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Quick-Start Guide to XFree86 Setup





              Quick-Start Guide to XFree86 Setup


                   Joe Moss


                26 August 1996




                   Abstract

      Current releases of XFree86 include several tools that can help
     to automate the process of server configuration. Much of the existing
     documentation, however, describes how to do the job manually, includ-
     ing many technical details.       For those users with esoteric hard-
     ware or with the desire to get their hands dirty under the hood, this
     is great, but many users are using common hardware and just want to
     get X up and running quickly.  This guide is for them.




1.  Before You Start

There are a few bits of information that you will need to have before you can
setup the server:

      The model name of your video card
        Make sure you know the exact model name of the card.  It may help
        to also know the graphics chipset, RAMDAC, and clock chip used on
        your card.

      The amount of memory on your video card
        Find out how many megabytes of RAM are on your video card.

      Whether or not your card is VGA compatible
        Most cards these days are VGA compatible, but for example, if you
        have and older monochrome card, it might not be.

      Your monitor's specifications
        Specifically, you need to know the horizontal sync rate(s), and
        vertical refresh rate(s).  These are important!  Consult your moni-
        tor's manual.

      The protocol used by your mouse
        It will help speed up the process, if you know which protocol is
        used by your mouse to communicate. Some mice are capable of using
        two different protocols, although the method of switching between
        them varies.



Quick-Start Guide to XFree86 Setup





Quick-Start Guide to XFree86 Setup



2.  What to Do - An Overview

There are three tools that can be used to set up XFree86:

   o XF86Setup

   o xf86config

   o xvidtune

XF86Setup primarily uses a graphical user interface and is the preferred tool
for initial setup, but there are a few cases where it can't be used.  If you
are using a card that is not VGA compatible, have a fixed-frequency monitor, or
are running OS/2, you'll not be able to use XF86Setup, read about xf86config
instead.  If you have limited RAM or a slow system, you might be better off
using xf86config as well.

The xf86config program is text based only, but works for almost any hardware
combination.  If you have a fixed frequency monitor that won't work with stan-
dard text modes, you will have to read the necessary documentation and do the
configuration manually.

To get things looking just right, you may need to use xvidtune, a program that
allows you to make adjustments to the displayed image (e.g. make it wider, move
it a little to the left, etc.).  XF86Setup will allow you to run xvidtune at
the appropriate time; if you use xf86config, you can use xvidtune afterwards.

      All of these are explained in detail in the following sections.  If
you're the type that doesn't like to read the documentation, but would rather
just try and figure your way through things, you can just type XF86Setup now.
If you have problems, the documentation will still be here.

Although it is possible to use XF86Setup from within X to make changes to your
existing configuration, such use is not specifically documented here.  These
instructions are primarily for those initially setting up XFree86 on their sys-
tem.


3.  Using XF86Setup

XF86Setup will first check around to make sure certain files are installed and
that you are running as root.  If a problem is found, it will display a message
and exit.  Correct the problem (e.g. install the missing files) and run it
again.

3.1  Initial questions

If you have an existing XF86Config file, you will be asked if you would like to
use it to set the default values of various configuration settings.  If you've
already got an (at least somewhat) working configuration you will want to do
this.

If you are running on an OS which has a mouse driver in the kernel (e.g. SCO or
SVR4), you may be asked if you'd like to use it.








Quick-Start Guide to XFree86 Setup



Once the questions (if any) are completed, you will see a message indicating
that the program is ready to switch into graphics mode.  Just press Enter.  If
you don't get a graphics screen saying Welcome to XFree86 Setup within a
minute, something has probably hung, you can try pressing Ctrl-Alt-Backspace to
switch back to text mode and you'll probably have to use xf86config instead of
XF86Setup.

3.2  Configuration areas

Once the VGA16 server is started, and once the program has finished loading,
you will see a screen with five buttons along the top and three along the bot-
tom.  The buttons along the top correspond to the general categories of config-
uration settings.  They can be done in any order.  Each of these areas is
explained in detail below.  The bottom row consists of the Abort, Done, and
Help buttons.

Abort does as it name implies. It exits the program without saving any changes
that have been made. The one possible exception is the link to the mouse
device. Any change to that is made as soon as Apply is selected.

Done should be selected when you've finished configuration in each of the vari-
ous categories.

