X Windows
The X Windows System (also known as X11, X, and X-Windows) is a windowing system, common on Linux and Unix-like operating systems. X provides the basic framework for a windowed GUI environment. Drawing and moving windows on the display as well as interaction with the keyboard and mouse are handled by X. Many EMAC machines use an X server to provide the graphical user interface; others use a framebuffer. To determine which type is used on a specific machine, consult the machine's documentation.
Contents
Utilities
The following list is a collection of common X utilities included on Standard EMAC OE builds.
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xdpyinfo
xdpyinfois a utility for displaying information about the X server. This utility may not work unless it is run from a graphical terminal within the X server session.
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xinit
xinitis the low-level utility that is used to start the X server.
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startx
startxis the high level utility for starting X. It starts X with the configured desktop manager.
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/etc/init.d/xserver-nodm
/etc/init.d/xserver-nodmis the init script found on EMAC OE Linux systems which have an X server. This is normally the correct script to use for starting and stopping the X server. When passedstartas the only argument, this script will launch the X server, output log information about the startup process, then return the user to the shell (by forking the launcher into a daemon). Passstopto this script to shut down the X server properly.
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xkbcomp
xkbcompis a keymap compiler that is most commonly used to create a.xkmkeymap file to be read by X servers or utilities.
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xmodmap
xmodmapis a utility that is used for modifying keymaps.
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xrandr
xrandris used to set the size, orientation and/or reflection of the outputs for a screen.
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xscreensaver
- The
xscreensaverprogram waits until the keyboard and mouse have been idle for a period, and then runs a graphics demo chosen at random.
- The
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xset
xsetis used to set various user preference options of the display.
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xterm
- The
xtermprogram is a terminal emulator for the X Window System.
- The
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xtscal
xtscalcalibrates the touchscreen on an X system.
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xinput
xinputis a utility to list available input devices, query information about a device and change input device settings.
Please refer to the man pages for each command to get specific instructions and options:
developer@ldc:~# man <command>
SSH X Forwarding
While using SSH to access a system running the X Windows System, it is possible to have any windows attached to a program running on the remote system appear on the local machine. To connect to the system at the IP address 10.0.2.41 with X forwarding, enter the following command:
developer@ldc:~# ssh -X user@10.0.2.41
Other than the -X option, the procedure for logging in is the same as that listed on the System Login Page.
To verify that X forwarding is enabled, the following command may be entered:
user@emac-oe:~# xclock &
This will open a small analog clock in a window on the host machine. The window can be closed after verifying the correct functionality.
Alternatively, the xclock program can be run with X forwarding with one ssh command:
user@ldc:~# ssh -X user@10.0.2.41 "xclock"
Links
The following are links to detailed documentation relating to the X Windows System.
General
Toolkits
X Development
