*sigh* X X X!

[Tyr-7BE]

I got Debian online (thanks guys!) so I can now apt-get and use lynx. Now my problem is X. I apt-got the X package (I did a forum search and found what to apt-get). I tried xf86config, but that usually does more harm than good. When I try to do XF86Setup, it tells me that "this may take a while." If I go into graphical mode, I can see the monochrome checkerboard with my mouse in the shape of an X (at least it moves). If I Ctrl-Alt-Backspace, it spits me back to the terminal where I can see this happening: XLib: connection to ":7.0" refused by server.
XLib: Client is not authorized to connect to Server.
_X11TransSocketUNIXConnect: Can't connect: errno = 111
It will repeat the _X11TransSocketUNIXConnect line over and over again until I either Ctrl-C it, or it tells me that it can't connect to the X server.
My question: WTF is happening and how do I fix it? Or does anyone know of an easy way to get X configured under Debian? Thanks a lot guys.
:confused:

Edit: Video specs: ATI Xpert 98 - RagePro chip, 8 megs, AGP2x, HW DVD. The database says that the Xpert uses the ATI-Mach64 driver, but that doesn't work at all :(

[ 27 February 2001: Message edited by: Tyr-7BE ]

[n2linux]

XFree86 3.3.6 or XFree86 4.0.2 ?

[Tyr-7BE]

Whoops...sorry...3.3.6. I'd like to get 4.0.2, but it's not available from the debian download servers. Just for the record, I've gotten it to the point at which I can type "startx" and I get the monochrome checkerboard with the X mouse pointer. When I move my mouse, it goes absolutely crazy, and I think this has a lot to do with having the wrong input device. I'm gonna play with it after this. I still get the same error message when I try XF86Setup though. Thanks for the reply.

[debiandude]

I think it probably has to do with the fact that something in your /etc/X11/XF86Config file is wrong. Tell what you moniter can handle (like refresh and stuff), what type of mouse (ps/2, intellimouse, logitec optical). Also debian does not make a symbolic link from /dev/psaux to /dev/mouse so you need to specify /dev/psaux as your mouse or manually make the link. Psaux is if you have a ps/2 mouse. Post some more info and I will try to help.

Btw - why didn't you select X from the main installer and wait til after you have your system installed, just curious.


You did apt-get install task-x-window-system task-x-window-core xserver-mach64

That should install all the base packages.

[ 27 February 2001: Message edited by: debiandude ]

[Tyr-7BE]

Originally posted by debiandude:
Btw - why didn't you select X from the main installer and wait til after you have your system installed, just curious.


Because I'm a sucker for punishment :p. Actually, when I installed Debian I wasn't aware that the ISO's were available for download, so I downloaded the floppy-install. Good-god...it's installing Red-Hat and rebuilding your kernel in one! It leaves you with a "standalone" (absolute bare-bones minimum...we're talking a bash shell and apt-get and that's it) system. I had to boot into Windork and download the pppoe package, mount the vfat partition and use dpkg to install pppoe. At least I can apt get now :) Yes, I could download the ISO and save myself a huge headache, but I figure now that it's installed, let's go for the full GNU experience.
Look out LFS...you're next! :p
Question: Is there any way to get your monitor settings such as horizontal and vertical refresh rates under Windork? I've looked in my monitor manual, and it's about as helpful as a really dumb rock.
I'm gonna check for those packages tomorrow...it's late now and I have to get up early :( I know for a fact that I x-got task-x-window-system, but I'm not 100% sure about the others. I know that some of the individual X-servers weren't downloaded (only VGA16), so I'm gonna get those and give it a try. Also, when I tell XF86Config or whatever it's called that my mouse device is /dev/psaux, my mouse pointer won't even move. When I tell it that it's /dev/mouse, the pointer will move when I move the mouse, but it will go crazy and click all over the screen in a rude manner, having absolutely no regard for where the physical mouse goes. Still experiementing with devices. From what I know, /dev/psaux should work! Any ideas on why I get nothing with it?
Also, for anyone who knows anything about the XFree versions, what's the advantage of having 4.0.2 over 3.3.6?
And I'm surprised at you people! Volume of response to this post for the time it's been up is mediocre at best. I would have thought that a topic like this would have a linux crew all over it like Oprah on a baked ham! :p
Any help that anyone can give is appreciated. Thanks.

