Lecture #7 X Windows

Objectives

• Describe the major components of the X Window system.
• Differentiate between the X server, a Desktop Manager, and a Window Manager
• Customize an X window login session
• Use X Windows to run clients locally and remotely

Agenda

• Run the X server standalone on one and multiple displays
• Use X, xinit, and startx to start an X window session.
• Run a remote Xclient on a local server using SSH and port forwarding
• Run a local Xclient on a neighbor's X server.
• Create a custom desktop without using Gnome or KDE components.
• Configure an X Server using a tool to edit the configuration file: Xorg.conf

Assignment

• Take a deep breath and prepare for Final

Resources

• PowerPoint Slides
• Lecture 7 Archive

Understanding X

1. Overview
   • One of the original open source projects - developed at MIT
   • Handles Fonts Poorly
   • Overly complex
   • Recent improvements to XFree86
2. The Components of X
   1. Server Component
      • most important component
      • controls input devices
      • controls video hardware
      • VGA and hardware specific servers
   2. Client Component
      • clients are what the user sees
      • window manager provides access to individual clients and windows
              e.g. metacity, mwm, twm, sawfish, enlightenment ...
      • file manager - client that acts as a graphical shell allowing access to the file system
      • desktop manager - provides login sessions, authentication, and taskbar support
3. Configuring X
   • Vital part of any Linux Installation
     • XF86Setup
     • xf86config
     • redhat-config-xfree86 (RedHat)
   • Gathering Hardware Information
     1. Monitor
     2. Video card
     3. Mouse
     4. Keyboard
4. Starting an X Window Session
   1. X name given to the graphics server.
   2. startx shell script - usually in /etc/X11
   3. xinit command
   4. xdm command
      • can be run only by root
      • usually used in startup scripts
      • shows graphical logon screen
   5. Window Manager determines look and feel

Relevant Commands and Files