doc/en/xorg-config.xml

<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?>
<!DOCTYPE guide SYSTEM "/dtd/guide.dtd">
<!-- $Header: /var/cvsroot/gentoo/xml/htdocs/doc/en/xorg-config.xml,v 1.28 2009/01/26 08:08:22 nightmorph Exp $ -->

<guide link="/doc/en/xorg-config.xml">
<title>The X Server Configuration HOWTO</title>

<author title="Author">
  <mail link="swift@gentoo.org">Sven Vermeulen</mail>
</author>
<author title="Editor">
  <mail link="nightmorph"/>
</author>

<abstract>
Xorg is the X Window server which allows users to have a graphical
environment at their fingertips. This HOWTO explains what Xorg is, how to
install it and what the various configuration options are.
</abstract>

<!-- The content of this document is licensed under the CC-BY-SA license -->
<!-- See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5 -->
<license/>

<version>1.20</version>
<date>2009-04-14</date>

<chapter>
<title>What is the X Window Server?</title>
<section>
<title>Graphical vs Command-Line</title>
<body>

<p>
The average user may be frightened at the thought of having to type in commands.
Why wouldn't he be able to point and click his way through the freedom provided
by Gentoo (and Linux in general)? Well, *big smile*, of course you are able to
do this. :-) Linux offers a wide variety of flashy user interfaces and
environments which you can install on top of your existing installation.
</p>

<p>
This is one of the biggest surprises new users come across: a graphical user
interface is nothing more than an application which runs on your system. It is
<e>not</e> part of the Linux kernel or any other internals of the system. It is
a powerful tool that fully enables the graphical abilities of your workstation.
</p>

<p>
As standards are important, a standard for drawing and moving windows on a
screen, interacting with the user through mouse, keyboard and other basic, yet
important aspects has been created and named the <e>X Window System</e>,
commonly abbreviated as <e>X11</e> or just <e>X</e>. It is used on Unix, Linux
and Unix-like operating systems throughout the world.
</p>

<p>
The application that provides Linux users with the ability to run graphical
user interfaces and that uses the X11 standard is Xorg-X11, a fork of
the XFree86 project. XFree86 has decided to use a license that might not be
compatible with the GPL license; the use of Xorg is therefore recommended.
The official Portage tree does not provide an XFree86 package anymore.
</p>

</body>
</section>
<section>
<title>The X.org Project</title>
<body>

<p>
The <uri link="http://www.x.org">X.org</uri> project created and
maintains a freely redistributable, open-source implementation of the X11
system. It is an open source X11-based desktop infrastructure.
</p>

<p>
Xorg provides an interface between your hardware and the graphical software
you want to run. Besides that, Xorg is also fully network-aware, meaning you
are able to run an application on one system while viewing it on a different
one.
</p>

</body>
</section>
</chapter>

<chapter>
<title>Installing Xorg</title>
<section>
<body>

<p>
Before installing Xorg you have to configure two important variables in the
<path>/etc/make.conf</path> file.
</p>

<p>
The first one is <c>VIDEO_CARDS</c>. This is used to set the video drivers that
you intend to use and is usually based on the kind and brand of card you have.
The most common settings are <c>nvidia</c> for Nvidia cards or <c>fglrx</c> for
ATI Radeon cards. Those are the proprietary drivers from Nvidia and ATI
respectively. If you would like to use the open source versions, use <c>nv</c>
rather than <c>nvidia</c> in the variable, but bear in mind that using this
driver means no 3D acceleration at all. The free <c>radeon</c> and
<c>radeonhd</c> drivers for ATI cards support 3D acceleration on older Radeons
but don't yet support all the features of the newer ones. <c>VIDEO_CARDS</c> may
contain more than one driver, in this case list of them should be separated with
spaces.
</p>

<p>
The second variable is <c>INPUT_DEVICES</c> and is used to determine which
drivers are to be built for input devices. In most cases setting it to
<c>keyboard mouse</c> should work just fine. If you use alternative input
devices, such as a Synaptics touchpad for a laptop, be sure to add it to
<c>INPUT_DEVICES</c>.
</p>

<p>
Now you should decide which drivers you will use and add necessary settings to
the <path>/etc/make.conf</path> file:
</p>

<pre caption="Sample make.conf entries">
<comment>(For mouse and keyboard support)</comment>
INPUT_DEVICES="keyboard mouse"
<comment>(For Nvidia cards)</comment>
VIDEO_CARDS="nvidia"
<comment>(OR, for ATI Radeon cards)</comment>
VIDEO_CARDS="fglrx"
</pre>

<p>
More instructions on how to configure nVidia and ATI cards can be found in
<uri link="/doc/en/nvidia-guide.xml">Gentoo Linux nVidia Guide</uri> and in
<uri link="/doc/en/ati-faq.xml">Gentoo Linux ATI FAQ</uri>. If you don't know
which drivers you should choose, refer to these guides for more information.
</p>

<note>
If the suggested settings don't work for you, you should run <c>emerge -pv
xorg-server</c>, check all the options available and choose those which apply to
your system. The example is for the amd64 architecture and
<c>xorg-server-1.2</c>.
</note>

<pre caption="Displaying all the driver options available">
# <i>emerge -pv xorg-server</i>

