Commands

Commands

XF86Setup

[ -sync ] [ -name appname ] [ -nodialog ] [ --arg ]

XF86Setup

[ -sync ] [ -name appname ] [ -script ] [ -display display ] [ -geometry geometry ] filename [ [ -- ] arg ]

This command is used to manipulate the configuration of the X servers. It can be used either to do the initial setup or to make adjustments later. If you're using it to set up XF86 for the first time, your initial data will be entered via the VGA 16 server (the resolution is lousy, but it will work on almost any machine).

Example: To invoke XF86Setup, an interactive GUI program, use

XF86Setup

-sync	Synchronize all communication with the X server.
-nameappname	Use the specified name as the window name.
-displaydisplay	Specify the display to work with.
-nodialog	Do not use the Dialog program to interact with the user.
-geometrygeomspec	Specify the initial geometry for the window.
filename	If used, this argument should be the name of a file containing Tcl/Tk commands to be run at startup.
-script	Look for the specified filename in the scripts directory rather than searching the user's PATH.

X

[option ]

X is the X-window display server. Usually it's a link to whichever server is appropriate for the particular hardware on which it is running. Let me restate that: There is no single X program. Instead, X is a link to or copy of whatever server (vga, svga ) is doing the actual work. The fact that this command is not a program, but rather a committee, complicates the discussion of options somewhat. Also, typically, this program is invoked by the X display manager (xdm) or as a result of the startx script.

Example: In a correctly configured system, you will not need to invoke X by hand.

:displaynumber	Specify a display number for the X server to run as. The default is, of course, 0. Typically, this option is used when you have multiple servers running on the same host.
-anumber	Specify the pointer acceleration. Pointer acceleration is the ratio of how much is displayed to how much the user actually moved the pointer.
-acd	Disable any host-based access control mechanisms.
-auditlevel	Specify audit trail level.
-authauthorization-file	Authorization-file contains a set of authorization records used to authenticate access.
-bc	Bug compatibility. Disables some error checking.
-bs	Disable backing store support on all screens.
-c	Specify key-click off.
cvolume	Specify a key-click volume (0 100).
-ccclass	Specify a visual class for the root window of color screens.
-cofilename	Set name of RGB color database.
-core	Enable generation of core dump on fatal errors.
-dpi	Specify the dpi resolution of the screen.
resolution	Specify resolution in dots per inch. Use when server cannot determine screen size from hardware.
dpms	Enable DPMS (when supported).
-dpms	Disable DPMS.
-deferglyphswhichfonts	Specify which type of font on which server should attempt deferred glyph loading.
-fvolume	Set bell volume. Range = 0 100.
-fccursorFont	Specify default cursor font.
-fnfont	Specify default font.
-fpfontPath	Specify search path for fonts, where fontPath is a comma-separated list of directories.
-help	Display help information.
-I	Ignore all remaining command line arguments.
-kb	Disable XKEYBOARD extension.
-nolistentrans-type	Disable a transport type (e.g., TCP/IP).
-nolock	Disable use of an X server lock file.
-pminutes	Set screen saver pattern cycle time in minutes.
-pn	Allow server to continue operation if some (not all) sockets fail to connect.
-r	Turn off auto-repeat.
r	Turn on auto-repeat.
-sminutes	Specify screensaver timeout in minutes.
-su	Disable save under support on all screens.
-tnumber	Specify number of pixels after which pointer acceleration should take effect.
-terminate	Terminate server at server reset, rather than continuing to run.
-toseconds	Specify default connection timeout in seconds.
-tst	Disable all testing extensions.
ttyxx	Ignored, for servers started the ancient way (from init).
v	Set video-off screen-saver preference.
-v	Set video-on screen-saver preference.
-wm	Force the default backing-store of all windows to be WhenMapped.
-x extension	Load the specified extension at init.

Some X Servers Accept the Following Options:

-ldkilobytes	Specify the server's data space limit in kilobytes.
-lffiles	Specify a limit on the number of open files (0 = as large as possible, -1 = unchanged).
-lskilobytes	Specify stack space limit of the server.
-logo	Turn X Window System logo on.
nologo	Turn X Window System logo off.

XDMCP Options

-queryhost-name	Enable XDMCP and send Query packets to the specified host.
-broadcast	Enable XDMCP and broadcast BroadcastQuery packets to the network.
-indirecthost-name	Enable XDMCP and send IndirectQuery packets to the specified host.
-portport-num	Specify an alternate port number for XDMCP packets.
-displayIDdisplay-id	Allow the XDMCP display manager to identify each display so it can locate the shared key.

