• Diff for "Xorg"

Xorg is a the default X-Window server since Debian 4.0 (etch). It replaces XFree86. It is maintained in Debian by the XStrikeForce.

Current Status

The current version shipped in Debian are listed on packages.debian.org:

• Testing: xorg, xserver-xorg...

• Lenny: xorg (7.3), xserver-xorg (1.4)...

• Etch: xorg (7.1), xserver-xorg (1.1)...

• Sarge xserver-xfree86 (4.3).

Version numbers

Xorg version numbering has changed since xorg 7.0. Nowadays, Xorg is released with a version number (like 7.4), which is composed of various modules which have there own version number (started at 1.0). For instance, Xorg 7.3 was shipped with Xserver version v1.4, xf86-input-evdev v1.1.5, xf86-video-intel v2.1.1, etc.. If you want to learn more about Xorg releases/versions, see this blog.

Debian version number follows upstream convention. The modules version may be different (The maintainers sometimes cherry-pick more recent and stable modules). Reminder: Debian package version sometimes starts with a digit followed by a column, like 1:7.3.1-2. That part (1:) is Debian-specific. Also, anything after the dash (-2) is the Debian packaging version.

Configure X

To reconfigure keyboard settings, run as root in a terminal:

dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg

This command formally included steps to configure video settings but as of Winter 2008 in Testing, these screens no longer appear. This is reportedly because auto-detection of video settings works in most cases so a wizard is unneeded. Any further adjustment to video settings must be done by editing /etc/X11/xorg.conf directly.

Edit xorg.conf

Some settings are only accessible through editing xorg.conf by hand.

How can I edit my xorg config file?

Open a terminal (or console) as root, then run :

editor /etc/X11/xorg.conf

What if I do not have an xorg config file?

If xorg.conf is missing for some reason, Xorg will probe your hardware on every startup. Though this works fine in most cases, some settings remain inaccessible. To create a starting point for customization, do the following:

Switch to a console as root (not a terminal emulator in X), then run:

/etc/init.d/kdm stop
/etc/init.d/gdm stop
/etc/init.d/xdm stop
cd /etc/X11/
Xorg -configure

Alternatively, reboot the machine in single user mode, then run:

cd /etc/X11/
Xorg -configure

Follow the on-screen instructions. This should give you something to work with.

Run X

After installation run

startx

or as root run

invoke-rc.d gdm 

(see gdm manpage).

KDE user should use kdm. Others might use xdm.

Configure Xorg

Video drivers

• See xserver-xorg-video-2 packages.

• AtiHowTo, ATIProprietary

• GraphicsCard

Q. How can I change the reference to a driver in my config file ??
Solution: Edit xorg.conf and change the driver name is in the "Device" Section (i.e. Driver "svga").

See Also

• FreeDesktop

• XStrikeForce

• Xorg69To7 - Upgrading from XFree86 or a 6.x version of Xorg to 7.x (Etch).

External Links

• X.org wiki contains useful information about X.org. If you are having problems with X.org, this is a good place to search for answers.

CategoryXWindowSystem