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1	<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?>	1	<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?>
2
3	<!-- $Header: /var/cvsroot/gentoo/xml/htdocs/doc/en/xorg-config.xml,v 1.8 2005/02/14 09:26:19 swift Exp $ -->
4
5	<!DOCTYPE guide SYSTEM "/dtd/guide.dtd">	2	<!DOCTYPE guide SYSTEM "/dtd/guide.dtd">
		3	<!-- $Header: /var/cvsroot/gentoo/xml/htdocs/doc/en/xorg-config.xml,v 1.46 2011/08/23 14:43:41 swift Exp $ -->
6		4
7	<guide link="xorg-config.xml">	5	<guide>
8
9	<title>The X Server Configuration HOWTO</title>	6	<title>The X Server Configuration HOWTO</title>
10		7
11	<author title="Author">	8	<author title="Author">
12	<mail link="swift@gentoo.org">Sven Vermeulen</mail>	9	<mail link="swift"/>
		10	</author>
		11	<author title="Author">
		12	<mail link="nightmorph"/>
13	</author>	13	</author>
14		14
15	<abstract>	15	<abstract>
16	Xorg is the X Window server which allows users to have a graphical	16	Xorg is the X Window server which allows users to have a graphical
17	environment at their fingertips. This HOWTO explains what Xorg is, how to	17	environment at their fingertips. This HOWTO explains what Xorg is, how to
18	install it and what the various configuration options are.	18	install it and what the various configuration options are.
19	</abstract>	19	</abstract>
20		20
21	<!-- The content of this document is licensed under the CC-BY-SA license -->	21	<!-- The content of this document is licensed under the CC-BY-SA license -->
22	<!-- See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0 -->	22	<!-- See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5 -->
23	<license/>	23	<license/>
24		24
25	<version>1.7</version>	25	<version>8</version>
26	<date>2005-02-07</date>	26	<date>2011-08-23</date>
27		27
28	<chapter>	28	<chapter>
29	<title>What is the X Window Server?</title>	29	<title>What is the X Window Server?</title>
30	<section>	30	<section>
31	<title>Graphical vs Command-Line</title>	31	<title>Graphical vs Command-Line</title>
32	<body>	32	<body>
33		33
34	<p>	34	<p>
35	The average user may be frightened at the thought of having to type in commands.	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	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	37	by Gentoo (and Linux in general)? Well, of course you are able to
38	do this :-) Linux offers a wide variety of flashy user interfaces and	38	do this! Linux offers a wide variety of flashy user interfaces and
39	environments which you can install on top of your existing installation.	39	environments which you can install on top of your existing installation.
40	</p>	40	</p>
41		41
42	<p>	42	<p>
43	This is one of the biggest surprises new users come across: a graphical user	43	This is one of the biggest surprises new users come across: a graphical user
…		…
46	a powerful tool that fully enables the graphical abilities of your workstation.	46	a powerful tool that fully enables the graphical abilities of your workstation.
47	</p>	47	</p>
48		48
49	<p>	49	<p>
50	As standards are important, a standard for drawing and moving windows on a	50	As standards are important, a standard for drawing and moving windows on a
51	screen, interacting with the user through mouse and keyboard and other basic yet	51	screen, interacting with the user through mouse, keyboard and other basic, yet
52	important aspects has been created and named the <e>X Window System</e>,	52	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	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.	54	and Unix-like operating systems throughout the world.
55	</p>	55	</p>
56		56
57	<p>	57	<p>
58	The application that provides Linux users with the ability to run graphical	58	The application that provides Linux users with the ability to run graphical
59	user interfaces and that uses the X11 standard is Xorg-X11, a fork of	59	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	60	the XFree86 project. XFree86 has decided to use a license that might not be
61	compatible with the GPL license; the use of Xorg is therefore recommended.	61	compatible with the GPL license; the use of Xorg is therefore recommended.
62	The official Portage tree does not provide an XFree86 package anymore.	62	The official Portage tree does not provide an XFree86 package anymore.
63	</p>	63	</p>
64		64
65	</body>	65	</body>
66	</section>	66	</section>
…		…
68	<title>The X.org Project</title>	68	<title>The X.org Project</title>
69	<body>	69	<body>
70		70
71	<p>	71	<p>
72	The <uri link="http://www.x.org">X.org</uri> project created and	72	The <uri link="http://www.x.org">X.org</uri> project created and
73	maintains a freely redistributable open-source implementation of the X11 system.	73	maintains a freely redistributable, open-source implementation of the X11
74	It is an open source X11-based desktop infrastructure.	74	system. It is an open source X11-based desktop infrastructure.
75	</p>	75	</p>
76		76
77	<p>	77	<p>
78	Xorg provides an interface between your hardware and the graphical software	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	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	80	are able to run an application on one system while viewing it on a different
81	one.	81	one.
