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These commands also copy all the files from the CD-ROM mounted at /cdrom to the current directory.

Table 21.1 XFree86 Main Distribution Files

Filename Description

x3270.tgz IBM 3270 terminal emulation
x_8514.tgz IBM 8514 server
x_mach32.tgz Mach32 chip-based server
x_mach8.tgz Mach8 chip-based server
x_mono.tgz Monochrome monitor server
x_s3.tgz S3 chip-based server
x_svga.tgz Server for most SVGA cards (a good basic setup)
_vga16.tgz EGA/VGA 16-color server
xconfig.tgz Sample Xconfig configuration files (a must-have)
xf_bin.tgz Basic binary files required for X (clients)
xf_cfg.tgz XDM configuration and FVWM programs
xf_doc.tgz Documentation for XFree86
xf_kit.tgz Linker kit for XFree86 (1 of 2)
xf_kit2.tgz Drivers for Linker kit (2 of 2)
xf_lib.tgz Dynamic link libraries and configuration files
xf_pex.tgz PEX distribution
xfileman.tgz File manager program
xfm.tgz The xfm file manager
xfnt.tgz X Window fonts
xfnt75 75 point fonts for X
xfract The xfractint program for displaying fractals
xgames Games to play under X
xgrabsc.tgz The Xgrabsc and Xgrab programs (Xgrab was used to create most of the images in this book)
xinclude.tgx Programming header files for X Windows programming
xlock.tgz The xlock screen password-protection program
xman1.tgz Man pages for X
xman3.tgz More man pages for X
xpaint.tgz The Xpaint program for drawing under X
xpm.tgz The Xpm libraries, both shared and static
xspread.tgz The Xspread spreadsheet program
xstatic.tgz Static libraries for X
xv.tgz The XV image viewer
xxgdb.tgz The X Window front end for the GNU debugger

To extract these files, use the following command:


opus: gzip -d filename.tgz

opus: tar -xvf filename.tar


NOTE:  The CD-ROM included with this book is as up-to-date as possible, given the time lag necessary for the production of the book. Nonetheless, a newer version of XFree86 may be available on the Internet by the time you read this, so check the necessary archive sites—this may save some headaches down the road.


See “Using FTP for Remote File Transfer,” p. 580

Ensuring Hardware Support for XFree86

Make sure that you have the proper hardware to run X Windows, the proper amount of memory, and the necessary disk space.

You need about 21MB of disk space to install the XFree86 system and the X Windows applications provided. You need at least 16MB of virtual memory to run X Windows. Virtual memory is the combination of the physical RAM on your system and the amount of swap space you’ve allocated for Linux. You must have at least 4MB of physical RAM to run XFree86 under Linux, thus requiring a 12MB swap file. The more physical RAM you have, the better the performance of your XFree86 system will be.


See “Creating the Swap Partition,” p. 72 (for Red Hat) and p. 99 (for OpenLinux)

Next, you need a video card containing a video-driver chipset supported by XFree86. According to the March 15, 1995, release of Matt Welsh’s XFree86 HOWTO, the video cards with the chipsets listed in Tables 21.2 and 21.3 are supported by XFree86.

Table 21.2 Non-Accelerated Chipsets Supported by XFree86

Manufacturer Chipset(s)

ATI 28800-4, 28800-5, 28800-6, 28800-a
Advance Logic AL2101
Cirrus Logic CLGD6205, CLGD6215, CLGD6225, CLGD6235
Compaq AVGA
Genoa GVGA
MX MX68000, MX680010
NCR 77C22, 77C22E, 77C22E+
OAK OTI067, OTI077
Trident TVGA8800CS, TVGA8900B, TVGA8900C, TVGA8900CL, TVGA9000, TVGA9000i, TVGA9100B, TVGA9200CX, TVGA9320, TVGA9400CX, TVGA9420
Tseng ET3000, ET4000AX, ET4000/W32
Western Digital/Paradise PVGA1
Western Digital WD90C00, WD90C10, WD90C11, WD90C24, WD90C30
Video 7 HT216-32

Table 21.3 Accelerated Chipsets Supported by XFree86

Manufacturer Chipset(s)

Cirrus CLGD5420, GLGD5420, CLGD5422, CLGD5424, CLGD5426, CLGD5428
Western Digital WD90C31
ATI Mach8, Mach32
S3 86C911, 86C924, 86C801, 86C805, 86C805i, 86C928

Installing the X System with pkgtool for Slackware

To install X Windows, you need to log in as the superuser—that is, as root. Then you should record the location of the X Windows packages you want to install. These files are located on the accompanying Slackware CD-ROM in the /slackware directory. To access the X Windows packages from the enclosed CD-ROM, look in the following directories: /cdrom/slackware/x1, /cdrom/slackware/x2, and so on. Make sure you remember where these files are located.


NOTE:  Because Linux mounts the CD-ROM in a directory, the files are relative to that mount point. So a typical Linux installation usually places or mounts the CD-ROM in a directory under the root directory named cdrom.


See “Mounting and Unmounting File Systems,” p. 269


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