From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Received: from int-mx1.corp.redhat.com (int-mx1.corp.redhat.com [172.16.52.254]) by listman.util.phx.redhat.com (8.12.11/8.12.10) with ESMTP id i89Cripx014784 for ; Thu, 9 Sep 2004 08:53:44 -0400 Received: (from mail@localhost) by int-mx1.corp.redhat.com (8.11.6/8.11.6) id i89CriS16022 for blinux-list@listman.util.phx.redhat.com; Thu, 9 Sep 2004 08:53:44 -0400 Received: from mx1.redhat.com (mx1.redhat.com [172.16.48.31]) by int-mx1.corp.redhat.com (8.11.6/8.11.6) with ESMTP id i89Cri316018 for ; Thu, 9 Sep 2004 08:53:44 -0400 Received: from east.dnspropagation.com (east.dnspropagation.com [67.43.6.227]) by mx1.redhat.com (8.12.10/8.12.10) with ESMTP id i89CrhS0012162 for ; Thu, 9 Sep 2004 08:53:43 -0400 Received: from [66.196.254.130] (helo=[192.168.1.196]) by east.dnspropagation.com with asmtp (TLSv1:AES256-SHA:256) (Exim 4.34) id 1C5OPN-00031s-Kj for blinux-list@redhat.com; Thu, 09 Sep 2004 08:52:13 -0400 Message-ID: <414052B4.7050406@thechases.com> Date: Thu, 09 Sep 2004 07:55:16 -0500 From: Tim Chase User-Agent: Lynx/2.8.4rel.1 libwww-FM/2.14 SSL-MM/1.4.1 OpenSSL/0.9.6b X-Accept-Language: en-us, en MIME-Version: 1.0 To: Linux for blind general discussion References: <87k6y26xql.fsf@lexx.delysid.org> <6.0.1.1.2.20040908164302.01b02d28@wiscmail.wisc.edu> In-Reply-To: <6.0.1.1.2.20040908164302.01b02d28@wiscmail.wisc.edu> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-AntiAbuse: This header was added to track abuse, please include it with any abuse report X-AntiAbuse: Primary Hostname - east.dnspropagation.com X-AntiAbuse: Original Domain - redhat.com X-AntiAbuse: Originator/Caller UID/GID - [0 0] / [47 12] X-AntiAbuse: Sender Address Domain - thechases.com X-Source: X-Source-Args: X-Source-Dir: X-RedHat-Spam-Score: 1.316 * X-Loop: blinux-list@redhat.com Subject: Re: Running X w/o X (Oracle client install) X-BeenThere: blinux-list@redhat.com X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: junk Reply-To: Linux for blind general discussion List-Id: Linux for blind general discussion List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Thu, 09 Sep 2004 12:53:44 -0000 If you have a couple options for satisfying a need for X. 1) If you want to send things remotely to the machine from which you're SSH'ing, you need an X server running on your local machine. There have been steps taken by the Cygwin folks to get this working in Windows, but I've not tried it. Last time I tried this, I used a non-free package by the name of Reflection to provide an X server under Windows. 2) If you really need to connect to an X server, but don't have a "real" X server, you can configure X to use the "Xvfb" driver which creates a virtual frame-buffer. This would be, as your "subject" line suggests "X without X." From the man page: "Xvfb is an X server that can run on machines with no display hardware and no physical input devices. It emulates a dumb framebuffer using virtual memory." I recommend against simply finding some random machine proving an X server over which you have no control and just setting your DISPLAY variable to point at it, as things may get displayed to that machine without notifying you. Or there may be security concerns if it provides some sort of administrative dialog that comes to the person sitting in front of the X display rather than coming to you. 3) You might be able to get away without X at all, if the Oracle program/install in question has some obscure option (like Vim does) to forego detection of X. You'd have to check out their documentation on this to see if they provide such an option. 4) Lastly, if getting "Xvfb" set up is a problem, but your install automatically can configure a regular X setup, just let it start, and then use ctrl+alt+F1 to get back to your first virtual console. X will run in the background, making Oracle happy, (and slupring down a few system resources, but it shouldn't be too bad) yet you have your regular console interface at VC 1 through whatever. Hope this helps, -tim