README for XFree86 3.3.3 on OS/2

by Holger Veit, last modified on: 04 Oct 1998

1. Introductory Note about the release 3.3.3

Before looking into this file, please check for any LATEST.OS2 files that may come with the binary distribution. Please also check out the following XFree86/OS2 WWW pages: before you claim to have found any problems.

This version of the code is called XFree86/OS2 3.3.3. This is a bugfix release for 3.3 and later which also adds hardware support for some newer cards (including AGP boards). XFree86-3.3.3 contains all security fixes that were released for earlier versions. See the RELNOTES document for details.

XFree86/OS2-3.3.3 is a full, unrestricted version which does not expire, and for which the complete source code is available. In contrast to beta versions, we consider this code as sufficiently stable for use by an end user. Since there have been numerous bugfixes, we recommend this version, even if you had XFree86/OS2 3.3 before and it worked satisfyingly with your hardware. By the time 3.3.3 is released, the older version 3.3 will be withdrawn, and archives will be updated to this version. There may still be references to 3.3 still in documents; these apply to 3.3.3 as well, unless otherwise noted.

Previous versions have been tested in a large number of configurations and have been found to be working, with some bugs left, rather flawlessly.

This release is almost complete (with a few exceptions) regarding the X11R6.3 ``core'' distribution. A subset of the ``contrib'' distribution is available from the ported software page http://set.gmd.de/~veit/os2/xf86ported.html

In the past beta testing, it has been found that the software itself is rather stable and does not damage hardware - provided the user does not try to push the builtin limits and change certain configuration parameters which could operate the video hardware out of specs.

However,

It is recommended that you backup essential data of your system before installing this software, but this should be your general precautions before ANY installation. No reports exist that a crashing X server itself actively destroys or modifies data, but it is possible in rare cases that the system is left in an unusable state (video display mode garbled or system unresponsive, not reacting to mouse or keyboard actions). If you then hard reset or switch off the system, file caches of the operating system might not be written correctly back to disk, thus causing data loss.

2. What and Where is XFree86?

XFree86 is a port of X11R6.3 that supports several versions of Intel-based Unix. It is derived from X386 1.2, which was the X server distributed with X11R5. This release consists of many new features and performance improvements as well as many bug fixes. The release is available as source patches against the X Consortium X11R6 code, as well as binary distributions for many architectures.

XFree86/OS2 is the name of the implementation of XFree86 on OS/2 based systems.

See the Copyright Notice.

Generally, you find source and binary code at ftp.xfree86.org

The XFree86/OS2 home page will usually show more references to FTP or WWW sites to retrieve sources or binaries.

Other versions:

XFree86/OS2 will run on all dialects of Warp 3, including Warp "red spine box", Warp "blue spine box", Warp Connect, Warp Server, and Warp 4.

For Warp 3 installing fixpack level 17 or later is strongly recommended. There have been a few reports that the installation of FP26 causes XFree86 no longer to work, but I am not sure about a real reason. Current fixpacks for Warp 3, like FP36, seem to work well also.

Warp 4 may be used with or without the recent public fixpack.

Please check in all cases a LATEST.OS2 file.

OS/2 2.11 is not supported any longer with this release, due to lack of a working test environment. Consequently, OS/2 SMP 2.11 is not supported either. Warp Server SMP is supported, but SMP does not give significant advantage, other than the general speedup because of multiple processors working. OS/2 versions 1.X are definitely not supported and will never be.

It is possible to build XFree86/OS2 from the sources. Read about this in the document OS2.NOTES.

3. Bug Reports for This Document

Send email to Holger Veit or XFree86@Xfree86.org if you have comments or suggestions about this file and we'll revise it.

4. Hardware and Software Requirements

4.1 Supported, Required, and Recommended Hardware

4.2 Required Software

5. Installing the System

The binary distribution is composed of a number of zip archives which are the executables, servers, fonts, libraries, include files, man pages, and config files. The full distribution requires about 40-55MB of disk space.