These are the packages that would be merged, in order:

Calculating dependencies... done!
[ebuild   R   ] x11-base/xorg-server-1.2.0-r3  USE="dri nptl xorg (-3dfx) -debug
-dmx -ipv6 -kdrive -minimal -sdl -xprint" INPUT_DEVICES="keyboard mouse -acecad
-aiptek -calcomp -citron -digitaledge -dmc -dynapro -elo2300 -elographics -evdev
-fpit -hyperpen -jamstudio -joystick -magellan -microtouch -mutouch -palmax
-penmount -spaceorb -summa -synaptics -tek4957 -ur98 -vmmouse -void -wacom"
VIDEO_CARDS="nvidia -apm -ark -chips -cirrus -cyrix -dummy -epson -fbdev -fglrx
-glint -i128 (-i740) -i810 (-impact) (-imstt) -mach64 -mga -neomagic (-newport)
(-nsc) -nv -r128 -radeon -rendition -s3 -s3virge -savage -siliconmotion -sis
-sisusb (-sunbw2) (-suncg14) (-suncg3) (-suncg6) (-sunffb) (-sunleo) (-suntcx)
-tdfx -tga -trident -tseng -v4l -vesa -vga -via -vmware -voodoo" 0 kB
</pre>

<p>
After setting all the necessary variables you can install the Xorg package.
</p>

<pre caption="Installing Xorg">
# <i>emerge xorg-x11</i>
</pre>

<p>
When the installation is finished, you might need to re-initialise some
environment variables before you continue. Just run <c>env-update</c> followed
by <c>source /etc/profile</c> and you're all set.
</p>

<pre caption="Re-initialising the environment variables">
# <i>env-update</i>
# <i>source /etc/profile</i>
</pre>

</body>
</section>
</chapter>
<chapter>
<title>Configuring Xorg</title>
<section>
<title>The xorg.conf File</title>
<body>

<p>
The configuration file of Xorg is called <path>xorg.conf</path> and it
resides in <path>/etc/X11</path>. The Xorg-X11 package provides an example
configuration as <path>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.example</path> which you can use to
create your own configuration. It is heavily commented, but if you are in need
of more documentation regarding the syntax, don't hesitate to read the man page:
</p>

<pre caption="Reading the xorg.conf man page">
# <i>man 5 xorg.conf</i>
</pre>

<p>
Happy reading for those of you willing to. We surely don't so we'll continue
with checking out how we can create the file automatically.
</p>

</body>
</section>
<section>
<title>Default: Automatic Generation of xorg.conf</title>
<body>

<p>
Xorg itself is able to guess most parameters for you. In most cases, you
will only have to change some lines to get the resolution you want up and
running. If you are interested in more in-depth tweaking, be sure to check the
resources at the end of this chapter. But first, let us generate a (hopefully
working) Xorg configuration file.
</p>

<pre caption="Generating an xorg.conf file">
# <i>Xorg -configure</i>
</pre>

<p>
Be sure to read the last lines printed on your screen when Xorg has finished
probing your hardware. If it tells you it failed at some point, you're forced to
manually write an <path>xorg.conf</path> file. Assuming that it didn't fail, it
will have told you that it has written <path>/root/xorg.conf.new</path> ready
for you to test. So let's test. :)
</p>

<pre caption="Testing the xorg.conf.new file">
# <i>X -config /root/xorg.conf.new</i>
</pre>

<p>
If all goes well, you should see a simple black and white pattern. Verify if
your mouse works correctly and if the resolution is good. If you received errors
about "/dev/mouse", try changing your mouse device to <c>/dev/input/mice</c> in
the "InputDevice" section of <path>xorg.conf</path>. You might not be able to
deduce the exact resolution, but you should be able to see if it's too low. You
can exit any time by pressing Ctrl-Alt-Backspace.
</p>

</body>
</section>
<section>
<title>Alternative: Semi-Automatic Generation of xorg.conf</title>
<body>

<p>
Xorg provides a tool called <c>xorgconfig</c> which will ask you for various
information regarding your system (graphical adapter, keyboard, ...). Based on
your input it will create a <path>xorg.conf</path> file.
</p>

<pre caption="Semi-Automatic Generation of xorg.conf">
# <i>xorgconfig</i>
</pre>

<p>
Another tool, also provided by Xorg, is <c>xorgcfg</c>, which will first
attempt to run <c>Xorg -configure</c> and then start the X server for more
final tweaking.
</p>

<pre caption="Using xorgcfg">
# <i>xorgcfg</i>
<comment>(In case X crashes or the configuration fails, try:)</comment>
# <i>xorgcfg -textmode</i>
</pre>

</body>
</section>
<section>
<title>Copying over xorg.conf</title>
<body>

<p>
Let us copy over the <path>xorg.conf.new</path> to
<path>/etc/X11/xorg.conf</path> now, so we won't have to continuously run
<c>X -config</c> -- typing just <c>X</c> or <c>startx</c> is easier. :)
</p>

<pre caption="Copying over xorg.conf">
# <i>cp /root/xorg.conf.new /etc/X11/xorg.conf</i>
</pre>

</body>
</section>
<section id="using_startx">
<title>Using startx</title>
<body>

