mayoff@cs.utexas.edu (Robert Mayoff) (03/19/91)
I have six SPARCstations 2 and two SPARCstations 1+. We run SunOS 4.1.1
and use OpenWindows 2.0 basically all the time. The problem: screenblank
(I assume; OpenWindows doesn't appear to handle that function itself)
blanks the screen and goes to lunch. I can tell that OpenWindows is still
running because by moving the mouse around and pressing keys I can tell
when then cursor is in a window - sometimes the machine beeps in response
to a keypress, indicating that the cursor is not in a window; sometimes
the computer does not beep, indicating that the cursor is in a window.
Killing screenblank remotely restores the screen. I note that the
screenblank man page says
BUGS
screenblank only checks /dev/console for activity; it does
not check non-window programs from /dev/tty which bypass
/dev/console . Consequently, screenblank will turn off the
display if /dev/tty programs (for example, pixrect-based
programs) are the only ones running.
I wonder if this is part of the problem. Has anyone else noticed any
problems of this nature? Right now I'm simply not running screenblank and
urging people to turn down the brightness on their monitors when they
leave (in vain - these people refuse to even log out when they're done
working), but it's not a very satisfactory solution. Is there, perhaps,
another screenblank program available that I could use instead?jc@raven.bu.edu (James Cameron) (03/23/91)
>>>>> On 18 Mar 91 17:28:00 GMT, mayoff@cs.utexas.edu (Robert Mayoff) said:
RM> I have six SPARCstations 2 and two SPARCstations 1+. We run SunOS 4.1.1
RM> and use OpenWindows 2.0 basically all the time. The problem: screenblank
RM> (I assume; OpenWindows doesn't appear to handle that function itself)
[...Removed rest of screenblank problems...]
Apparently, Sun's screenblanking has a *serious/silly* bug in that it
sometimes only checks the /dev/console for messages. The simple
workaround is to have the Xserver (Xsun or whatever you use) run the
screenblanking for you and disable Sun's screenblanker. Your Xserver
probably takes a '-s' to get the screensaver option.
James Cameron - jc@raven.bu.edu william@syma.sussex.ac.uk (William Craven) (03/28/91)
From article <2093@brchh104.bnr.ca>, by jc@raven.bu.edu (James Cameron): > Apparently, Sun's screenblanking has a *serious/silly* bug in that it > sometimes only checks the /dev/console for messages. The simple > workaround is to have the Xserver (Xsun or whatever you use) run the > screenblanking for you and disable Sun's screenblanker. Your Xserver > probably takes a '-s' to get the screensaver option. Though this bug may not be on the Sun Systems with OpenWindows but I found with the Solbournes (Sun Clones) that if you have screenblank active and then exit your X window session the screen hangs and you cannot return to the terminal screen. If I have removed the screenblank daemon it works fine such that when you leave X windows the screen no longer hangs and returns to the ordinary terminal console. There appears to be a conflict of access to the screen driver. It will be useful to have screenblank so that non-X11 idle screens will be blanked out (save burning the tube and wasting electrics over night - a lab of inverse video console screens during the night will be enough to light up the room without having to switch the lights on !!) Has anybody out there experienced the same problem and if so do you have a work round ? William Craven william@syma.sussex.ac.uk