Upgrading to XFree86 4.0.2
Lawrence Sica <[email protected]>
Introduction
Recently, in my move towards making FreeBSD my
full-time desktop OS, I decided to upgrade to XFree86
4.0.2. FreeBSD includes X 3.3.6 as an optional part
of the base system, however, I decided that 4.0.2 had
a number of new features and enhancements that made it
worth upgrading. There are a number of steps involved
to properly upgrade X, mainly due to it's complexity
and the number of other applications that require it
as a dependency. Therefore, it is very import to be
careful during the upgrade process.
Why Upgrade?
The first thing that comes to mind when upgrading is,
"if it's not broke, don't fix it". Sure, X was
working fine, but I thought it could work better.
Like anything else, weigh the pros and cons, and then
decide. X 4.0.2 has a number of enhancements, such as
anti-aliased text, internationalization, better font
support, changes to some libraries, and a unification
of the X server drivers (this was introduced in 4.0.1,
I believe), and some other things. The font and text
improvements were my major reasons for upgrading.
Anyone familiar with X knows that web browsing can
become painful with some fonts using X 3.3.6. So
began my upgrade process...
Steps to Upgrade
The first thing I did was outline the steps I would
take during the upgrade. I decided from the start to
"bite the bullet" and reinstall all of X in order to
make sure no remnants were left behind. Here is a
quick rundown of the steps I followed:
Update the Ports Tree
Remove Old X and Applications
Install the X 4.0.2 port
Configure X and FreeBSD
Reinstall a Window Manager
Reinstall the X Applications
Update the Ports Tree
I used CVSup to update my ports tree. I knew I
would be removing and reinstalling a number of
applications, so I decided to make sure I had the
latest versions.
Remove Old X and Applications
Removing X and applications that depend on X was a
two step process. First I removed any packages that
depended on X. Overkill? Not really, since I wanted
all of my apps to use the updated X libraries. After
I finished that, I removed /usr/X11R6/bin.
I was only worried about the bin directory
since I knew that the libs would be overwritten, and I
wanted to make sure no 3.3.6 binaries were left lying
around.
Note: This will not remove any of
your home directory's dotfiles, so the configuration
stored in them should be safe. However, it is a good
idea to keep a backup of those files just in case
something goes wrong.
Install the X 4.0.2 Port
This is the most time-consuming portion of the
process. The port is installed like any other:
# cd /usr/ports/x11/XFree-4
# make install
This may take quite a while depending on the speed of
your system. Sit back and wait for it to finish
installing :-)
Configure X and FreeBSD
You will need tell FreeBSD that X 4.0.2 is there and
that it shouldn't attempt to install X 3.3.6 as a
dependency. To do this, run the following command as
root:
# echo 'XFREE86_VERSION=4' >> /etc/defaults/make.conf
If you don't do the above, every port you install
that depends on X will attempt to install X 3.3.6.
When you configure X for the first time, keep in mind
that you can't use /stand/sysinstall since
that's for X 3.3.6. In fact, the configure program
will no longer exist on your system. Instead you must
run /usr/X11R6/bin/xf86config. This script
will take you through all of the basic configuration
steps.
When setting up your mouse, you must use
/dev/mouse for the device and
auto for the protocol (this will require
hand-editing of the XF86Config file. This
file will be found in /etc/X11. These
settings work with both a LogicTech trackman marble
and a Microsoft wheel mouse. If you have trouble, the
XFree86 documentation isn't 100% clear, but the
XF86Config(4/5) man page lists all of the
possible options.
Video is somewhat easier. Monitor refresh rates are
very important to know -- refer to the manual from
your manufacturer or their web site if you're unsure.
Video cards may have a database entry, like mind did.
I am using an ATI All-in-Wonder Pro. The database
entry for it was correct. You will need to know how
much memory is on your video card. Run the
SuperProbe command (while not in X), and
you can get all of the information you need for your
video card.
To test it, rename your .xsession file
(if you have one) to something else, such as
xsession.bak, so that TWM will start.
Finally, you must run X through xdm or
install the xwrapper port. I decided to
use xdm since it's a workstation. To turn
on xdm, do the following:
# vi /etc/ttys
Find the entry for xdm and switch off to
on. As a side note, I suggest you disable
xdm temporarily by setting the tty to off
while upgrading, since xdm was also
upgraded.
After you edit the file, you must HUP init. You can
do this by typing:
kill -1 1
1 is always the init pid. In a few moments, you
should have the xdm login screen if all
goes well. Log in, set your resolution, and if it
launches, your configuration is correct.
Reinstall a Window Manager
Now reinstall your window manager, restore your
.xsession file, and then log out and back
in. Your window manager should start now, assuming
you set it to do so.
Reinstall the X Applications
You can now reinstall all of you apps dependent on X.
You can also do the following:
# cd /usr/ports/x11/XFree86-4
# make distclean
That will remove all the files and source tarballs
left lying around by the port installation.
Pitfalls and Traps
You may be tempted to just let it overwrite old X and
not reinstall your applications. Doing this runs the
risk of version conflicts between libraries and
binaries. It's safer and less of a potential headache
to just do it all in one shot. I had initial trouble
with physical version virtual screen size. X will let
you scroll the desktop to fit a virtual screen size.
You must change your resolution depth to get a
properly sized screen since the option to run off this
feature would not work (at least for me). I have
heard of some mouse problems with X 4, so keep your
old configuration file around in case you might need
it.
For More Information
- Larry
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January 2001 Issue
Networker's Guide