82	</p>	82	</p>
83		83
84	</body>	84	</body>
85	</section>	85	</section>
86	</chapter>	86	</chapter>
		87
87	<chapter>	88	<chapter>
88	<title>Installing Xorg</title>	89	<title>Installing Xorg</title>
89	<section>	90	<section>
90	<title>Using emerge</title>	91	<body>
		92
		93	<p>
		94	Before you can install Xorg, you need to prepare your system for it. First,
		95	we'll set up the kernel to support input devices and video cards. Then we'll
		96	prepare <path>/etc/make.conf</path> so that the right drivers and Xorg packages
		97	are built and installed.
		98	</p>
		99
91	<body>	100	</body>
		101	</section>
		102	<section>
		103	<title>Input driver support</title>
		104	<body>
92		105
		106	<p>
		107	By default, Xorg uses <c>evdev</c>, a generic input driver. You'll need to
		108	activate support for <c>evdev</c> by making a change to your kernel
		109	configuration. Read the <uri link="/doc/en/kernel-config.xml">Kernel
		110	Configuration Guide</uri> if you don't know how to setup your kernel.
93	<p>	111	</p>
94	Enough chitchat, let's get to business shall we? To install Xorg, you just	112
95	need to run <c>emerge xorg-x11</c>. Installing Xorg does take a while	113	<pre caption="Enabling evdev in the kernel">
96	though, so you might want to grab a snack while you are waiting.	114	Device Drivers --->
		115	Input device support --->
		116	<*> Event interface
		117	</pre>
		118
		119	</body>
		120	</section>
		121	<section>
		122	<title>Kernel modesetting</title>
		123	<body>
		124
		125	<p>
		126	Modern open-source video drivers rely on kernel modesetting (KMS). KMS provides
		127	an improved graphical boot with less flickering, faster user switching, a
		128	built-in framebuffer console, seamless switching from the console to Xorg, and
		129	other features. KMS conflicts with legacy framebuffer drivers, which must remain
		130	<b>disabled</b> in your kernel configuration.
		131	</p>
		132
		133	<p>
		134	First, prepare your kernel for KMS. You need to do this step regardless of which
		135	Xorg video driver you're using.
		136	</p>
		137
		138	<pre caption="Configuring framebuffers">
		139	Device Drivers --->
		140	Graphics support --->
		141	Support for frame buffer devices --->
		142	<comment>(Disable all drivers, including VGA, Intel, nVidia, and ATI)</comment>
		143
		144	<comment>(Further down, enable basic console support. KMS uses this.)</comment>
		145	Console display driver support --->
		146	<*> Framebuffer Console Support
		147	</pre>
		148
		149	<p>
		150	Next, configure your kernel to use the proper KMS driver for your video card.
		151	Intel, nVidia, and AMD/ATI are the most common cards, so follow code listing for
		152	your card below.
		153	</p>
		154
		155	<p>
		156	For Intel cards:
		157	</p>
		158
		159	<pre caption="Intel settings">
		160	Device Drivers --->
		161	Graphics support --->
		162	/dev/agpgart (AGP Support) --->
		163	<*> Intel 440LX/BX/GX, I8xx and E7x05 chipset support
		164	Direct Rendering Manager (XFree86 4.1.0 and higher DRI support) --->
		165	<*> Intel 830M, 845G, 852GM, 855GM, 865G (i915 driver)
		166	i915 driver
		167	[*] Enable modesetting on intel by default
		168	</pre>
		169
		170	<p>
		171	For nVidia cards:
		172	</p>
		173
		174	<pre caption="nVidia settings">
		175	<comment>(Enable DRM)</comment>
		176	Device Drivers --->
		177	Graphics support --->
		178	<*> Direct Rendering Manager --->
		179
		180	<comment>(Nouveau is currently in the Staging drivers section)</comment>
		181	Device Drivers --->
		182	Staging drivers --->
		183	[ ] Exclude Staging drivers from being built
		184	<*> Nouveau (nVidia) cards
		185	</pre>
		186
		187	<p>
		188	For newer AMD/ATI cards (<uri link="/doc/en/ati-faq.xml">RadeonHD 2000 and
		189	up</uri>), you will need to emerge <c>radeon-ucode</c> or
		190	<c>linux-firmware</c>. Once you have installed one of these packages,
		191	configure your kernel as shown:
		192	</p>
		193
		194	<pre caption="AMD/ATI settings">
		195	<comment>(Setup the kernel to use the radeon-ucode firmware)</comment>
		196	Device Drivers --->
		197	Generic Driver Options --->
		198	[*] Include in-kernel firmware blobs in kernel binary
		199	<comment># RadeonHD 2000, 3000, and 4000 series cards:</comment>
		200	(radeon/R600_rlc.bin radeon/R700_rlc.bin) External firmware blobs
		201	<comment># RadeonHD 5000, a.k.a Evergreen, and newer cards:</comment>
