459 lines
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459 lines
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<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3O//DTD W3 HTML 2.0//EN">
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<!Converted with LaTeX2HTML 95.1 (Fri Jan 20 1995) by Nikos Drakos (nikos@cbl.leeds.ac.uk), CBLU, University of Leeds >
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<TITLE>5.1.3 Configuring XFree86</TITLE>
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<B> Next:</B> <A NAME=tex2html4345 HREF="node202.html">5.1.4 Filling in video </A>
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<B>Up:</B> <A NAME=tex2html4343 HREF="node198.html">5.1 The X Window </A>
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<B> Previous:</B> <A NAME=tex2html4337 HREF="node200.html">5.1.2 Installing XFree86</A>
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<BR> <HR> <P>
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<H2><A NAME=SECTION00713000000000000000>5.1.3 Configuring XFree86</A></H2>
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<P>
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<A NAME=5282> </A>
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Setting up XFree86 is not difficult in most cases. However, if you happen to
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be using hardware for which drivers ar under development, or wish
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to obtain the best performance or resolution from an accelerated
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graphics card, configuring XFree86 can be somewhat time-consuming.
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<P>
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In this section we will describe how to create and edit the <tt>XF86Config</tt>
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file, which configures the XFree86 server. In many cases it is best to
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start out with a ``basic'' XFree86 configuration, one which uses a low
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resolution, such as 640x480, which should be supported on all video cards
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and monitor types. Once you have XFree86 working at a lower, standard
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resolution, you can tweak the configuration to exploit the capabilities
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of your video hardware. The idea is that you want to know that XFree86 works
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at all on your system, and that something isn't wrong with your installation,
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before attempting the sometimes difficult task of setting up XFree86 for
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real use.
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<P>
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In addition to the information listed here, you should read the following
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documentation:
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<UL><LI> The XFree86 documentation in <tt>/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/doc</tt> (contained
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within the <tt>XFree86-3.1-doc</tt> package). You should especially see the
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file <tt>README.Config</tt>, which is an XFree86 configuration tutorial.
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<LI> Several video chipsets have separate <tt>README</tt> files in the
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above directory (such as <tt>README.Cirrus</tt> and <tt>README.S3</tt>).
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Read one of these if applicable.
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<LI> The man page for <tt>XFree86</tt>.
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<LI> The man page for <tt>XF86Config</tt>.
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<LI> The man page for the particular server that you are using (such as
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<tt>XF86_SVGA</tt> or <tt>XF86_S3</tt>).
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</UL>
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<P>
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<A NAME=5296> </A>
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<A NAME=5660> </A>
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<A NAME=5661> </A>
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The main XFree86 configuration file is <tt>/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/XF86Config</tt>.
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This file contains information on your mouse, video card parameters, and
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so on. The file <tt>XF86Config.eg</tt> is provided with the XFree86
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distribution as an example. Copy this file to <tt>XF86Config</tt> and edit
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it as a starting point.
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<P>
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The <tt>XF86Config</tt> man page explains the format of this file in detail.
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Read this man page now, if you have not done so already.
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<P>
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We are going to present a sample <tt>XF86Config</tt> file, piece by piece.
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This file may not look exactly like the sample file included in the
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XFree86 distribution, but the structure is the same.
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<P>
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<IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="(WARN)" SRC="bdt.gif">Note that the <tt>XF86Config</tt> file format may change
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with each version of XFree86; this information is only valid for
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XFree86 version 3.1.
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<P>
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Also, you should not simply copy the configuration file
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listed here to your own system and attempt to use it. Attempting to use
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a configuration file which doesn't correspond to your hardware could
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drive the monitor at a frequency which is too high for it; there have
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been reports of monitors (especially fixed-frequency monitors) being
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damaged or destroyed by using an incorrectly configured <tt>XF86Config</tt>
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file. The bottom line is this: Make absolutely sure that your
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<tt>XF86Config</tt> file corresponds to your hardware before you attempt
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to use it.
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<P>
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Each section of the <tt>XF86Config</tt> file is surrounded by
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the pair of lines <tt>Section "<IMG BORDER=0 ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="" SRC="img270.gif">"</tt>...<tt>EndSection</tt>.