<p>
Now try <c>startx</c> to start up your X server.  <c>startx</c> is a script
that executes an <e>X session</e>, that is, it starts the X servers and some
graphical applications on top of it.  It decides which applications to run
using the following logic:
</p>

<ul>
  <li>
    If a file named <path>.xinitrc</path> exists in the home directory, it will
    execute the commands listed there.
  </li>
  <li>
    Otherwise, it will read the value of the XSESSION variable and will execute
    one of the sessions available in <path>/etc/X11/Sessions/</path>
    accordingly (you can set the value of XSESSION in <path>/etc/rc.conf</path>
    to make it a default for all the users on the system).
  </li>
  <li>
    If all of the above fail, it will fall back to a simple window manager,
    usually <c>twm</c>.
  </li>
</ul>

<pre caption="Starting X">
# <i>startx</i>
</pre>

<p>
If you see an ugly, loathsome, repulsive, deformed window manager, that's
<c>twm</c>. To finish the twm session, type in <c>exit</c> or Ctrl-D in the
upcoming xterms. You can also kill the X session using the Ctrl-Alt-Backspace
combination. This will however make X exit disgracefully -- something that you
might not always want. It doesn't hurt though. :)
</p>

</body>
</section>
</chapter>
<chapter>
<title>Tweaking xorg.conf</title>
<section>
<title>Setting your Resolution</title>
<body>

<p>
If you feel that the screen resolution is wrong, you will need to check two
sections in your configuration. First of all, you have the <e>Screen</e> section
which lists the resolutions, if any that your X server will run at. By
default, this section might not list any resolutions at all. If this is the
case, Xorg will estimate the resolutions based on the information in the
second section, <e>Monitor</e>.
</p>

<p>
What happens is that Xorg checks the settings of <c>HorizSync</c> and
<c>VertRefresh</c> in the <e>Monitor</e> section to compute valid resolutions.
For now, leave these settings as-is. Only when the changes to the <e>Screen</e>
section (which we will describe in a minute) don't work, then you will need to
look up the specs for your monitor and fill in the correct values. You can also
use a tool that searches for your monitor's specs, such as
<c>sys-apps/ddcxinfo-knoppix</c>.
</p>

<warn>
Do <b>not</b> "just" change the values of these two monitor related variables
without consulting the technical specifications of your monitor. Setting
incorrect values lead to out-of-sync errors at best and smoked up screens at
worst.
</warn>

<p>
Now let us change the resolutions. In the next example from
<path>/etc/X11/xorg.conf</path> we add the <c>Modes</c> lines and the
<c>DefaultDepth</c> so that our X server starts with 24 bits at 1024x768 by
default. Don't mind the given strings -- they are examples and will most likely
differ from the settings on your system.
</p>

<pre caption="Changing the Screen section in /etc/X11/xorg.conf">
Section "Screen"
  Identifier  "Default Screen"
  Device    "S3 Inc. ProSavage KN133 [Twister K]"
  Monitor   "Generic Monitor"
  <i>DefaultDepth  24</i>
  <comment># Skipping some text to improve readability</comment>
  SubSection "Display"
    Depth   24
    <i>Modes   "1024x768"</i>
  EndSubSection
EndSection
</pre>

<p>
Run X (<c>startx</c>) to discover it uses the resolution you want. :)
</p>

</body>
</section>
<section>
<title>Configuring your Keyboard</title>
<body>

<p>
To setup X to use an international keyboard, search for the <e>InputDevice</e>
section that configures the keyboard and add the <c>XkbLayout</c> option to
point to the keyboard layout you want. As an example, we show you how to apply
for the Belgian layout. Just substitute the country-keycode with yours:
</p>

<pre caption="Changing the keyboard layout">
Section "InputDevice"
  Identifier  "Generic Keyboard"
  Driver    "keyboard"
  Option    "CoreKeyboard"
  Option    "XkbRules"  "xorg"
  Option    "XkbModel"  "pc105"
  <i>Option    "XkbLayout" "be"</i>
EndSection
</pre>

</body>
</section>
<section>
<title>Configuring your Mouse</title>
<body>

<p>
If your mouse isn't working, you will first need to find out if it is detected
by the kernel at all. Mice are (device-wise) seen as
<path>/dev/input/mouse0</path> (or <path>/dev/input/mice</path> if you want to
use several mice). In some cases <path>/dev/psaux</path> is used. In either
case you can check if the devices do represent
your mouse by checking the output of those files when you move your mouse. You
will usually see some junk on your screen. To end the session press
<c>Ctrl-C</c>.
</p>

<pre caption="Checking the device files">
# <i>cat /dev/input/mouse0</i>
<comment>(Don't forget to press Ctrl-C to end this)</comment>
</pre>

<p>
If your mouse isn't detected, verify if all the necessary modules are loaded.
</p>

<p>
If your mouse is detected, fill in the device in the appropriate
<e>InputDevice</e> section. In the next example you'll see we also set two other
options: <c>Protocol</c> (which lists the mouse protocol to be used -- most
users will use PS/2 or IMPS/2) and <c>ZAxisMapping</c> (which allows for the
mousewheel (if applicable) to be used).
</p>

