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From: bob%tut.cis.ohio-state.edu@osu-eddie.UUCP (Bob Sutterfield)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: Re: X server on a 785?
Message-ID: <3835@osu-eddie.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 18-Jul-87 23:22:47 EDT
Article-I.D.: osu-eddi.3835
Posted: Sat Jul 18 23:22:47 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 19-Jul-87 08:35:39 EDT
References: <8707172135.AA11127@ATHENA.MIT.EDU>
Sender: news@osu-eddie.UUCP
Reply-To: bob@ohio-state.ARPA (Bob Sutterfield)
Distribution: world
Organization: The Ohio State University Dept of Computer & Information Science
Lines: 35
Summary: yes, but not really like you said

In article <8707172135.AA11127@ATHENA.MIT.EDU> Wilson.Harvey@MAPS.CS.CMU.EDU writes:
>We have a small network of microvaxes, all running X.  ...  What we'd
>like to be able to do is have an X server run on our 785 so that we
>can run X applications from that machine on any of the microvax
>displays.  Is this possible?

Well, to strictly answer your question, yes.  You can get one of DEC's
old Unibus workstation interfaces and run the VAX X server on your
785.

But what you really want to do is to use your 785 as an application
server, and have those applications talk to the X display servers that
are already running on your MicroVAXen. And yes, it's pretty easy and
that is what makes X a `network-distributable window system', or
whatever the sales glossies say :-)

First, take your X library sources (Xlib, XMenu, Xt, etc.) and make
them on the 785.  Then take all your X client code (xterm, xload, GNU
Emacs, xfu, xbar, ...), make it all, and run it with an argument that
specifies what display server it is to drive (something like `xterm
baz:0').  Remember to tell baz `xhost mumble' where mumble is the 785.

We run X servers on Suns and uVAXen and HP Bobcats and Renaissances
and IBM RTs and a Macintosh II; and X clients on all the above plus
Pyramids and an Encore Multimax and a VAX.  Soon I hope to put clients
on the local Cray (high drool factor :-).  Since all you're doing is
encapsulating the X protocol in IP packets and throwing them hither
and yon, the clients don't care what sort of server they are talking
to, and vice versa (for the most part); nor whether the client is on
the same machine as the server.  Enjoy!
-=-
 Bob Sutterfield, Department of Computer and Information Science
 The Ohio State University; 2036 Neil Ave. Columbus OH USA 43210-1277
 bob@ohio-state.{arpa,csnet} or ...!cbosgd!osu-eddie!bob
 soon: bob@aargh.cis.ohio-state.edu