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The first part of the <tt>XF86Config</tt> file is <tt>Files</tt>, which looks
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like this:
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<P>
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<P><TT> <PRE>Section "Files"
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RgbPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/rgb"
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FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/misc/"
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FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi/"
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EndSection
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</PRE> <P></TT>
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The <tt>RgbPath</tt> line sets the path to the X11R6 RGB color database,
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and each <tt>FontPath</tt> line sets the path to a directory containing
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X11 fonts. In general you shouldn't have to modify these lines;
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just be sure that there is a <tt>FontPath</tt> entry for each font type
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that you have installed (that is, for each directory in
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<tt>/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts</tt>).
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<P>
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The next section is <tt>ServerFlags</tt>, which specifies several global
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flags for the server. In general this section is empty.
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<P><TT> <PRE>Section "ServerFlags"
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# Uncomment this to cause a core dump at the spot where a signal is
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# received. This may leave the console in an unusable state, but may
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# provide a better stack trace in the core dump to aid in debugging
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# NoTrapSignals
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# Uncomment this to disable the <Crtl><Alt><BS> server abort sequence
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# DontZap
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EndSection
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</PRE> <P></TT>
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Here, we have all lines within the section commented out.
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<P>
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The next section is <tt>Keyboard</tt>. This should be fairly intuitive.
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<P><TT> <PRE>Section "Keyboard"
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Protocol "Standard"
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AutoRepeat 500 5
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ServerNumLock
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EndSection
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</PRE> <P></TT>
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Other options are available as well---see the <tt>XF86Config</tt> file
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if you wish to modify the keyboard configuration. The above should
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work for most systems.
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<P>
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The next section is <tt>Pointer</tt> which specifies parameters for the
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mouse device.
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<P><TT> <PRE>Section "Pointer"
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Protocol "MouseSystems"
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Device "/dev/mouse"
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# Baudrate and SampleRate are only for some Logitech mice
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# BaudRate 9600
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# SampleRate 150
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# Emulate3Buttons is an option for 2-button Microsoft mice
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# Emulate3Buttons
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# ChordMiddle is an option for some 3-button Logitech mice
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# ChordMiddle
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EndSection
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</PRE> <P></TT>
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The only options that you should concern yourself with now are
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<tt>Protocol</tt> and <tt>Device</tt>. <tt>Protocol</tt> specifies the
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mouse <em>protocol</em> that your mouse uses (not the make or brand of
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mouse). Valid types for <tt>Protocol</tt> (under Linux---there are other
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options available for other operating systems) are:
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<UL><LI> <tt>BusMouse</tt>
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<LI> <tt>Logitech</tt>
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<LI> <tt>Microsoft</tt>
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<LI> <tt>MMSeries</tt>
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<LI> <tt>Mouseman</tt>
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<LI> <tt>MouseSystems</tt>
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<LI> <tt>PS/2</tt>
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<LI> <tt>MMHitTab</tt>
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</UL>
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<tt>BusMouse</tt> should be used for the Logitech busmouse. Note that
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older Logitech mice should use <tt>Logitech</tt>, but newer Logitech
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mice use either <tt>Microsoft</tt> or <tt>Mouseman</tt> protocols.
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This is a case in which the protocol doesn't necessarily have anything
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to do with the make of the mouse.
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<P>
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<tt>Device</tt> specifies the device file where the mouse can be
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accessed. On most Linux systems, this is <tt>/dev/mouse</tt>.
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<tt>/dev/mouse</tt> is usually a link to the appropriate
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serial port (such as <tt>/dev/cua0</tt>) for serial mice, or to the
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appropriate busmouse device for busmice. At any rate, be sure
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that the device file listed in <tt>Device</tt> exists.
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<P>
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The next section is <tt>Monitor</tt>, which specifies the characteristics
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of your monitor. As with other sections in the <tt>XF86Config</tt>
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file, there may be more than one <tt>Monitor</tt> section. This is useful
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if you have multiple monitors connected to a system, or use the same
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<tt>XF86Config</tt> file under multiple hardware configurations.
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In general, though, you will need a single <tt>Monitor</tt> section.
