Xorg
Section: User Commands (1)
Updated: xorg-server 1.7.1
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NAME
Xorg - X11R7 X server
SYNOPSIS
Xorg
[:display]
[option
...]
DESCRIPTION
Xorg
is a full featured 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 was derived by the X.Org Foundation from the XFree86 Project's
XFree86 4.4rc2
release.
The XFree86 release was originally derived from
X386 1.2
by Thomas Roell which was contributed to X11R5 by Snitily Graphics
Consulting Service.
PLATFORMS
Xorg
operates under a wide range of operating systems and hardware platforms.
The Intel x86 (IA32) architecture is the most widely supported hardware
platform. Other hardware platforms include Compaq Alpha, Intel IA64, AMD64,
SPARC and PowerPC. The most widely supported operating systems are the
free/OpenSource UNIX-like systems such as Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD,
OpenBSD, and Solaris. Commercial UNIX operating systems such as
UnixWare are also supported. Other supported operating systems include
GNU Hurd. Darwin and Mac OS X are supported with the
XDarwin(1) X server. Win32/Cygwin is supported with the
XWin(1) X server.
NETWORK CONNECTIONS
Xorg
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.
- TCP/IP
-
Xorg
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 succeeds 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").
his variable overrides the compiled-in defaults. For SVR4 it is
recommended that
NAMED
be the first preference 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(1) or xinit(1), the definition should be
at the top of your
.xinitrc
file. If you use xdm(1), the definitions should be early on in the
/usr/lib/X11/xdm/Xsession
script.
OPTIONS
Xorg
supports several mechanisms for supplying/obtaining configuration and
run-time parameters: command line options, environment variables, the
xorg.conf(5) configuration file, auto-detection, and
fallback defaults. When the same information is supplied in more than
one way, the highest precedence mechanism is used. The list of mechanisms
is ordered from highest precedence to lowest. Note that not all parameters
can be supplied via all methods. The available command line options
and environment variables (and some defaults) are described here and in
the Xserver(1) manual page. Most configuration file
parameters, with their defaults, are described in the
xorg.conf(5) manual page. Driver and module specific
configuration parameters are described in the relevant driver or module
manual page.
In addition to the normal server options described in the
Xserver(1) manual page,
Xorg
accepts the following command line switches:
- vtXX
-
XX
specifies the Virtual Terminal device number which
Xorg
will use. Without this option,
Xorg
will pick the first available Virtual Terminal that it can locate. This
option applies only to platforms that have virtual terminal support, such
as Linux, BSD, OpenSolaris, SVR3, and SVR4.
- -allowMouseOpenFail
-
Allow the server to start up even if the mouse device can't be opened
or initialised. This is equivalent to the
AllowMouseOpenFail
xorg.conf(5) 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
xorg.conf(5) 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 framebuffer (hardware) pixel
format.
- -config 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.
- -configure
-
When this option is specified, the
Xorg
server loads all video driver modules, probes for available hardware,
and writes out an initial xorg.conf(5) 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.
- -disableVidMode
-
Disable 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
xorg.conf(5) 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
Xorg
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.
- -isolateDevice bus-id
-
Restrict device resets to the device at
bus-id.
The
bus-id
string has the form
bustype:bus:device:function
(e.g., oqPCI:1:0:0cq).
At present, only isolation of PCI devices is supported; i.e., this option
is ignored if
bustype
is anything other than oqPCIcq.
- -keeptty
-
Prevent the server from detaching its initial controlling terminal.
This option is only useful when debugging the server. Not all platforms
support (or can use) this option.
- -keyboard keyboard-name
-
Use the xorg.conf(5) file
InputDevice
section called
keyboard-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 xorg.conf(5) file
Layout
section called
layout-name.
By default the first
Layout
section is used.
- -logfile filename
-
Use the file called
filename
as the
Xorg
server log file. The default log file is
/var/log/Xorg.n.log
on most platforms, where
n
is the display number of the
Xorg
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
Xorg
server log file. If the
n
value isn't supplied, each occurrence 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
Xorg
server modules. 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 applications don't like this
pixmap format, even though it is a perfectly legal format. This is
equivalent to the
Pixmap
xorg.conf(5) file option.
- -pixmap32
-
Set the internal pixmap format for depth 24 pixmaps to 32 bits per pixel.
This is usually the default. This is equivalent to the
Pixmap
xorg.conf(5) file option.
- -pointer pointer-name
-
Use the xorg.conf(5) file
InputDevice
section called
pointer-name
as the core pointer. This option is ignored when the
Layout
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.
- -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.
- -screen screen-name
-
Use the xorg.conf(5) 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 compatibility reasons. It may be removed
in a future release, so the
-version
option should be used instead.
- -showDefaultModulePath
-
Print out the default module path the server was compiled with.
- -showDefaultLibPath
-
Print out the path libraries should be installed to.
- -showopts
-
For each driver module installed, print out the list of options and their
argument types.