All archives of this alpha version are packed with the info-zip utility, which is available under the name UNZ512X2.EXE (or a later version) from many OS/2 archives. Please obtain a native OS/2 version of this unpacker. DOS PKUNZIP does not work, because it cannot unpack long file names and extended attributes. ,P> At this moment, the distribution covers only the ``core'' distribution which somewhat reduces the usability. Refer to WWW sites and archives listed in the XFree86/OS2 FAQ and elsewhere to obtain pre-built X clients which were ported to XFree86.

The contents of the packages are:

In order to save space on your disk and reduce net bandwidth, choose the software to obtain carefully. Each X server is an archive of about 1.2MB and occupies 3.0MB on the disk. You won't normally need more than the single Xserver tailored to your video card.

If it is your first time install, get the Xbase archive before any of the other packages. This package contains a driver and a test program, which analyzes your video hardware. If this program fails or reports an incompatible hardware, it makes no sense to obtain the other packages in the hope that they would magically work.

6. Troubleshooting

Surprised to see this section directly in the beginning? We have put it here because chances are best here not to overlook it. This does not mean that you will necessarily encounter trouble when installing XFree86, but be warned: the following sections are IMPORTANT and neglecting one or more things out of impatience or sloppiness will leave you with a non-working X11 system and us with unnecessary problems.

Still, due to the incredibly large number of hardware configurations, there may be some special situations and configurations where the below description is not successful. If this happens, read - I repeat READ - the list of ``frequently asked questions'' (FAQ) which has meanwhile evolved to a troubleshooting guide. The latest version is always at x11os2faq.html.

Maybe - but we found you must be very creative - you find a bug. Consult the page http://set.gmd.de/~veit/os2/xf86bugs.html whether it is already known. If not, you have a case and should report it to XFree86 (xfree86@xfree86.org). Please refer to the FAQ about the information to be provided for a complete problem report.

The recommended newsgroup for setup questions is comp.os.os2.setup.misc. I read this group, so it won't speed up the process or enforce anything if you post to other groups, or forward the report to my mail address as well or to xfree86@xfree86.org.

So, not to discourage you completely, the setup section begins:

7. Checking Compatibility of Video Hardware

In the following, we assume that you want to install XFree86/OS2 on a disk drive with the letter Y: (which you probably don't have). Change the letter in all commands accordingly.
  1. Obtain the package Xbase and install it from the root directory of the Y: drive, by entering the following commands: 
               [C:\] Y:
           [Y:\] cd \
           [Y:\] unzip \path_of_package\Xbase.zip
  2. Edit your CONFIG.SYS file to contain the following line somewhere: 
               DEVICE=Y:\XFree86\lib\xf86sup.sys
    Of course replace ``Y:'' with the correct drive letter.
  3. At this point, you may consider to add the variables required for XFree86/OS2 as well, which will save you from one additional reboot. Refer to section Adding Variables to CONFIG.SYS (section 9., page 8) below.
  4. After adding the device driver entry to the CONFIG.SYS file, you must reboot to install the driver. XFree86/OS2 will not work without this driver.
  5. Start a full screen OS/2 CMD session and enter the following command: 
               [C:\] Y:\XFree86\bin\SuperProbe
  6. This command will (normally) report important information about your video configuration, i.e. the type of chipset, the available video memory and the RAMDAC circuit available. Please write this down or redirect the output of ``SuperProbe'' into a file by entering: 
               [C:\] Y:\XFree86\bin\SuperProbe >filename
  7. SuperProbe can identify many more video cards than are supported by XFree86. In some cases, SuperProbe unfortunately detects a wrong card, often it claims to have seen a MCGA card which is some sort of a fallback. Generally, if it is approximately right, there are only few reasons for doubts; if it is totally off (e.g. saying it has seen a ET4000, and you have a Cirrus card), you should report a mis-detection as a bug to the given address. In all cases, please take the few minutes and check the accompanying README.* files to check for special precautions, options, or features of the card.
  8. If the README files tell you that your hardware is supported, please obtain the rest of the software.

8. Installing the packages

XFree86/OS2 assumes a directory hierarchy starting from drive:\XFree86. This can be changed, but is strictly discouraged.
  1. Choose a HPFS partition with sufficient free space.
  2. For each package to install, go to the root directory of this drive, and type: 
               drive:> cd \
           drive:> unzip \path_of_packages\Xxxxx.zip
  3. You might encounter that some packages report duplicate files, e.g. the X server packages install corresponding README files, which are also in the Xdoc package. This is okay, the files are the same. Let unzip replace the files.
  4. No special sequence to unpack the files is required.