		202	(radeon/CEDAR_me.bin radeon/CEDAR_pfp.bin radeon/CEDAR_rlc.bin
		203	radeon/CYPRESS_me.bin radeon/CYPRESS_pfp.bin radeon/CYPRESS_rlc.bin
		204	radeon/JUNIPER_me.bin radeon/JUNIPER_pfp.bin radeon/JUNIPER_rlc.bin
		205	radeon/REDWOOD_me.bin radeon/REDWOOD_pfp.bin
		206	radeon/REDWOOD_rlc.bin) External firmware blobs
		207	<comment># Radeon HD 6000 series Fusion APUs:</comment>
		208	(radeon/PALM_me.bin radeon/PALM_pfp.bin SUMO2_me.bin SUMO2_pfp.bin
		209	SUMO_me.bin SUMO_pfp.bin radeon/SUMO_rlc.bin) External firmware blobs
		210	<comment># Radeon HD 6200/6300 aka. Ontario/Zacate:</comment>
		211	(radeon/PALM_me.bin radeon/PALM_pfp.bin radeon/SUMO_rlc.bin) External
		212	firmware blobs
		213	<comment># Radeon HD 6400-6900 aka. Northern Islands:</comment>
		214	(radeon/BARTS_mc.bin radeon/BARTS_me.bin radeon/BARTS_pfp.bin
		215	radeon/BTC_rlc.bin radeon/CAICOS_mc.bin radeon/CAICOS_me.bin
		216	radeon/CAICOS_pfp.bin CAYMAN_mc.bin
		217	CAYMAN_me.bin CAYMAN_pfp.bin CAYMAN_rlc.bin radeon/TURKS_mc.bin
		218	radeon/TURKS_me.bin radeon/TURKS_pfp.bin) External firmware blobs
		219	(/lib/firmware/) Firmware blobs root directory
		220
		221	<comment>(Enable Radeon KMS support)</comment>
		222	Device Drivers --->
		223	Graphics support --->
		224	<*> Direct Rendering Manager --->
		225	<*> ATI Radeon
		226	[*] Enable modesetting on radeon by default
		227	</pre>
		228
		229	<note>
		230	Old Radeon cards (X1900 series and older) don't need the <c>radeon-ucode</c>
		231	package or any firmware configuration. Just enable the Direct Rendering Manager
		232	and ATI Radeon modesetting.
		233	</note>
		234
		235	<p>
		236	Now that you're done setting up KMS, continue with preparing
		237	<path>/etc/make.conf</path> in the next section.
		238	</p>
		239
		240	</body>
		241	</section>
		242	<section>
		243	<title>make.conf configuration</title>
		244	<body>
		245
		246	<p>
		247	Now that your kernel is prepared, you have to configure two important variables
		248	in the <path>/etc/make.conf</path> file before you can install Xorg.
		249	</p>
		250
		251	<p>
		252	The first variable is <c>VIDEO_CARDS</c>. This is used to set the video drivers
		253	that you intend to use and is usually based on the kind of video card you have.
		254	The most common settings are <c>nouveau</c> for nVidia cards or <c>radeon</c>
		255	for ATI cards. Both have actively developed, well-supported open-source
		256	drivers.
		257	</p>
		258
		259	<note>
		260	You may also try the proprietary drivers from nVidia and AMD/ATI, <c>nvidia</c>
		261	and <c>fglrx</c> respectively. However, setting up the proprietary drivers is
		262	beyond the scope of this guide. Please read the <uri
		263	link="/doc/en/nvidia-guide.xml">Gentoo Linux nVidia Guide</uri> and <uri
		264	link="/doc/en/ati-faq.xml">Gentoo Linux ATI FAQ</uri>. If you don't know which
		265	drivers you should choose, refer to these guides for more information.
		266	</note>
		267
		268	<p>
		269	The <c>intel</c> driver may be used for desktops or laptops with common Intel
		270	integrated graphics chipsets.
		271	</p>
		272
		273	<note>
		274	<c>VIDEO_CARDS</c> may contain more than one driver, each separated with a
		275	space.
		276	</note>
		277
		278	<p>
		279	The second variable is <c>INPUT_DEVICES</c> and is used to determine which
		280	drivers are to be built for input devices. In most cases setting it to
		281	<c>evdev</c> should work just fine. If you use alternative input
		282	devices, such as a Synaptics touchpad for a laptop, be sure to add it to
		283	<c>INPUT_DEVICES</c>.
		284	</p>
		285
		286	<p>
		287	Now you should decide which drivers you will use and add necessary settings to
		288	the <path>/etc/make.conf</path> file:
		289	</p>
		290
		291	<pre caption="Sample make.conf entries">
		292	<comment>(For mouse, keyboard, and Synaptics touchpad support)</comment>
		293	INPUT_DEVICES="evdev synaptics"
		294	<comment>(For nVidia cards)</comment>
		295	VIDEO_CARDS="nouveau"
		296	<comment>(For AMD/ATI cards)</comment>
		297	VIDEO_CARDS="radeon"
		298	</pre>
		299
		300	<p>
		301	If the suggested settings don't work for you, you should run <c>emerge -pv
		302	xorg-drivers</c>, check all the options available and choose those which apply to
		303	your system. This example is for a system with a keyboard, mouse, Synaptics
		304	touchpad, and a Radeon video card.
