NAME
dexconf - generate Xorg X server configuration file from debconf data
SYNOPSIS
dexconf [ options ]
DESCRIPTION
dexconf retrieves values from debconf(7)'s database and uses them to
build an xorg.conf file.
The information that dexconf uses is typically entered via a debconf
frontend (or possibly in part by hardware autodetection tools). Note
that dexconf itself does not set any values in the debconf database; it
only retrieves them. If configuration parameters of the debconf
database need to be changed, dpkg-reconfigure(8) should be used to do
so.
More experienced users should feel free to use dexconf-generated
configuration files as a starting point for their customizations, since
individual preferences vary greatly.
OPTIONS
-h, --help
Display a usage message and exit.
-o file, --output=file
By default, dexconf writes to /etc/X11/xorg.conf This option
instructs dexconf to write to file instead. Note that dexconf
unconditionally overwrites its destination file if it has
sufficient access rights to do so.
ENVIRONMENT
COLUMNS
This variable is used to format diagnostic messages so that they
fit the width of the terminal. If not set, a terminal width of
80 columns is assumed.
TMPDIR dexconf creates a subdirectory of the directory name stored in
this variable, and uses that subdirectory as a scratch area. If
not set, /tmp is used as the parent of the scratch directory.
OUTPUT FILES
/etc/X11/xorg.conf
is the configuration file for the Xorg X server.
DIAGNOSTICS
dexconf produces diagnostic messages upon encountering various error
conditions. These messages are prefixed with the name of the command
and a colon; for example:
dexconf: message
A list of diagnostic messages currently issued by dexconf follows.
This option, and XFree86 3.x output, are no longer supported.
dexconf no longer supports the -f, --format option. See the
"HISTORY" section below.
cannot create temporary work directory; dirname does not exist or is
not a directory
dexconf was unable to create a scratch directory to work in
because the parent directory (dirname) was not does not exist or
is not a directory. Create dirname and set its permissions
properly, or set the TMPDIR environment variable to the name of
an existing directory.
cannot create temporary work directory in dirname; directory not
writable
dexconf had insufficient permissions to create a directory in
dirname. Change the permissions on dirname or set the TMPDIR
environment variable to the of a writeable directory.
cannot generate configuration file; question not set
An answer to the indicated question was expected in the debconf
database, but none was found. dexconf cannot write a valid
configuration file without this information. This problem can
be rectified by reconfiguring the X server package with the
dpkg-reconfigure(8) command.
creation of temporary work directory dirname failed
dexconf was unable to create a scratch directory (dirname) to
work in. This diagnostic is only issued after dexconf has
checked to ensure that the parent directory of dirname is
writable, and after the temporary directory to be used has been
removed (if necessary). This diagnostic message could indicate
that something on the system is attempting to use a
temporary-file race condition to compromise the system's
integrity.
error while getting options
dexconf received an error from getopt(1) while attempting to
interpret the command-line arguments. Use only the documented
options.
received signal; aborting
dexconf was sent a fatal signal; see the section on asynchronous
events below.
this program does not know how to configure the package X server
dexconf only knows how to write configuration files for XFree86
version 4.x X servers. The value of the shared/default-x-server
debconf template was set to a package name that dexconf did not
recognize. A different tool will have to be used to configure
the selected X server, or dpkg-reconfigure(8) will have to be
used to change the default X server.
unable to write to configfile
dexconf was unable to write to configfile because it lacked
permissions to do so. Run dexconf as a user with permissions to
write to configfile, or specify an alternate file to write with
the -o or --output options.
unrecognized option option
An unrecognized option was specified. Use only the documented
options.
ASYNCHRONOUS EVENTS
dexconf traps the HUP, INT, QUIT, and TERM signals. dexconf removes
its scratch directory and exits when it receives any of these signals.
EXIT STATUS
0 A configuration file was successfully written.
1 An error occurred, or dexconf was interrupted. See the section
on diagnostics above.
BUGS
See the Debian Bug Tracking System
<http://bugs.debian.org/xserver-common>. If you wish to report a bug
in dexconf, please see /usr/share/doc/debian/bug-reporting.txt or the
reportbug(1) command.
AUTHOR
dexconf was written by Branden Robinson with sponsorship from Progeny
Linux Systems.
SEE ALSO
xorg.conf(5x), dpkg-reconfigure(8), debconf(7)