CHAPTER – 4

The X Window System

Objectives:

At the end of this module, you would have gained

fair knowledge on:

•Configuring X Window System

•Different windows manager
•Different tools available in X Window
 The Power of X
Linux began as a powerful, server-based
operating system, excelling at efficiently processing
complicated programs requiring high CPU utilization and
handling requests from hundreds or thousands of clients
through network connections. However, because of its
open nature and stability, Linux has quickly developed
into a popular GUI-based operating system for
workstations, both in the home and in the workplace.
In the UNIX™ world, windowing
environments have existed for decades, predating many
of the current mainstream operating systems. The X
Window System is now the dominant graphical user
interface (GUI) for UNIX-like operating systems.
 In the UNIX™ world, windowing
environments have existed for decades, predating many
of the current mainstream operating systems. The X
Window System is now the dominant graphical user
interface (GUI) for UNIX-like operating systems.

To create this GUI for the user, X uses client-

server architecture. An X server process is started and X
client processes can connect to it via a network or local
loopback interface. The server process handles the
communication with the hardware, such as the video
card, monitor, keyboard, and mouse. The X client exists
in the user-space, issuing requests to the X server.
 XFree86
Red Hat Linux 8.0 uses XFree86 version
4.2 as the base X Window System, which includes the
necessary X libraries, fonts, utilities, documentation, and
development tools.

The X server includes many cutting edge

XFree86 technology enhancements such as hardware
3D acceleration support, the XRender extension for anti-
aliased fonts, a modular driver based design, support for
modern video hardware and input devices, and many
other features
/usr/X11R6/ directory

A directory containing X client binaries (the bin directory),

assorted header files (the include directory), libraries (the lib
directory), and manual pages (the man directory), and various
other X documentation (the /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/doc/ directory).

/etc/X11/ directory

The /etc/X11/ directory hierarchy contains all of the

configuration files for the various components that make up the X
Window System. This includes configuration files for the X server
itself, the X font server (xfs), the X Display Manager (xdm), and
many other base components. Display managers such as gdm
and kdm, as well as various window managers, and other X
tools also store their configuration in this hierarchy.
 XFree86 Server Configuration Files

The XFree86 server configuration files are

stored in the /etc/X11/ directory. The XFree86 version 4
server uses /etc/X11/XF86Config. When Red Hat Linux
is installed, the configuration files for XFree86 are
created using information gathered during the
installation process.

While there is rarely a need to

manually edit these files, it is useful to know about the
various sections and optional parameters found in them.
 Device
• BusID — Specifies the bus location of the video card.

• Driver — Tells XFree86 which driver to load in order to use

the video card.
• Identifier — Provides a unique name for this video card.
Usually, this name is set to the exact name of the video card used
in the Device section.
• Screen — An optional setting used when a video card has more than
one head, or connector, to go out to a separate monitor. exist for each of them
with a different Screen value for each Device section.

VideoRam — The amount of RAM available on the video

card in kilobytes. This setting is not normally necessary since the
XFree86 server can usually probe the video card to autodetect the
amount of video RAM.
 Desktop Environments and Window
Managers
The configuration of an XFree86
server is useless until accessed by an X client that will
use it to display a program using the hardware controlled
by the X server. X clients are programs designed to take
advantage of the X server's hardware, usually to provide
interactivity with a user.
You do not have to run a
complicated window manager in conjunction with a
particular desktop environment to use X client
applications. Assuming that you are not already in an X
environment and do not have an .xinitrc file in your home
directory, type the xinit command to start X with a basic
terminal window .
 Window Managers
Window managers are X
client programs that control the way other X
clients are positioned, resized, or moved.
Window managers can also provide title bars to
windows, keyboard focus by keyboard or mouse,
and user-specified key and mouse button
bindings.