The Help can be pressed at any time to get on-line help regarding the current
configuration screen.

You should start with configuring your mouse as it will make things a lot eas-
ier to perform the configuration of other categories.

3.2.1  Mouse

The mouse configuration screen is used to get the mouse working properly.
There are key bindings for everything so that you can easily configure the
mouse, if it's not already working.

The screen includes a representation of a white mouse with three buttons.  As
you move your mouse it should show the pointer coordinates on the mouse and the
buttons should turn black as you press the corresponding button on your mouse.
If that is not happening, then your mouse is not correctly configured.

Along the top is a row of buttons corresponding to the various possible proto-
cols. There will also be several buttons and a couple of sliders for other set-
tings, a visual representation of the mouse, and a button to apply any changes.
There may also be an entry box in which the device can be set along with a list
of possible devices.

First try moving your mouse around and see if the pointer moves correctly.  If
so, try testing that the buttons are working properly.    If those are working as
desired, go ahead and go on to another configuration area.

If the mouse pointer doesn't move at all, you need to fix either the mouse
device or the protocol (or both).  You can press 'n' followed by a Tab, to move
to the list of mouse devices and select a different one.  Pressing 'p' will
pick the next available protocol on the list.  After changing these, press 'a'








Quick-Start Guide to XFree86 Setup



to apply the changes and try again.  Repeat the process until you are getting
some response from your mouse.

If the mouse pointer or button indicators do something when you move the mouse,
but the pointer is not moving properly, you probably have the wrong protocol
selected.  Try with a different one.

Most mice these days use the Microsoft protocol, the second most common is
MouseSystems.  Some mice do both.  These dual-protocol mice have various meth-
ods of switching between the two protocols.  Some have a switch on the mouse
itself.  Some are switched by sending a certain signal to the mouse when open-
ing a connection to the mouse.    These signals can be controlled by using dif-
ferent combinations of the 'ClearDTR' and 'ClearRTS' settings.    Other mice
require a button to be depressed when the mouse is opened (when the mouse
driver first tries to talk to it).  If your mouse uses this method, hold down
the appropriate button while selecting apply (pressing 'a').

Once the mouse pointer is moving correctly, test that all three buttons are
working properly. If your mouse only has two buttons, select 'Emulate3Buttons'
and you should be able to press both buttons simultaneously to emulate the
missing middle button.    If not all of the buttons are working, try changing the
'ChordMiddle' setting or you may be using a protocol that is similar to that of
your mouse, but not quite right.

3.2.2  Keyboard

You need to specify the model and layout of your keyboard (and press apply) if
they are not already correct.  The graphical representation of the keyboard
will be updated when you choose a different model.

For non-U.S. keyboards you may wish to choose a variant from the list (at this
time there is only one available variant: nodeadkeys>).

You can also pick from the options to the right, if you wish.

3.2.3  Card

Pick your card from the list.

If there are README files that may pertain to your card the 'Read README file'
button will then be usable (i.e. not greyed out).  Please read them.

If your card is not in the list, or if there are any special settings listed in
the README file as required by your card, you can press the 'Detailed Setup'
button to make sure that the required settings are selected.  Otherwise, you're
finished with configuring your card.

To use 'Detailed Setup': First select the appropriate server for your card.
Then read the README file corresponding to the selected server by pressing the
'Read README file' button (it won't do anything, if there is no README).

Next, pick the chipset, and Ramdac of your card, if directed by the README
file.  In most cases, you don't need to select these, as the server will detect
(probe) them automatically.








Quick-Start Guide to XFree86 Setup



The clockchip should generally be picked, if your card has one, as these are
often impossible to probe (the exception is when the clockchip is built into
one of the other chips).

Choose whatever options are appropriate (again, according to the README).

You can also set the maximum speed of your Ramdac.  Some Ramdacs are available
with various speed ratings.  The max speed cannot be detected by the server so
it will use the speed rating of the slowest version of the specified Ramdac, if
you don't specify one.

Additionally, you can also specify the amount of RAM on your card, though the
server will usually be able to detect this.

3.2.4  Monitor

Enter the horizontal and vertical frequency ranges that your monitor supports
in the corresponding entry boxes near the top of the screen.  You can enter
specific frequencies or ranges of frequencies (separated by hyphens).  If the
monitor supports several different frequencies or ranges, list them all, sepa-
rated by commas.

