PC-Online 1997 March/PCOnline_03_1997.iso/xfree86/readme.os2

Text File | 1997-02-07 | 24KB | 621 lines

  README for XFree86 3.2 on OS/2
  Holger Veit
  Last modified on: 21 Oct 1996

  1.  Introductory Note about the release 3.2

  Before looking into this file, please check for any LATEST.OS2 files
  that may come with the binary distribution.

  This version of the code is called XFree86/OS2 3.2. This means it is
  a public release for which also the source code is provided. In
  contrast, a version with a letter, such as in ``3.1.2D'', for instance, is a beta
  version which has certain restrictions.

  Previous beta versions have been tested in a large number of configurations
  and have been found to be working, with some bugs left, rather flawlessly.
  This code is released for public use by an end user, not only for developers,
  although this does not necessarily mean that it is easy to use or user
  friendly, or using a popular term, ``plug & play''. Emphasis is on
  functionality, not simple installation.

  This release is complete (with one exception) regarding
  the X11R6.1 ``core'' distribution. The ``contrib'' distribution containing
  some of the more interesting tools for the end user, will be issued together
  with a later release (no need to start porting it independently).

  In the past beta testing, it has been found that the software itself is
  rather stable and does not damage hardware - provided the user does not
  try to push the builtin limits and change certain configuration parameters
  which could operate the video hardware out of specs.

  However,
    o    there is no explicit or implicit warranty that certain code works
         correctly or works at all
    o    although no damage reports are known, it does not mean that it is
         impossible to damage hardware with this code; some deeply hidden
         bugs may still be present in the software.

  It is recommended that you backup essential data of your system before
  installing this software, but this should be your general precautions
  before ANY installation. No reports exist that a crashing X server itself
  actively destroys or modifies data, but it is possible in rare cases
  that the system is left in an unusable state (video display mode garbled
  or system unresponsive, not reacting to mouse or keyboard actions).
  If you then hard reset or switch off the system, file caches of the operating
  system might not be written correctly back to disk, thus causing data loss.

  2.  What and Where is XFree86?


  XFree86 is a port of X11R6 that supports several versions of
  Intel-based Unix.  It is derived from X386 1.2, which was the X server
  distributed with X11R5.  This release consists of many new features
  and performance improvements as well as many bug fixes.  The release
  is available as source patches against the X Consortium X11R6 code, as
  well as binary distributions for many architectures.
  XFree86/OS2 is the name of the implementation of XFree86
  on OS/2 based systems.

  See the Copyright Notice <COPYRIGHT.HTML>

  The sources for XFree86/OS2 are available by anonymous ftp from:

  ftp.XFree86.org:/pub/XFree86 <ftp://ftp.XFree86.org/pub/XFree86>

  Binaries for OS/2 Warp and Merlin are available from:
  ftp.XFree86.org:/pub/XFree86/binaries/OS2
  <ftp://ftp.XFree86.org/pub/XFree86/binaries/OS2>

  The WWW page
  borneo.gmd.de:/~veit/os2/xf86os2.html
  <http://borneo.gmd.de/~veit/os2/xf86os2.html>
  usually show more references to FTP or WWW sites to retrieve
  sources or binaries.


  Other versions:

  XFree86/OS2 will run on all dialects of Warp, including Warp "red spine box",
  Warp "blue spine box", Warp Connect, Warp Server, and Merlin.
  For Warp fixpack level 17 is mandatory, a later fixpack level (e.g. FP22)
  is recommended. In some future, a more recent fixpack might be necessary.
  Please check a LATEST.OS2 file.

  OS/2 2.11 is no longer supported beginning with this release, due to lack
  of a working test environment. Consequently, OS/2 SMP is not supported either,
  because this is currently based on OS/2 2.11.
  OS/2 versions 1.X are definitely not supported and will never be.

  It is possible to build XFree86/OS2 from the sources.  Read about this
  in some section below.


  3.  Bug Reports for This Document

  Send email to [e-mail] (Holger Veit) or
  [e-mail] if you have comments or suggestions about
  this file and we'll revise it.


