XFree86 logfile
Encyclopedia
The XFree86 logfile is a text file
, written by the XFree86
program, and designed to be useful for people who are trying to diagnose problems they are having with getting XFree86 to work.
When XFree86 starts, it creates a logfile which contains information about what happened when XFree86 started. It contains information about what modules were loaded, which color depth
is used etc. The file is especially useful when something goes awry, as reading it can help you find exactly what went wrong.
The file almost always resides in "/var/log/XFree86.0.log", but where it is placed is configurable.
the following:
01] XFree86 Version 4.3.0 (Red Hat Linux release: 4.3.0-2)
02] Release Date: 27 February 2003
03] X Protocol Version 11, Revision 0, Release 6.6
04] Build Operating System: Linux 2.4.20-3bigmem i686 [ELF]
05] Build Date: 27 February 2003
06] Build Host: porky.devel.redhat.com
07]
08] Before reporting problems, check http://www.XFree86.Org/
09] to make sure that you have the latest version.
10] Module Loader present
11] OS Kernel: Linux version 2.4.20-8 (bhcompile@porky.devel.redhat.com) (gcc version 3.2.2 20030222 (Red Hat Linux 3.2.2-5)) #1 Thu Mar 13 17:54:28 EST 2003
12] Markers: (--) probed, (**) from config file, () default setting,
) Log file: "/var/log/XFree86.0.log", Time: Sat May 15 02:55:42 2004
16] Using config file: "/etc/X11/XF86Config"
(Line markers"01]" etc, have been inserted to make the file easier to refer to.)
Line 1-2: Those lines tell us that this is version 4.3.0 and that it was released on February 27, 2003. It's modern enough, although 4.4.0 has been released (February 29, 2004).
Line 3: The X protocol hasn't changed for ages and it is unlikely that it will change anytime soon.
Line 4-6: Build
information. That the Build Host is "porky.devel.redhat.com" means that the user, unless he or she is an employee at Red Hat
, probably installed XFree86 from a binary rpm package.
Line 10: X managed to find the module loader, which is essential if X is going to use things like hardware accelerated graphics. Further down in the file, X tries to load all modules specified in
.
Line 12-14: The different types of messages printed in the log. Lines beginning with"(--)", "(**)", "", "(++)" and "(II)" are OK, the rest indicate errors of varying severity.
Line 15-16: Where the files are. In this log, they are both in the default location. The time field specifies the date and time of the execution that caused the log.
The ServerLayout
) ServerLayout "Anaconda Configured"
02] (**) |-->Screen "Screen0" (0)
03] (**) | |-->Monitor "Monitor0"
04] (**) | |-->Device "NVIDIA GeForce 2 MX (generic)"
05] (**) |-->Input Device "Mouse0"
06] (**) |-->Input Device "Keyboard0"
After the initial messages, X begins to process the
The first line,
was used to generate the initial XF86Config file. The file may still have been changed manually afterwards. Other often seen values are "XFree86 Configure" meaning that XFree86's configuration tool xf86config
was used, "Main Layout" or "Default Layout".
Keyboard setup
01] (**) Option "XkbRules" "xfree86"
02] (**) XKB: rules: "xfree86"
03] (**) Option "XkbModel" "macintosh"
04] (**) XKB: model: "macintosh"
05] (**) Option "XkbLayout" "us"
06] (**) XKB: layout: "us"
These lines tell us that the user in the XF86Config requested a Macintosh keyboard with a US
keyboard layout
. Other valid values for
01] (**) Option "AutoRepeat" "500 30"
Which means that if a key is held down for more than 500 ms, X will begin repeating it with a speed of one character every 30 ms. However, some desktop managers like GNOME
override those values and specifies their own autorepeat. Most often, the keyboard driver initialization ends with
01] Keyboard: CustomKeycode disabled
The first keyboard driver in XFree86 was designed for PC keyboards. Then it was ported to other platforms with keyboards that can emit other scan codes than what the AT keyboard
did. Therefore, to handle those keyboards the CustomKeycode option was added but should be disabled for most keyboards (which it is by default). Sometimes the message is thought to be an error, it is not.
database, to the modules and to where the fonts
are. This is how it looks in the log:
01] (**) FontPath set to "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/misc,/usr/lib/X11/fonts/cyrillic,/more-paths.."