If you can not find this information in you monitor's manual, pick one of the
choices from the list of common monitor capabilities.  The program will use
conservative values for each of these, so you'll get better performance if you
type in the correct values from your monitor manual.

3.2.5  Other

You can probably just skip this one.

3.2.6  Completing the configuration

Once you've finished with the above, press the 'Done' button and then the
'Okay' button which will appear. You will then be switched back to text mode.

3.3  Back to text mode

The program will now attempt to start the appropriate server for your card,
with all of the configuration settings you selected.  If for some reason it is
unable to start the server, you have likely selected an improper setting and
will be asked if you would like to return to the graphical configuration screen
and try again.

3.4  The second server

This is unlikely to happen, but if when the server starts, the display is
unreadable, try pressing Ctrl-Alt-+ (using the plus on the numeric keypad) to
switch to a different video mode.

The display will show an entry box and three buttons.

The first button allows you to run xvidtune to adjust your video modes.  One
important point to keep in mind when using xvidtune is that switching video








Quick-Start Guide to XFree86 Setup



modes with Ctrl-Alt-+ is disabled while xvidtune is running.  You must use the
'Next' and 'Prev' buttons to switch modes.  Because of this, you should be
careful not to move the mouse when pressing either of these.  If by some chance
the mode you switch to doesn't produce a readable display on your monitor, you
can then just press the mouse button again to move to the next (hopefully read-
able) mode.

The second button causes the settings you've made to be written to the filename
given in the entry box.  After saving the settings a message will appear indi-
cating that it has finished. Just press the 'Okay' button and you're done.

And the third button causes the program to exit without saving any of the con-
figuration settings.

3.5  Ending text

You are returned to text mode and the program will print a `Configuration com-
plete.' message.  You should now have a usable configuration file and can start
the X server by whichever method you wish (usually either the 'startx' command
or via 'xdm').


4.  Running xf86config

From a text screen, run the xf86config program.  This program should be run as
root (although not absolutely necessary, it will allow xf86config to do more of
the work for you).  You can press your interrupt character (usually Control-C
or perhaps Delete), at any time to stop the program, if you need to.  You can
just start it over again.

The xf86config program provides instructions on screen as to what you need to
do.  Following are some notes that document the various stages in the process.
They should help you get through the process quickly and provide some documen-
tation for those people who like to know what they're getting themselves into,
before running a program.

4.1  The intro screen

First, xf86config begins by telling you a few things like the fact that it can
help you setup an XF86Config file or that you can do the job yourself with an
editor.  Just read what it says and press Enter when done.

4.2  Getting your PATH right

The program will next check that you have the directory /usr/X11R6 (the stan-
dard installation directory) on your system and tell you that it needs to be in
your PATH environment variable.

It will also check if you have the /usr/X386 directory as used by older (pre
3.0) versions of XFree86.  If by chance you do, it will warn you that
/usr/X11R6 must be before /usr/X386 in your PATH.

If everything is okay, just press Enter and go on, otherwise press Control-C to
exit and make any necessary changes and restart xf86config.








Quick-Start Guide to XFree86 Setup



4.3  Mouse setup

Pick the mouse type from the menu and enter the name of the device to which
mouse is connected, as directed.

If you are using an OS (e.g. SVR4, SCO) that has a built in mouse driver that
the Xserver could use, you'll need to edit the XF86Config file to setup your
mouse, so just pick any mouse from the list and press enter when asked for the
device.

If you don't know which protocol your mouse uses, you'll just have to guess
(the xf86config program will give you some hints as to which might be most
likely) and then see the troubleshooting section if it doesn't work when you
run the server.

4.4  Keyboard setup

Simply answer yes to the question regarding keyboard setup.

If there is some reason you need to use the right-alt and control keys for
something else, you can enter no.

4.5  Monitor setup

Setting up a monitor consists of entering the specifications of your monitor
and a description of the model and manufacturer.

You are first asked for the horizontal sync rate.  It is VERY important to
enter the correct value(s) from the manual. If one of the ranges given matches
the rate of your monitor, then pick it, otherwise pick custom and enter the
values from your manual.

Next is the vertical refresh rate. Again, it is VERY important that this param-
eter be specified correctly.  Enter it in a manner similar to the horizontal
sync rate.

If either rate is mis-specified, it can result in damage to your monitor.