[n2linux]

Tyr-7BE,

Before I help...
If I were in your shoes, I would download XFree86 4.0.2 off ftp (the 12 base files) and run sh Xinstall.sh--it is very trivial.

You see, I happen to have a Dell laptop that is based on the Rage Pro chipset (Mobility P; Mach 64) but when I tried the "stable" XFree86 3.3.6 server, I got all sorts of funny server errors, blank screens, grey background w/ no mouse movm't as you are experiencing. And yes, I had installed the Xserver Mach_64 as well :(

But, all of those problems were fixed without touching or installing XF86 3.3.6 and simply installing XF86 4.0.2

As a matter of fact, see my post here http://www.linuxnewbie.org/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=12&t=000457
I'm still a newbie, yet I am typing this reponse using konqueror 2.1!

Now to answer your question, your monitor refresh rates (both h/v sync) should be in your monitor manual or if you have a brand name one, lynx to their web site and go though the tech specs. If you can't try http://www.telalink.net/~griffin/monitor.html
to get your refresh rates...there are some other websites as well, but I can't remember the addresses.

Also, xf86config did the trick for me in setting up both, mouse (as /dev/psaux) and the h/v syncs (doesn't really apply to LCD panels though). None of the XF86 -config, Xconfigurator, or xf86cfg worked right.

Good luck ;)

[ColdPack]

Just change your sources.list to point to unstable or woody or wherever X4.0.2 is (it is there -- I just can't remember offhand).
Then use apt-get. This is what apt-get is for! This is why it's so great! Forget that download manually from the ftp site stuff!

apt-get install task-x-windows-system (I think it is... correct me if I'm wrong, folks).

[Tyr-7BE]

I'll change my sources.list whenever I'm able and try getting 4.0.2. In the mean time, Debian has made some incorrect assumptions. It assumes that since startx now works (to some degree), I want to do a graphical login. Of course, once I'm in X, the mouse doesn't work well and I can't do anything. Ctrl+Alt+Backspace does nothing...the X server shuts down but immediately restarts again. Any ideas on how to get back to the console so I can change my runlevel then apt-get XFree86 4.0.2?

[Tyr-7BE]

Thanks a lot :) I just took a few more steps in the right direction by installing from source. No matter how sophistocated apt is, it's not always right. Now when I type startx, something happens. It brings up the simplest X environment imaginable...2 terminal windows. I still can't get my mouse working, but I'm gonna do some reading on that. PS/2 Logitech optical wheel mouse with 3 buttons in case anyone feels benevolent and wants to be helpful. Thanks for the suggestions :)

[debiandude]

Dude the only reason debian gives you a bare bones minunim if you do it with a boot cd is becasue you didn't CONFIGURE you network. Since you obviously don't have a cd and their is not internet connection how is it supposed to get the rest of the software??? So on the mouse problem.

Please do us a favor and post the config file:
Here is my pointer section for X3.3.6 and MS Intellimouse Optical:
Section "Pointer"
Protocol "imps/2"
Device "/dev/psaux"
ZAxisMapping 4 5
End Section

Here is my pointer scection for X4.02:
Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Generic Mouse"
Driver "mouse"
Option "CorePointer"
Option "Device" "/dev/mouse"
Option "Protocol" "imps/2"
Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
End Section

[bdl]

Originally posted by ColdPack:
Just change your sources.list to point to unstable or woody or wherever X4.0.2 is (it is there -- I just can't remember offhand).
Then use apt-get. This is what apt-get is for! This is why it's so great! Forget that download manually from the ftp site stuff!


apt-get install task-x-windows-system (I think it is... correct me if I'm wrong, folks).