<pre caption="Changing the mouse settings in Xorg">
Section "InputDevice"
  Identifier  "TouchPad Mouse"
  Driver    "mouse"
  Option    "CorePointer"
  <i>Option    "Device"    "/dev/input/mouse0"</i>
  <i>Option    "Protocol"    "IMPS/2"</i>
  <i>Option    "ZAxisMapping"    "4 5"</i>
EndSection
</pre>

<p>
Run <c>startx</c> and be happy about the result. :) Congratulations, you now
(hopefully) have a working Xorg on your system. The next step is to remove this
ugly lightweight window manager and use a high-feature one (or even a desktop
environment) such as KDE or GNOME, but that's not part of this guide. :)
</p>

</body>
</section>
</chapter>
<chapter>
<title>Resources</title>
<section>
<title>Creating and Tweaking xorg.conf</title>
<body>

<p>
First of all, <c>man xorg.conf</c> provides a quick yet complete reference
about the syntax used by the configuration file. Be sure to have it open on a
terminal near you when you edit your configuration file!
</p>

<p>
Also, be sure to look at <path>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.example</path>; you may wish
to copy this and use it as a foundation for writing your own
<path>xorg.conf</path>.
</p>

<p>
You may find the X.org <uri link="http://www.x.org/wiki/FAQ">FAQ</uri> provided
on their website, in addition to their other documentation.
</p>

<p>
There are also many online resources on editing <path>xorg.conf</path>. We only
list few of them here, be sure to <uri link="http://www.google.com">Google</uri>
for more. :) As <path>xorg.conf</path> and <path>XF86Config</path> (the
configuration file for the XFree86 project) use the
same syntax for most configuration options and more information about
<path>XF86Config</path> is available, we'll list those resources as well.
</p>

<ul>
  <li>
    <uri link="http://tldp.org/HOWTO/XFree-Local-multi-user-HOWTO/">The XFree
    Local Multi-User HOWTO</uri>
  </li>
  <li>
    <uri
    link="http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/edu/os-dw-linuxxwin-i.html">An
    Introduction to XFree 4.x</uri> by Chris Houser
  </li>
</ul>

</body>
</section>
<section>
<title>Other resources</title>
<body>

<p>
More information about installing and configuring various graphical desktop
environments and applications can be found in the <uri
link="/doc/en/?catid=desktop">Gentoo Desktop Documentation Resources</uri>
section of our documentation.
</p>

<p>
If you're upgrading to xorg-server-1.5 from an earlier version, then be sure to
read the <uri
link="/proj/en/desktop/x/x11/xorg-server-1.5-upgrade-guide.xml">migration
guide</uri>.
</p>

