FC5 XGL Install Guide

[ework]

This repository has been taken down since Fedora Core 6 can now use AIGLX/Compiz with the Livna nVidia beta drivers. Follow this link Illawarra Repo if you still want XGL packages for Fedora Core 5. The rest of this post is left as a reference.

NOTE: I have only tested this guide on my dual AMD Opteron system with an nVidia GeForce 6600GT.

I have created a yum repository with both i386 and x86_64 packages of Xgl and Compiz. It can be setup using the following instructions.

First download the release package for my repository from the link below.
ework-release-5-1.noarch.rpm

Install the package using this command:

sudo rpm -ivh ework-release-5-1.noarch.rpm

Next install Xgl and Compiz using the following command:

sudo yum install xorg-x11-server-Xgl compiz

Finally setup gdm to start Xgl when logging in by running the following command and entering your root password when asked.

gdmsetup

With this dialog open do the following:
Click "Security -> Configure X Server"
Select "VT 0"
Click "Add/Modify"
Change server to "xgl"
Close the window

If the Xgl option does not show up, restart your computer or run gdm-restart.

Thats it! Now restart or switch to the console (Ctrl+Alt+F1), login as root, and run:

gdm-restart

Optional: Some people have reported that adding the line 'GdmXserverTimeout=60' to '/etc/gdm/custom.conf' under the heading '[daemon]' will allow Xgl to start where it would not otherwise. This was not the case for me.

A joint project to bring Xgl to Fedora can be found here. This has compiz-quinn, and gset-compiz packages. Try this repository if my packages do not work for you.

[d3viant]

Does your gdm custom.conf server configuration account for ati graphics cards? They need the xv: pbuffer option instead of xv:fbo like the nvidia cards. Possibly have an Xgl - Nvidia and an Xgl - Ati server?

[brunson]

I don't get the xgl option in the gdmsetup.

[Skinney]

i give up! again... XGL was not ment to work at my machine for an unknown reason...

[ework]

Originally Posted by d3viant

Does your gdm custom.conf server configuration account for ati graphics cards? They need the xv: pbuffer option instead of xv:fbo like the nvidia cards. Possibly have an Xgl - Nvidia and an Xgl - Ati server?

Actually I'm using "-accel glx: pbuffer -accel xv: pbuffer" and it works fine on my nVidia card. I'm also using the latest drivers. I didn't seem to notice and difference in speed, maybe a little with pbuffer but that might just have been a reboot.

[ework]

Originally Posted by brunson

I don't get the xgl option in the gdmsetup.

I noticed that sometimes gdmsetup doesn't update until you restart gdm (using gdm-restart). As a double check look at the very end of "/usr/share/gdm/defaults.conf".

[ework]

Skinney, what's going on this time?

[brunson]

ework, you were right, it didn't show up until I did a gdm-restart, but even then the change wouldn't "stick". The config file didn't update and when I went back into gdmsetup, it would go back to Standard. But I manually changed /etc/gdm/custom.conf and it's working now. :-)

Thanks for the RPMs and repo, you rock.

[brunson]

My fonts seem different, is it doing hardware font redering or anti-aliasing?

[Skinney]

same problem as always ework...
my OS boots but fails on displaying the login screen, tries three times then i get xorg errors

[Jongi]

If I install XGL, how would I go about uninstalling should things go bad?

[ework]

Originally Posted by Jongi

If I install XGL, how would I go about uninstalling should things go bad?

Jongi, simply "yum remove libsvg glitz", that will remove everything. You can even just change in gdmsetup back to Standard and that will turn it off.

[ework]

Originally Posted by Skinney

same problem as always ework...
my OS boots but fails on displaying the login screen, tries three times then i get xorg errors

Can you run "glxgears" normally, you should get a pretty high FPS (I get around 8500). If 3D is working then try changing the the accel: pbuffer options in /usr/share/gdm/defaults.conf, I know for some nVidia and ATI cards you might need accel: fb0 or something. You can also try something like the following while in normal Xorg which will be easier to debug.

Xgl :1 -ac -accel glx:pbuffer -accel xv &

That should bring up a normal empty X window. That should be a confirmation that Xgl is able to run. If not then maybe its a compiz thing.

[Skinney]

the empty X windows shows up, here's the output i receive...

xkb_keycodes             { include "xfree86+aliases(qwerty)" };
    xkb_types                { include "complete" };
    xkb_compatibility        { include "complete" };
    xkb_symbols              { include "pc(pc105)+no+inet(microsoftpro)" };
    xkb_geometry             { include "microsoft(natural)" };
The XKEYBOARD keymap compiler (xkbcomp) reports:
> Warning:          Type "ONE_LEVEL" has 1 levels, but <RALT> has 2 symbols
>                   Ignoring extra symbols
Errors from xkbcomp are not fatal to the X server
Could not init font path element /usr/share/X11/fonts/OTF, removing from list!
Could not init font path element /usr/share/X11/fonts/CID/, removing from list!

[Skinney]

i've done some more research into the problem... When im logged into a console and no x server is started... i can run this as root:

/usr/bin/Xgl -accel glxbuffer -accel xvbuffer -audit 0

and the xgl server starts... running as a normal user won't work becouse it cant create /tmp/.X0-lock. But when i run gnome-compiz i get an error: Can't find display
Know how to fix this?