		305	</p>
		306
		307	<pre caption="Displaying all the driver options available">
		308	# <i>emerge -pv xorg-drivers</i>
		309
		310	These are the packages that would be merged, in order:
		311
		312	Calculating dependencies... done!
		313	[ebuild R ] x11-base/xorg-drivers-1.9 INPUT_DEVICES="evdev synaptics
		314	-acecad -aiptek -elographics% -fpit% -joystick -keyboard -mouse -penmount -tslib
		315	-virtualbox -vmmouse -void -wacom"
		316	VIDEO_CARDS="radeon -apm -ark -ast -chips -cirrus -dummy -epson -fbdev -fglrx
		317	(-geode) -glint -i128 (-i740) (-impact) -intel -mach64 -mga -neomagic (-newport)
		318	-nouveau -nv -nvidia -r128 -rendition -s3 -s3virge -savage -siliconmotion -sis
		319	-sisusb (-sunbw2) (-suncg14) (-suncg3) (-suncg6) (-sunffb) (-sunleo) (-suntcx)
		320	-tdfx -tga -trident -tseng -v4l -vesa -via -virtualbox -vmware (-voodoo) (-xgi)"
		321	0 kB
		322	</pre>
		323
		324	<p>
		325	After setting all the necessary variables you can install the Xorg package.
97	</p>	326	</p>
98		327
99	<pre caption="Installing Xorg">	328	<pre caption="Installing Xorg">
		329	<comment>(Make sure udev is in your USE flags)</comment>
		330	# <i>echo "x11-base/xorg-server udev" >> /etc/portage/package.use</i>
		331	<comment>(Install Xorg)</comment>
100	# <i>emerge xorg-x11</i>	332	# <i>emerge xorg-server</i>
101	</pre>	333	</pre>
102		334
		335	<note>
		336	You could install the <c>xorg-x11</c> metapackage instead of the more
		337	lightweight <c>xorg-server</c>. Functionally, <c>xorg-x11</c> and
		338	<c>xorg-server</c> are the same. However, <c>xorg-x11</c> brings in many more
		339	packages that you probably don't need, such as a huge assortment of fonts in
		340	many different languages. They're not necessary for a working desktop.
		341	</note>
		342
103	<p>	343	<p>
104	When the installation is finished, you might need to reinitialise some	344	When the installation is finished, you will need to re-initialise some
105	environment variables before you continue. Just run <c>env-update</c> followed	345	environment variables before you continue:
106	by <c>source /etc/profile</c> and you're all set. This doesn't harm your system
107	in any way.
108	</p>	346	</p>
109		347
110	<pre caption="Reinitialising the environment variables">	348	<pre caption="Re-initialising the environment variables">
111	# <i>env-update</i>	349	# <i>env-update</i>
112	# <i>source /etc/profile</i>	350	# <i>source /etc/profile</i>
113	</pre>	351	</pre>
114		352
115	</body>	353	</body>
116	</section>	354	</section>
117	</chapter>	355	</chapter>
		356
118	<chapter>	357	<chapter>
119	<title>Configuring Xorg</title>	358	<title>Configuring Xorg</title>
120	<section>	359	<section>
121	<title>The xorg.conf File</title>
122	<body>
123
124	<p>
125	The configuration file of Xorg is called <path>xorg.conf</path> and it
126	resides in <path>/etc/X11</path>. The Xorg-X11 package provides an example
127	configuration as <path>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.example</path> which you can use to
128	create your own configuration. It is heavily commented, but if you are in need
129	of more documentation regarding the syntax, don't hesitate to read the man page:
130	</p>
131
132	<pre caption="Reading the xorg.conf man page">
133	# <i>man 5 xorg.conf</i>
134	</pre>
135
136	<p>
137	Happy reading for those of you willing to. We surely don't so we'll continue
138	with checking out how we can create the file automatically.
139	</p>
140
141	</body>	360	<body>
142	</section>	361
		362	<p>
		363	The X server is designed to work out-of-the-box, with no need to manually edit
		364	Xorg's configuration files. It should detect and configure devices such as
		365	displays, keyboards, and mice.
		366	</p>
		367
		368	<p>
		369	You should first try <uri link="#using_startx">starting X</uri> without editing
		370	any configuration files. If Xorg won't start, or there's some other problem,
		371	then you'll need to manually configure Xorg as shown in the next section.
		372	</p>
		373
		374	</body>
143	<section>	375	</section>
144	<title>Default: Automatic Generation of xorg.conf</title>
145	<body>
146
147	<p>
148	Xorg itself is able to guess most parameters for you. In most cases, you
149	will only have to change some lines to get the resolution you want up and
150	running. If you are interested in more in-depth tweaking, be sure to check the
151	resources at the end of this chapter. But first, let us generate a (hopefully
152	working) Xorg configuration file.
