Manual Pages for UNIX Operating System command usage for man Xorg
User Commands Xorg(1)
NAME
Xorg - X11R7 X server
SYNOPSIS
/usr/bin/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 Consult-
ing 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 connec-
tions should be attempted. This list can be overridden by
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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(4) configuration file,
auto-detection, and fallback defaults. When the same infor-
mation is supplied in more than one way, the highest pre-
cedence 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 avail-
able 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(4) 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:
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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 dev-
ice can't be opened or initialised. This is
equivalent to the AllowMouseOpenFail xorg.conf(4)
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(4) 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 rela-
tive 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(4)
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 con-
figuration 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.
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-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 DisableVid-
ModeExtension xorg.conf(4) 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 frame-
buffer (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 pix-
els.
-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:
(e.g., PCI:1:0:0). At present, only isolation of
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PCI devices is supported; i.e., this option is
ignored if bustype is anything other than PCI.
-keeptty
Prevent the server from detaching its initial con-
trolling 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(4) 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 sec-
tion is used for the core keyboard.
-layout layout-name
Use the xorg.conf(4) 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 sup-
plied, each occurrence of this option increments the
log file verbosity level. When the n value is sup-
plied, 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. sear-
chpath 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
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use this option. Some client applications don't
like this pixmap format, even though it is a per-
fectly legal format. This is equivalent to the Pix-
map xorg.conf(4) 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(4) file
option.
-pointer pointer-name
Use the xorg.conf(4) 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 sec-
tion 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(4) 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
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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. These actions depend on
the XKB keymap loaded by a particular keyboard device and
may or may not be available on a given configuration.
The following key combinations are commonly part of the
default XKEYBOARD keymap.
Ctrl+Alt+Backspace
Immediately kills the server -- no questions asked.
It can be disabled by setting the DontZap
xorg.conf(4) file option to a TRUE value.
Ctrl+Alt+Keypad-Plus
Change video mode to next one specified in the con-
figuration file. This can be disabled with the
DontZoom xorg.conf(4) 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(4) 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(4) file
option.
CONFIGURATION
Xorg typically uses a configuration file called xorg.conf
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for its initial setup. Refer to the xorg.conf(4) 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 mechan-
ism 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 configura-
tion 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 avail-
able.
The automatic configuration support for Xorg is work in pro-
gress. 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 loca-
tions. These are documented fully in the xorg.conf(4)
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.
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/usr/share/X11/XErrorDB Client error message database.
/usr/lib/X11/app-defaults/* Client resource specifica-
tions.
/usr/share/man/man?/* Manual pages.
/etc/Xn.hosts Initial access control list
for display n.
SEE ALSO
X(5), Xserver(1), xdm(1), xinit(1), xorg.conf(4), xvid-
tune(1), apm(7), ati(7), chips(7), cirrus(7), cyrix(7),
fbdev(7), glide(7), glint(7), i128(7), i740(7), imstt(7),
intel(7), mga(7), neomagic(7), nsc(7), nv(7), openchrome
(7), r128(7), rendition(7), s3virge(7), siliconmotion(7),
sis(7), sunbw2(7), suncg14(7), suncg3(7), suncg6(7),
sunffb(7), sunleo(7), suntcx(7), tdfx(7), tga(7), tri-
dent(7), tseng(7), v4l(7), vesa(7), vmware(7),
Web site .
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 ori-
ginally based on X386 1.2 by Thomas Roell, which was contri-
buted 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 Wexel-
blat.
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
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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
, and from the X.Org server
. Documentation and other
information can be found from the X.Org web site
.
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 con-
tributors from around the world. Licensing information can
be found at . 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.
ATTRIBUTES
See attributes(5) for descriptions of the following attri-
butes:
____________________________________________________________
| ATTRIBUTE TYPE | ATTRIBUTE VALUE |
|_____________________________|_____________________________|
| Availability | x11/server/xorg |
|_____________________________|_____________________________|
| Interface Stability | Volatile |
|_____________________________|_____________________________|
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