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You’ll need to know which chipset your graphics card has and then figure out which X server to use. We list the X servers in Table 3.5.
| Filename | For Chipsets |
|---|---|
| XF86_8514 | 8514/A and true clones |
| XF86_AGX | IIT AGX-014, AGX-015, AGX-016 |
| XF86_Mach8 | ATI Mach8 |
| XF86_Mach32 | ATI Mach32 |
| XF86_Mach64 | ATI Mach64 |
| XF86_Mono | Monochrome VGA, also Hercules, Hyundai HGC1280, Sigma LaserView, Visa, and Apollo monochrome cards |
| XF86_P9000 | Weitek P9000 |
| XF86_S3 | S3-based cards |
| XF86_S3V | S3 VIRGE-based cards |
| XF86_SVGA | Super VGA |
| XF86_VGA16 | 16-color VGA server |
| XF86_W32 | Tseng ET4000/W32, ET4000/W32i, ET4000/W32p |
The reason you have to know which X server to use is that the wrong server at best won’t work and at worst may damage your system.
XFree86 is set up to run only one X server, the program named X and stored in /usr/X11R6/bin. Because of this, you need to link the X server you chose earlier to the file named X. The following command, when run as root user, links the S3 X server we use to the standard named X:
ln -sf /usr/X11R6/bin/XF86_S3 /usr/X11R6/bin/X
All the XFree86 files are stored in /usr/X11R6, but there are many links to other parts of the filesystem. For example, /usr/bin/X1 is linked to /usr/X11R6/bin, where the X binaries really reside. The Slackware installation should have taken care of these links for you.
Now you have the proper X server set up to run when you start X. The next step is to tell XFree86 about your hardware in even more detail by filling out the infamous XF86Config file.
The XF86Config file, located in /usr/lib/X11 (really a link to /usr/X11R6/ lib/X11), is read when the X server starts up; it describes your graphics hardware and other configuration options for XFree86.
When you’ve gotten to this step, there are two routes you can take. You can set up a generic XF86Config file for Super VGA graphics, or you can tune the XF86Config file for your particular card. We’ll cover both routes in this chapter. We strongly advise you to configure the XF86Config file for your graphics card. Unfortunately, this has proven (in our experience) to be the most daunting task under Linux. Nothing else has been this difficult. So be warned—dangerous waters lie ahead.
The main reason this is a difficult task is that virtually all graphics-card vendors write device drivers for Microsoft Windows, but virtually none write drivers for Linux. Because of this, you’re left with the task of setting up your system to run with the graphics card.
We keep repeating the mantra that you need to know your system’s hardware inside and out. If you know your hardware, you can get the most out of X. If you don’t, you run the danger of destroying your system.
WARNING: Yes, we’ll repeat that: Making a mistake in your X configuration can result in damaged hardware.
Unless you’re independently wealthy, this should cause you to pause for a moment. Take advantage of the time and go dig up all the documentation on your mouse, monitor, and graphics card. This can be hard. On a system that’s a few years old, you may not be able to find everything. On a new system, your computer case may be full of no-name, off-brand hardware and the documentation may tell you nothing of value.
We’ve found that some newer systems just tell you the amount of video RAM and how to run DOS terminate-and-stay-resident (TSR) programs to configure the card, which is not very useful for a non-BIOS operating system like Linux. Let’s face it: the vast majority of PC users run DOS and Microsoft Windows, not Linux. As one of the few pioneers, your task is harder. Try examining the original boxes the system came in. On at least one of our prepackaged systems, we found more technical information about the graphics card (especially the chipset) on the box than in all the printed manuals that came with the system.
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