Jan 15 '97
This text summarizes my experiences with installation of the X Window System
(XFree86) atop of fresh installed Debian 1.2 systems.
All installations used the InfoMagic Linux Developer's Resource CD collection.
The latest installation was done on the following system:
The configuration:
Gateway2000 P5/66
32 MB RAM
Mercury/Neptune PCI motherboard
Adaptec 1542 SCSI/ISA interface
1.6GB Micropolis 2217 drive
Mitsumi 2x CD-ROM/ISA
1.44/1.2 floppy drives
Number Nine GXE lvl 12 graphics card
After installing the Debian 1.2 system
(see ftp.fortuna.org/pub/linux/Debian/Debian1.2-InfoMagic.txt2)
I had a fully functional Linux system with support of all devices, including
the Mitsumi CD-ROM via the /dev/mcd device.
To simplify mounting of the CD-ROM disks, I added to the "/etc/fstab" the
following line:
/dev/mcd /cdrom iso9660 noauto,defaults 2 2
so I could mount the DISK3 of the InfoMagic collection with "# mount /cdrom".
What I have learned from the previous *experiments* with the Debian system was,
that one should avoid installation of any software in a different way than
using the "dpkg" utility (i.e. using the prepared *.deb SW packages).
So, I primarily attempted to select *.deb packages to get the required
X Window System configuration.
1. I needed the VGA and S3 servers:
# cd /cdrom/binary/x11
# dpkg --install xserver-vga16_3.2-1.deb
... make the VGA16 X the default ? n
# dpkg --install xserver-s3_3.2-1.deb
... make the S3 X the default ? y
2. Loading additional packages:
As above, I used the "dpkg --install NNN" for the following packages:
# Comment: being in bash or tcsh one can double-click the ESC key to get
# the long name completion, e.g. "dpkg --install xex" (ESC,ESC)
xpm4.7_3.4g-6.deb
xext_3.2-1.deb
xfnt100_3.2-1.deb
xfnt75_3.2-1.deb
xfntbase_3.2-1.deb
xfntbig_3.2-1.deb
xfntpex_3.2-1.deb
xfntscl_3.2-1.deb
xfntscl_3.2-1.deb
xmanpages_3.2-1.deb
xlib6-dev_3.2-1.deb (to be able to use the xmkmf later)
xbase_3.2-1a.deb
I answered "Y" to get the /etc/X11/Xserver in a "package maintainer version",
accepted "xdm started at boot" (e.g. "y" again), did not start the "xdm now".
Now I made exit and login (as root) again, to update the PATH variable.
3. Use the SuperProbe to test the graphics card
Now the PATH should include the /usr/bin/X11, so it is sufficient to type
# SuperProbe
My test revealed:
Super-VGA
S3 86C928PCI
3072 Kbytes
BrookTree Bt486 24-bit
True Color DAC w/cursor
pixel-mux (with 6-bit wide lookup tables)
4. Build the XF86Config file
One can create an initial /etc/X11/XF86Config file manually, after studying
the "man XF86Config" pages. Another approach is to use the "XF86Setup" utility.
Either-or, the major problem is to provide information related to the Monitor,
in particular the HorizSync, VertRefresh and ModeLine entries.
In /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/doc/Monitors one can find many typical monitor types.
I have used the XF86Setup utility.
It has rather simple GUI and one can select Mouse/Card/Monitor properties.
If at the end of selections the XF86Setup hangs the display (as it happened
for me) try to hit the ENTER a few times, and this may result with XF86Setup
exit.
I tried the "XF86Setup" a few times and finally got a quite reasonable
/etc/X11/XF86Config file.
It is still a good idea to edit this file manually, correcting at least the
names like "Primary Monitor" and "Primary Card" (replacing them with something
describing the real HW).
5. Try "startx"
When "startx" utility is used to test the X Window System startup, it may
produce an error like "XF86_NONE failed".
It is because the XF86Setup changes the "X" server contents. To correct it
make a suitable symbolic link:
# cd /usr/bin/X11
# mv X X.old
# ln -s XF86_S3 X
(use other server name if you don't have the S3 card)
Try the "startx" again.
If it causes the display hangup, the sequence
CTRL_ALT_F12
ALT-F1
CTRL-C
usually returns to the basic virtual console.
One may want to clean the X with
# ps -ax | grep X
# kill nnn
(where nnn is the process number for the X process)
6. Load favourite window manager
The above installation may end with X Window System using the "twm" manager.
It is because of the action of the "/etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc" script, which
at the end starts the "twm" manager.
If the /etc/X11/window-managers file exists, then the first manager on
the list in this "window-managers" file is used.
I opted for the fvwm95 manager, and to use it I loaded an additional package:
# cd /cdrom/binary/x11
# dpkg --install fvwm95_2.0.42a-6.deb
7. Customization of the window manager
The fvwm95 has its configuration script in "/etc/X11/fvwm95/system.fvwm2rc95".
I have modified a few lines of this file, in particular
- all "xterm_color" names changed into "xterm"
- "Maximize 100 100" changed into "Maximize 100 97"
(to make the windows not to cover the TaskBar)
- added entries among the "*FvwmButtons" lines, to add new items on the
FvwmButtons bar
- changed sizes of the utilities started with the help of the FvwmButtons
This actually concludes the basic X Window System installation.
Zenon
You can get this document as
ftp.fortuna.org/pub/linux/Debian/X-on-Debian1.2-InfoMagic.txt
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