9. Adding Variables to CONFIG.SYS

XFree86/OS2 requires a number of settings in the CONFIG.SYS file to work correctly. Please add the following settings, and in particular take care to set forward versus backward slashes correctly:
TERM
Set the preferred terminal type for the xterm or editor to be used. Some programs need this setting. I have my type set to 
                 SET TERM=ansi
\XFree86\lib\X11\etc\termcap.x11 contains a suitable termcap which can be used in place of termcap files that come with EMX, EMACS, or other ported software.
TERMCAP
This variable must be set to the location where the termcap file used for the above TERM variable is searched. My setting, for instance, is: 
                 SET TERMCAP=D:/EMX/ETC/TERMCAP.X11
Note that forward ``/'' is used as a directory separator.
ETC
Set to an ETC directory. Normally, this is already set to the ETC directory of the TCP/IP code, such as 
                 SET ETC=C:\TCPIP\ETC
TMP
Set to an TMP directory. Normally, this is already set to the TMP directory of the TCP/IP code, such as 
                 SET TMP=C:\TCPIP\TMP
HOSTNAME
Set to the internet hostname. Normally, this is already set by the TCP/IP installation program, such as 
                 SET HOSTNAME=myhost
With IAK, you would normally run a loopback configuration Network configuration (section 10., page 11) and would then set this to 
                 SET HOSTNAME=localhost
USER
LOGNAME
Set both to a username. Currently, they are there just to make some programs happy; in the future, this variable might be set by a login shell of a multiuser configuration. My variable, for instance, is set to 
                         SET USER=holger
                         SET LOGNAME=holger
HOME
Set this to an existing directory that is supposed to be a home directory of a user. Some utilities place temporary and init files here. This is also future investment for a multiuser configuration, but must still be there. For instance, this variable might be set to 
                 SET HOME=H:\user\holger
X11ROOT
This is one of the most important settings, it determines the root of the XFree86 directory tree. Normally, you will set this to the drive letter of the partition where the \XFree86 tree resides, such as in 
                 SET X11ROOT=Y:
You may try to move the tree to another subdirectory, e.g. to K:\OS2\X11\XFree86... and would then have to change this to 
                 SET X11ROOT=K:/OS2/X11
, but this is discouraged, since some utilities might not accept this. Note the forward ``/'' as a directory separator here.
DISPLAY
This variable may be set to the display to be used for displaying clients. Normally you will set this variable to the same value as the HOSTNAME variable and simply add a :0.0 after it, such as 
                 SET DISPLAY=myhost:0.0
Read the X11 man page on the exact meaning of these postfixes and other options.
XSERVER
Set this to the executable name of the X server to be used. This must be a complete path. My setting is as follows: 
                 SET XSERVER=D:/XFree86/bin/XF86_Mach64.exe
PATH
Add the binary directory for the X11 utilities to your search PATH. This is normally the directory (adjust the letter) 
                 Y:\XFree86\bin
It is possible to move the binaries to another directory in the search path; for maintenance reasons and clarity of the structure, this is not recommended, though.
LIBPATH
Add the DLL directory for the X11 utilities to the LIBPATH. This is normally the directory (adjust the letter) 
                 Y:\XFree86\lib
It is possible to move the DLLs to another directory in the library path; for maintenance reasons and clarity of the structure, this is not recommended, though. Note that Y:\XFree86\lib has several other subdirectories; these may not be moved elsewhere, rather they must stay there, because most utilities form a path to these directories by using %X11ROOT%\XFree86\lib as a base.
The recent version of XFree86/OS2 has a REXX script named checkinstall.cmd which you can (and should) use to check whether you have entered most things correctly. This is not bullet-proof, but prevents the most obvious setup problems. Also, the X server itself will do some checking and will refuse to start if something is wrong.

10. Remarks on the Network Configuration

It is beyond the scope of this document to even give an introduction about the correct installation of the TCP/IP networking system. You must do this yourself or seek assistance elsewhere. It is only possible to say here that a PC working well in a TCP/IP based LAN network will also work with XFree86/OS2 (when all other prerequisites are matched as well).