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<P>
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<P><TT> <PRE>Section "Monitor"
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Identifier "CTX 5468 NI"
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# These values are for a CTX 5468NI only! Don't attempt to use
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# them with your monitor (unless you have this model)
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Bandwidth 60
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HorizSync 30-38,47-50
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VertRefresh 50-90
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# Modes: Name dotclock horiz vert
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ModeLine "640x480" 25 640 664 760 800 480 491 493 525
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ModeLine "800x600" 36 800 824 896 1024 600 601 603 625
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ModeLine "1024x768" 65 1024 1088 1200 1328 768 783 789 818
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EndSection
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</PRE> <P></TT>
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<P>
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The <tt>Identifier</tt> line is used to give an arbitrary name to the
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<tt>Monitor</tt> entry. This can be any string; you will use it to refer to
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the <tt>Monitor</tt> entry later in the <tt>XF86Config</tt> file.
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<P>
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they are listed below.
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<P>
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<tt>HorizSync</tt> specifies the valid horizontal sync frequencies for
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your monitor, in kHz. If you have a multisync monitor, this can be
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a range of values (or several comma-separated ranges), as seen above.
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If you have a fixed-frequency monitor, this will be a list of discrete
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values, such as:
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<P><TT> <PRE> HorizSync 31.5, 35.2, 37.9, 35.5, 48.95
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</PRE> <P></TT>
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Your monitor
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manual should list these values in the technical specifications
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section. If you do not have this information available, you
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should either contact the manufacturer or vendor of your monitor
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to obtain it. There are other sources of information, as well;
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<P>
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<tt>VertRefresh</tt> specifies the valid vertical refresh rates (or
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vertical synchronization frequencies) for your monitor, in Hz.
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Like <tt>HorizSync</tt> this can be a range or a list of discrete
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values; your monitor manual should list them.
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<P>
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<tt>HorizSync</tt> and <tt>VertRefresh</tt> are used only
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to double-check that the monitor resolutions that you specify are in
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valid ranges. This is to reduce the chance that you will damage your
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monitor by attempting to drive it at a frequency for which it was not
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designed.
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<P>
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The <tt>ModeLine</tt> directive is used to specify a single resolution mode
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for your monitor. The format of <tt>ModeLine</tt> is
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<P><TT> ModeLine <IMG BORDER=0 ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="" SRC="img271.gif"> <IMG BORDER=0 ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="" SRC="img272.gif"> <IMG BORDER=0 ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="" SRC="img273.gif"> <IMG BORDER=0 ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="" SRC="img274.gif"> <P></TT>
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<IMG BORDER=0 ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="" SRC="img275.gif"> is an arbitrary string, which you will use to refer to the
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resolution mode later in the file. <IMG BORDER=0 ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="" SRC="img276.gif"> is the driving
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clock frequency, or ``dot clock'' associated with the resolution mode.
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A dot clock is usually specified in MHz, and is the rate at which the
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video card must send pixels to the monitor at this resolution.
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<IMG BORDER=0 ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="" SRC="img277.gif"> and <IMG BORDER=0 ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="" SRC="img278.gif"> are four numbers each
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which specify when the electron gun of the monitor should fire, and
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when the horizontal and vertical sync pulses fire during a sweep.
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<P>
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How can you determine the <tt>ModeLine</tt> values for your monitor?
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The file <tt>VideoModes.doc</tt>, included with the XFree86 distribution,
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describes in detail how to determine these values for each resolution
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mode that your monitor supports. First of all, <IMG BORDER=0 ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="" SRC="img279.gif"> must
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correspond to one of the dot clock values that your video card can
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produce. Later in the <tt>XF86Config</tt> file you will specify these
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clocks; you can only use video modes which have a <IMG BORDER=0 ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="" SRC="img280.gif"> value
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supported by your video card.
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<P>
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There are two files included in the XFree86 distribution which may include
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<tt>ModeLine</tt> data for your monitor. These files are
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<tt>modeDB.txt</tt> and <tt>Monitors</tt>, both of which are found in
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<tt>/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/doc</tt>.