Finally, you are asked for an "identifier", your monitor manufacturer, and
model.    You can just press enter to get through these quickly.

4.6  Selecting your card

You are next asked if you would like to view the database of cards.  Picking
your card from the list will cause the answers to the questions in the next two
sections to be filled in for you and so can save a little time.

If your card does not appear in the list, just press q and enter to skip on to
the next step - where you'll have to answer the questions yourself.

4.7  Server selection

If you selected your card in the previous step, then server selection is easy -
just use the recommendation from the database.








Quick-Start Guide to XFree86 Setup



If you have a card which uses one of the chipsets for which a specific server
exists (Mach8, Mach32, Mach64, AGX/XGA, 8514/A, S3, ET4000/W32, I128, P9000)
you'll want to pick the accel option.

Otherwise you'll probably want to use the SVGA server.

Next, answer yes when the program asks if you want it to set the symbolic link
for you.  If you picked the accel option, you'll also need to indicate which
particular accelerated server to link to.

4.8  Screen/Video configuration

Pick the appropriate option from the list to indicate the amount of memory on
your video card.

Then you are asked to provide and identifier, the manufacturer, and the model
of your card.  You can just press enter to skip through these, if you wish.

Next, the program will ask for the type of RAMDAC and Clockchip on your card.
If your card was in the database, you should just to tell it to use the values
from the database.

If you don't have one of the listed RAMDACs or Clockchips on your card, just
press enter when asked what type you have.  If you do not have a programmable
clock chip, the program will next attempt to probe to find out what clock rates
are supported by your clock chip.

4.9  Mode Selection

Now you get to tell the program which video modes you would like to be able to
run.

The program will show you the common modes that should work with your card
(some might not work with your monitor, but if you've correctly specified the
monitor's sync rates, the X server will just ignore them when it runs).

You could just accept the settings as they are given, but you'll probably wish
to reverse the order.  For example, if you have a card with 1 Meg RAM, it will
list the modes

           "640x480" "800x600" "1024x768" for 8bpp


Select 1 to change the settings for 8bpp and the type 432 to select the reverse
order.

When you've select the modes, in the order you wish, select option 4 to con-
tinue.

4.10  Creating the XF86Config file

The program will now ask if you would like to write the configuration settings
you've selected to the file XF86Config. Answer yes.









Quick-Start Guide to XFree86 Setup



4.11  Some final notes

Lastly, the program tells you that it's finished its part of this process and
counsels you to check the file before using it.  The next section covers the
changes that are most likely to be needed.


5.  Fixing the XF86Config file

Use an editor to look at the XF86Config file. Here are some things that may
need to be changed:

   o If you are running an operating system which has built-in mouse support,
     you'll want to change the Pointer section.  Specifically, you should set
     the Protocol to OSMouse (SCO) or Xqueue (SVR4, some SVR3) and you should
     remove the Device line.

   o If you are running a system with the Xqueue event driver and would like to
     use it, change the Protocol setting in the Keyboard section to Xqueue.

Once you are satisfied that the configuration is correct, copy the XF86Config
file to /usr/X11R6/lib/X11 and run the 'startx' command.

You should now have a running X server.  If it's running but the display
doesn't look as good as you think it should (i.e.  it doesn't fill the whole
screen, it's off-center, it's wrapping around on one side, etc.) see the sec-
tion on xvidtune.  If there is some other problem, see the troubleshooting sec-
tion.


6.  Running xvidtune

If you need to make adjustments to the video display, xvidtune is the tool to
use.

Simply enter the command xvidtune from a shell prompt within an xterm.    Read
the warning and click on OK.  Next click on the Auto button.

Now click on whatever combination of Up/Down/Left/Right
Shorter/Taller/Wider/Narrower is need to adjust the display to your liking.

If you are using a recent S3-based card there will be some extra buttons and
entries at the bottom (InvertVCLK, EarlySC, and Blank Delays). These can help
solve problems of the display wrapping around a few pixels.

Once the display has been adjusted properly, press the show button to printout
the correct ModeLine to put in the XF86Config to make the server always use the
current display settings.  To aid in copying this information to your XF86Con-
fig file, the modeline is also made the current selection allowing you to just
paste it into your editor.

If you would like to adjust your other modes, you can click on the Next and
Prev buttons to switch modes.









