Installation guide

100 Chapter 6. The X Window System
InputDevice
Configures an input device such as a mouse or keyboard used to submit information into the sys-
tem using the XFree86 server. Most systems have at least two InputDevice sections, keyboard
and mouse. Each section includes these two lines:
• Driver — Tells XFree86 the name of the driver to load to use the device.
• Identifier — Sets the name of the device, usually the name of the device followed by a
number, starting with 0 for the first device. For example, the first keyboard InputDevice
would have an Identifier of Keyboard0.
Most InputDevice sections contain lines assigning specific options to that device. Each of
these lines start with Option and contain the name of the option in quotes, followed by the
value to assign to that option. Mice usually receive options such as Protocol, such as PS/2,
and Device, which designates the mouse to use for this section. The InputDevice section is
well commented, allowing you to configure additional options for your particular devices by
uncommenting certain lines.
Module
Tells the XFree86 server which modules from the /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/ directory to
load. Modules provide the XFree86 server with additional functionality.
Caution
You should not edit these values.
Monitor
Refers to the type of monitor used by the system. While one Monitor section is the minimum,
there may be several Monitor sections, one for each monitor in use with the machine.
Warning
Be careful when manually editing values in the options of the Monitor section. Inappropriate
values in this section could damage or destroy your monitor. Consult the documentation that
came with your monitor for the safe operating parameters available.
The following options are usually configured during installation or when using X Configuration
Tool:
• HorizSync — Tells XFree86 the range of horizontal sync frequencies compatible with the
monitor in kHz. These values are used as a guide by the XFree86 server so that it will know
whether to use a particular Modeline entry’s values with this monitor.
• Identifier — Provides a unique name for this monitor, usually numbering each monitor
starting at 0. The first monitor would be named Monitor0, the second Monitor1, and so on.
• Modeline — Used to specify the video modes used by the monitor at particular resolutions,
with certain horizontal sync and vertical refresh resolutions. Modeline entries are usually
preceded by a comment that explains what the mode line specifies.
If your configuration file does not include comments for the various mode lines, you can scan
over the values (also called mode descriptions) to uncover what the mode line is attempting to
do. See the XF86Config man page for detailed explanations of each mode description section.
• ModelName — An optional parameter that displays the model name of the monitor.
• VendorName — An optional parameter that displays the vendor that manufactured the moni-
tor.