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<P>
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You should start with <tt>ModeLine</tt> values for the VESA standard monitor
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timings, which most monitors support. <tt>modeDB.txt</tt> includes timing
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values for VESA standard resolutions. In that file, you will see
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entries such as
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<P><TT> <PRE># 640x480@60Hz Non-Interlaced mode
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# Horizontal Sync = 31.5kHz
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# Timing: H=(0.95us, 3.81us, 1.59us), V=(0.35ms, 0.064ms, 1.02ms)
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#
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# name clock horizontal timing vertical timing flags
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"640x480" 25.175 640 664 760 800 480 491 493 525
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</PRE> <P></TT>
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This is a VESA standard timing for a 640x480 video mode. It uses a
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dot clock of 25.175, which your video card must support to use this
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mode (more on this later). To include this entry in the <tt>XF86Config</tt>
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file, you'd use the line
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<P><TT> ModeLine "640x480" 25.175 640 664 760 800 480 491 493 525
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<P></TT>
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Note that the <IMG BORDER=0 ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="" SRC="img281.gif"> argument to <tt>ModeLine</tt> (in this
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case <tt><code>"640x480"</code></tt>) is an arbitrary string---the convention
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is to name the mode after the resolution, but <IMG BORDER=0 ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="" SRC="img282.gif"> can
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technically be anything descriptive which describes the mode to you.
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<P>
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For each <tt>ModeLine</tt> used the server will check that the specifications
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for the mode fall within the range of values specified with
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<tt>Bandwidth</tt>, <tt>HorizSync</tt> and <tt>VertRefresh</tt>. If they do not,
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the server will complain when you attempt to start up X (more on this
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later). For one thing, the dot clock used by the mode should not
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be greater than the value used for <tt>Bandwidth</tt>. (However, in many
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cases it is safe to use modes with a slightly higher bandwidth than your
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monitor can support.)
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<P>
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If the VESA standard timings do not work for you (you'll know after
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trying to use them later) then the files <tt>modeDB.txt</tt> and
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<tt>Monitors</tt> include specific mode values for many monitor types.
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You can create <tt>ModeLine</tt> entries from the values found in those
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two files as well. Be sure to only use values for the specific model
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of monitor that you have. Note that many 14 and 15-inch monitors cannot
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support higher resolution modes, and often resolutions of 1024x768 at low
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dot clocks. This means that if you can't find high resolution modes for
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your monitor in these files, then your monitor probably does not support
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those resolution modes.
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<P>
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If you are completely at a loss, and can't find working <tt>ModeLine</tt>
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values for your monitor, you can follow the instructions in the
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<tt>VideoModes.doc</tt> file included in the XFree86 distribution to
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generate <tt>ModeLine</tt> values from the specifications listed in your
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monitor's manual. While your mileage will certainly vary when attempting
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to generate <tt>ModeLine</tt> values by hand, this is a good place to look
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if you can't find the values that you need. <tt>VideoModes.doc</tt> also
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describes the format of the <tt>ModeLine</tt> directive and other
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aspects of the XFree86 server in gory detail.
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<P>
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Lastly, if you do obtain <tt>ModeLine</tt> values which are almost, but not
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quite, right, then it may be possible to simply modify the values slightly
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to obtain the desired result. For example, if while running XFree86 the
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image on the monitor is shifted slightly, or seems to ``roll'', you can
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follow the instructions in the <tt>VideoModes.doc</tt> file to try to fix
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these values. Also, be sure to check the knobs and controls on the monitor
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itself! In many cases it is necessary to change the horizontal or vertical
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size of the display after starting up XFree86 in order for the image to
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be centered and be of the appropriate size. Having these controls on the
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front of the monitor can certainly make life easier.
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<P>
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<IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="(WARN)" SRC="bdt.gif">You shouldn't use monitor timing values or <tt>ModeLine</tt>
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values for monitors other than the model that you own. If you attempt to
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drive the monitor at a frequency for which it was not designed, you can
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damage or even destroy it.
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<P>
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The next section of the <tt>XF86Config</tt> file is <tt>Device</tt>,
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which specifies parameters for your video card. Here is an example.
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<P><TT> <PRE>Section "Device"
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Identifier "#9 GXE 64"
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# Nothing yet; we fill in these values later.
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EndSection
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</PRE> <P></TT>
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<P>
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This section defines properties for a particular video card.
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<tt>Identifier</tt> is an arbitrary string describing the card;
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you will use this string to refer to the card later.