Quick-Start Guide to XFree86 Setup



When you are through using xvidtune simply press on the Quit button.


7.  Troubleshooting

Since you're reading this, something must not have gone the way you had hoped
(or else you just really enjoy reading).

Below are listed some common problems that may occur during configuration and
some hints for solving them.  However, there are just too many different combi-
nations of hardware and software configurations, and, well, just too many
things that can go wrong, for this document and the tools it documents, to
cover every case.

If after trying the steps in the previous sections and checking the hints in
this section, you still are unable to get your system working, you'll have to
read the full documentation.  Read the README file for your card and OS (if
they exist), the XFree86 Configuration Guide (README.Config), and the XF86Con-
fig man page.

You should also look at the XFree86 FAQ <URL:http://www.XFree86.org/FAQ> for
more up-to-date information, especially if you are trying to configure a fairly
new card.

If all else fails, you can try posting a message to comp.windows.x.i386unix or
comp.os.linux.x or send email to [e-mail].

7.1  The mouse doesn't move correctly, it stays in one area of the screen

You've selected the wrong protocol for your mouse. Try a different one.

7.2  The server doesn't start, it says the mouse is busy.

Well, it's probably right.  This most often happens on Linux systems that have
gpm running.  Kill the gpm process and try startx again.

7.3  The middle button doesn't work.

There's no easy answer to this one.  It's a lot of trial and error.  You need
to make sure you're running the right protocol for your mouse.

Many three button mice are "dual protocol" which means that they have both a
2-button and 3-button mode. The way to get the mouse to switch into 3-button
mode (which usually then uses MouseSystems protocol) varies between different
models.

You may need to slide a switch on the mouse or hold down the middle button when
starting the server.  Other methods of switching modes can be done by the
server, you just have to find the right combination of settings for your mouse.
See the Pointer section of the XF86Config man page for a complete list of set-
tings.











Quick-Start Guide to XFree86 Setup



7.4  The display is shifted to the left/right/top/bottom

See the section on xvidtune.

7.5  I don't appear to have xf86config or xvidtune on my system

Hmmm. Three possibilities:

  1.  You have a version of XFree86 that is older than 3.1.2.  If this is the
      case then you probably aren't reading this document either, because it
      wasn't included in 3.1.2 and earlier releases.  Please upgrade to the
      latest version.

  2.  Your PATH is not set correctly. Make sure it includes the bin directory
      for the XFree86 binaries (usually, /usr/X11R6/bin

  3.  You don't have a complete installation of XFree86.  Go back to wherever
      you got XFree86 and get the missing pieces.

     Generated from XFree86: xc/programs/Xserver/hw/xfree86/doc/sgml/QStart.sgml,v 3.4 1997/01/25 03:22:04 dawes Exp $










































Quick-Start Guide to XFree86 Setup





































































                   CONTENTS



1. Before You Start ......................................................... 1

2. What to Do - An Overview ................................................. 2

3. Using XF86Setup .......................................................... 2
   3.1    Initial questions ................................................... 2
   3.2    Configuration areas ................................................. 3
   3.3    Back to text mode ................................................... 5
   3.4    The second server ................................................... 5
   3.5    Ending text ......................................................... 6

4. Running xf86config ....................................................... 6
   4.1    The intro screen .................................................... 6
   4.2    Getting your PATH right ............................................. 6
   4.3    Mouse setup ......................................................... 7
   4.4    Keyboard setup ...................................................... 7
   4.5    Monitor setup ....................................................... 7
   4.6    Selecting your card ................................................. 7
   4.7    Server selection .................................................... 7
   4.8    Screen/Video configuration .......................................... 8
   4.9    Mode Selection ...................................................... 8
   4.10 Creating the XF86Config file ........................................ 8
   4.11 Some final notes .................................................... 9

5. Fixing the XF86Config file ............................................... 9

6. Running xvidtune ......................................................... 9

7. Troubleshooting ......................................................... 10
   7.1    The mouse doesn't move correctly, it stays in one area of the
    screen ............................................................. 10
   7.2    The server doesn't start, it says the mouse is busy. ............... 10
   7.3    The middle button doesn't work. .................................... 10
   7.4    The display is shifted to the left/right/top/bottom ................ 11
   7.5    I don't appear to have xf86config or xvidtune on my system ......... 11

















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