153	</p>
154
155	<pre caption="Generating an xorg.conf file">
156	# <i>Xorg -configure</i>
157	</pre>
158
159	<p>
160	Be sure to read the last lines printed on your screen when Xorg has finished
161	probing your hardware. If it tells you it failed at some point, you're forced to
162	manually write an <path>xorg.conf</path> file. Assuming that it didn't fail, it
163	will have told you that it has written <path>/root/xorg.conf.new</path> ready
164	for you to test. So let's test :)
165	</p>
166
167	<pre caption="Testing the xorg.conf.new file">
168	# <i>X -config /root/xorg.conf.new</i>
169	</pre>
170
171	<p>
172	If all goes well, you should see an ugly, loathsome, repulsive, deformed
173	window manager called <c>twm</c>, probably the smallest window manager
174	available. Try moving your mouse and see if your keyboard and such is working.
175	In the next section we will optimize our <path>xorg.conf</path> so it fits your
176	hardware. Now go into one of the terminals you see on your screen and type in
177	<c>exit</c> (or press Ctrl-D) until Xorg shuts down. If you are unable to
178	use your mouse to focus the terminals, you can also press Ctrl-Alt-Backspace to
179	kill the X server.
180	</p>
181
182	<p>
183	If <c>twm</c> doesn't load, don't worry - it will once you'll start the X server
184	through the regular <c>startx</c> command. Verify if your mouse works correctly
185	and if the resolution is good. You might not be able to deduce the exact
186	resolution, but you should be able to see if it's too low. You can exit any time
187	by pressing Ctrl-Alt-Backspace.
188	</p>
189
190	</body>
191	</section>	376	<section>
		377	<title>The xorg.conf.d directory</title>
		378	<body>
		379
		380	<note>
		381	Configuring files in <path>xorg.conf.d</path> should be seen as a "last resort"
		382	option. It really desirable to run without any special configuration if
		383	possible. If you still can't get a working configuration, then read on.
		384	</note>
		385
		386	<p>
		387	The configuration files of Xorg are stored in
		388	<path>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/</path>. Each file is given a unique name and ends in
		389	<path>.conf</path>. If the filenames start with a number, then Xorg will read
		390	the files in numeric order. <path>10-evdev.conf</path> will be read before
		391	<path>20-synaptics.conf</path>, and so on. You don't <e>have</e> to give them
		392	numbers, but it may help you organize them.
		393	</p>
		394
		395	<note>
		396	Xorg provides example configurations in
		397	<path>/usr/share/doc/xorg-server-${version}/xorg.conf.example.bz2</path>. You
		398	can use these to create your own configuration files in
		399	<path>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/</path>. The examples are heavily commented, but if
		400	you are in need of more documentation regarding the syntax, read <c>man
		401	xorg.conf</c>. Other examples can be found in the <uri
		402	link="#resources">Resources</uri> chapter at the end of this guide.
		403	</note>
		404
		405	</body>
192	<section>	406	</section>
193	<title>Alternative: Semi-Automatic Generation of xorg.conf</title>	407	<section id="using_startx">
194	<body>	408	<title>Using startx</title>
195
196	<p>
197	Xorg provides a tool called <c>xorgconfig</c> which will ask you for various
198	information regarding your system (graphical adapter, keyboard, ...). Based on
199	your input it will create a <path>xorg.conf</path> file.
200	</p>
201
202	<pre caption="Semi-Automatic Generation of xorg.conf">
203	# <i>xorgconfig</i>
204	</pre>
205
206	</body>	409	<body>
207	</section>
208	</chapter>
209	<chapter>
210	<title>Tweaking xorg.conf</title>
211	<section>
212	<title>Copying over xorg.conf</title>
213	<body>
214		410
215	<p>
216	Let us first copy over the <path>xorg.conf.new</path> to
217	<path>/etc/X11/xorg.conf</path> so we won't have to continuously run <c>Xorg
218	-config</c> -- typing <c>startx</c> is far more easy :)
219	</p>	411	<p>
220		412	Now try <c>startx</c> to start up your X server. <c>startx</c> is a script
221	<pre caption="Copying over xorg.conf">	413	that executes an <e>X session</e>; that is, it starts the X server and some
222	# <i>cp /root/xorg.conf.new /etc/X11/xorg.conf</i>	414	graphical applications on top of it. It decides which applications to run
223	</pre>	415	using the following logic:
224
225	<p>
226	Now run <c>startx</c> to start up your X server. It will use the freshly copied
227	file as its configuration file. To finish the X session, type in <c>exit</c> or
228	Ctrl-D in the upcoming xterms. You can also kill the X session using the
229	Ctrl-Alt-Backspace combination. This will however make X exit disgracefully -
230	something that you might not always want. It doesn't hurt though :)
231	</p>
232
233	<pre caption="Starting X">
234	# <i>startx</i>
235	</pre>
236
237	</body>
238	</section>
239	<section>
240	<title>Setting your Resolution</title>
241	<body>
242
243	<p>
244	If you feel that the screen resolution is wrong, you will need to check two
245	sections in your configuration. First of all, you have the <e>Screen</e> section
246	which lists the resolutions - if any - that your X server will run at. By
247	default, this section might not list any resolutions at all. If this is the
248	case, Xorg will estimate the resolutions based on the information in the
249	second section, <e>Monitor</e>.