02] (**) RgbPath set to "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/rgb"
03] ModulePath set to "/usr/X11R6/lib/modules"
Line 1: All the directories in which the X server searches for fonts are output. The paths are defined with a number of
Section "Files"
FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/misc"
FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/Cyrillic"
...
EndSection
Instead of letting X load all the fonts by itself you can use a fontserver. xfs
is a fontserver included in X which usually listens to port 7100. To use it you only need to specify one
FontPath "unix/:7100"
Line 2: Specifies the path and firstname of the RGB database which is a file. In this case it would be located at
Line 3: The path to where all modules are located. The default is usually fine. It is needed for XFree86 to be able to find the modules specified in
Module loading
XFree86 loads a number of modules when it starts up. Most of them are optional and there are quite a few of them. Therefore, no two systems load exactly the same modules but the structure of the output the modules give in the logfile is mostly the same.
01] (II) LoadModule: "bitmap"
02] (II) Loading /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/fonts/libbitmap.a
03] (II) Module bitmap: vendor="The XFree86 Project"
04] compiled for 4.3.0, module version = 1.0.0
05] Module class: XFree86 Font Renderer
06] ABI class: XFree86 Font Renderer, version 0.4
In the example above, XFree86 successfully loaded module bitmap
. The first line specifies the modulename, the second path and filename to the module and the third to sixth, version information and vendor name. In older versions of XFree86 (4.0 and older) the output for modules is less verbose:
01] (II) Loading /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/fonts/libbitmap.a
02] (II) Module bitmap: vendor="The XFree86 Project"
03] compiled for 4.0, module version = 1.0.0
Monitor probing
In
Section "Monitor"
HorizSync 31.5 - 48.5
VertRefresh 50.0 - 70.0
...
EndSection
Which produces output along these lines in the log
01] (II) ATI(0): VG150: Using hsync range of 30.00-62.00 kHz
02] (II) ATI(0): VG150: Using vrefresh range of 50.00-75.00 Hz
Which further tells us that the graphics card driver is "ati" and the monitor name is "VG150". Those values aren't the values that will be used, they merely are the ranges in which X will probe for a suitable mode.
01] (II) MGA(0): Monitor name: CPD-100EST
This line is usually output by the graphics driver via DDC
. The reported name may or may not correspond to the name given in
External links
Computer file
A computer file is a block of arbitrary information, or resource for storing information, which is available to a computer program and is usually based on some kind of durable storage. A file is durable in the sense that it remains available for programs to use after the current program has finished...
, written by the XFree86
XFree86
XFree86 is an implementation of the X Window System. It was originally written for Unix-like operating systems on IBM PC compatibles and is now available for many other operating systems and platforms. It is free and open source software under the XFree86 License version 1.1. It is developed by the...
program, and designed to be useful for people who are trying to diagnose problems they are having with getting XFree86 to work.
When XFree86 starts, it creates a logfile which contains information about what happened when XFree86 started. It contains information about what modules were loaded, which color depth
Color depth
In computer graphics, color depth or bit depth is the number of bits used to represent the color of a single pixel in a bitmapped image or video frame buffer. This concept is also known as bits per pixel , particularly when specified along with the number of bits used...
is used etc. The file is especially useful when something goes awry, as reading it can help you find exactly what went wrong.
The file almost always resides in "/var/log/XFree86.0.log", but where it is placed is configurable.
the following:
02] Release Date: 27 February 2003
03] X Protocol Version 11, Revision 0, Release 6.6
04] Build Operating System: Linux 2.4.20-3bigmem i686 [ELF]
05] Build Date: 27 February 2003
06] Build Host: porky.devel.redhat.com
07]
08] Before reporting problems, check http://www.XFree86.Org/
09] to make sure that you have the latest version.