Xkeyboard Options

X servers that support the XKEYBOARD extension accept the following options:

-xkbmapfilename	Keyboard description to load on startup.
[+-]accessx	Enable(+) or disable(-) AccessX key sequences.
-ar1milliseconds	Specify the length of time in milliseconds before autorepeat starts.
-ar2milliseconds	Specify the length of time in milliseconds between autorepeat-generated keystrokes.

startx

[ [ client ] options ] [ -- [ server ] options ]

startx is a site-configurable script used to start an X Window session. It is a front end to the xinit command. Generally, startx is run without arguments as any necessary configuration is done within the script.

Example: To invoke the X Window system, type

startx

SuperProbe

[-verbose] [-no16] [-excl list] [-mask10] [-order list] [-noprobe list] [-bios base] [-no_bios] [-no_dac] [-no_mem] [-info]

SuperProbe is handy when attempting to install and configure X Windows. It can determine the type of video hardware installed in an EISA/ISA/VLB-bus system. SuperProbe is not perfect and does not guarantee results.

Example: To probe your video hardware, type

SuperProbe

If using a MicroChannel or PCI machine, use the -no_bios option.

 

-verbose	Display tons of information while running.
-no16	Do not attempt to use any ports that require 16-bit I/O address decoding.
-excllist	Do not attempt to access any of the I/O ports specified in list. List is a comma-separated list of ports or port ranges.
-mask10	When comparing an I/O port against the exclusion list, mask the port to 10 bits.
-orderlist	Test only those chipsets in list in the specified order.
-noprobelist	Do not test chipsets in the specified list.
-biosbase	Specify the base address for graphic-hardware BIOS.
-no_bios	Do not read the video BIOS and assume that an EGA or later (VGA, SVGA) board is the primary video hardware.
-no_dac	Do not probe for RAMDAC type when an (S)VGA is identified.
-no_mem	Do not probe for the amount of installed video memory.
-info	Display a list of all hardware that SuperProbe knows how to identify.

xdm

[ -config configuration_file ] [ -nodaemon ] [ -debug debug_level ] [ -error error_log_file ] [ -resources resource_file ] [ -server server_entry ] [ -session session_program ]

It is an X Display Manager and supports XDMCP. The host may be local or remote. Xdm provides login and authentication services similar to those provided by getty and login on character terminals.

Example: To start xdm, type

xdm

When configuring xdm, try to have at least one other mechanism for accessing your machine (e.g., network access, ASCII terminal), as it is possible to mess up the configuration so badly that you can't log in.

 

-configconfiguration_file	Specify a configuration file for xdm. Default is <XRoot>/lib/X11/xdm/xdm-config.
-nodaemon	Do not run xdm as a daemon. (Display-Manager.daemonMode = false).
-debugdebug_level	Specify a debug level.
-errorerror_log_file	Specify a log file into which error messages are written.
-resourcesresource_file	Specify the file used to specify configuration parameters for the authentication widget.
-serverserver_entry	Specify a value for the DisplayManager.servers resource.
-udpPortport_number	Specify the port number that will be monitored for XDMCP requests.
-sessionsession_program	Specify the program to be run after the user has logged in.
-xrmresource_specification	Permit specification of an arbitrary resource as in most X Toolkit applications.

xf86config

xf86config generates an XF86Config file to be used with XFree86 servers. It is interactive.

Example: To interactively generate an XF86Config file, type

xf86Config

xinit

[ [ client ] options ] [ -- [ server ] [ display ] options ]

The xinit program can be used to start the X Window server. (Typically, it is invoked via the startx script.) In the absence of any specified client, xinit looks for an .xinitrc file in the user's home directory for most of its configuration information. Lacking a specified server, xinit looks in the user's home directory for a file .serverrc to be run as a shell script to start the server.

Example: To start the X Window server, type

xinit

xmseconfig

[ -sync ] [ -display display ] [ -geometry geometry ]

This program is used to change the server's mouse configuration. Changes are not saved for the next session.

Example: To configure your mouse:

xmseconfig

-sync	Synchronize all communication with the server.
-displaydisplay	Specify a display.
-geometrygeomspec	Specify the window's initial geometry.

xterm

[-toolkitoption ] [-option ]

This program is the terminal emulator for the X Window System. It can also be configured as a DEC VT102/VT220 compatible or Tektronix 4014 compatible terminal for programs which can't use the window system directly.

The following termcap entries work with xterm: xterm, vt102, vt100, ansi.