250	</p>
251
252	<p>
253	What happens is that Xorg checks the settings of <c>HorizSync</c> and
254	<c>VertRefresh</c> in the <e>Monitor</e> section to compute valid resolutions.
255	For now, leave these settings as-is. Only when the changes to the <e>Screen</e>
256	section (which we will describe in a minute) don't work, then you will need to
257	look up the specs for your monitor and fill in the correct values. You can also
258	use a tool that searches for your monitor's specs, such as
259	<c>sys-apps/ddcxinfo-knoppix</c>.
260	</p>
261
262	<warn>
263	Do <b>not</b> "just" change the values of these two monitor-related variables
264	without consulting the technical specifications of your monitor. Setting
265	incorrect values lead to out-of-sync errors at best and smoked up screens at
266	worst.
267	</warn>
268
269	<p>
270	Now let us change the resolutions. In the next example from
271	<path>/etc/X11/xorg.conf</path> we add the <c>Modes</c> lines and the
272	<c>DefaultDepth</c> so that our X server starts with 24 bits at 1024x768 by
273	default. Don't mind the given strings - they are examples and will most likely
274	differ from the settings on your system.
275	</p>
276
277	<pre caption="Changing the Screen section in /etc/X11/xorg.conf">
278	Section "Screen"
279	Identifier "Default Screen"
280	Device "S3 Inc. ProSavage KN133 [Twister K]"
281	Monitor "Generic Monitor"
282	<i>DefaultDepth 24</i>
283	<comment># Skipping some text to improve readability</comment>
284	SubSection "Display"
285	Depth 24
286	<i>Modes "1024x768"</i>
287	EndSubSection
288	EndSection
289	</pre>
290
291	<p>
292	Run X (<c>startx</c>) to discover it uses the resolution you want :)
293	</p>
294
295	</body>
296	</section>
297	<section>
298	<title>Configuring your Keyboard</title>
299	<body>
300
301	<p>
302	To setup X to use an international keyboard, search for the <e>InputDevice</e>
303	section that configures the keyboard and add the <c>XkbLayout</c> option to
304	point to the keyboard layout you want. As an example, we show you how to apply
305	for the Belgian layout. Just substitute the country-keycode with yours:
306	</p>
307
308	<pre caption="Changing the keyboard layout">
309	Section "InputDevice"
310	Identifier "Generic Keyboard"
311	Driver "keyboard"
312	Option "CoreKeyboard"
313	Option "XkbRules" "xorg"
314	Option "XkbModel" "pc105"
315	<i>Option "XkbLayout" "be"</i>
316	EndSection
317	</pre>
318
319	</body>
320	</section>
321	<section>
322	<title>Configuring your Mouse</title>
323	<body>
324
325	<p>
326	If your mouse isn't working, you will first need to find out if it is detected
327	by the kernel at all. PS/2 mice are (device-wise) seen as
328	<path>/dev/psaux</path>. Other mice (like USBs) are seen as
329	<path>/dev/input</path> (or <path>/dev/input/mice</path>). In either case you
330	can check if the devices do represent your mouse by checking the output of those
331	files when you move your mouse. To end the session press <c>Ctrl-C</c>.
332	</p>
333
334	<pre caption="Checking the device files">
335	# <i>cat /dev/input</i>
336	<comment>(Don't forget to press Ctrl-C to end this)</comment>
337	</pre>
338
339	<p>
340	If your mouse isn't detected, verify if all the necessary modules are loaded.
341	</p>
342
343	<p>
344	If your mouse is detected, fill in the device in the appropriate
345	<e>InputDevice</e> section. In the next example you'll see we also set two other
346	options: <c>Protocol</c> (which lists the mouse protocol to be used - most users
347	will use PS/2 or IMPS/2) and <c>ZAxisMapping</c> (which allows for the
348	mousewheel (if applicable) to be used).
349	</p>
350
351	<pre caption="Changing the mouse settings in Xorg">
352	Section "InputDevice"
353	Identifier "TouchPad Mouse"
354	Driver "mouse"
355	Option "CorePointer"
356	<i>Option "Device" "/dev/psaux"</i>
357	<i>Option "Protocol" "IMPS/2"</i>
358	<i>Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"</i>
359	EndSection
360	</pre>
361
362	<p>
363	Run <c>startx</c> and be happy about the result :) Congratulations, you now
364	(hopefully) have a working Xorg on your system. The next step is to remove this
365	ugly lightweight window manager and use a high-feature one (or even a desktop
366	environment) such as KDE or GNOME, but that's not part of this guide :)
367	</p>
368
369	</body>
370	</section>
371	</chapter>
372	<chapter>
373	<title>Resources</title>
374	<section>
375	<title>Creating and Tweaking xorg.conf</title>
376	<body>
377
378	<p>
379	First of all, <c>man 5 xorg.conf</c> provides a quick yet complete reference
380	about the syntaxis used by the configuration file. Be sure to have it open on a
381	terminal near you when you edit your configuration file!