- -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 occurrence of this option increments the
verbosity level. When the
n
value is supplied, the verbosity level is set to that value. The default
verbosity 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.
KEYBOARD
The
Xorg
server is normally configured to recognize various special combinations
of key presses that instruct the server to perform some action, rather
than just sending the key press event to a client application. The
default XKEYBOARD keymap defines the key combinations listed below.
The kbd (4) driver also has these key combinations
builtin to its event handler
for cases where the XKEYBOARD extension is not being used. When using
the XKEYBOARD extension, which key combinations perform which actions
is completely configurable.
The special combinations of key presses recognized directly
by
Xorg
are:
- Ctrl+Alt+Backspace
-
Immediately kills the server -- no questions asked. This is disabled by
default. It can be enabled with the -retro command line flag or by setting
the
DontZap
xorg.conf(5) file option to a FALSE value.
- Ctrl+Alt+Keypad-Plus
-
Change video mode to next one specified in the configuration file.
This can be disabled with the
DontZoom
xorg.conf(5) file option.
- Ctrl+Alt+Keypad-Minus
-
Change video mode to previous one specified in the configuration file.
This can be disabled with the
DontZoom
xorg.conf(5) file option.
- Ctrl+Alt+F1...F12
-
For systems with virtual terminal support, these keystroke
combinations are used to switch to virtual terminals 1 through 12,
respectively. This can be disabled with the
DontVTSwitch
xorg.conf(5) file option.
CONFIGURATION
Xorg
typically uses a configuration file called
xorg.conf
for its initial setup.
Refer to the xorg.conf(5) manual page for information
about the format of this file.
Xorg
has a mechanism for automatically generating a built-in configuration
at run-time when no
xorg.conf
file is present. The current version of this automatic configuration
mechanism works in two ways.
The first is via enhancements that have made many components of the
xorg.conf
file optional. This means that information that can be probed or
reasonably deduced doesn't need to be specified explicitly, greatly
reducing the amount of built-in configuration information that needs to
be generated at run-time.
The second is to have "safe" fallbacks for most configuration information.
This maximises the likelihood that the
Xorg
server will start up in some usable configuration even when information
about the specific hardware is not available.
The automatic configuration support for Xorg is work in progress.
It is currently aimed at the most popular hardware and software platforms
supported by Xorg. Enhancements are planned for future releases.
FILES
The
Xorg
server config file can be found in a range of locations. These are
documented fully in the xorg.conf(5) manual page. The
most commonly used locations are shown here.
- /etc/X11/xorg.conf
-
Server configuration file.
- /etc/X11/xorg.conf-4
-
Server configuration file.
- /etc/xorg.conf
-
Server configuration file.
- /usr/etc/xorg.conf
-
Server configuration file.
- /usr/lib/X11/xorg.conf
-
Server configuration file.
- /var/log/Xorg.n.log
-
Server log file for display
n.
- /usr/bin/*
-
Client binaries.
- /usr/include/*
-
Header files.
- /usr/lib/*
-
Libraries.
- /usr/lib/X11/fonts/*
-
Fonts.
- /usr/share/X11/XErrorDB
-
Client error message database.
- /usr/lib/X11/app-defaults/*
-
Client resource specifications.
- /usr/share/man/man?/*
-
Manual pages.
- /etc/Xn.hosts
-
Initial access control list for display
n.
SEE ALSO
X(7), Xserver(1), xdm(1), xinit(1),
xorg.conf(5), xvidtune(1),
apm(4),
ati(4),
chips(4),
cirrus(4),
cyrix(4),
fbdev(4),
glide(4),
glint(4),
i128(4),
i740(4),
imstt(4),
intel(4),
mga(4),
neomagic(4),
nsc(4),
nv(4),
openchrome (4),
r128(4),
rendition(4),
s3virge(4),
siliconmotion(4),
sis(4),
sunbw2(4),
suncg14(4),
suncg3(4),
suncg6(4),
sunffb(4),
sunleo(4),
suntcx(4),
tdfx(4),
tga(4),
trident(4),
tseng(4),
v4l(4),
vesa(4),
vmware(4),
Web site
<http://www.x.org>.
AUTHORS
Xorg 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.
Xorg was originally based on XFree86 4.4rc2.
That was originally based on X386 1.2 by Thomas Roell, which
was contributed to the then X Consortium's X11R5 distribution by SGCS.
Xorg is released by the X.Org Foundation.
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
Xorg source is available from the FTP server
<ftp://ftp.x.org/>, and from the X.Org
server <http://gitweb.freedesktop.org/>. Documentation and other
information can be found from the X.Org web site
<http://www.x.org/>.
LEGAL
Xorg
is copyright software, provided under licenses that permit modification
and redistribution in source and binary form without fee.
Xorg is copyright by numerous authors and
contributors from around the world. Licensing information can be found
at
<http://www.x.org>.
Refer to the source code for specific copyright notices.
XFree86(TM)
is a trademark of The XFree86 Project, Inc.
X11(TM)
and
X Window System(TM)
are trademarks of The Open Group.