</body>
</section>
</chapter>
</guide>
1	swift	1.1	<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?>
2			<!DOCTYPE guide SYSTEM "/dtd/guide.dtd">
3	nightmorph	1.29	<!-- $Header: /var/cvsroot/gentoo/xml/htdocs/doc/en/xorg-config.xml,v 1.28 2009/01/26 08:08:22 nightmorph Exp $ -->
4	swift	1.1
5	yoswink	1.15	<guide link="/doc/en/xorg-config.xml">
6	swift	1.1	<title>The X Server Configuration HOWTO</title>
7
8			<author title="Author">
9	nightmorph	1.20	<mail link="swift@gentoo.org">Sven Vermeulen</mail>
10	swift	1.1	</author>
11	nightmorph	1.27	<author title="Editor">
12			<mail link="nightmorph"/>
13			</author>
14	swift	1.1
15			<abstract>
16			Xorg is the X Window server which allows users to have a graphical
17	swift	1.26	environment at their fingertips. This HOWTO explains what Xorg is, how to
18	swift	1.1	install it and what the various configuration options are.
19			</abstract>
20
21			<!-- The content of this document is licensed under the CC-BY-SA license -->
22	fox2mike	1.17	<!-- See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5 -->
23	swift	1.1	<license/>
24
25	nightmorph	1.29	<version>1.20</version>
26			<date>2009-04-14</date>
27	swift	1.1
28			<chapter>
29			<title>What is the X Window Server?</title>
30			<section>
31			<title>Graphical vs Command-Line</title>
32			<body>
33
34			<p>
35			The average user may be frightened at the thought of having to type in commands.
36			Why wouldn't he be able to point and click his way through the freedom provided
37			by Gentoo (and Linux in general)? Well, big smile, of course you are able to
38	swift	1.26	do this. :-) Linux offers a wide variety of flashy user interfaces and
39	swift	1.1	environments which you can install on top of your existing installation.
40			</p>
41
42			<p>
43			This is one of the biggest surprises new users come across: a graphical user
44			interface is nothing more than an application which runs on your system. It is
45			<e>not</e> part of the Linux kernel or any other internals of the system. It is
46			a powerful tool that fully enables the graphical abilities of your workstation.
47			</p>
48
49			<p>
50			As standards are important, a standard for drawing and moving windows on a
51	fox2mike	1.16	screen, interacting with the user through mouse, keyboard and other basic, yet
52	swift	1.1	important aspects has been created and named the <e>X Window System</e>,
53			commonly abbreviated as <e>X11</e> or just <e>X</e>. It is used on Unix, Linux
54			and Unix-like operating systems throughout the world.
55			</p>
56
57			<p>
58	swift	1.26	The application that provides Linux users with the ability to run graphical
59	swift	1.1	user interfaces and that uses the X11 standard is Xorg-X11, a fork of
60			the XFree86 project. XFree86 has decided to use a license that might not be
61	swift	1.26	compatible with the GPL license; the use of Xorg is therefore recommended.
62	swift	1.8	The official Portage tree does not provide an XFree86 package anymore.
63	swift	1.1	</p>
64
65			</body>
66			</section>
67			<section>
68			<title>The X.org Project</title>
69			<body>
70
71			<p>
72			The <uri link="http://www.x.org">X.org</uri> project created and
73	fox2mike	1.16	maintains a freely redistributable, open-source implementation of the X11
74	swift	1.26	system. It is an open source X11-based desktop infrastructure.
75	swift	1.1	</p>
76
77			<p>
78			Xorg provides an interface between your hardware and the graphical software
79			you want to run. Besides that, Xorg is also fully network-aware, meaning you
80			are able to run an application on one system while viewing it on a different
81	swift	1.26	one.
82	swift	1.1	</p>
83
84			</body>
85			</section>
86			</chapter>
87	fox2mike	1.16
88	swift	1.1	<chapter>
89			<title>Installing Xorg</title>
90			<section>
91			<body>
92
93			<p>
94	rane	1.18	Before installing Xorg you have to configure two important variables in the
95			<path>/etc/make.conf</path> file.
96			</p>
97
98			<p>
99			The first one is <c>VIDEO_CARDS</c>. This is used to set the video drivers that
100			you intend to use and is usually based on the kind and brand of card you have.
101			The most common settings are <c>nvidia</c> for Nvidia cards or <c>fglrx</c> for
102			ATI Radeon cards. Those are the proprietary drivers from Nvidia and ATI
103			respectively. If you would like to use the open source versions, use <c>nv</c>
104			rather than <c>nvidia</c> in the variable, but bear in mind that using this
105	nightmorph	1.27	driver means no 3D acceleration at all. The free <c>radeon</c> and
106			<c>radeonhd</c> drivers for ATI cards support 3D acceleration on older Radeons
107			but don't yet support all the features of the newer ones. <c>VIDEO_CARDS</c> may
108			contain more than one driver, in this case list of them should be separated with
109			spaces.
110	rane	1.18	</p>
111
112			<p>
113			The second variable is <c>INPUT_DEVICES</c> and is used to determine which
114			drivers are to be built for input devices. In most cases setting it to
115	nightmorph	1.27	<c>keyboard mouse</c> should work just fine. If you use alternative input
116			devices, such as a Synaptics touchpad for a laptop, be sure to add it to
117			<c>INPUT_DEVICES</c>.
118	rane	1.18	</p>
119
120			<p>
121			Now you should decide which drivers you will use and add necessary settings to
122			the <path>/etc/make.conf</path> file:
123			</p>
124
125			<pre caption="Sample make.conf entries">
126			<comment>(For mouse and keyboard support)</comment>
