[comp.windows.x] Double headed X server?

seg@babypuss.mitre.org (Scott E. Gordon) (10/06/90)

Has anyone ever heard of a double-headed X manager?  We have a Vitec-10
board hooked up to our sun, and would like to run X on both.  The problem,
if it is not obvious, is that the X manager (we use twm) runs solely on the
sun, not on the board.  So an X environment can be created on the board OR
the Sun, but not both.  Vitec said someone somewhere is doing both, but
were unable to give anymore advise than "you need a double headed window
manager".  Help (please).
--
Scott E. Gordon                             INTERNET : seg@hoppi.mitre.org
MITRE Image Processing Research Laboratory    USENET : linus!hoppi!seg
Burlington Rd.
Bedford, Ma. 01730                          (617) 271-7338

toml@ninja.Solbourne.COM (Tom LaStrange) (10/07/90)

|> Has anyone ever heard of a double-headed X manager?  We have a Vitec-10
|> board hooked up to our sun, and would like to run X on both.  The problem,
|> if it is not obvious, is that the X manager (we use twm) runs solely on the
|> sun, not on the board.  So an X environment can be created on the board OR
|> the Sun, but not both.  Vitec said someone somewhere is doing both, but
|> were unable to give anymore advise than "you need a double headed window
|> manager".  Help (please).

If X is running double headed, i.e., when you start X, you see the root
pattern appear on both screens, then the R4 version of twm will manage
both screens.

--
Tom LaStrange

Solbourne Computer Inc.    ARPA: toml@Solbourne.COM
1900 Pike Rd.              UUCP: ...!{boulder,sun}!stan!toml
Longmont, CO  80501

seg@babypuss.mitre.org (Scott E. Gordon) (10/17/90)

In article <1990Oct6.203910.9877@Solbourne.COM> toml@solbourne.com writes:
>
>|> Has anyone ever heard of a double-headed X manager?  We have a Vitec-10
>|> board hooked up to our sun, and would like to run X on both.  The problem,
>|> if it is not obvious, is that the X manager (we use twm) runs solely on the
>|> sun, not on the board.  So an X environment can be created on the board OR
>|> the Sun, but not both.  Vitec said someone somewhere is doing both, but
>|> were unable to give anymore advise than "you need a double headed window
>|> manager".  Help (please).
>
>If X is running double headed, i.e., when you start X, you see the root
>pattern appear on both screens, then the R4 version of twm will manage
>both screens.
>

Okay, heres the scoop.  The "double-headedness" of the X server (not 
manager) has to come from who wrote the X server. In other words when
Vitec writes their X server, they have to design it to control windows
on a Sun (our console) and the Vitec simultaneously.  Needless to say,
they did not design it that way.  

Some people have asked "Why not just start up 2 servers?"  Well, there is 
a serious problem with 2 servers not knowing who is supposed to get the input
from the mouse/keyboard.

New question: can you start an X server (not window manager) which ignores
all input.  This way the Vitec could be used as an output device only.

Scott Gordon

P.S. I really appreciate all the replies I received on my original posting. 
You folks are *wicked* (<- one o' dem Massachussetts terms) nice.  Thanx.



--
Scott E. Gordon                             INTERNET : seg@hoppi.mitre.org
MITRE Image Processing Research Laboratory    USENET : linus!hoppi!seg
Burlington Rd.
Bedford, Ma. 01730                          (617) 271-7338