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The X11R6 windowing software consists of the following components:
X Client Libraries
X Server
Display Manager
X Protocol Extensions
Font Server
X Clients
Digital UNIX Version 4.0 supports the complete set of X11R6 X client libraries:
Athena Widget Set (libXaw)
A high-level library of user-interface components (scroll bars, labels, buttons)
X Intrinsics Library (Xt)
Middle-level routines that call into Xlib
X library (Xlib)
Low-level routines that interface with the X server
Through the extensive use of shared libraries, Digital UNIX Version 4.0 supports a single X11R6 X server image for all graphic options. The Digital UNIX Version 4.0 X server dynamically configures itself at init-time, loading only those server components required by a specific system configuration, and rarely requires any intervention by a system administrator.
For a list of the shared libraries that make up the X server, see Chapter 7.
Multihead graphic support is transparent in Digital UNIX Version 4.0, provided the proper option cards are installed and the additional graphic adapters are built into the kernel.
For more information on the graphic options supported in Digital UNIX Version 4.0, see the Systems and Options Catalog.
Digital UNIX Version 4.0 supports the following X server extensions. Note that to conserve memory, the X server, by default, defers loading most server extensions until it receives a request from a client for that specific extension.
XKB
The X Keyboard Management extension. Provides support for the ISO 9995 standard and includes the AccessX keyboard extension. Included with the XKB extension are XKB keymaps for all the keyboards/locales we support as well as many supporting applications.
The XKB is turned on by default, and the X server automatically compiles and loads a keymap based upon the console language and keyboard.
The Keyboard Extension for X11R6 (XKB)
The XKB server extension is new for X11R6 and for Digital Unix V4.0. XKB enhances control and customization of the keyboard under the X Window system by providing:
Support for the ISO 9996 standard for keyboard layouts
Compatibility with the core X keyboard handling; no client modifications needed
Standard methods for handling keyboard LEDs and locking modifiers such as CapsLock and NumLock
Support for keyboard geometry
Additionally, the X11R5 (for versions of Digital Unix earlier than V4.0) AccessX server extension for people with physical impairments has been incorporated into the XKB server extension. These accessibility features include StickyKeys, SlowKeys, BounceKeys, MouseKeys, and ToggleKeys, as well as complete control over the autorepeat delay and rate.
DPS (Adobe Display PostScript Extension −− DPS Level II)
Supports realtime PostScript display, including color, motion, and advanced text display to the screen.
MIT-SHM (MIT Shared Memory)
Enhances performance for local image-intensive applications.
MIT-SUNDRY-NONSTANDARD
Miscellaneous extension from the X Consortium, which currently controls bug-compatibility modes for the X Server.
Multibuffering
Supports smooth animations by drawing to multiple buffers.
SHAPE
Supports nonrectangular windows used for round, oval, and nonregular shaped windows.
SMT (Shared Memory Transport)
Allows for the use of shared memory as an X transport for local clients, giving a significant performance boost. Transport specified by local:0.0.
XIE (X Imaging Extension, Version 3 and 5)
Provides advanced control over imaging, as well as device-independent image display.
Digital UNIX Version 4.0 ships both Version 3 (/usr/lib/Xie.a and /usr/shlib/libXie.so) and the de facto industry standard, Version 5 (/usr/lib/libXIE.a and /usr/shlib/libXIE.so).
X Input
Allows users to write their own drivers for third-party input devices, and then load them dynamically into the X server by making entries in the X server configuration file (/usr/var/X11/Xserver.conf). The new input devices are then recognized the next time the X server is reset.
In traditional, statically-linked X Servers, each time a new extension device is added the X Server must be rebuilt. Digital UNIX's loadable X server implementation has overcome this limitation by permitting system administrators to add new new input device support as external shareables that are loaded by the X server at init-time.
Sample code showing how such a driver should be written is included in the /usr/examples directory.
XKME (X Keyboard Management Extension)
Internal extension for better support of international X clients. Note that the XKME functionality has been made obsolete by the XKB extension, but has been provided for backwards compatibility.
X Screen Saver
Enables a client to receive notification when the screen has been inactive for a specified amount of time or whenever it cycles. This extension is useful to developers writing screensaver applications.
XSync
The XSync function, in conjunction with the XFlush, XEventsQueued, and XPending functions, allows synchronization between X clients to take place entirely within the X server, thereby eliminating any errors introduced by the network and enabling different hosts running different operating systems to synchronize X clients. This extension is particularly useful for multimedia applications that require the synchronization of audio, video, and graphics; and for animation applications, which can have their requests synchronized to internal, X server timers.