127			INPUT_DEVICES="keyboard mouse"
128			<comment>(For Nvidia cards)</comment>
129			VIDEO_CARDS="nvidia"
130			<comment>(OR, for ATI Radeon cards)</comment>
131			VIDEO_CARDS="fglrx"
132			</pre>
133
134			<p>
135	nightmorph	1.27	More instructions on how to configure nVidia and ATI cards can be found in
136	rane	1.18	<uri link="/doc/en/nvidia-guide.xml">Gentoo Linux nVidia Guide</uri> and in
137			<uri link="/doc/en/ati-faq.xml">Gentoo Linux ATI FAQ</uri>. If you don't know
138			which drivers you should choose, refer to these guides for more information.
139			</p>
140
141			<note>
142			If the suggested settings don't work for you, you should run <c>emerge -pv
143	nightmorph	1.23	xorg-server</c>, check all the options available and choose those which apply to
144			your system. The example is for the amd64 architecture and
145			<c>xorg-server-1.2</c>.
146	rane	1.18	</note>
147
148			<pre caption="Displaying all the driver options available">
149	nightmorph	1.23	# <i>emerge -pv xorg-server</i>
150	rane	1.18
151			These are the packages that would be merged, in order:
152
153			Calculating dependencies... done!
154	nightmorph	1.23	[ebuild R ] x11-base/xorg-server-1.2.0-r3 USE="dri nptl xorg (-3dfx) -debug
155			-dmx -ipv6 -kdrive -minimal -sdl -xprint" INPUT_DEVICES="keyboard mouse -acecad
156			-aiptek -calcomp -citron -digitaledge -dmc -dynapro -elo2300 -elographics -evdev
157			-fpit -hyperpen -jamstudio -joystick -magellan -microtouch -mutouch -palmax
158			-penmount -spaceorb -summa -synaptics -tek4957 -ur98 -vmmouse -void -wacom"
159			VIDEO_CARDS="nvidia -apm -ark -chips -cirrus -cyrix -dummy -epson -fbdev -fglrx
160			-glint -i128 (-i740) -i810 (-impact) (-imstt) -mach64 -mga -neomagic (-newport)
161			(-nsc) -nv -r128 -radeon -rendition -s3 -s3virge -savage -siliconmotion -sis
162			-sisusb (-sunbw2) (-suncg14) (-suncg3) (-suncg6) (-sunffb) (-sunleo) (-suntcx)
163			-tdfx -tga -trident -tseng -v4l -vesa -vga -via -vmware -voodoo" 0 kB
164	rane	1.18	</pre>
165
166			<p>
167			After setting all the necessary variables you can install the Xorg package.
168			</p>
169
170	swift	1.1	<pre caption="Installing Xorg">
171			# <i>emerge xorg-x11</i>
172			</pre>
173
174			<p>
175	rane	1.18	When the installation is finished, you might need to re-initialise some
176	swift	1.1	environment variables before you continue. Just run <c>env-update</c> followed
177	rane	1.18	by <c>source /etc/profile</c> and you're all set.
178	swift	1.1	</p>
179
180	rane	1.18	<pre caption="Re-initialising the environment variables">
181	swift	1.1	# <i>env-update</i>
182			# <i>source /etc/profile</i>
183			</pre>
184
185			</body>
186			</section>
187			</chapter>
188			<chapter>
189			<title>Configuring Xorg</title>
190			<section>
191			<title>The xorg.conf File</title>
192			<body>
193
194			<p>
195	neysx	1.2	The configuration file of Xorg is called <path>xorg.conf</path> and it
196	swift	1.1	resides in <path>/etc/X11</path>. The Xorg-X11 package provides an example
197			configuration as <path>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.example</path> which you can use to
198			create your own configuration. It is heavily commented, but if you are in need
199			of more documentation regarding the syntax, don't hesitate to read the man page:
200			</p>
201
202			<pre caption="Reading the xorg.conf man page">
203			# <i>man 5 xorg.conf</i>
204			</pre>
205
206			<p>
207			Happy reading for those of you willing to. We surely don't so we'll continue
208			with checking out how we can create the file automatically.
209			</p>
210
211			</body>
212			</section>
213			<section>
214			<title>Default: Automatic Generation of xorg.conf</title>
215			<body>
216
217			<p>
218	swift	1.26	Xorg itself is able to guess most parameters for you. In most cases, you
219			will only have to change some lines to get the resolution you want up and
220			running. If you are interested in more in-depth tweaking, be sure to check the
221			resources at the end of this chapter. But first, let us generate a (hopefully
222			working) Xorg configuration file.
223	swift	1.1	</p>
224
225			<pre caption="Generating an xorg.conf file">
226			# <i>Xorg -configure</i>
227			</pre>
228
229			<p>
230			Be sure to read the last lines printed on your screen when Xorg has finished
231			probing your hardware. If it tells you it failed at some point, you're forced to
232			manually write an <path>xorg.conf</path> file. Assuming that it didn't fail, it
233			will have told you that it has written <path>/root/xorg.conf.new</path> ready
234	nightmorph	1.24	for you to test. So let's test. :)
235	swift	1.1	</p>
236
237			<pre caption="Testing the xorg.conf.new file">
238	swift	1.6	# <i>X -config /root/xorg.conf.new</i>
239	swift	1.1	</pre>
240
241			<p>
242	nightmorph	1.21	If all goes well, you should see a simple black and white pattern. Verify if
243			your mouse works correctly and if the resolution is good. If you received errors
244			about "/dev/mouse", try changing your mouse device to <c>/dev/input/mice</c> in
245			the "InputDevice" section of <path>xorg.conf</path>. You might not be able to
246			deduce the exact resolution, but you should be able to see if it's too low. You
247			can exit any time by pressing Ctrl-Alt-Backspace.
248	swift	1.7	</p>
249
250	swift	1.1	</body>
251			</section>
252			<section>
253			<title>Alternative: Semi-Automatic Generation of xorg.conf</title>
254			<body>
255
256			<p>