10] Module Loader present
11] OS Kernel: Linux version 2.4.20-8 (bhcompile@porky.devel.redhat.com) (gcc version 3.2.2 20030222 (Red Hat Linux 3.2.2-5)) #1 Thu Mar 13 17:54:28 EST 2003
12] Markers: (--) probed, (**) from config file, (
) default setting,
13] (++) from command line, (!!) notice, (II) informational,
14] (WW) warning, (EE) error, (NI) not implemented, (??) unknown.
15] (
) Log file: "/var/log/XFree86.0.log", Time: Sat May 15 02:55:42 200416] Using config file: "/etc/X11/XF86Config"
(Line markers
Line 1-2: Those lines tell us that this is version 4.3.0 and that it was released on February 27, 2003. It's modern enough, although 4.4.0 has been released (February 29, 2004).
Line 3: The X protocol hasn't changed for ages and it is unlikely that it will change anytime soon.
Line 4-6: Build
Software build
In the field of computer software, the term software build refers either to the process of converting source code files into standalone software artifact that can be run on a computer, or the result of doing so...
information. That the Build Host is "porky.devel.redhat.com" means that the user, unless he or she is an employee at Red Hat
Red Hat
Red Hat, Inc. is an S&P 500 company in the free and open source software sector, and a major Linux distribution vendor. Founded in 1993, Red Hat has its corporate headquarters in Raleigh, North Carolina with satellite offices worldwide....
, probably installed XFree86 from a binary rpm package.
Line 10: X managed to find the module loader, which is essential if X is going to use things like hardware accelerated graphics. Further down in the file, X tries to load all modules specified in
Section "Module" in XF86ConfigXF86Config
The configuration file XF86Config of the XFree86 project is used by the X server to set necessary configuration parameters.It is a plain text file ordered into sections and subsections....
.
Line 12-14: The different types of messages printed in the log. Lines beginning with
Line 15-16: Where the files are. In this log, they are both in the default location. The time field specifies the date and time of the execution that caused the log.
01] (
) ServerLayout "Anaconda Configured"02] (**) |-->Screen "Screen0" (0)
03] (**) | |-->Monitor "Monitor0"
04] (**) | |-->Device "NVIDIA GeForce 2 MX (generic)"
05] (**) |-->Input Device "Mouse0"
06] (**) |-->Input Device "Keyboard0"
After the initial messages, X begins to process the
ServerLayout section in the XF86Config. What is output in the log closely corresponds to what is written in the configuration file. The section defines what devices are used by the X server. In this case, a mouse, a keyboard and a monitor with a GeForce 2 graphics card. There may be multiple ServerLayout sections in the XF86Config, but only the first one will be parsed.The first line,
ServerLayout "Anaconda Configured" means that Red Hat's configuration tool AnacondaAnaconda installer
Anaconda is the installer for Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Fedora.Anacondas are lizard-eating snakes , and the Caldera installation program was called “Lizard”, hence the name.- Functionality :...
was used to generate the initial XF86Config file. The file may still have been changed manually afterwards. Other often seen values are "XFree86 Configure" meaning that XFree86's configuration tool xf86config
XF86Config
The configuration file XF86Config of the XFree86 project is used by the X server to set necessary configuration parameters.It is a plain text file ordered into sections and subsections....
was used, "Main Layout" or "Default Layout".
Keyboard setup
02] (**) XKB: rules: "xfree86"
03] (**) Option "XkbModel" "macintosh"
04] (**) XKB: model: "macintosh"
05] (**) Option "XkbLayout" "us"
06] (**) XKB: layout: "us"
These lines tell us that the user in the XF86Config requested a Macintosh keyboard with a US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
keyboard layout
Keyboard layout
A keyboard layout is any specific mechanical, visual, or functional arrangement of the keys, legends, or key–meaning associations of a computer, typewriter, or other typographic keyboard....