Window managers work with a

collection of different X clients, wrapping around
the program, making it look a certain way and
appear on the screen in a particular place.
Four window managers are included with
Red Hat Linux 8.0:
twm — The minimalist Tab Window Manager, which provides the most
basic toolset of any of the window managers.

mwm — The default window manager for the GNOME desktop

environment, mwm stands for Metacity Window Manager. It is a simple and
efficient window manager that supports custom themes.

sawfish — This full featured window manager was the default until the
release
wmaker of —
Red Hat Linux 8.0.
WindowMaker is Ita can be used GNU
full-featured eitherwindow
with or manager
without the GNOME
designed to
desktop environment.
emulate the look and feel of the NEXTSTEP environment
 Desktop Environments
A desktop environment brings
together assorted X clients that can be run
together using similar methods, utilizing a
common development environment

GNOME is the default desktop

environment for Red Hat Linux, using the GTK2
base widget toolkit and miscellaneous other
widgets that extend the base functionality.
 Desktop Environments
KDE, another desktop environment, uses a
different toolkit called Qt.

GNOME and KDE both contain

advanced productivity applications, such as word
processors, spreadsheets, and control panel
devices that allow you to have complete control of
the look-and-feel of your user experience. Both
environments can run standard X client applications,
and most KDE applications can run in GNOME, if
the Qt libraries are installed.
 Runlevels
The default runlevel used when your system boots can be found in the
/etc/inittab file. If you have a line in that file that looks like id:3:initdefault:, then
your system will boot to runlevel 3. If you have a line that looks like
id:5:initdefault:, your system is set to boot into runlevel 5. As root, change the
runlevel number in this file to set a different default. Save the file and restart
your system to verify that it boots to the correct runlevel.

Runlevel 3: startx

When in runlevel 3, the preferred way to start an X session is to type the

startx command. startx, a front-end to the xinit program, launches the XFree86
server and connects the X clients to it. Because you must already be logged
into the system at runlevel 3 to be able to type commands, startx is only
designed to bring up certain X clients, such as a desktop environment, in a
particular manner. It does not provide any user authentication
 Runlevel 5: prefdm

Runlevel 5 uses a slightly different method to start X. When the system

starts, no one is logged into the system by default. In order for a user to start a
session, they must log in to the system. In runlevel 5, users authenticating
themselves at the console use a display manager, a special X client that allows
the user to submit their login name and password.

Depending on the desktop environments installed on your specific Red

Hat Linux system, three different display managers are available to handle the
user authentication.

The xdm display manager is the original X authentication tool. xdm only
allows you to log in and start an X session.

The gdm display manager, designed to work with the GNOME desktop
environment.

kdm display manager, used with the KDE desktop environment,

 Fonts
Red Hat Linux uses xfs (X Font Server) to provide fonts to the XFree86 server
and the X client applications that connect to it. While it is possible to not use xfs
and place the paths to font directories in your XF86Config configuration file, xfs
has several advantages:

It is easier to add and remove fonts, including editing the font

path. The font path is a collection of paths in the file system where font files are
stored. The xfs service keeps the font path out of the XFree86 configuration files,
making it easier to edit.

Fonts may be stored on one machine acting as a networked font

server and can be shared among multiple X servers over the network. A common
set of fonts can be maintained in one place and easily shared between all users.

More types of fonts are supported. xfs can handle TrueType,

Type1, and bitmap fonts.
 xfs Configuration
The /etc/rc.d/init.d/xfs script starts the xfs
server. Several options can be configured in the
/etc/X11/fs/config file:

Alternate-servers — Sets a list of alternate font servers to

be used if this font server is not available. A comma must
separate every font server in the list.

catalogue — An ordered list of font paths to use that

contain the font files. A comma must follow every font path
 Adding Fonts
1. Create a font directory, such as /usr/share/fonts and place the
fonts inside that directory. Be sure to set the permissions
correctly; it is only necessary that the files can be read, no other
permissions are necessary.

. 1. Type the chkfontpath --add <font-directory-path> command,

where the <font-directory-path> is the full path to the directory
holding the fonts. This will add this font path to the xfs
configuration file.

. 2. Restart xfs using the /sbin/service xfs restart command. You

will also need to restart your X session.
Using the Desktop
 Control panel Display
The desktop panel is the bar that stretches across the bottom of
the screen and holds icons and small applications which makes
using your system easier. The panel also holds the Main Menu
which contains menu items for all of your applications.
Applets allow you to run specific tasks or monitor your
system or services, like Red Hat Network, while remaining
out of your way
 Using the Main Menu

You can click on the panel Main

Menu button to expand it into a large set of menus
that allows you to access the applications on your
system.

There are a few applets that run

on your panel by default. These applets are fairly
important and are covered in the following list.
 Workspace Switcher

The Workspace Switcher is a simple applet

that allows you to see what applications you have open on
your desktops. The graphical desktop gives you the ability to
use multiple workspaces so you do not have to have all your
running applications crowding one viewable desktop area.
 Taskbar
Next to the Workspace Switcher is the Taskbar. The taskbar is
an applet which shows you the titles of running applications
on any desktop. This is very helpful if you decide to minimize
an application as it will seem to disappear from the desktop.
 Using the Notification Area

Red Hat Network Notification Tool

The Authentication Icon
 Using Nautilus
The graphical desktop includes a file manager called
Nautilus that gives you a graphical display of your system
and personal files. Nautilus is designed to be much more
than a visual listing of files, however. It allows you to
configure your desktop, configure your Red Hat Linux
system, play your digital music and video files, browse your
photo collection, access your network resources, and more
all from one integrated interface. In essence, Nautilus
becomes a shell for your entire desktop experience
 Start Here
Start Here was designed to hold all of the tools and
applications you need to access when using your system.
From your favorite applications to system and configuration
tools, the Start Here window provides a central location for
using and customizing your system.
 Customizing the Desktop
Background
You can configure your background with new colors or a new
image.

Sound
In this section you can configure the system sounds associated
with various functions. For example, if you would like to have a
sound play when you log in to your desktop, you can configure
that here.

Keyboard Shortcuts
You can configure shortcuts — pressing a combination of
keystrokes on the keyboard — to perform actions within an
application or on your desktop.
 Customizing your System
Date & Time :
This tool allows you to set the date and time of your machine. You will be able
to set your time zone information as well. Refer to the Official Red Hat Linux
Customization Guide for more details on using this tool.

Soundcard Detection :
The Soundcard Detection tool probes your machine for available sound
devices.
Users & Groups :
The Users & Groups tool allows you to add and remove users from your
system.

Printing :
The Printer Configuration Tool allows you to add a new
printer to your system. The printer may be connected to your
machine or available on a network.
Logging Out
 Mounting and Unmounting a Diskette

A diskette must be mounted first before it can be used. Insert a

diskette into the diskette drive and type mount /mnt/floppy/ at a
shell prompt.

The diskette drive activity light should blink as the diskette's file
system is mounted to the /mnt/floppy directory. You can access
the contents of the diskette by changing into that directory with the
cd /mnt/floppy/ command.

Alternatively, you can also mount a diskette by right-clicking on

the desktop and choosing Disks => Floppy. This mounts the
diskette and adds a desktop icon which you can double click
to explore the diskette contents.
 Now that the diskette has been mounted it
is available to be copied from or written to. You can
open, save, and copy files to/from it as you would
normally do to your hard drive. You can even explore
the diskette's contents in Nautilus.
 When you are done using the
diskette, you should unmount it before ejecting
it from the drive. To do this, close any
applications that may be using files on the
diskette or exploring the diskette's contents
(such as Nautilus or Konqueror), and at a
shell prompt type the following command :

# umount /mnt/floppy/

If you are using GNOME, unmount the diskette by

right-clicking on the icon and choosing Unmount
Volume from the menu.
 Formatting a Diskette
Using gfloppy:
To start gfloppy, choose Main Menu => System Tools => Floppy
Formatter. From a shell prompt, type /usr/bin/gfloppy. As shown in the figure
given below, the gfloppy interface is small and has few options. The default
settings are sufficient for most users and needs; however, you can format your
diskette with an MS-DOS file system type if you desire. You can also choose
the density of your floppy disk (if you are not using the usual high density 3.5"
1.44MB diskette. You can also elect to quick format the diskette if it was
previously formatted as ext2.
 Using KFloppy
Another way to format a diskette for either ext2 or MS-DOS is to
use KFloppy. To start the utility, open a shell prompt and
type the command kfloppy. You will be presented with a
graphical interface shown in the figure below.
 CD-ROMs
The CD-ROM format is a popular way to
deliver typically large software applications and
multimedia presentations. Most of the software that can
be purchased from retail outlets come in the form of CD-
ROMs. This section shows you how to use CD-ROMs on
your Red Hat Linux system.
By default, Red Hat Linux automatically
detects if a CD-ROM is inserted in the CD-ROM device.
The disc will then be mounted and your file manager will
open a window with the drives contents for you to
explore.
 A CD desktop icon will also appear, which you can use to
unmount and eject your CD-ROM after use. Right-click on the icon
to view all of the available choices. For example, to unmount and
eject the CD-ROM, choose Eject from the menu.
 Using X-CD-Roast
X-CD-Roast is a graphical application for
duplicating and creating (mastering) CD-ROMs. X-CD-
Roast automates the process of burning CD-Rs and CD-RWs
and is highly configurable to many CD mastering or
duplicating needs.
 Getting Online
There are many types of Internet connections including:

ISDN Connection

Modem Connection

xDSL Connection

Cable Modem Connection

ISDN Connection
An ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) connection uses high-speed,
high-quality digital telecommunication lines as opposed to an analog modem
connection. This special phone line must be installed by a phone company.
To configure this type of connection, start Internet Druid, select ISDN
Connection, and follow the steps in the wizard.

Modem Connection
A modem connection uses a modem to establish a connection to the Internet.
Digital data is modulated into analog signals and sent over phone lines. To
configure this type of connection, start Internet Druid, select Modem
Connection, and follow the steps in the wizard.

xDSL Connection
An xDSL (Digital Subscriber Line) connection uses high-speed transmissions
through telephone lines. There are different types of DSL such as ADSL,
IDSL, and SDSL. Internet Druid uses the term xDSL to mean all types of
DSL connections.
 Web Browsing
Once you have configured your Internet connection
you are ready to get online. Red Hat Linux comes with
several open source browsers for you to choose from. This
chapter briefly explains how to surf the Web using the
following browsers:

Mozilla

Nautilus

Konqueror

Galeon
 Email Applications
Email is a very popular way of
communicating with others over the Internet. You can
use email with an email client, an application that
understands the various email transmission standards
and allows you to send, receive, and read email.
Red Hat Linux includes several email
applications, including graphical email clients like
Evolution and Mozilla Mail, and text-based clients
like Pine and mutt. All of the email client
applications are designed to suit certain types of
users; so, you can choose one with the features that
best suits your particular needs.
 Evolution
Evolution is more than just an email client. It provides all of the standard email
client features, including powerful mailbox management, user-defined filters, and quick
searches. It additionally features a flexible calendar/scheduler which allows users to
create and confirm group meetings and special events online. Evolution is a full-
featured personal and workgroup information management tool for Linux and UNIX-
based systems, and is the default email client for Red Hat Linux.
To launch Evolution from the desktop panel, go to Main Menu => Internet => Email.
Multimedia and General Amusement

CD Player
 XMMS can be used for more than
just playing digital audio files. By default XMMS
can play Ogg Vorbis, RIFF wave, and most
module formats. XMMS can be extended through
plugins to play a number of other digital multimedia
formats.
To launch XMMS, go to Main Menu => Sound &
Video => XMMS.
To launch XMMS from a shell prompt, type the
command xmms.