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<P>
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Initially, you don't need to include anything in the <tt>Device</tt>
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section, except for <tt>Identifier</tt>. This is because we will be
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using the X server itself to probe for the properties of the video
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card, and entering them into the <tt>Device</tt> section later.
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The XFree86 server is capable of probing for the video chipset,
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clocks, RAMDAC, and amount of video RAM on the board.
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<P>
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Before we do this, however, we need to finish writing the <tt>XF86Config</tt>
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file. The next section is <tt>Screen</tt>, which specifies the monitor/video
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card combination to use for a particular server.
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<P>
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<P><TT> <PRE> Section "Screen"
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Driver "Accel"
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Device "#9 GXE 64"
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Monitor "CTX 5468 NI"
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Subsection "Display"
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Depth 16
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Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
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ViewPort 0 0
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Virtual 1024 768
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EndSubsection
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EndSection
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</PRE> <P></TT>
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<P>
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The <tt>Driver</tt> line specifies the X server that you will be using.
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The value values for <tt>Driver</tt> are:
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<UL><LI> <tt>Accel</tt>: For the <tt>XF86_S3</tt>, <tt>XF86_Mach32</tt>, <tt>XF86_Mach8</tt>,
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<tt>XF86_8514</tt>, <tt>XF86_P9000</tt>, <tt>XF86_AGX</tt>, and <tt>XF86_W32</tt>
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servers;
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<LI> <tt>SVGA</tt>: For the <tt>XF86_SVGA</tt> server;
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<LI> <tt>VGA16</tt>: For the <tt>XF86_VGA16</tt> server;
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<LI> <tt>VGA2</tt>: For the <tt>XF86_Mono</tt> server;
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<LI> <tt>Mono</tt>: For the non-VGA monochrome drivers in the <tt>XF86_Mono</tt>
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and <tt>XF86_VGA16</tt> servers.
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</UL>
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You should be sure that <tt>/usr/X11R6/bin/X</tt> is a symbolic link to the
|
|
server that you are using.
|
|
<P>
|
|
The <tt>Device</tt> line specifies the <tt>Identifier</tt> of the <tt>Device</tt>
|
|
section corresponding to the video card to use for this server.
|
|
Above, we created a <tt>Device</tt> section with the line
|
|
<P><TT> <PRE>Identifier "#9 GXE 64"
|
|
</PRE> <P></TT>
|
|
Therefore, we use <tt><code>"#9 GXE 64"</code></tt> on the <tt>Device</tt> line here.
|
|
<P>
|
|
Similarly, the <tt>Monitor</tt> line specifies the name of the <tt>Monitor</tt>
|
|
section to be used with this server. Here, <tt><code>"CTX 5468 NI"</code></tt> is
|
|
the <tt>Identifier</tt> used in the <tt>Monitor</tt> section described above.
|
|
<P>
|
|
<tt><code>Subsection "Display"</code></tt> defines several properties of the
|
|
XFree86 server corresponding to your monitor/video card combination.
|
|
The <tt>XF86Config</tt> file describes all of these options in detail;
|
|
most of them are icing on the cake and not necessary to get the system
|
|
working.
|
|
<P>
|
|
The options that you should know about are:
|
|
<UL><LI> <tt>Depth</tt>. Defines the number of color planes---the number of
|
|
bits per pixel. Usually, <tt>Depth</tt> is set to 8. For the <tt>VGA16</tt>
|
|
server, you would use a depth of 4, and for the monochrome server a depth
|
|
of 1. If you are using an accelerated video card with enough memory
|
|
to support more bits per pixel, you can set <tt>Depth</tt> to 16, 24, or 32.
|
|
If you have problems with depths higher than 8, set it back to 8 and
|
|
attempt to debug the problem later.
|
|
<P>
|
|
<LI> <tt>Modes</tt>. This is the list of video mode names which have
|
|
been defined using the <tt>ModeLine</tt> directive in the <tt>Monitor</tt>
|
|
section. In the above section, we used <tt>ModeLines</tt> named
|
|
<tt><code>"1024x768"</code></tt>, <tt><code>"800x600"</code></tt>, and <tt><code>"640x48"0</code></tt>.
