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1. corleone is the hostname of the AIX server on which to install the XFVB server
2. beastie is the hostname of the display (with a screen) test system

Because it is not always possible to use an X11 server, for example when there is no hardware graphics adapter (as in a p550), it is possible to replace it with a XVFB: which is intended to be used in a rendering server environment and allow an application to render into the main memory of the computer instead of the graphics card.

The XVFB for AIX 5.X is installed from the product CDs, as listed below:

# lslpp -al | grep vfb | sort -u
  OpenGL.OpenGL_X.dev.vfb    5.3.0.0  COMMITTED  OpenGL Virtual Frame Buffer
  X11.vfb                    5.3.0.0  COMMITTED  Virtual Frame Buffer Software

As we don't want to use it directly, we are not launching it via the xinit program which starts both the X server and the window manager. Here is one of its simple invocation, put into the inittab to be able to respawn it easily:

# mkitab "Xvfb:2:respawn:/usr/bin/X11/X -force -vfb -x abx -x dbe -x GLX :0 2>&1 | alog -tboot > /dev/console"

To reload a dead X server or force init to reread /etc/inittab, just use the following command:

# init q   /* Not needed if /etc/inittab was modified using `mkitab' */
# ps auwx | grep -i vfb
root   725164  0.0  0.0 9128 8868   - A   14:49:30  0:00 /usr/bin/X11/X -force -vfb -x abx -x dbe -x GLX :0

Verifying that XVFB is being used

To verify that an X server is running with the XVFB, use the following command on corleone:

# /usr/lpp/X11/Xamples/bin/xprop -display :0 -root | grep VFB
XVFB_SCREEN(STRING) = "TRUE"

Verifying that XVFB is working

Your system must be on a network and you need access to another system (with a screen) to view the contents of the XVFB.

On the XVFB system, run the xclock client program:

# xclock -display :0

On the other system, make sure X is running and that clients can connect:

# xhost +corleone

On the XVFB system, find the window ID for the xclock client:

# xwininfo -root -tree -display :0 | grep xclock

On the XVFB system, use xwd/xwud to display the client window of the XVFB system on the other system:

# xwd -id 0x800009 -display :0 | xwud -display beastie:0

An image of the xclock you started on the XVFB system displays on the other system. That's it.

Please refer to the IBM website for more information on the X Virtual Frame Buffer.