XFree86
XFree86(1) XFree86 XFree86(1)
NAME
XFree86 - X11R6 X server
SYNOPSIS
XFree86 [:display] [option ...]
DESCRIPTION
XFree86 is an X server that was originally designed for UNIX and UNIX-
like operating systems running on Intel x86 hardware. It now runs on a
wider range of hardware and OS platforms.
This work is derived from X386 1.2 which was contributed to X11R5 by
Snitily Graphics Consulting Service. The current XFree86 release is
based on X11R6.3. The XFree86 X server architecture was redesigned for
the 4.0 release, and it includes among other things a loadable module
system donated by Metro Link, Inc.
CONFIGURATIONS
XFree86 operates under a wide range of operating systems and hardware
platforms. The Intel x86 (IA32) architecture is the most widely sup-
ported hardware platform. Other hardware platforms include Compaq
Alpha, Intel IA64, SPARC and PowerPC. The most widely supported oper-
ating systems are the free/OpenSource UNIX-like systems such as Linux,
FreeBSD, NetBSD and OpenBSD. Commercial UNIX operating systems such as
Solaris (x86) and UnixWare are also supported. Other supported operat-
ing systems include LynxOS, and GNU Hurd. Darwin and Mac OS X are sup-
ported with the XDarwin(1) X server. Win32/Cygwin is supported with
the XWin X server.
NETWORK CONNECTIONS
XFree86 supports connections made using the following reliable byte-
streams:
Local
On most platforms, the "Local" connection type is a UNIX-domain
socket. On some System V platforms, the "local" connection types
also include STREAMS pipes, named pipes, and some other mechanisms.
TCPIP
XFree86 listens on port 6000+n, where n is the display number.
This connection type can be disabled with the -nolisten option (see
the Xserver(1) man page for details).
ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
For operating systems that support local connections other than Unix
Domain sockets (SVR3 and SVR4), there is a compiled-in list specifying
the order in which local connections should be attempted. This list
can be overridden by the XLOCAL environment variable described below.
If the display name indicates a best-choice connection should be made
(e.g. :0.0), each connection mechanism is tried until a connection suc-
ceeds or no more mechanisms are available. Note: for these OSs, the
Unix Domain socket connection is treated differently from the other
local connection types. To use it the connection must be made to
unix:0.0.
The XLOCAL environment variable should contain a list of one more more
of the following:
NAMED
PTS
SCO
ISC
which represent SVR4 Named Streams pipe, Old-style USL Streams pipe,
SCO XSight Streams pipe, and ISC Streams pipe, respectively. You can
select a single mechanism (e.g. XLOCAL=NAMED), or an ordered list (e.g.
XLOCAL="NAMED:PTS:SCO"). This variable overrides the compiled-in
defaults. For SVR4 it is recommended that NAMED be the first prefer-
ence connection. The default setting is PTS:NAMED:ISC:SCO.
To globally override the compiled-in defaults, you should define (and
export if using sh or ksh) XLOCAL globally. If you use startx/xinit,
the definition should be at the top of your .xinitrc file. If you use
xdm, the definitions should be early on in the
<XRoot>/lib/X11/xdm/Xsession script.
OPTIONS
In addition to the normal server options described in the Xserver(1)
manual page, XFree86 accepts the following command line switches:
vtXX XX specifies the Virtual Terminal device number which XFree86
will use. Without this option, XFree86 will pick the first
available Virtual Terminal that it can locate. This option
applies only to platforms such as Linux, BSD, SVR3 and SVR4,
that have virtual terminal support.
-allowMouseOpenFail
Allow the server to start up even if the mouse device can't be
opened or initialised. This is equivalent to the Allow-
MouseOpenFail XF86Config(5x) file option.
-allowNonLocalModInDev
Allow changes to keyboard and mouse settings from non-local
clients. By default, connections from non-local clients are
not allowed to do this. This is equivalent to the AllowNonLo-
calModInDev XF86Config(5x) file option.