Example: To invoke an xterm with a large scrollback buffer (-sl option), use

xterm -sl 2000 &

Options

The following options are accepted in addition to the standard X Toolkit options. If you invoke the option with a plus sign ("+") rather than the standard dash ("-"), the option will be reset to its default value.

-version	Display version information.
-help	Display help information to standard error.

Appearance and Behavior Options

-132	Do not ignore the VT102 DECCOLM escape sequence that switches between 80 & 132 columns.
-ah	Always highlight the text cursor.
+ah	Do text cursor highlighting based on focus.
-ai	Disable active icon support (if compiled into xterm).
+ai	Enable active icon support (if compiled into xterm).
-aw	Allow auto wraparound to next line.
+aw	Do not allow auto wraparound.
-b number	Specify the distance between the window border and the outer edge of the characters.
-bdc	Do not display characters with the bold attribute as color, rather than bold.
+bdc	Display characters with the bold attribute as color, rather than bold.
-cb	Set the vt100 resource cutToBeginningOfLine to FALSE.
+cb	Set the vt100 resource cutToBeginningOfLine to TRUE.
-cc character classrange:value [,...]	Set classes indicated by the given ranges for using in selecting by words. (See the section on specifying character classes.)
-cm	Disable recognition of ANSI color-change escape sequences.
+cm	Enable recognition of ANSI color-change escape sequences.
-cn	Do not cut newlines in line-mode selections.
+cn	Cut newlines in line-mode selection.
-cr color	Specify the color to use as the text cursor.
-cu	This option is a workaround for a bug in the more program. The bug causes it to incorrectly display lines which are exactly the width of the window and are followed by a line beginning with a <tab> (the leading tabs are not displayed).
+cu	Do not work around the more bug just described.
-dc	Disable the escape sequence to change dynamic colors.
+dc	Enable the escape sequence to change dynamic colors.
-eprogram[arguments ...]	Specify the program (and, optionally, that program's command line arguments) to be run in the xterm window.
-fb font	Specify a font to be used when displaying bold text.
-fi	Set the font for active icons, if that feature was compiled into xterm.
-hccolor	Specify the color to use for the background of selected or otherwise highlighted text. If not specified, reverse video is used.
-im	Turn on the useInsertMode resource.
+im	Turn off the useInsertMode resource.
-j	Enable jump scrolling (scrolling multiple lines) so that xterm doesn't fall too far behind.
+j	Do not do jump scrolling.
-leftbar	Put the scroll bar on the left side of the VT100 screen.
-ls	This option tells xterm that the shell started in the xterm window will be a login shell. This means that the first character of argv[0] will be a dash, which tells the shell to read the user's .login or .profile.
+ls	Tell xterm not to start the shell as a login shell.
-mb	Ring a margin bell when the user types near the right end of the line.
+mb	Do not ring a margin bell when the user types near the right end of the line.

 

If you're working in a room with more than just one person, turn your margin bell off. In fact, turn off all your bells. Use wire cutters, if necessary. It's good manners, and a cost-effective way of preventing workplace violence. (See also -vb option.)

 

-mc milliseconds	Allow the user to specify the maximum time between multiclick selections.
-mscolor	Specify the color to be used for the pointer cursor.
-nbnumber	Specify the number of characters from the right end of a line at which the margin bell, if enabled, will ring (default = 10).
-nul	Enable display of underlining.
+nul	Disable display of underlining.
-pc	Enable PC-style use of bold colors.
+pc	Disable PC-style use of bold colors.
-rightbar	Force scrollbar to the right side of VT100 screen.
-rw	Enable reverse wraparound. This allows the cursor to wrap from the leftmost column of the current line to the rightmost column of the previous line.