|
|
Therefore, we use a <tt>Modes</tt> line of
|
|
<P><TT> <PRE> Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
|
|
</PRE> <P></TT>
|
|
The first mode listed on this line will be the default when XFree86
|
|
starts up. After XFree86 is running, you can switch between the modes
|
|
listed here using the keys <IMG BORDER=0 ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="" SRC="img283.gif">-<IMG BORDER=0 ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="" SRC="img284.gif">-<IMG BORDER=0 ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="" SRC="img285.gif"> and
|
|
<IMG BORDER=0 ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="" SRC="img286.gif">-<IMG BORDER=0 ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="" SRC="img287.gif">-<IMG BORDER=0 ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="" SRC="img288.gif">.
|
|
<P>
|
|
It might be best, when initially configuring XFree86, to use
|
|
lower resolution video modes, such as 640x480, which tend to work on
|
|
most systems. Once you have the basic configuration working you can
|
|
modify <tt>XF86Config</tt> to support higher resolutions.
|
|
<P>
|
|
<LI> <tt>Virtual</tt>. Sets the virtual desktop size. XFree86 has the
|
|
ability to use any additional memory on your video card to extend
|
|
the size of your desktop. When you move the mouse pointer to the edge
|
|
of the display, the desktop will scroll, bringing the additional
|
|
space into view. Therefore, even if you are running at a lower
|
|
video resolution such as 800x600, you can set <tt>Virtual</tt> to the
|
|
total resolution which your video card can support (a 1-megabyte video
|
|
card can support 1024x768 at a depth of 8 bits per pixel; a 2-megabyte
|
|
card 1280x1024 at depth 8, or 1024x768 at depth 16).
|
|
Of course, the entire area will not be visible at once, but it can
|
|
still be used.
|
|
<P>
|
|
The <tt>Virtual</tt> feature is a nice way to utilize the memory of your
|
|
video card, but it is rather limited. If you want to use a true
|
|
virtual desktop, we suggest using <tt>fvwm</tt>, or a similar window
|
|
manager, instead. <tt>fvwm</tt> allows you to have rather large virtual
|
|
desktops (implemented by hiding windows, and so forth, instead of
|
|
actually storing the entire desktop in video memory at once). See the
|
|
man pages for <tt>fvwm</tt> for more details about this; most Linux systems
|
|
use <tt>fvwm</tt> by default.
|
|
<P>
|
|
<LI> <tt>ViewPort</tt>. If you are using the <tt>Virtual</tt> option described
|
|
above, <tt>ViewPort</tt> sets the coordinates of the upper-left-hand corner
|
|
of the virtual desktop when XFree86 starts up. <tt>Virtual 0 0</tt> is often
|
|
used; if this is unspecified then the desktop is centered on the virtual
|
|
desktop display (which may be undesirable to you).
|
|
<P>
|
|
</UL>
|
|
<P>
|
|
Many other options for this section exist; see the <tt>XF86Config</tt>
|
|
man page for a complete description. In practice these other options
|
|
are not necessary to get XFree86 initially working.
|
|
<P>
|
|
<BR> <HR><A NAME=tex2html4344 HREF="node202.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="next" SRC="next_motif.gif"></A> <A NAME=tex2html4342 HREF="node198.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="up" SRC="up_motif.gif"></A> <A NAME=tex2html4336 HREF="node200.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="previous" SRC="previous_motif.gif"></A> <A NAME=tex2html4346 HREF="node1.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="contents" SRC="contents_motif.gif"></A> <A NAME=tex2html4347 HREF="node250.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="index" SRC="index_motif.gif"></A> <BR>
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<B> Next:</B> <A NAME=tex2html4345 HREF="node202.html">5.1.4 Filling in video </A>
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<B>Up:</B> <A NAME=tex2html4343 HREF="node198.html">5.1 The X Window </A>
|
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<B> Previous:</B> <A NAME=tex2html4337 HREF="node200.html">5.1.2 Installing XFree86</A>
|
|
<BR> <HR> <P>
|
|
<BR> <HR>
|
|
<P><ADDRESS>
|
|
<I>Matt Welsh <BR>
|
|
mdw@sunsite.unc.edu</I>
|
|
</ADDRESS>
|
|
</BODY>
|