257			Xorg provides a tool called <c>xorgconfig</c> which will ask you for various
258			information regarding your system (graphical adapter, keyboard, ...). Based on
259			your input it will create a <path>xorg.conf</path> file.
260			</p>
261
262			<pre caption="Semi-Automatic Generation of xorg.conf">
263			# <i>xorgconfig</i>
264			</pre>
265
266	swift	1.10	<p>
267			Another tool, also provided by Xorg, is <c>xorgcfg</c>, which will first
268	fox2mike	1.16	attempt to run <c>Xorg -configure</c> and then start the X server for more
269	swift	1.10	final tweaking.
270			</p>
271
272			<pre caption="Using xorgcfg">
273			# <i>xorgcfg</i>
274	swift	1.13	<comment>(In case X crashes or the configuration fails, try:)</comment>
275			# <i>xorgcfg -textmode</i>
276	swift	1.10	</pre>
277
278	swift	1.1	</body>
279			</section>
280			<section>
281			<title>Copying over xorg.conf</title>
282			<body>
283
284			<p>
285	swift	1.9	Let us copy over the <path>xorg.conf.new</path> to
286			<path>/etc/X11/xorg.conf</path> now, so we won't have to continuously run
287	nightmorph	1.24	<c>X -config</c> -- typing just <c>X</c> or <c>startx</c> is easier. :)
288	swift	1.1	</p>
289
290			<pre caption="Copying over xorg.conf">
291			# <i>cp /root/xorg.conf.new /etc/X11/xorg.conf</i>
292			</pre>
293
294	swift	1.9	</body>
295			</section>
296			<section id="using_startx">
297			<title>Using startx</title>
298			<body>
299
300	swift	1.1	<p>
301	swift	1.9	Now try <c>startx</c> to start up your X server. <c>startx</c> is a script
302			that executes an <e>X session</e>, that is, it starts the X servers and some
303			graphical applications on top of it. It decides which applications to run
304			using the following logic:
305	swift	1.1	</p>
306
307	swift	1.9	<ul>
308			<li>
309			If a file named <path>.xinitrc</path> exists in the home directory, it will
310			execute the commands listed there.
311			</li>
312			<li>
313			Otherwise, it will read the value of the XSESSION variable and will execute
314			one of the sessions available in <path>/etc/X11/Sessions/</path>
315			accordingly (you can set the value of XSESSION in <path>/etc/rc.conf</path>
316			to make it a default for all the users on the system).
317			</li>
318	nightmorph	1.24	<li>
319	swift	1.9	If all of the above fail, it will fall back to a simple window manager,
320			usually <c>twm</c>.
321			</li>
322			</ul>
323
324	swift	1.1	<pre caption="Starting X">
325			# <i>startx</i>
326			</pre>
327
328	swift	1.9	<p>
329			If you see an ugly, loathsome, repulsive, deformed window manager, that's
330			<c>twm</c>. To finish the twm session, type in <c>exit</c> or Ctrl-D in the
331			upcoming xterms. You can also kill the X session using the Ctrl-Alt-Backspace
332	fox2mike	1.16	combination. This will however make X exit disgracefully -- something that you
333	nightmorph	1.24	might not always want. It doesn't hurt though. :)
334	swift	1.9	</p>
335
336	swift	1.1	</body>
337			</section>
338	swift	1.9	</chapter>
339			<chapter>
340			<title>Tweaking xorg.conf</title>
341	swift	1.1	<section>
342			<title>Setting your Resolution</title>
343			<body>
344
345			<p>
346			If you feel that the screen resolution is wrong, you will need to check two
347			sections in your configuration. First of all, you have the <e>Screen</e> section
348	fox2mike	1.16	which lists the resolutions, if any that your X server will run at. By
349	swift	1.1	default, this section might not list any resolutions at all. If this is the
350			case, Xorg will estimate the resolutions based on the information in the
351			second section, <e>Monitor</e>.
352			</p>
353
354			<p>
355			What happens is that Xorg checks the settings of <c>HorizSync</c> and
356			<c>VertRefresh</c> in the <e>Monitor</e> section to compute valid resolutions.
357			For now, leave these settings as-is. Only when the changes to the <e>Screen</e>
358			section (which we will describe in a minute) don't work, then you will need to
359			look up the specs for your monitor and fill in the correct values. You can also
360			use a tool that searches for your monitor's specs, such as
361			<c>sys-apps/ddcxinfo-knoppix</c>.
362			</p>
363
364			<warn>
365	fox2mike	1.16	Do <b>not</b> "just" change the values of these two monitor related variables
366	swift	1.1	without consulting the technical specifications of your monitor. Setting
367			incorrect values lead to out-of-sync errors at best and smoked up screens at
368			worst.
369			</warn>
370
371			<p>
372			Now let us change the resolutions. In the next example from
373			<path>/etc/X11/xorg.conf</path> we add the <c>Modes</c> lines and the
374			<c>DefaultDepth</c> so that our X server starts with 24 bits at 1024x768 by
375	fox2mike	1.16	default. Don't mind the given strings -- they are examples and will most likely
376	swift	1.1	differ from the settings on your system.
377			</p>
378
379			<pre caption="Changing the Screen section in /etc/X11/xorg.conf">
380			Section "Screen"
381			Identifier "Default Screen"
382			Device "S3 Inc. ProSavage KN133 [Twister K]"
383			Monitor "Generic Monitor"
384			<i>DefaultDepth 24</i>
385			<comment># Skipping some text to improve readability</comment>
386			SubSection "Display"
387			Depth 24
388			<i>Modes "1024x768"</i>
389			EndSubSection
390			EndSection
391			</pre>
392
393			<p>
394	nightmorph	1.24	Run X (<c>startx</c>) to discover it uses the resolution you want. :)
395	swift	1.1	</p>
396
397			</body>
398			</section>
399			<section>
