[Glastonbury] Linux/Mandrake Question

[Martin WHEELER]

On Fri, 18 Jul 2003, nick irwin wrote:

> Does anyone know how to get multiple virtual terminals to run X sessions in
> Mandrake? I can't think of a clear way of putting this so what I mean is...

Nick __

Your X session found by pressing Ctrl/Alt/F7 is on virtual terminal 0.

Start another by typing in:  startx -- :1  (virtual terminal 1), and go
look at it using Ctrl/Alt/F8.

Likewise,  startx -- :2  will start a new X terminal (virtual terminal
2) under Ctrl/Alt/F9


[ Unless of course Mandrake 9.1 has a default setting somewhere allowing
only one virtual terminal -- but I shouldn't think so. ]

'man startx' is your friend here.

> The session on Ctrl-Alt-F7 naturally runs the X session on Mandrake, but I
> believe you can also have an X session running on the Ctrl-Alt-F6 session at
> the same time.

Usually, the first six Function keys give text consoles; F7-F9 are set
for X terminals.

> However after being assured that this ability would be included in Mandrake
> 8.0, I still find myself with an error message to the effect of 'X server
> already running' whenever I try to start another X session.

Yup -- if you don't tell it NOT to use virtual terminal 0, it will
default to that terminal -- which of course, is already running.
hence the error message.


> Another question of interest is, is it possible for different user accounts to
> use different screen resolutions? If so how? and is anyone aware if Mandrake
> lacks this ability?

Your screen resolution is set for the machine in
/etc/X11/XF86Config<-4>.

Individual users should change the resolution by pressing Ctrl/Alt/+ or
Ctrl/Alt/-  (Use the + and - keys from the numeric keypad, NOT the top
line of keys.)  If you have more than one possible resolution set in
XF86Config or XF86Config-4, this will enable you to scroll through them,
one by one.

[ Relevant excerpt from the XF86Config-4 on this box:

# **********************************************************************
# Screen sections
# **********************************************************************

# Any number of screen sections may be present.  Each describes
# the configuration of a single screen.  A single specific screen
section
# may be specified from the X server command line with the "-screen"
# option.
Section "Screen"
    Identifier  "Screen 1"
    Device      "ATI Rage 128"
    Monitor     "Philips17"
    DefaultDepth 16

    Subsection "Display"
        Depth       8
        Modes       "1024x768" "1280x1024" "640x480" "800x600"
        ViewPort    0 0
        Virtual     1600 1200
    EndSubsection

 . . .


Note that the Virtual setting allows me to work with an actual screen
area of 1024x768 (or any one of the four defined screen modes) taken
from a virtual area of 1600x1200 -- which means that when my mouse hits
the edge of the 1024-screen, it slides on until it brings in the edge of
the 1600-screen.
This way of viewing an 'extended' work area, with bits effectively "off
the edge" of the screen makes some people feel sea-sick. (Sean actually
goes green watching me move around the screen.)
Pressing Ctrl/Alt/+ or - cycles me through the four modes defined in the
file.

Take a look at you XF86Config file, and see what the settings are for
your particular system.]

HTH,
-- 
Martin Wheeler   -   StarTEXT / AVALONIX - Glastonbury - BA6 9PH - England
mwheeler@startext.co.uk                http://www.startext.co.uk/mwheeler/
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