It's task-x-window-system (not windows. But you're on the right track, you'll of course need xserver-free86 and misc other files. Don't forget to completely purge the X-3.3.6 files beforehand.
Hey, you said correct me if I'm wrong. Couldnt resist. ;)

[Tyr-7BE]

Originally posted by debiandude:
Dude the only reason debian gives you a bare bones minunim if you do it with a boot cd is becasue you didn't CONFIGURE you network. Since you obviously don't have a cd and their is not internet connection how is it supposed to get the rest of the software???
Do the floppy images come with pppoe? If they do then I couldn't find it. That would be great if they do because it will aid in the almost inevitable re-installation when I fsck something up beyond repair ;)
The pointer section of XF86Config-4:
Section "InputDevice"
identifier "Mouse1"
driver "mouse"
option "protocol" "IMPS/2"
option "device" "/dev/psaux"

Now as is, I get absolutely no response from the pointer. However, when I change the "device" option to "/dev/mouse", the mouse goes haywire whenever I move it (moves all over the place, clicking like crazy). At least it's picking up a signal there. I've tried what I could find in the forums and none of it seems to work! Any ideas on what might be making the mouse go crazy? Or what's wrong with this file?
debiandude: When I use your 4.0.2 config setup, I get the same results as if I used /dev/mouse as my device (which makes sense :p).
Maybe I should mention that the mouse is a USB mouse which is plugged into a PS/2 adaptor if it helps.

[Tyr-7BE]

Update: mouse displays identical behavior when I use /dev/gpmdata instead of /dev/mouse. I'm not sure if mouse is a symlink to gpmdata, but the results are the same. Searching the forums, I've seen a lot of people killing gpm and their mouse will work. I tried it and still no dice :( Also, the mouse works like a dream in the console.

[Tyr-7BE]

Whale oil beef hooked! Killing gpm and telling XF86Config-4 to point to /dev/psaux worked! Ummm...why did I have to kill gpm? And should I remove gpm? If I shouldn't, is there a way to get X not to recognize gpm? What's gpm? :p

[Lorithar]

*ahhhs*

Okay ... gpm (general purpose mouse) ... is what makes la mousie work in terminal mode... and is likely pointed at an ms mouse protocol ..... this would explain problem with mousie in X. I would look at (oh dear .. I run slackware so it may not apply) /etc/rc.d/rc.gpm .. which is what starts my mouse ... dunno the deb equivalent..
Once you've fixed the protocol in gpm you can let gpm run and let X get the /dev/mouse link back..

[Tyr-7BE]

device=/dev/psaux
responsiveness=
repeat_type=ms3
type=ps2
append=""

That's what the file /etc/gpm.conf says. There's also a /var/run/gpm.pid, a /usr/sbin/gpm, and a /etc/init.d/gpm. How would I get X to use gpm instead of /dev/psaux? Could you post the rc.gpm so I could know what it looks like? I know that under /dev there's a device that's called gpmdata, but the mouse goes crazy when I use it.

[Strike]

Change repeat_type to raw

And then in your /etc/X11/XF86Config-4 choose /dev/gpmdata instead of /dev/psaux

Then you don't have to kill gpm.

[GodSpiral]

Sorry to change the topic, but...

how do you copy and paste from the shell? Or are you taking the info from log files?

[ColdPack]

Originally posted by bdl:
It's task-x-window-system (not windows. But you're on the right track, you'll of course need xserver-free86 and misc other files. Don't forget to completely purge the X-3.3.6 files beforehand.
Hey, you said correct me if I'm wrong. Couldnt resist. ;)

Thanks! That's why I said it.
See, I only have windoze98 at work and X works just fine for me at home (so does apt ;) ) but my memory fails me often so I just try to drugde up whatever info I can to at least set the ball in motion for a correct answer.
Thanks for the correction!
When one does use apt, though, to get x4.0.2, I thought I remembered it grabbing xserver-xfree86 and the many other things it needs (again, memory lapse). So, remembering to grab it myself would be sort of a non-issue, right?

[ 01 March 2001: Message edited by: ColdPack ]

[Tyr-7BE]

Originally posted by GodSpiral:
Sorry to change the topic, but...

how do you copy and paste from the shell? Or are you taking the info from log files?

Myself, I'm just outputting the error msgs to a file and then taking it from that. Debian has virtual terminals so I can look at one file and be typing in lynx at the same time. For example, "startx &> error.txt" would output all the text that's going on behind your X Server to a file, which is how I fixed licq, gnome, and several others so far (Ximian gnome is purdy).
Strike: I don't know what it is you told me to do, but it worked. Thanks a lot :)
Debian has really put me in my place. I'm loving it though. Once you get everything up and running it's a damn fine system. Thanks for your help everyone :)