. Other valid values for
Option "XkbModel" is "pc101", "pc105" and more. The output comes from a Section "InputDevice" for a keyboard. Sometimes autorepeat is also specifiedWhich means that if a key is held down for more than 500 ms, X will begin repeating it with a speed of one character every 30 ms. However, some desktop managers like GNOME
GNOME
GNOME is a desktop environment and graphical user interface that runs on top of a computer operating system. It is composed entirely of free and open source software...
override those values and specifies their own autorepeat. Most often, the keyboard driver initialization ends with
The first keyboard driver in XFree86 was designed for PC keyboards. Then it was ported to other platforms with keyboards that can emit other scan codes than what the AT keyboard
AT keyboard
The AT keyboard was a keyboard with 84 keys introduced with the IBM PC/AT computer. It succeeded the 83-key PC/XT keyboard and therefore did not have many of the features seen on modern keyboards such as arrow keys and dual ctrl and alt keys. It was later replaced with the 101-key Enhanced keyboard...
did. Therefore, to handle those keyboards the CustomKeycode option was added but should be disabled for most keyboards (which it is by default). Sometimes the message is thought to be an error, it is not.
File paths
After the keyboard setup XFree86 locates the path to the RGBRGB color model
The RGB color model is an additive color model in which red, green, and blue light is added together in various ways to reproduce a broad array of colors...
database, to the modules and to where the fonts
Typeface
In typography, a typeface is the artistic representation or interpretation of characters; it is the way the type looks. Each type is designed and there are thousands of different typefaces in existence, with new ones being developed constantly....
are. This is how it looks in the log:
02] (**) RgbPath set to "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/rgb"
03] ModulePath set to "/usr/X11R6/lib/modules"
Line 1: All the directories in which the X server searches for fonts are output. The paths are defined with a number of
FontPaths in Section "Files" in XF86Config:Section "Files"
FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/misc"
FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/Cyrillic"
...
EndSection
Instead of letting X load all the fonts by itself you can use a fontserver. xfs
X Font Server
The X font server provides a standard mechanism for an X server to communicate with a font renderer, frequently one running on a remote machine. It usually runs on TCP port 7100.- Current status :...
is a fontserver included in X which usually listens to port 7100. To use it you only need to specify one
FontPath:FontPath "unix/:7100"
Line 2: Specifies the path and firstname of the RGB database which is a file. In this case it would be located at
/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/rgb.txt and contain a list of color codes along with their color names. X itself appends the file ending.Line 3: The path to where all modules are located. The default is usually fine. It is needed for XFree86 to be able to find the modules specified in
Section "Module".Module loading
XFree86 loads a number of modules when it starts up. Most of them are optional and there are quite a few of them. Therefore, no two systems load exactly the same modules but the structure of the output the modules give in the logfile is mostly the same.
02] (II) Loading /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/fonts/libbitmap.a
03] (II) Module bitmap: vendor="The XFree86 Project"
04] compiled for 4.3.0, module version = 1.0.0
05] Module class: XFree86 Font Renderer
06] ABI class: XFree86 Font Renderer, version 0.4
In the example above, XFree86 successfully loaded module bitmap
Bitmap
In computer graphics, a bitmap or pixmap is a type of memory organization or image file format used to store digital images. The term bitmap comes from the computer programming terminology, meaning just a map of bits, a spatially mapped array of bits. Now, along with pixmap, it commonly refers to...
. The first line specifies the modulename, the second path and filename to the module and the third to sixth, version information and vendor name. In older versions of XFree86 (4.0 and older) the output for modules is less verbose:
02] (II) Module bitmap: vendor="The XFree86 Project"
03] compiled for 4.0, module version = 1.0.0
Monitor probing
In
Section "Monitor" in XF86Config, boundary values for vertical refresh and horizontal sync is specified like this:Section "Monitor"
HorizSync 31.5 - 48.5
VertRefresh 50.0 - 70.0
...
EndSection
Which produces output along these lines in the log
02] (II) ATI(0): VG150: Using vrefresh range of 50.00-75.00 Hz
Which further tells us that the graphics card driver is "ati" and the monitor name is "VG150". Those values aren't the values that will be used, they merely are the ranges in which X will probe for a suitable mode.
This line is usually output by the graphics driver via DDC
Display Data Channel
The Display Data Channel or DDC is a collection of digital communication protocols between a computer display and a graphics adapter that enables the display to communicate its supported display modes to the adapter and to enable the computer host to adjust monitor parameters, such as brightness...
. The reported name may or may not correspond to the name given in
Section "Screen" and can be found on the backside of the monitor.External links