382	</p>
383
384	<p>
385	A second point of resources on your system is the
386	<path>/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/doc</path> directory with various <path>README</path>'s
387	for individual graphical chipsets.
388	</p>
389
390	<p>
391	There are also many online resources on editing <path>xorg.conf</path>. We only
392	list few of them here, be sure to <uri link="http://www.google.com">Google</uri>
393	for more :) As <path>xorg.conf</path> and <path>XF86Config</path> (the
394	configuration file for the XFree86 project) use the
395	same syntaxis for most configuration options and more information about
396	<path>XF86Config</path> is available, we'll list those resources as well.
397	</p>	416	</p>
398		417
399	<ul>	418	<ul>
400	<li>	419	<li>
401	<uri link="http://tldp.org/HOWTO/XFree-Local-multi-user-HOWTO/">The XFree	420	If a file named <path>.xinitrc</path> exists in the home directory, it will
402	Local Multi-User HOWTO</uri>	421	execute the commands listed there.
403	</li>	422	</li>
404	<li>	423	<li>
405	<uri	424	Otherwise, it will read the value of the XSESSION variable and will execute
406	link="http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/edu/os-dw-linuxxwin-i.html">An	425	one of the sessions available in <path>/etc/X11/Sessions/</path>
407	Introduction to XFree 4.x</uri> by Chris Houser	426	accordingly. You can set the value of XSESSION in
		427	<path>/etc/env.d/90xsession</path> to make it a default for all the users
		428	on the system. For example, as root, run <c>echo XSESSION="Xfce4" >
		429	/etc/env.d/90xsession</c>. This will create the <path>90xsession</path> file
		430	and set the default X session to <uri
		431	link="/doc/en/xfce-config.xml">Xfce</uri>. Remember to run <c>env-update</c>
		432	after changing <path>90xsession</path>.
408	</li>	433	</li>
409	</ul>	434	</ul>
410		435
		436	<pre caption="Starting X">
		437	$ <i>startx</i>
		438	</pre>
		439
		440	<p>
		441	If you haven't yet installed a window manager, all you'll see is a black screen.
		442	Since this can also be a sign that something's wrong, you may want to emerge
		443	<c>twm</c> and <c>xterm</c> <e>only to test X</e>.
		444	</p>
		445
		446	<p>
		447	Once those two programs are installed, run <c>startx</c> again. A few
		448	<c>xterm</c> windows should appear, making it easier to verify that X is working
		449	correctly. Once you're satisfied with the results, run <c>emerge --unmerge twm
		450	xterm</c> as root to get rid of the testing packages. You won't need them once
		451	you've setup a proper desktop environment.
		452	</p>
		453
		454	</body>
		455	</section>
		456	</chapter>
		457
		458	<chapter>
		459	<title>Tweaking X settings</title>
		460	<section>
		461	<title>Setting your Resolution</title>
		462	<body>
		463
		464	<p>
		465	If you feel that the screen resolution is wrong, you will need to check two
		466	sections in your <path>xorg.conf.d</path> configuration. First of all, you have
		467	the <e>Screen</e> section which lists the resolutions that your X server will
		468	run at. This section might not list any resolutions at all. If this is the case,
		469	Xorg will estimate the resolutions based on the information in the second
		470	section, <e>Monitor</e>.
		471	</p>
		472
		473	<p>
		474	Now let us change the resolution. In the next example from
		475	<path>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/40-monitor.conf</path> we add the
		476	<c>PreferredMode</c> line so that our X server starts at 1440x900 by default.
		477	The <c>Option</c> in the <c>Device</c> section must match the name of your
		478	monitor (<c>DVI-0</c>), which can be obtained by running <c>xrandr</c>. You'll
		479	need to <c>emerge xrandr</c> just long enough to get this information. The
		480	argument after the monitor name (in the <c>Device</c> section) must match the
		481	<c>Identifier</c> in the <c>Monitor</c> section.