-allowNonLocalXvidtune
Make the VidMode extension available to remote clients. This
allows the xvidtune client to connect from another host. This
is equivalent to the AllowNonLocalXvidtune XF86Config(5x) file
option. By default non-local connections are not allowed.
-bgamma value
Set the blue gamma correction. value must be between 0.1 and
10. The default is 1.0. Not all drivers support this. See
also the -gamma, -rgamma, and -ggamma options.
-bpp n No longer supported. Use -depth to set the color depth, and
use -fbbpp if you really need to force a non-default frame-
buffer (hardware) pixel format.
-configure
When this option is specified, the X server loads all video
driver modules, probes for available hardware, and writes out
an initial XF86Config(5x) file based on what was detected.
This option currently has some problems on some platforms, but
in most cases it is a good way to bootstrap the configuration
process. This option is only available when the server is run
as root (i.e, with real-uid 0).
-crt /dev/ttyXX
SCO only. This is the same as the vt option, and is provided
for compatibility with the native SCO X server.
-depth n
Sets the default color depth. Legal values are 1, 4, 8, 15,
16, and 24. Not all drivers support all values.
-disableModInDev
Disable dynamic modification of input device settings. This is
equivalent to the DisableModInDev XF86Config(5x) file option.
-disableVidMode
Disable the the parts of the VidMode extension (used by the
xvidtune client) that can be used to change the video modes.
This is equivalent to the DisableVidModeExtension XF86Con-
fig(5x) file option.
-fbbpp n
Sets the number of framebuffer bits per pixel. You should only
set this if you're sure it's necessary; normally the server can
deduce the correct value from -depth above. Useful if you want
to run a depth 24 configuration with a 24 bpp framebuffer
rather than the (possibly default) 32 bpp framebuffer (or vice
versa). Legal values are 1, 8, 16, 24, 32. Not all drivers
support all values.
-flipPixels
Swap the default values for the black and white pixels.
-gamma value
Set the gamma correction. value must be between 0.1 and 10.
The default is 1.0. This value is applied equally to the R, G
and B values. Those values can be set independently with the
-rgamma, -bgamma, and -ggamma options. Not all drivers support
this.
-ggamma value
Set the green gamma correction. value must be between 0.1 and
10. The default is 1.0. Not all drivers support this. See
also the -gamma, -rgamma, and -bgamma options.
-ignoreABI
The X server checks the ABI revision levels of each module that
it loads. It will normally refuse to load modules with ABI
revisions that are newer than the server's. This is because
such modules might use interfaces that the server does not
have. When this option is specified, mismatches like this are
downgraded from fatal errors to warnings. This option should
be used with care.
-keeptty
Prevent the server from detaching its initial controlling ter-
minal. This option is only useful when debugging the server.
Not all platforms support (or can use) this option.
-keyboard keyboard-name
Use the XF86Config(5x) file InputDevice section called key-
board-name as the core keyboard. This option is ignored when
the Layout section specifies a core keyboard. In the absence
of both a Layout section and this option, the first relevant
InputDevice section is used for the core keyboard.
-layout layout-name
Use the XF86Config(5x) file Layout section called layout-name.
By default the first Layout section is used.
-logfile filename
Use the file called filename as the X server log file. The
default log file is /var/log/XFree86.n.log on most platforms,
where n is the display number of the X server. The default may
be in a different directory on some platforms. This option is
only available when the server is run as root (i.e, with real-
uid 0).
-logverbose [n]
Sets the verbosity level for information printed to the X
server log file. If the n value isn't supplied, each occur-
rance of this option increments the log file verbosity level.
When the n value is supplied, the log file verbosity level is
set to that value. The default log file verbosity level is 3.
-modulepath searchpath
Set the module search path to searchpath. searchpath is a
comma separated list of directories to search for X server mod-
ules. This option is only available when the server is run as
root (i.e, with real-uid 0).
-nosilk Disable Silken Mouse support.
