xorg(1x)
NAME
Xorg - X11R6 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 from XFree86 4.4rc2 by the X.Org Foundation.  The
XFree86 4.4rc2 release was originally derived from X386 1.2  by  Thomas
Roell  which  was  contributed  to X11R5 by Snitily Graphics Consulting
Service.  The Xorg server architecture includes among many other things
a  loadable module system derived from code donated by Metro Link, Inc.
The current Xorg release is compatible with X11R6.6.
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, SPARC and PowerPC.  The most widely supported operating systems are the free/OpenSource UNIX-like systems such as  Linux,
FreeBSD, NetBSD and OpenBSD.  Commercial UNIX operating systems such as
Solaris (x86) and UnixWare are also supported.  Other supported operating systems include LynxOS, and GNU Hurd.  Darwin and Mac OS X are supported with the XDarwin(1) X server.  Win32/Cygwin  is  supported  with
the XWin X server.
NETWORK CONNECTIONS
Xorg  supports  connections  made  using  the  following reliable bytestreams:
- 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.
- TCPIP
- 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(5x)  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(5x)  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 such as Linux, BSD, SVR3 and SVR4, that have virtual terminal support.
- -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(5x) file option.
- -allowNonLocalModInDev
- Allow changes to keyboard and mouse settings from non-local clients. By default, connections from non-local clients are not allowed to do this. This is equivalent to the AllowNonLocalModInDev xorg.conf(5x) 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(5x) 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, anduse -fbbpp if you really need to force a non-default framebuffer (hardware) pixel format.
- -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(5x) 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.
- -disableModInDev
 Disable dynamic modification of input device settings. This is equivalent to the DisableModInDev xorg.conf(5x) file option.
- -disableVidMode
 Disable the 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(5x) 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., 'PCI:1:0:0'). At present, only isolation of PCI devices is supported; i.e., this option is ignored if bustype is anything other than 'PCI'.
- -keepttyPrevent 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-nameUse the xorg.conf(5x) file InputDevice section called keyboardname 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(5x) 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(5x) 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(5x) file option.
- -pointer pointer-nameUse the xorg.conf(5x) file InputDevice section called pointername 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.
- -probeonly
 Causes the server to exit after the device probing stage. The xorg.conf(5x) file is still used when this option is given, so information that can be auto-detected should be commented out.
- -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.
- -scanpci
 When this option is specified, the Xorg server scans the PCI bus, and prints out some information about each device that was detected. See also scanpci(1) and pcitweak(1).
- -screen screen-name
 Use the xorg.conf(5x) 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.
- -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.
- -showDefaultLibPath
 Print out the path libraries should be installed to.
- -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.
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  server 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.
For more information about when the builtin event handler is used to recognize the special key combinations, see the documentation on the HandleSpecialKeys option in the xorg.conf(5x) man page.
The special combinations of key presses  recognized  directly  by  Xorg
are:
- Ctrl+Alt+Backspace
- Immediately kills the server -- no questions asked. This can be disabled with the DontZap xorg.conf(5x) file option.
- Ctrl+Alt+Keypad-Plus
 Change video mode to next one specified in the configuration file. This can be disabled with the DontZoom xorg.conf(5x) file option.
- Ctrl+Alt+Keypad-MinusChange video mode to previous one specified in the configuration file. This can be disabled with the DontZoom xorg.conf(5x) file option.
- Ctrl+Alt+Keypad-Multiply Not treated specially by default. If the AllowClosedownGrabs xorg.conf(5x) file option is specified, this key sequence kills clients with an active keyboard or mouse grab as well as killing any application that may have locked the server, normally using the XGrabServer(3x) Xlib function.
- Ctrl+Alt+Keypad-Divide
 Not treated specially by default. If the AllowDeactivateGrabs xorg.conf(5x) file option is specified, this key sequence deactivates any active keyboard and mouse grabs.
- Ctrl+Alt+F1...F12
 For BSD and Linux 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(5x) file option.
CONFIGURATION
Xorg  typically uses a configuration file called xorg.conf for its initial setup.  Refer to the xorg.conf(5x)  manual  page  for  information
about the format of this file.
Starting  with version 4.4, 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 three 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 use an  external  utility  called  getconfig(1),  when
available, to use meta-configuration information to generate a suitable
configuration for the primary  video  device.   The  meta-configuration
information can be updated to allow an existing installation to get the
best out of new hardware or to work around bugs that  are  found  postrelease.
The  third  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(5x) 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/lib/X11/rgb.txt Color names to RGB mapping.
/usr/lib/X11/XErrorDB Client error message database.
/usr/lib/X11/app-defaults/* Client resource specifications.
/usr/man/man?/* Manual pages.
- /etc/Xn.hosts Initial access control list for display
- n.
SEE ALSO
X(7),  Xserver(1x),  xdm(1x), xinit(1x), xorg.conf(5x), xorgconfig(1x),
xorgcfg(1x),  xvidtune(1x),  apm(4),   ati(4),   chips(4),   cirrus(4),
cyrix(4),  fbdev(4),  glide(4),  glint(4),  i128(4),  i740(4), i810(4),
imstt(4), mga(4), neomagic(4), nsc(4),  nv(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), vga(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://www.freedesktop.org/cvs/>. 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.