		482	</p>
		483
		484	<pre caption="Changing the Monitor section">
		485	# <i>nano -w /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/40-monitor.conf</i>
		486
		487	Section "Device"
		488	Identifier "RadeonHD 4550"
		489	Option "Monitor-DVI-0" "DVI screen"
		490	EndSection
		491	Section "Monitor"
		492	Identifier "DVI screen"
		493	Option "PreferredMode" "1440x900"
		494	EndSection
		495	</pre>
		496
		497	<p>
		498	Run X (<c>startx</c>) to discover it uses the resolution you want.
		499	</p>
		500
		501	</body>
		502	</section>
		503	<section>
		504	<title>Multiple monitors</title>
		505	<body>
		506
		507	<p>
		508	You can configure more than one monitor in <path>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/</path>.
		509	All you have to do is give each monitor an identifer, then list its physical
		510	position, such as "RightOf" or "Above" another monitor. The following example
		511	shows how to configure a DVI and a VGA monitor, with the VGA monitor as the
		512	right-hand screen:
		513	</p>
		514
		515	<pre caption="Configuring multiple monitors">
		516	# <i>nano -w /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/40-monitor.conf</i>
		517
		518	Section "Device"
		519	Identifier "RadeonHD 4550"
		520	Option "Monitor-DVI-0" "DVI screen"
		521	Option "Monitor-VGA-0" "VGA screen"
		522	EndSection
		523	Section "Monitor"
		524	Identifier "DVI screen"
		525	EndSection
		526	Section "Monitor"
		527	Identifier "VGA screen"
		528	Option "RightOf" "DVI screen"
		529	EndSection
		530	</pre>
		531
		532	</body>
		533	</section>
		534	<section>
		535	<title>Configuring your keyboard</title>
		536	<body>
		537
		538	<p>
		539	To setup X to use an international keyboard, you just have to create the
		540	appropriate config file in <path>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/</path>. This example
		541	features a Czech keyboard layout:
		542	</p>
		543
		544	<pre caption="Using an international keyboard">
		545	# <i>nano -w /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/30-keyboard.conf</i>
		546
		547	Section "InputClass"
		548	Identifier "keyboard-all"
		549	Driver "evdev"
		550	Option "XkbLayout" "us,cz"
		551	Option "XkbModel" "logitech_g15"
		552	Option "XkbRules" "xorg"
		553	Option "XkbOptions" "grp:alt_shift_toggle,grp:switch,grp_led:scroll,compose:rwin,terminate:ctrl_alt_bksp"
		554	Option "XkbVariant" ",qwerty"
		555	MatchIsKeyboard "on"
		556	EndSection
		557	</pre>
		558
		559	<p>
		560	The "terminate" command (<c>terminate:ctrl_alt_bksp</c>) lets you kill the X
		561	session by using the Ctrl-Alt-Backspace key combination. This will, however,
		562	make X exit disgracefully -- something that you might not always want. It can be
		563	useful when programs have frozen your display entirely, or when you're
		564	configuring and tweaking your Xorg environment. Be careful when killing your
		565	desktop with this key combination -- most programs really don't like it when you
		566	end them this way, and you may lose some (or all) of what you were working on.
		567	</p>
		568
		569	</body>
		570	</section>
		571	<section>
		572	<title>Finishing up</title>
		573	<body>
		574
		575	<p>
		576	Run <c>startx</c> and be happy about the result. Congratulations, you now
		577	(hopefully) have a working Xorg on your system. The next step is to install a
		578	useful window manager or desktop environment such as KDE, GNOME, or Xfce, but
		579	that's not part of this guide. Information on installing these desktop
		580	environments can be found in our <uri link="/doc/en/?catid=desktop">Gentoo
		581	Desktop Documentation Resources</uri>.
		582	</p>
		583
		584	</body>
		585	</section>
		586	</chapter>
		587
		588	<chapter id="resources">
		589	<title>Resources</title>
		590	<section>
		591	<title>Creating and editing config files</title>
		592	<body>
		593
		594	<p>
		595	First of all, <c>man xorg.conf</c> and <c>man evdev</c> provide quick yet
		596	complete references about the syntax used by these configuration files. Be sure
		597	to have them open on a terminal when you edit your configuration files!
		598	</p>
		599
		600	<p>
		601	There are also many online resources on editing config files in
		602	<path>/etc/X11/</path>. We only list few of them here; be sure to <uri
		603	link="http://www.google.com">Google</uri> for more.
		604	</p>
		605
		606	</body>
		607	</section>
		608	<section>
		609	<title>Other resources</title>
		610	<body>
		611
		612	<p>
		613	More information about installing and configuring various graphical desktop
		614	environments and applications can be found in the <uri
		615	link="/doc/en/?catid=desktop">Gentoo Desktop Documentation Resources</uri>
		616	section of our documentation.
		617	</p>
		618
		619	<p>
		620	If you're upgrading to <c>xorg-server</c> 1.9 from an earlier version, then be
		621	sure to read the <uri
		622	link="/proj/en/desktop/x/x11/xorg-server-1.9-upgrade-guide.xml">migration
		623	guide</uri>.
		624	</p>
		625
		626	<p>
		627	X.org provides many <uri link="http://www.x.org/wiki/FAQ">FAQs</uri> on their
		628	website, in addition to their other documentation.
		629	</p>
		630
411	</body>	631	</body>
412	</section>	632	</section>
413	</chapter>	633	</chapter>
414	</guide>	634	</guide>

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