400			<title>Configuring your Keyboard</title>
401			<body>
402
403			<p>
404			To setup X to use an international keyboard, search for the <e>InputDevice</e>
405			section that configures the keyboard and add the <c>XkbLayout</c> option to
406			point to the keyboard layout you want. As an example, we show you how to apply
407			for the Belgian layout. Just substitute the country-keycode with yours:
408			</p>
409
410			<pre caption="Changing the keyboard layout">
411			Section "InputDevice"
412			Identifier "Generic Keyboard"
413			Driver "keyboard"
414			Option "CoreKeyboard"
415	swift	1.3	Option "XkbRules" "xorg"
416	swift	1.1	Option "XkbModel" "pc105"
417			<i>Option "XkbLayout" "be"</i>
418			EndSection
419			</pre>
420
421			</body>
422			</section>
423			<section>
424			<title>Configuring your Mouse</title>
425			<body>
426
427			<p>
428			If your mouse isn't working, you will first need to find out if it is detected
429	neysx	1.12	by the kernel at all. Mice are (device-wise) seen as
430	swift	1.11	<path>/dev/input/mouse0</path> (or <path>/dev/input/mice</path> if you want to
431	swift	1.26	use several mice). In some cases <path>/dev/psaux</path> is used. In either
432	swift	1.14	case you can check if the devices do represent
433	fox2mike	1.17	your mouse by checking the output of those files when you move your mouse. You
434			will usually see some junk on your screen. To end the session press
435			<c>Ctrl-C</c>.
436	swift	1.1	</p>
437
438			<pre caption="Checking the device files">
439	swift	1.11	# <i>cat /dev/input/mouse0</i>
440	swift	1.1	<comment>(Don't forget to press Ctrl-C to end this)</comment>
441			</pre>
442
443			<p>
444			If your mouse isn't detected, verify if all the necessary modules are loaded.
445			</p>
446
447			<p>
448	swift	1.26	If your mouse is detected, fill in the device in the appropriate
449	swift	1.1	<e>InputDevice</e> section. In the next example you'll see we also set two other
450	fox2mike	1.16	options: <c>Protocol</c> (which lists the mouse protocol to be used -- most
451			users will use PS/2 or IMPS/2) and <c>ZAxisMapping</c> (which allows for the
452	swift	1.1	mousewheel (if applicable) to be used).
453			</p>
454
455			<pre caption="Changing the mouse settings in Xorg">
456			Section "InputDevice"
457			Identifier "TouchPad Mouse"
458			Driver "mouse"
459			Option "CorePointer"
460	swift	1.11	<i>Option "Device" "/dev/input/mouse0"</i>
461	swift	1.1	<i>Option "Protocol" "IMPS/2"</i>
462			<i>Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"</i>
463			EndSection
464			</pre>
465
466			<p>
467	nightmorph	1.25	Run <c>startx</c> and be happy about the result. :) Congratulations, you now
468	swift	1.1	(hopefully) have a working Xorg on your system. The next step is to remove this
469			ugly lightweight window manager and use a high-feature one (or even a desktop
470	nightmorph	1.24	environment) such as KDE or GNOME, but that's not part of this guide. :)
471	swift	1.1	</p>
472
473			</body>
474			</section>
475			</chapter>
476			<chapter>
477			<title>Resources</title>
478			<section>
479			<title>Creating and Tweaking xorg.conf</title>
480			<body>
481
482			<p>
483	nightmorph	1.27	First of all, <c>man xorg.conf</c> provides a quick yet complete reference
484			about the syntax used by the configuration file. Be sure to have it open on a
485	swift	1.1	terminal near you when you edit your configuration file!
486			</p>
487
488			<p>
489	nightmorph	1.27	Also, be sure to look at <path>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.example</path>; you may wish
490			to copy this and use it as a foundation for writing your own
491			<path>xorg.conf</path>.
492			</p>
493
494			<p>
495			You may find the X.org <uri link="http://www.x.org/wiki/FAQ">FAQ</uri> provided
496			on their website, in addition to their other documentation.
497	swift	1.1	</p>
498
499			<p>
500			There are also many online resources on editing <path>xorg.conf</path>. We only
501			list few of them here, be sure to <uri link="http://www.google.com">Google</uri>
502	nightmorph	1.25	for more. :) As <path>xorg.conf</path> and <path>XF86Config</path> (the
503	swift	1.1	configuration file for the XFree86 project) use the
504	nightmorph	1.24	same syntax for most configuration options and more information about
505	swift	1.1	<path>XF86Config</path> is available, we'll list those resources as well.
506			</p>
507
508			<ul>
509			<li>
510			<uri link="http://tldp.org/HOWTO/XFree-Local-multi-user-HOWTO/">The XFree
511			Local Multi-User HOWTO</uri>
512			</li>
513			<li>
514			<uri
515			link="http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/edu/os-dw-linuxxwin-i.html">An
516			Introduction to XFree 4.x</uri> by Chris Houser
517			</li>
518			</ul>
519
520			</body>
521			</section>
522	rane	1.18	<section>
523			<title>Other resources</title>
524			<body>
525
526			<p>
527	nightmorph	1.27	More information about installing and configuring various graphical desktop
528			environments and applications can be found in the <uri
529			link="/doc/en/?catid=desktop">Gentoo Desktop Documentation Resources</uri>
530			section of our documentation.
531	rane	1.18	</p>
532
533	nightmorph	1.29	<p>
534			If you're upgrading to xorg-server-1.5 from an earlier version, then be sure to
535			read the <uri
536			link="/proj/en/desktop/x/x11/xorg-server-1.5-upgrade-guide.xml">migration
537			guide</uri>.
538			</p>
539
540	rane	1.18	</body>
541			</section>
542	swift	1.1	</chapter>
543			</guide>