CDE

[Madhu Sudhan_1]

Hi Guys !
Iam new to CDE. Iam curious to know how I can connect to HP-UX box and use CDE using Exceed. I want to get a look and feel of X while I use Windows clients.

Thanks,
...Madhu

[Kofi ARTHIABAH · Accepted solution]

Mahdu:

the following threads will help you...
http://my1.itrc.hp.com/cm/QuestionAnswer/1,1150,0x3f968d77ef20d411b66300108302854d,00.html
http://my1.itrc.hp.com/cm/QuestionAnswer/1,1150,0x99707e990647d4118fee0090279cd0f9,00.html

you can also do a search on exceed in the forums... however, here is the just of what you have to do:

1. You have to ensure that you configure xceed to listen to XDMCP as follows:
-run (Start -> Programs -> Exceed -> Xconfig)
-select communications
-change startup mode to xdmcp
-exit Xconfig (it will restart Xceed)

you may have to insert the IP address of your server in the config screen if you are not on the same broadcast medium/network.

[Kevin Ernst]

I did try that once, but CDE started up in some awful color depth (4-bit?), and I never had the time (or the interest level) to figure out how to fix that.

If you want to run the entire CDE desktop environment (or any other window manager, for that matter) on your Exceed X server, it's nice to set 'Root Mouse Actions To X' (in the 'Screen Definition' config applet) so that root mouse clicks (and applications that draw to the root window, like root-tail) work correctly. But then your (Windows) desktop icons are covered by the root window, and you're stuck with some ugly CDE background. If you're a desktop wallpaper junkie like me, you'll probably want to use 'xv -setroot' or compile 'wmsetbg' from the WindowMaker sources (both of which can handle 'real' color image formats like PNG, GIF, and JPG) to set your X background to your liking.

If you're bothered by the fact that you can't get to your desktop icons anymore, try SnadBoy's TopDesk--it's the best utility of its kind. ( http://www.snadboy.com )


If memory serves, all I had to do to start the full CDE environment inside of Exceed was create a new 'Xstart' launcher for '/usr/dt/bin/dtsession', which should start the front panel and take care of the rest. (Incidentally, dtsession is the 'head' process to kill when you want to forcibly log a user out of CDE, for instance, if the keyboard locks up.)

[Kevin Ernst]

One more thing to note: I used the RLOGIN method, not XDMCP. In fact, I'm still not even sure what exactly it is that XDMCP *does*. Well, I know what the _acronym_ stands for at least. =)

If you decide to try the RLOGIN way, the 'Command:' field for your Xstart file would look something like this:

nohup /usr/dt/bin/dtsession -display @d &

nohup - So the process isn't killed when Xstart's login timeout expires

'@d' - automatically expanded by Xstart to the complete display spec of your local X server

& - force of habit


If my vague understanding of what XDMCP actually does is anywhere near accurate, I've just shared with you possibly the most difficult and painful way of starting CDE on your local X server. You'd probably be better off taking Kofi's advice in this case. But I'm in the habit of running individual clients rather than the entire desktop environment, and I think RLOGIN or REXEC really *is* the best choice for that.

[Kevin Ernst]

Woo-hoo, points! Thanks, Madhu! =)