</path> is used. In either
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| 361 |
case you can check if the devices do represent
|
| 362 |
your mouse by checking the output of those files when you move your mouse. To
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| 363 |
end the session press <c>Ctrl-C</c>.
|
| 364 |
</p>
|
| 365 |
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| 366 |
<pre caption="Checking the device files">
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| 367 |
# <i>cat /dev/input/mouse0</i>
|
| 368 |
<comment>(Don't forget to press Ctrl-C to end this)</comment>
|
| 369 |
</pre>
|
| 370 |
|
| 371 |
<p>
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| 372 |
If your mouse isn't detected, verify if all the necessary modules are loaded.
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| 373 |
</p>
|
| 374 |
|
| 375 |
<p>
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| 376 |
If your mouse is detected, fill in the device in the appropriate
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| 377 |
<e>InputDevice</e> section. In the next example you'll see we also set two other
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options: <c>Protocol</c> (which lists the mouse protocol to be used -- most
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| 379 |
users will use PS/2 or IMPS/2) and <c>ZAxisMapping</c> (which allows for the
|
| 380 |
mousewheel (if applicable) to be used).
|
| 381 |
</p>
|
| 382 |
|
| 383 |
<pre caption="Changing the mouse settings in Xorg">
|
| 384 |
Section "InputDevice"
|
| 385 |
Identifier "TouchPad Mouse"
|
| 386 |
Driver "mouse"
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| 387 |
Option "CorePointer"
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| 388 |
<i>Option "Device" "/dev/input/mouse0"</i>
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| 389 |
<i>Option "Protocol" "IMPS/2"</i>
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| 390 |
<i>Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"</i>
|
| 391 |
EndSection
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| 392 |
</pre>
|
| 393 |
|
| 394 |
<p>
|
| 395 |
Run <c>startx</c> and be happy about the result :) Congratulations, you now
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| 396 |
(hopefully) have a working Xorg on your system. The next step is to remove this
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| 397 |
ugly lightweight window manager and use a high-feature one (or even a desktop
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| 398 |
environment) such as KDE or GNOME, but that's not part of this guide :)
|
| 399 |
</p>
|
| 400 |
|
| 401 |
</body>
|
| 402 |
</section>
|
| 403 |
</chapter>
|
| 404 |
<chapter>
|
| 405 |
<title>Resources</title>
|
| 406 |
<section>
|
| 407 |
<title>Creating and Tweaking xorg.conf</title>
|
| 408 |
<body>
|
| 409 |
|
| 410 |
<p>
|
| 411 |
First of all, <c>man 5 xorg.conf</c> provides a quick yet complete reference
|
| 412 |
about the syntaxis used by the configuration file. Be sure to have it open on a
|
| 413 |
terminal near you when you edit your configuration file!
|
| 414 |
</p>
|
| 415 |
|
| 416 |
<p>
|
| 417 |
A second point of resources on your system is the
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| 418 |
<path>/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/doc</path> directory with various <path>README</path>'s
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| 419 |
for individual graphical chipsets.
|
| 420 |
</p>
|
| 421 |
|
| 422 |
<p>
|
| 423 |
There are also many online resources on editing <path>xorg.conf</path>. We only
|
| 424 |
list few of them here, be sure to <uri link="http://www.google.com">Google</uri>
|
| 425 |
for more :) As <path>xorg.conf</path> and <path>XF86Config</path> (the
|
| 426 |
configuration file for the XFree86 project) use the
|
| 427 |
same syntaxis for most configuration options and more information about
|
| 428 |
<path>XF86Config</path> is available, we'll list those resources as well.
|
| 429 |
</p>
|
| 430 |
|
| 431 |
<ul>
|
| 432 |
<li>
|
| 433 |
<uri link="http://tldp.org/HOWTO/XFree-Local-multi-user-HOWTO/">The XFree
|
| 434 |
Local Multi-User HOWTO</uri>
|
| 435 |
</li>
|
| 436 |
<li>
|
| 437 |
<uri
|
| 438 |
link="http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/edu/os-dw-linuxxwin-i.html">An
|
| 439 |
Introduction to XFree 4.x</uri> by Chris Houser
|
| 440 |
</li>
|
| 441 |
</ul>
|
| 442 |
|
| 443 |
</body>
|
| 444 |
</section>
|
| 445 |
</chapter>
|
| 446 |
</guide>
|
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