With IAK, there is a special configuration necessary, unless you want to use XFree86/OS2 only during a hot link to your Internet provider, the so called ``localhost'' or ``loopback'' configuration. This is a local network interface which ``loops'' back to the same host. The following settings are necessary for this:

  1. Create a file \tcpip\etc\hosts with the following content: (Warp Connect, Warp 4: \mptn\etc\hosts) 
    	   127.0.0.1  localhost
  2. Add the following line to your \tcpip\bin\tcpstart.cmd: (Warp Connect, Warp 4: \mptn\bin\start.cmd) 
    	   ifconfig lo 127.0.0.1 up
  3. Set the HOSTNAME environment variable to localhost as described in the last section.
  4. Add the following line to CONFIG.SYS: 
    	   SET USE_HOSTS_FIRST=1
  5. After rebooting, verify that the following command works: 
    	   [C:\] ping localhost
You don't need this ``loopback'' interface if your PC is connected to a LAN (either directly or through SLIP/PPP).

In case of a SLIP/PPP line, you have to establish this connection BEFORE you start XFree86.

The checkinstall.cmd script coming with XFree86/OS2 gives some advice on the configuration as well.

If you have problems to get this or other basic networking things running, seek assistance elsewhere.

11. Configuring X for Your Hardware

After you have added the required settings and setup a working network, run the xf86config program to create a standard configuration file in Y:\XFree86\lib\X11\XF86Config from a windowed or full screen OS/2 text session: 
     [C:\] xf86config
The xf86config program will ask a number of questions. You will need the information obtained from the SuperProbe program here. The program should be self explanatory; if you have problems to understand something though, seek assistance in the newsgroups.

It is possible, but strongly discouraged for the non-expert, to edit the XF86Config file with a text editor. In a few situations as described in the FAQ, however, this might even be mandatory. This file is not a hacker's area, such as the Win95 registry, but it has in common with it that you can easily cause damage.

For details about the XF86Config file format, refer to the XF86Config(4/5) manual page.

If you know the configuration process from Linux or other XFree86 platform, you will encounter a few differences:

In most cases, an existing XF86Config file for the same XFree86 version from Linux or another platform may be used without changes. There is one prominent exception: some S3 805 based VLB cards put their video memory in odd locations. The X server can search for this memory by experimentally mapping and unmapping possible memory regions. In XFree86/OS2, the OS may run out of memory tiles during this process. If this happens, you must find out the location of the memory yourself and add it as an option 
	  MemBase 0x12345678
to the XF86Config file.

Once you've set up a XF86Config file, you can fine tune the video modes with the xvidtune utility.

12. Running X

16mb of memory is a recommended minimum for running the network software, X and the presentation manager in parallel. The server, window manager and an xterm take about 4-6 Mb of memory themselves. X will start up on a system with 8MB or less, but the performance will severely suffer from heavy disk swapping. Your mileage may vary, though, so some people might consider this still tolerable.

The easiest way for new users to start X windows is to type: 

     [C:\] startx
.

To get out of X windows, type: ``exit'' in the console xterm. You can customize your X by creating .xinitrc, .xserverrc, and .twmrc files in the directory that the HOME environment variable points to. These files are described in the xinit and startx man pages.

By default, the systemwide xinitrc file (in Y:/XFree86/lib/X11/xinit/xinitrc.cmd) installs the rather simplistic twm window manager. You can find better window managers on the ported software page.

13. Rebuilding the XFree86 Distribution

Do you really want to rebuild XFree86/OS2 from source? Read the file OS2.Notes on details to recompile XFree86/OS2 from scratch.

14. Building New X Clients

The easiest way to build a new client (X application) is to use xmkmf if an Imakefile is included in the sources. Type ``xmkmf -a'' to create the Makefiles, check the configuration if necessary and type ``xmake''. ``xmake'' is a wrapper for the GNU make program which defeats the improper SHELL setting typically found in a Makefile generated from an Imakefile. Also see the XFree86/OS2 FAQ for more hints about porting X clients.

15. Acknowledgements

Many thanks to: