X Windows Setup and Configuration
About X Windows
An X windows environment enables you to run applications which require a graphical
user interface. It also enables you to run multiple "X applications" simultaneously, and to
move, resize and iconify the windows in which the applications run.
Some X windows applications that are available on GRACIE include "xterm", "xclock,"
“emacs,” “sas,” “xstata,” “matlab” and "filemgr."
eXeed X Windows Server Software
In order to run X windows, you need an X windows terminal (a device with built-in X
windows capabilities) or X windows emulation software running on some other device.
ITG has a site license for Hummingbird's eXeed which can be used to emulate X
windows on a PC. Once eXceed is installed and configured on your PC, you can access
GRACIE and other UNIX servers with a fully functional X windows environment.
Please contact ITG support group regarding license of the software.
The following steps through frame-by-frame a sample installation for Exceed:
Tuning the X Server is optional. You can skip the X Server turning:
You need to restate windows in order for Hummingbird to function.
Establish X windows Connection to GRACIE
For security reason, GRACIE allows SSH connection only. Before opening up any X
server, you must first use Putty to connect to GRACIE. It is recommended that Putty be
the application of choice, as it supports SSH. Users can obtain Putty and
installation/configuration information at CUIT website at:
http://www.columbia.edu/acis/software/putty/
Follow the steps below to establish X windows connection to GRACIE:
1). Launch Exceed X-Server:
Go to Start Æ Programs Æ Hummingbird Æ Exceed and click on Exceed. This
X-server runs in background on your PC. Temporarily minimize this window on
your task bar while you start Putty.
2). Connect to Gracie using Putty SSH:
If you are not familiar with Putty, please visit:
http://www.columbia.edu/acis/software/putty/
Note: IP address for GRACIE – gracie.gsb.columbia.edu
IP address for WRDS – wrds.wharton.upenn.edu
3). View graphical output from server on your PC:
Once you successfully login to GRACIE or WRDS, you are ready to view graphic
output in X-windows. GRACIE server automatically recognizes your PC’s IP
address. You can type xterm, xclock, sas, or emacs, directly at the GRACIE
command prompt in your Putty window. X-windows graphical output will be
displayed on your PC.
Later, to close your X-windows connection, type: exit.
Establish X windows Connection to UNIX Servers other
than GRAICE
Unlike GRACIE, other Unix servers, e.g., CUNIX, might not automatically set the
DISPLAY variable to your PC’s IP address when you connect using SSH from your PC.
When you issue “xterm” command, you will see the following message in your UNIX
session:
Error: Can't open display:
This error indicates your DISPLAY variable is not properly set. You can set the
DISPLAY variable manually. First check the current value of the DISPLAY variable
using the echo command:
echo $DISPLAY
If nothing is returned, issue the following commands to set your DISPLAY variable:
export DISPLAY=ipaddress:0.0
where ipaddress is the IP address of your computer.
Once the DISPLAY variable is properly set, you can issue “xterm” command to establish
an X-terminal session:
xterm &
Install Special X-Window Fonts for Mathematica
To run Mathematica in graphic mode, you need to add a set of special x-window fonts to
Exceed font library. Follow the steps below to add the fonts:
1). Download and Extract the font files, PCF.zip, into a temporary directory.
2). Go to Exceed->Exceed Tools ->Xconfig->Font Management.
3). From the "Font" tab, click on "Edit", then "Add X Fonts".
4). Browse to the directory where the font files were extracted (e.g. c:\unzipped\PCF).
5). Select all *.pcf files and click "Open". Click "Add".
6). Ignore the warnings and click "OK". Close all windows except for "Xconfig".
7). From the "Advanced Settings" tab, *uncheck* "Automatic Font Substitution".
8). From the sidebar, click "Validate and Apply Changes". Exit "Xconfig".
References: http://support.wolfram.com/mathematica/systems/unix/interface/PCF.zip;
http://support.wolfram.com/mathematica/systems/unix/interface/exceed.html
xterm Options
The xterm program is a terminal emulator for the X Window System. Issuing xterm
command without option, xterm will give you a window with white background and
black text. You may want to code additional options on the xterm command. Here are
some examples:
Option
Description
-sb
display a scrollbar on the xterm window
-bg black specifies the backgroundcolor; the default is "white"
-fg white specifies the color to use for text; the default is "black"
-n gracie specifies an icon name for the xterm window
These options can appear in any order on the xterm command, e.g.:
xterm -sb -n gracie &
Open Look Window Manager
You can use a window manager to manage X applications. It enables you to open
multiple X windows where different applications can run. Open Look window manager
or olwm is the standard window manager for the X Window System on Solaris. Use the
following command to invoke this window manager on GRACIE:
/usr/openwin/bin/olwm &
Technical Support
If you have any problems installing Exceed or Putty, please contact Faculty Support at 46097. If you have any problems using SAS or other research applications, please contact
[email protected].
A note for SAS users: With X-Windows, it is possible to run SAS interactively on
GRACIE or WRDS servers with the SAS graphical interface displayed on your PC.
However, if you have a slow internet connection, you will almost certainly not want to
use this method to interface with SAS on GRACIE or WRDS since the speed and
responsiveness of the user interface will be extremely slow. This is due to the amount of
graphical user-interface information that must be dynamically transferred over the
Internet. PC SAS/CONNECT allows you to use a local (PC-based) graphical interface to
SAS and still make full use of GRACIE’s or WRDS’ resources. For instruction on how
to configure your PC SAS/CONNECT, please view the following pages:
http://www-1.gsb.columbia.edu/cis/research3/internal/sas/PCSAS.cfm .