XOrg 7 Setup Guide
Installing and configuring XOrg 7.x on Lunar Linux
XOrg 7 Setup Guide
This guide covers installing and configuring XOrg 7.x, the modular X Window System, on Lunar Linux. All commands require root privileges.
Installing XOrg 7.x
XOrg 7.x uses a modular architecture, making it more flexible and maintainable than previous monolithic releases.
Install the XOrg7 Module
lin XOrg7
This meta-module installs the complete XOrg 7.x modular tree.
Input Device Support
Modern X servers require explicit input drivers. Install the evdev driver for keyboard and mouse support:
lin xf86-input-evdev
Auto-Configuration
XOrg 7.x auto-configures at runtime, so you typically don't need to generate an xorg.conf file manually. The server will detect and configure hardware automatically on first run.
Third-Party Drivers
NVIDIA Proprietary Drivers
The NVIDIA binary driver provides optimal performance for NVIDIA graphics cards.
Installation
Important: X must not be running during installation. Stop any display managers (GDM, KDM, XDM, SLIM) before proceeding.
# Stop display manager (if running)
/etc/init.d/xdm stop # or gdm, kdm, slim
# Install NVIDIA driver
lin NVIDIA
Configuration
Generate an NVIDIA-specific X configuration:
nvidia-xconfig
This creates /etc/X11/xorg.conf with optimal settings for your NVIDIA card.
Kernel Updates
Important: NVIDIA drivers include kernel modules that must be rebuilt after kernel updates.
After updating your kernel:
- Reboot into the new kernel
- Stop X and display managers
- Rebuild the NVIDIA module:
lin NVIDIA
Failure to rebuild will result in X server failure or fallback to the nouveau driver.
Installation Notes
Installation Prefix
XOrg 7 installs to /usr by default, following the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard. This aligns with major Linux distributions:
Custom Installation Prefix
If you prefer a different location:
lunar set X11R7_PREFIX=/your/prefix/here
Then rebuild XOrg7:
lunar renew XOrg7
Compatibility Symlinks
The XOrg7 profile creates compatibility symlinks:
/usr/X11→$MODULE_PREFIX(default:/usr)/usr/X11R6→$MODULE_PREFIX(default:/usr)
The /usr/X11R6 symlink maintains compatibility with older packages that have hardcoded paths to /usr/X11R6.
Verifying Installation
Start X Server
startx
Check X Server Version
X -version
Test Configuration
# Generate a test xorg.conf
X -configure
# Test the generated configuration
X -config /root/xorg.conf.new
Troubleshooting
X Won't Start
Check logs:
cat /var/log/Xorg.0.log
Common issues:
- Missing input drivers (install
xf86-input-evdev) - Incorrect video driver
- Permissions issues
Keyboard/Mouse Not Working
Install input drivers:
lin xf86-input-evdev
lin xf86-input-mouse
lin xf86-input-keyboard
NVIDIA Driver Issues
Kernel module not loaded:
# Check if module is loaded
lsmod | grep nvidia
# Load manually
modprobe nvidia
Version mismatch:
Ensure kernel module and X driver versions match:
cat /proc/driver/nvidia/version
nvidia-settings --version
If they differ, rebuild NVIDIA:
lin NVIDIA
Missing Modules from XOrg 7.x Tree
Some XOrg modules are not yet packaged in Lunar. Contributions are welcome!
Unpackaged x11-apps
- lbxproxy - Low Bandwidth X proxy
- mkcfm - CID font metric files
- oclock - Round X clock
- proxymngr - Proxy manager service
- scripts - Run X commands via rsh
- showfont - Font server information
- viewres - Resource browser for Xt
- xbiff - Mailbox watcher
- xclipboard - Clipboard manager
- xditview - Display ditroff output
- xfd - Display font characters
- xfindproxy - Locate proxy services
- xfontsel - Font name selector
- xfsinfo - X font server utility
- xfwp - X Firewall Proxy
- xgc - X graphics demo
- xlogo - X logo display
- xlsclients - List client applications
- xphelloworld - Xprint sample
- xprehashprinterlist - Xprint utilities
- xrx - Broadway
- xsetmode - Set input device mode
- xsetpointer - Set main pointer
- xsm - Session manager
- xstdcmap - Standard colormap utility
- xtrap - User emulation extension
- xvidtune - Video mode tuner
Unpackaged x11-driver
- xf86-video-sunbw2 - Sun hardware
- xf86-video-suncg3 - Sun hardware
- xf86-video-suncg6 - Sun hardware
- xf86-video-suncg14 - Sun hardware
- xf86-video-sunffb - Sun hardware
- xf86-video-sunleo - Sun hardware
- xf86-video-suntcx - Sun hardware
- xf86-video-tdfx - 3dfx hardware
- xf86-video-tga - DEC hardware
- xf86-video-tseng - Tseng Labs hardware
Unpackaged x11-lib
- libAppleWM - macOS specific
- libWindowsWM - Windows specific
Unpackaged x11-proto
- windowswmproto - Windows specific
Unpackaged x11-util
- lndir - Create shadow directory tree
Note: Sun, Apple, and Windows-specific modules are not needed on Linux x86/x64 systems.
Advanced Configuration
Manual xorg.conf
While auto-configuration usually works, you can create a manual configuration:
# Generate template
X -configure
# Copy to system location
cp ~/xorg.conf.new /etc/X11/xorg.conf
# Edit as needed
nano /etc/X11/xorg.conf
Multi-Monitor Setup
For multi-monitor configurations with NVIDIA:
nvidia-settings
Use the graphical interface to configure displays, then save to /etc/X11/xorg.conf.
Custom Resolutions
Add custom modelines to /etc/X11/xorg.conf:
Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Monitor0"
Modeline "1920x1080_60.00" 173.00 1920 2048 2248 2576 1080 1083 1088 1120 -hsync +vsync
EndSection