  4.  Hardware and Software Requirements

  4.1  Supported, Required, and Recommended Hardware

     o   At least a 486DX33 with 16MB RAM is required. A Pentium or Pentium Pro
         and more main memory is recommended. A 386 or a system with 8MB or less
         memory is an insufficient configuration.

     o   There are no specific requirements concerning network cards, disk types,
         or CD ROM equipment; of course the more powerful, the better.

     o   Depending on the packages installed, a disk space of 20-55MB on a
         HPFS formatted partition (or a NFS partition natively allowing long
         filenames) is required. XFree86/OS2 will not run on FAT partitions.

     o   You need a video card that is supported by XFree86. Refer to the general
         README document for a list of supported cards. Note that the sets
         of video cards supported by XFree86 on one hand and OS/2 on the other
         hand overlap, but do not match exactly, i.e. the fact that your card
         is supported by OS/2 does not mean it works with XFree86 as well, and
         vice versa. XFree86 does not use the video services of the OS/2
         operating system.

  4.2  Required Software


     o   Any version of Warp with at least fixpack 17, or Merlin is required

     o   XFree86/OS2-3.2 may use a local named-pipe connection or a TCP/IP
         based network connection.

           1.   Warp comes with the Internet Access Kit (IAK), which is
                sufficient. Warp Connect and Warp Server come with a full
                version of TCP/IP (3.0). Use of this software is preferred over
                IAK then.

           2.   Merlin comes with TCP/IP 4.0 which should also work.

           3.   The old IBM TCP/IP 2.0, that comes with the IBM PMX product
                may be used with Warp as well.

         Other versions of TCP/IP, such as FTP's, DEC's, or Hummingbird's
         TCP/IP versions, as well as IBM TCP/IP 1.X are not supported. Nor does
         any networking support from DOS (packet drivers, winsock), Netware,
         or NetBIOS work, and I won't to provide support for that in the future.

     o   If you want to write or port applications for XFree86, you are
         encouraged to do so. You will need a complete installation of
         EMX/gcc 0.9C or later for doing so. Neither the second (obsolete)
         implementation of gcc, nor any commercial package, including
         Cset/2, VAC++, Borland C++/OS2, Watcom C++, Metaware C, and others,
         is suitable for porting, because various parts of the X DLLs rely
         on certain features only present with EMX.


  5.  Installing the System

  The binary distribution is composed of a number of zip archives
  which are the executables, servers, fonts, libraries, include files,
  man pages, and config files.  The full distribution requires about
  40-55MB of disk space.

  All archives of this alpha version are packed with the info-zip utility,
  which is available under the name UNZ512X2.EXE from many OS/2 archives.
  Please obtain a native OS/2 version of this unpacker. DOS PKUNZIP does
  not work, because it cannot unpack long file names and extended attributes.

  At this moment, the distribution covers only the ``core'' distribution
  which somewhat reduces the usability. Refer to WWW sites and archives listed
  in the XFree86/OS2 FAQ and elsewhere to obtain prebuilt X clients which
  were ported to XFree86.

      The contents of the packages are:

  REQUIRED:

      XF32base    A special device driver and the SuperProbe program

      XF32doc    READMEs and XFree86 specific man pages.

      XF32bin    all of the executable X client applications and shared libs

      XF32fnts    the misc and 75dpi fonts

      emxrt    Runtime libraries of EMX

      Choose at least one of the following to match your hardware:

      XF328514    the X server for IBM 8514/A and compatible boards

      XF32AGX    the X server for AGX boards

      XF32I128    the X server for #9 Imagination 128 boards

      XF32Ma32    the X server for ATI Mach32 graphics boards

      XF32Ma64    the X server for ATI Mach64 graphics boards

      XF32Ma8    the X server for ATI Mach8 graphics boards

      XF32Mono    the Monochrome X Server

      XF32P9K    the X server for P9000 based boards

      XF32S3     the X server for S3 based boards (excluding S3 ViRGE)

      XF32S3V     the X server for S3 ViRGE based boards

      XF32Svga    the 8-bit pseudo-color X server for Super VGA cards

      XF32vg16    the 4-bit pseudo-color X server for VGA & SVGA cards.

      XF32w32    the X server for et4000w32 based boards

  OPTIONAL:

      XF32man     pre-formatted man pages for the X11 interface and clients

      XF32f100    100dpi fonts

      XF32fscl    Speedo and Type1 fonts

      XF32fnon     Japanese, Chinese and other fonts

      XF32fcyr    Cyrillic fonts

      XF32fsrv    the font server with man pages.

      XF32prog    the X11 header files and programmer's utilities
        for compiling other X applications

      XF32pex    PEX fonts and libraries required for PEX applications

      XF32nest    the experimental Xnest X server

      XF32vfb    the experimental VFB X server

  In order to save space on your disk and reduce net bandwidth, choose the
  software to obtain carefully. Each X server is an archive of about 1.2MB
  and occupies 3.0MB on the disk. You won't normally need more than the
  single Xserver tailored to your video card.

  If it is your first time install, get the XF32base archive before any
  of the other packages. This package contains a driver and a test program,
  which analyzes your video hardware. If this program fails or reports an
  incompatible hardware, it makes no sense to obtain the other packages in
  the hope that they would magically work.


  6.  Checking Compatibility of Video Hardware


  In the following, we assume that you want to install XFree86/OS2 on a disk
  drive with the letter Y: (which you probably don't have). Change the letter
  in all commands accordingly.

    1.   Obtain the package XF32base and install it from the root directory
         of the Y: drive, by entering the following commands:

     [C:\] Y:
     [Y:\] cd \
     [Y:\] unzip \path_of_package\XF32base.zip


    2.   Edit your CONFIG.SYS file to contain the following line somewhere:

     DEVICE=Y:\XFree86\lib\xf86sup.sys

         Of course replace ``Y:'' with the correct drive letter.

    3.   At this point, you may consider to add the variables required for
         XFree86/OS2 as well, which will save you from one additional reboot.
         Refer to section "Adding Variables to CONFIG.SYS" below.

    4.   After adding the device driver entry to the CONFIG.SYS file, you must
         reboot to install the driver. XFree86/OS2 will not work without this
         driver.

    5.   Start a full screen OS/2 CMD session and enter the following
         command:

     [C:\] Y:\XFree86\bin\SuperProbe

    6.   This command will (normally) report important information about your
         video configuration, i.e. the type of chipset, the available video
         memory and the RAMDAC circuit available. Please write this down or
         redirect the output of ``SuperProbe'' into a file by entering:

     [C:\] Y:\XFree86\bin\SuperProbe >filename

    7.   SuperProbe can identify many more video cards than are supported by
         XFree86. In some cases, Superprobe unfortunately detects a wrong
         card, often it claims to have seen a MCGA card which is some sort of
         a fallback. Generally, if it is approximately right, there are only
         few reasons for doubts; if it is totally off (e.g. saying it has
         seen a ET4000, and you have a Cirrus card), you should report a
         misdetection as a bug to the given address. In all cases, please
         take the few minutes and check the accompanying README.* files to
         check for special precautions, options, or features of the card.

    8.   If the README files tell you that your hardware is supported, please
         obtain the rest of the software.


  7.  Installing the packages

  XFree86/OS2 assumes a directory hierarchy starting from drive:\XFree86.
  This can be changed, but is strictly discouraged.

    1.   Choose a HPFS partition with sufficient free space.

    2.   For each package to install, go to the root directory of this
         drive, and type:

     drive:> cd \
     drive:> unzip \path_of_packages\XF32xxxx.zip


  8.  Adding Variables to CONFIG.SYS


  XFree86/OS2 requires a number of settings in the CONFIG.SYS file to work
  correctly. Please add the following settings:

  TERM
      Set the preferred terminal type for the xterm or editor to be used.
      Some programs need this setting. I have my type set to

    SET TERM=ansi

      \XFree86\lib\X11\etc\termcap.x11 contains a suitable termcap which
      can be used in place of termcap files that come with EMX, EMACS, or
      other ported software.

  TERMCAP
      This variable must be set to the location where the termcap file
      used for the above TERM variable is searched. My setting, for
      instance, is:

    SET TERMCAP=D:/EMX/ETC/TERMCAP.X11

      Note that forward ``/'' is used as a directory separator.

  ETC
      Set to an ETC directory. Normally, this is already set to the ETC
    directory of the TCP/IP code, such as

    SET ETC=C:\TCPIP\ETC

  TMP
      Set to an TMP directory. Normally, this is already set to the TMP
    directory of the TCP/IP code, such as

    SET TMP=C:\TCPIP\TMP

  HOSTNAME
      Set to the internet hostname. Normally, this is already set by the
      TCP/IP installation program, such as

    SET HOSTNAME=myhost

      With IAK, you would normally run a loopback configuration
      and would then set this to

    SET HOSTNAME=localhost

  USER
  LOGNAME
      Set both to a username. Currently, they are there just to make some
      programs happy; in the future, this variable might be set by a
      login shell of a multiuser configuration. My variable, for instance,
      is set to

    SET USER=holger
    SET LOGNAME=holger

  HOME
      Set this to an existing directory that is supposed to be a home directory
      of a user. Some utilities place temporary and init files here. This
      is also future investment for a multiuser configuration, but must still
      be there. For instance, this variable might be set to

    SET HOME=H:\user\holger

  X11ROOT
      This is one of the most important settings, it determines the root
      of the XFree86 directory tree. Normally, you will set this to the
      drive letter of the partition where the \XFree86 tree resides,
      such as in

    SET X11ROOT=Y:

      You may try to move the tree to another subdirectory, e.g. to
      K:\OS2\X11\XFree86... and would then have
      to change this to

    SET X11ROOT=K:/OS2/X11

      but this is discouraged, since some utilities might not accept this.
      Note the forward ``/'' as a directory separator here.

  DISPLAY
      This variable may be set to the display to be used for displaying
      clients. Normally you will set this variable to the same value as
      the HOSTNAME variable and simply add a :0.0 after it, such as

    SET DISPLAY=myhost:0.0

      Read the X11 man page on the exact meaning of these postfixes and
      other options.

  XSERVER
      Set this to the executable name of the X server to be used. This
      must be a complete path. My setting is as follows:

    SET XSERVER=D:/XFree86/bin/XF86_Mach64.exe

  PATH
      Add the binary directory for the X11 utilities to your search PATH.
      This is normally the directory (adjust the letter)

    Y:\XFree86\bin

      It is possible to move the binaries to another directory in the
      search path; for maintenance reasons and clarity of the structure, this
      is not recommended, though.

  LIBPATH
      Add the DLL directory for the X11 utilities to the LIBPATH.
      This is normally the directory (adjust the letter)

    Y:\XFree86\lib

      It is possible to move the DLLs to another directory in the
      library path; for maintenance reasons and clarity of the structure,
      this is not recommended, though. Note that

      Y:\XFree86\lib

      has several other subdirectories; these may not be moved elsewhere,
      rather they must stay there, because most utilities form a path to
      these directories by using %X11ROOT%\XFree86\lib
      as a base.

  The recent version of XFree86/OS2 has a REXX script named checkinstall.cmd
  which you can (and should) use to check whether you have entered most things
  correctly. This is not bullet-proof, but prevents the most obvious
  setup problems.


  9.  Remarks on the Network Configuration


  It is beyond the scope of this document to even give an introduction about
  the correct installation of the TCP/IP networking system. You must do this
  yourself or seek assistance elsewhere. It is only possible to say here that
  a PC working well in a TCP/IP based LAN network will also work with
  XFree86/OS2 (when all other prerequisites are matched as well).

  With IAK, there is a special configuration necessary, unless you want
  to use XFree86/OS2 only during a hot link to your Internet provider,
  the so called ``localhost'' or ``loopback'' configuration. This is
  a local network interface which ``loops'' back to the same host. The
  following settings are necessary for this:

    1.  Create a file \tcpip\etc\hosts with the
      following content:

    127.0.0.1  localhost

    2.  Add the following line to your
      \tcpip\bin\tcpstart.cmd:

    ifconfig lo 127.0.0.1 up

    3.  Set the HOSTNAME environment variable to localhost as described
        in the last section.

    4.  Add the following line to CONFIG.SYS:

    SET USE_HOSTS_FIRST=1

    5.  After rebooting, verify that the following command works:

    [C:\] ping localhost

  The checkinstall.cmd script coming with XFree86/OS2 gives some advice
  here as well.

  If you have problems to get this or other basic networking things running,
  seek assistance elsewhere.