-pixmap24
Set the internal pixmap format for depth 24 pixmaps to 24 bits
per pixel. The default is usually 32 bits per pixel. There is
normally little reason to use this option. Some client appli-
cations don't like this pixmap format, even though it is a per-
fectly legal format. This is equvalent to the Pixmap XF86Con-
fig(5x) file option.
-pixmap32
Set the internal pixmap format for depth 24 pixmaps to 32 bits
per pixel. This is usually the default. This is equvalent to
the Pixmap XF86Config(5x) file option.
-pointer pointer-name
Use the XF86Config(5x) file InputDevice section called pointer-
name as the core pointer. This option is ignored when the Lay-
out section specifies a core pointer. In the absence of both a
Layout section and this option, the first relevant InputDevice
section is used for the core pointer.
-probeonly
Causes the server to exit after the device probing stage. The
XF86Config file is still used when this option is given, so
information that can be auto-detected should be commented out.
-quiet Suppress most informational messages at startup. The verbosity
level is set to zero.
-rgamma value
Set the red gamma correction. value must be between 0.1 and
10. The default is 1.0. Not all drivers support this. See
also the -gamma, -bgamma, and -ggamma options.
-scanpci
When this option is specified, the X server scans the PCI bus,
and prints out some information about each device that was
detected. See also scanpci(1) and pcitweak(1).
-screen screen-name
Use the XF86Config(5x) file Screen section called screen-name.
By default the screens referenced by the default Layout section
are used, or the first Screen section when there are no Layout
sections.
-showconfig
This is the same as the -version option, and is included for
compatibilty reasons. It may be removed in a future release,
so the -version options hould be used instead.
-weight nnn
Set RGB weighting at 16 bpp. The default is 565. This applies
only to those drivers which support 16 bpp.
-verbose [n]
Sets the verbosity level for information printed on stderr. If
the n value isn't supplied, each occurrance of this option
increments the verbosity level. When the n value is supplied,
the verbosity level is set to that value. The default ver-
bosity level is 0.
-version
Print out the server version, patchlevel, release date, the
operating system/platform it was built on, and whether it
includes module loader support.
-xf86config file
Read the server configuration from file. This option will work
for any file when the server is run as root (i.e, with real-uid
0), or for files relative to a directory in the config search
path for all other users.
KEYBOARD
Multiple key presses recognized directly by XFree86 are:
Ctrl+Alt+Backspace
Immediately kills the server -- no questions asked. This can
be disabled with the DontZap XF86Config(5x) file option.
Ctrl+Alt+Keypad-Plus
Change video mode to next one specified in the configuration
file. This can be disabled with the DontZoom XF86Config(5x)
file option.
Ctrl+Alt+Keypad-Minus
Change video mode to previous one specified in the configura-
tion file. This can be disabled with the DontZoom XF86Con-
fig(5x) file option.
Ctrl+Alt+F1...F12
For BSD and Linux systems with virtual terminal support, these
keystroke combinations are used to switch to Virtual Console 1
through 12.
SETUP
XFree86 uses a configuration file called XF86Config for its initial
setup. Refer to the XF86Config(5x) manual page for information about
the format of this file.
FILES
The X server config file can be found in a range of locations. These
are documented fully in the XF86Config(5x) manual page. The most com-
monly used locations are shown here.
/etc/X11/XF86Config Server configuration file
/etc/X11/XF86Config-4 Server configuration file
/etc/XF86Config Server configuration file
/usr/X11R6/etc/XF86Config Server configuration file
/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/XF86Config Server configuration file
/var/log/XFree86.n.log Server log file for display n.
/usr/X11R6/bin/* Client binaries
/usr/X11R6/include/* Header files
/usr/X11R6/lib/* Libraries
/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/* Fonts
/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/rgb.txt Color names to RGB mapping
/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/XErrorDB Client error message database
/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/app-defaults/*
Client resource specifications
/usr/X11R6/man/man?/* Manual pages
/etc/Xn.hosts Initial access control list for display n
SEE ALSO
X(7x), Xserver(1), xdm(1), xinit(1), XF86Config(5x), xf86config(1),
xf86cfg(1), xvidtune(1), apm(4x), ati(4x), chips(4x), cirrus(4x),
cyrix(4x), fbdev(4x), glide(4x), glint(4x), i128(4x), i740(4x),
i810(4x), imstt(4x), mga(4x), neomagic(4x), nv(4x), r128(4x), rendi-
tion(4x), s3virge(4x), siliconmotion(4x), sis(4x), sunbw2(4x),
suncg14(4x), suncg3(4x), suncg6(4x), sunffb(4x), sunleo(4x),
suntcx(4x), tdfx(4x), tga(4x), trident(4x), tseng(4x), v4l(4x),
vesa(4x), vga(4x), vmware(4x),
README <http://www.xfree86.org/current/README.html>,
RELNOTES <http://www.xfree86.org/current/RELNOTES.html>,
README.mouse <http://www.xfree86.org/current/mouse.html>,
README.DRI <http://www.xfree86.org/current/DRI.html>,
Status <http://www.xfree86.org/current/Status.html>,
Install <http://www.xfree86.org/current/Install.html>.
AUTHORS
XFree86 has many contributors world wide. The names of most of them
can be found in the documentation, CHANGELOG files in the source tree,
and in the actual source code.
XFree86 was originally based on X386 1.2 by Thomas Roell, which was
contributed to the then X Consortium's X11R5 distribution by SGCS.
The project that became XFree86 was originally founded in 1992 by David
Dawes, Glenn Lai, Jim Tsillas and David Wexelblat.
XFree86 was later integrated in the then X Consortium's X11R6 release
by a group of dedicated XFree86 developers, including the following:
Stuart Anderson anderson@metrolink.com
Doug Anson danson@lgc.com
Gertjan Akkerman akkerman@dutiba.twi.tudelft.nl
Mike Bernson mike@mbsun.mlb.org
Robin Cutshaw robin@XFree86.org
David Dawes dawes@XFree86.org
Marc Evans marc@XFree86.org
Pascal Haible haible@izfm.uni-stuttgart.de
Matthieu Herrb Matthieu.Herrb@laas.fr
Dirk Hohndel hohndel@XFree86.org
David Holland davidh@use.com
Alan Hourihane alanh@fairlite.demon.co.uk
Jeffrey Hsu hsu@soda.berkeley.edu
Glenn Lai glenn@cs.utexas.edu
Ted Lemon mellon@ncd.com
Rich Murphey rich@XFree86.org
Hans Nasten nasten@everyware.se
Mark Snitily mark@sgcs.com
Randy Terbush randyt@cse.unl.edu
Jon Tombs tombs@XFree86.org
Kees Verstoep versto@cs.vu.nl
Paul Vixie paul@vix.com
Mark Weaver Mark_Weaver@brown.edu
David Wexelblat dwex@XFree86.org
Philip Wheatley Philip.Wheatley@ColumbiaSC.NCR.COM
Thomas Wolfram wolf@prz.tu-berlin.de
Orest Zborowski orestz@eskimo.com
The current XFree86 core team consists of:
Stuart Anderson anderson@metrolink.com
Preston Brown pbrown@redhat.com
Robin Cutshaw robin@xfree86.org
David Dawes dawes@xfree86.org
Egbert Eich eich@xfree86.org
Marc Evans marc@xfree86.org
Dirk Hohndel hohndel@xfree86.org
Alan Hourihane alanh@xfree86.org
Harald Koenig koenig@xfree86.org
Marc La France tsi@xfree86.org
Kevin Martin martin@xfree86.org
Rich Murphey rich@xfree86.org
Takaaki Nomura amadeus@yk.rim.or.jp
Keith Packard keithp@xfree86.org
Jon Tombs jon@gtex02.us.es
Mark Vojkovich markv@xfree86.org
David Wexelblat dwex@xfree86.org
XFree86 source is available from the FTP server
<ftp://ftp.XFree86.org/pub/XFree86/>, among others. Documentation and
other information can be found from the XFree86 web site
<http://www.xfree86.org/>.
4.2.0 Version XFree86(1)
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