Enable Reverse Wraparound

+rw	Do not allow.
-s	Allow xterm to scroll asynchronously. That is, do not force xterm to keep the screen completely up-to-date when scrolling.
+s	Force xterm to scroll synchronously.
-sb	Turn on scrollback. This means that the lines you've looked at most recently will be saved in a buffer and may be accessed via the scroll bar on the screen.
+sb	Do not display the scrollbar.
-sf	Generate Sun Function Key escape codes for escape keys.
+sf	Generate standard escape codes for escape keys.
-si	Do not automatically reposition the screen to the bottom of the scrolling region following output to a window.
+si	Automatically reposition the screen to the bottom of the scrolling region following output to a window.
-sk	Automatically reposition a window in the normal position at the bottom of the scroll region when you press a key and use a scrollbar at the same time.
+sk	Do not reposition a window when pressing a key and using a scrollbar at the same time.
-slnumber	Specify the number of lines that have scrolled off the top of the screen to save (default = 64 lines).
-sp	Assume the Sun/PC keyboard.
+sp	Generate standard escape codes for the keypad and function keys.
-t	Start xterm in Tektronix mode, rather than VT102 mode.
+t	Start xterm in VT102 mode.
-tmstring	Specify a series of terminal setting keywords followed by the characters that should be bound to those functions. Allowable keywords include intr, quit, erase, kill, eof, eol, swtch, start, stop, brk, susp, dsusp, rprnt, flush, weras, and lnext. Control characters may be specified as ^char (e.g., ^c or ^u) and ^? may be used to indicate delete.
-tnname	Specify the name of the terminal type to be set in the TERM environment variable.
-ulc	Disable the display of characters with underline attribute as color, rather than underlined.
+ulc	Enable the display of characters with underline attribute as color, rather than with underlining.
-ut	Do not write a record into the system log file /etc/utmp.
+ut	Write record into the system log file /etc/utmp.
-vb	Use a visual bell, rather than an audible one.
+vb	Do not use a visual bell.
-wf	Wait for the window to be mapped the first time before starting the subprocess. This ensures that initial terminal size settings and environment variables are correct.
+wf	Don't wait before starting the application.
-C	Indicate the xterm should receive console output.
-Sccn	Specify the last two letters of the name of a pseudoterminal to be used in slave mode.

The following standard X Toolkit command line arguments are commonly used with xterm:

-bdcolor	Specify a border color. Default = black.
-bgcolor	Specify a background color. Default = white.
-bwpixels	Specify in pixels the width of the window border.
-displaydisplay	Specify the X server to contact.
-fgcolor	Specify a foreground (text) color. Default = black.
-fnfont	Specify normal text font. Default = fixed.
-geometrygeometry	Specify size and position of VT102 window.
-iconic	Tell xterm to ask the window manager to start the specified term as an icon, rather than a window.
-namename	Specify an application name under which resources are to be obtained, rather than the default executable file name.
-rv	Simulate reverse video by swapping the foreground and background colors.
-titlestring	Specify the window title string.
-xrmresourcestring	Specify a resource string to be used.

Resources

The program understands all of the core X Toolkit resource names and classes as well as

iconGeometry (class IconGeometry)	Specify the preferred size and position of the application when iconified.
iconName (class IconName)	Specify the icon name.
sunFunctionKeys (class SunFunctionKeys)	Generate Sun function key escap codes, rather than standard escape sequences.
sunKeyboard (class SunKeyboard)	Specify whether or not to assume Sun/PC keyboard layout, rather than DEC VT220.
termName (class TermName)	Specify the terminal type name to be set in the TERM environment variable.
title (class Title)	Tell the window manager to use the specified string when displaying this application.
ttyModes (class TtyModes)	Specify a string containing terminal setting keywords and the characters to which they may be bound.
useInsertMode (class UseInsertMode)	Force use of insert mode by adding appropriate entries to the TERMCAP environment variable.
utmpInhibit (class UtmpInhibit)	Specify whether or not xterm should try to record the user's terminal in /etc/utmp.
waitForMap (class WaitForMap)	Specify whether or not xterm should wait for the initial window map before starting the subprocess.

xvidtune

[ -prev | -next | -unlock | ] ] [ -toolkitoption ]

Xvidtune is a neat program used to twiddle the video mode settings of the X display.

Example: To interactively tune your video display system, use

xvidtune

The following buttons are active in Xvidtune.

<Left>, <Right>, <Up>, <Down>	Move the displayed image around on the screen.
<Wider>, <Narrower>, <Shorter>, <Taller>	Adjust the displayed image as specified.
Quit	Exit the program.
Apply	Apply any changes made to the server.
Auto	Toggle whether or not any changes made will be applied immediately.
Test	Temporarily switch to the selected settings.
Restore	Return the settings to their original values.
Fetch	Retrieve current settings from the server.
Show	Display the current settings to stdout.
Next	Switch the Xserver to the next video mode.
Prev	Switch the Xserver to the previous video mode.
InvertVCLK	Change the VCLK invert/noninvert state.
EarlySC	Change the Early SC state. This affects screen wrapping.
BlankDelay1, BlankDelay2	Set the blank delay values. These affect screen wrapping.

Options

-prev	Switch the Xserver to the previous video mode.
-next	Switch the Xserver to the next video mode.
-unlock	Allow switching of video modes via hot keys as xvidtune is running.