Supplemental Linux® From Scratch (System V Edition) - Version #5ad6

Chapter 8. X11Libre

xserver-ca5fb1

Introduction to xserver

The xserver is the X11Libre fork of the Xorg-Server. The Xorg project's Xorg-Server's repository is also called xserver but they expand the name to Xorg-Server as noted by the distribution tarball. This fork doesn't for now.

[Important]

Important

This page assumes that you have followed the kernel setup in Xorg-Server and know how that page works. This page will call back to it multiple times.

[Note]

Note

Does this package work with NVIDIA: yes.

Tested with NVIDIA-575.64.

[Important]

Important

Updating this package is known to break ABI.

Package Information

xserver Dependencies

See Xorg-Server for dependencies as that and this package have the same dependencies.

Installation of xserver

[Note]

Note

The tearfree patch from BLFS does apply with this package. However, there are no tears that have been observed with this fork.

Install the xserver by running the following commands: 

mkdir build &&
cd    build &&

meson setup ..              \
      --prefix=$XORG_PREFIX \
      --localstatedir=/var  \
      -D glamor=true        \
      -D xkb_output_dir=/var/lib/xkb &&
ninja

To test the results, issue: ninja test. You will need to run ldconfig as the root user first or some tests may fail.

Now as the root user: 

ninja install &&
mkdir -pv /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d &&
install -v -d -m1777 /tmp/.{ICE,X11}-unix &&
if [ -z "$(grep .ICE-unix /etc/sysconfig/createfiles)" ]; then
cat >> /etc/sysconfig/createfiles << "EOF"
/tmp/.ICE-unix dir 1777 root root
EOF
fi
if [ -z "$(grep .X11-unix /etc/sysconfig/createfiles)" ]; then
cat >> /etc/sysconfig/createfiles << "EOF"
/tmp/.X11-unix dir 1777 root root
EOF
fi

Move the TearFree configuration file out of the way if it exists as the root user, as it cannot be used: 

if [ -f /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-tearfree.conf]; then
  mv -v /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-tearfree.conf{,.nouse}
fi

Command Explanations

-D glamor=true: Ensure building the Glamor module. It's needed to build the modesetting_drv driver which replaces the traditional Device Dependent X (DDX) drivers.

-D suid_wrapper=true: Builds the suid-root wrapper for legacy DDX driver support on rootless xserver systems.

cat >> /etc/sysconfig/createfiles...: These commands create the /tmp/.ICE-unix and /tmp/.X11-unix directories at startup, and ensures that the permissions and ownership are correct as required by the server.

-D xephyr=true: This option allows building Xephyr if its dependencies are met.

Configuring xserver

With this fork, you will have to reinstall the Xorg Input Drivers. If you installed an Xorg Video Driver from BLFS-11.3 or BLFS-7.6 as well, you will have to reinstall it. If you installed Mesa and/or NVIDIA, you will not need to reinstall them.

For NVIDIA however, you do need to make a configuration file to proceed past a warning being treated as an error as the root user: 

cat > /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/10-nvidia-abi.conf << "EOF"
Section "ServerFlags"
    Option "IgnoreABI" "true"
EndSection
EOF

Contents

Installed Programs: gtf, X, Xnest, Xorg, Xvfb, and optionally Xephyr
Installed Libraries: several under $XORG_PREFIX/lib/xorg/modules/xlibre-25.0 including the modesetting_drv driver
Installed Directories: /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d, $XORG_PREFIX/include/xorg, $XORG_PREFIX/lib/xorg, and $XORG_PREFIX/share/X11/xorg.conf.d

Short Descriptions

gtf

calculates VESA GTF mode lines

X

is a symbolic link to Xorg

Xephyr

is a nested X server which supports modern X extensions

Xnest

is a nested X server

Xorg

is the X11R7 X Server

Xvfb

is the virtual framebuffer X server for X Version 11

modesetting_drv.so

provides a video driver for machines using Kernel Mode Setting (KMS). This will use glamor if that has been enabled and the hardware offers acceleration