  10.  Configuring X for Your Hardware

  After you have added the required settings and setup a working network,
  run the xf86config program to create a standard configuration file
  in Y:\XFree86\lib\X11\XConfig from a windowed or full screen OS/2
  text session:

  [C:\] xf86config

  The xf86config program will ask a number of questions. You will need
  the information obtained from the SuperProbe program here. The program
  should be self explanatory; if you have problems to understand something
  though, seek assistance in the newsgroups.

  Alternatively, but not recommended for the non-expert, you can edit the
  XConfig file manually with a text editor. A sample file is in

  Y:\XFree86\lib\X11\XConfig.eg

  which can be used as a starting point.

  For details about the XF86Config file format, refer to the
  XF86Config(4/5) manual page.

  By the time this README file is written, a more sophisticated and user
  friendly setup program named XF86Setup, which is the now preferred
  configuration software for XFree86, was not yet functioning, but
  this might change in the final version. Please check the LATEST.OS2 file.

  If you know the configuration process from Linux or other XFree86 platform,
  you will encounter a few differences:

    o    The configuration file is named XF86Config in Unix environments.

    o   There is no configuration for the mouse type or device. The mouse
    device name is fixed to OSMOUSE, and this cannot be changed.
    If you have a three-button-mouse, install the correct OS/2 driver
    for it, such as

    DEVICE=D:\OS2\BOOT\PCLOGIC.SYS SERIAL=COM1
    DEVICE=D:\OS2\BOOT\MOUSE.SYS TYPE=PCLOGIC$

    for a MouseSystems compatible mouse, for instance.

    o   The X server supports the XKEYBOARD extension, so it can take
    advantage from a number of precompiled national keyboard layouts.
    Enable the XKB option and choose an appropriate keyboard in the
    xf86config dialog. For special purposes, you can also configure
    the XKB files in Y:\XFree86\lib\X11\xkb, or use an xmodmap file.

    o   There is no support for the Wacom and Elographics input devices yet.

  In most cases, an existing XF86Config file for the same XFree86 version
  from Linux or another platform may be used without changes. There is one
  prominent exception: some S3 805 based VLB cards put their video memory
  in odd locations. The X server can search for this memory by experimentally
  mapping and unmapping possible memory regions. In XFree86/OS2, the OS may
  run out of memory tiles during this process. If this happens, you must
  find out the location of the memory yourself and add it as an option

      MemBase 0x12345678

  to the XConfig file.

  Once you've set up a XF86Config file, you can fine tune the video
  modes with the xvidtune utility.


  11.  Running X

  16mb of memory is a recommended minimum for running the network software,
  X and the presentation manager in parallel.  The server, window manager and
  an xterm take about 4-6 Mb of memory themselves.  X will start up on a
  system with 8MB or less, but the performance will severely suffer from
  heavy disk swapping. Your mileage may vary, though, so some people might
  consider this still tolerable.

  The easiest way for new users to start X windows is to type:

  [C:\] startx.

  To get out of X windows, select the ``exit'' function of the window manager.
  You can customize your X by creating .xinitrc, .xserverrc,
  and .twmrc files in the directory that the HOME environment variable
  points to. These files are described in the xinit and startx man pages.


  12.  Rebuilding the XFree86 Distribution

  Do you really want to rebuild XFree86/OS2 from source? Read the file OS2.Notes
  on details to recompile XFree86/OS2 from scratch.


  13.  Building New X Clients

  The easiest way to build a new client (X application) is to use
  xmkmf if an Imakefile is included in the sources.  Type
  ``xmkmf -a'' to create the Makefiles, check the configuration if
  necessary and type ``xmake''. ``xmake'' is a wrapper for the
  GNU make program which defeats the improper SHELL setting typically found
  in a Makefile generated from an Imakefile. Also see the XFree86/OS2 FAQ
  for more hints about porting X clients.


  14.  Acknowledgements

  Many thanks to:

    o   Sebastien Marineau for his great work on getting the server code
        debugged

    o   Eberhard Mattes for the wonderful base platform EMX which this
        port heavily relies on

    o   ME - no, no, forget this: I won't praise myself :-)



  $XFree86$





  $XConsortium$