XTest
Allows applications to simulate X events for testing purposes.
XTrap
Supports the recording and playback of X events for the purpose of X client testing.
XV (X Video)
Allows clients to control video options, such as the live video PIP option for the TX graphic device.
For more information on the X server, see the X Window System Environment and the X(1X) and the Xdec(1X) reference pages.
Digital UNIX Version 4.0 supports the standard Xdm terminal manager software. The Xdm terminal manager starts up the X server locally and allows for network-transparent login prompting, so that users can log in to any system on their network that is supported by xdm as if the remote system's graphic console were in front of them. This functionality provides for the seamless integration of X terminals into the Digital UNIX Version 4.0 environment. For more information on using Xdm, see the System Administration guide and the xdm(1X) reference page.
The keymaps supplied with Digital UNIX Version 4.0 use the xmodmap keymap format, the de facto industry standard. Unlike the format of the keymaps supplied in earlier versions of Digital UNIX, which was difficult to read and edit because it was written using hexadecimal numbers, the xmodmap format is written using symbolic key names and can be easily customized.
Also, the xmodmap format supports the ability to specify modifier keys (Compose, Alt, Shift, and so forth), which the old format did not support.
Now, instead of the X server itself loading the keymap when it starts or resets, xdm (the X Display Manager) causes the appropriate xmodmap-format keymap to be loaded by using the xmodmap command.
The xmodmap keymap format is compatible whether the X server is running the XKB extension or not. The xmodmap keymaps, however, are being shipped for backward compatibility reasons. Digital suggests using the newer XKB standard keymap format instead of the xmodmap keymap format.
Whenever an X client application establishes a connection to the X server, it passes an authorization code, called a key, to the X server. If the X server recognizes this key, the connection is allowed. When the user's X session is started, xdm (the X Display Manager) writes one or more keys into the .Xauthority file in a user's home directory. The X Display Manager (xdm) also writes these keys into a file readable by the X server.
In previous releases of the Digital UNIX, the keys were in the MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1 format and were not encrypted.
Now, however, to improve security, Digital UNIX supports both the MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1 key format as well as the XDM-AUTHORIZATION-1 encrypted key format, which is the default.
Digital UNIX Version 4.0 supports a standard scalable font server that supplies a network of systems with access to fonts resident on any Digital UNIX system. The font server maintains a repository of fonts and responds to requests from other X servers on the network for fonts that they may not have locally. In addition to providing network-transparent access to fonts, the font server unloads the compute burden of font scaling from local X servers, since it scales fonts appropriately before supplying them to the requesting X server.
Before a font can be displayed by an X server, its glyphs must be converted from their on-disk formats into bitmaps. This conversion is done by font renderer code in the X server or in a font server which may be supplying fonts to the X server.
Digital UNIX Version 4.0 supports loadable font renderers, so that users who adhere to the X11R6 standard can write their own font renderer for their own set of fonts and install them on a Digital UNIX system. After the fonts and the font renderer are installed, the necessary entries for them are placed in the X server configuration file (/usr/var/X11/Xserver.conf), the font server configuration file (/usr/var/X11/fs/config), or in both configuration files. The new font renderer is then recognized the next time the X server or font server (whichever has the font renderer configured) is reset.
Digital UNIX Version 4.0 supports the entire suite of X clients that ships with X11R6, including appres, atobm, bdftopcf, bitmap, bmtoa, editres, fs, fsinfo, fslsfonts, fstobdf, getcons, ico, imake, listres, lndir, mkfontdir, oclock, optacon, pswrap, puff, puzzle, resize, showfont, showrgb, twm, uil, viewres, x11perf, x11perfcomp, xauth, xbiff, xcalc, xcd, xclipboard, xclock, xcmsdb, xcmstest, xconsole, xcutsel, xdm, xdpr, xdpyinfo, xedit, xemacs, xev, xeyes, xfd, xfontsel, xgc, xhost, xkbcomp, xkbprint, xkbdfltmap, xkill, xload, xlogo, xlsatoms, xlsclients, xlsfonts, xmag, xman, xmbind, xmh, xmkmf, xmodmap, xon, xpr, xprop, xrdb, xrefresh, xset, xsetroot, xsoundsentry, xstdc map, xterm, xwd, xwininfo, and xwud.
For more information on individual X clients, see the appropriate reference page.
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