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Open an X11 query from Terminal.app UNIX
Xquartz introduces X11 to MacOS X. If you don't have the fink distribution installed, there is a small and simple trick to open an X11 login screen from another X11 Server, such as xdm, gdm, kdm etc:
  1. open Terminal.app
  2. execute /usr/X11R6/bin/Xquartz -query [hostname]
Xquartz will start as a single application displaying the login screen of the remote host. Login with your known username and password and have fun. The advantage of this method is that Xquartz renders the X11 display with your current display settings. Believe me, this is feeling great on a 17" PowerBook G4 or a Apple 23" Cinema Display! Some other advantages include OpenGL acceleration in the X11 session, and getting maximum Quartz resolution with full mouse support.

If you have more than one monitor attached, you can tell Xquartz to use them both by adding a simple +xinerama to the above command.
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Open an X11 query from Terminal.app
Authored by: zimwy on Feb 23, '04 12:46:34PM

Hey,
This sounds great! I'm a little confused how to use this though. I need a linux/unix computer running a window manager, right? And on that computer, somebody needs to run xhost +. Then, I can /usr/X11R6/bin/Xquartz - query that computer's ip? What should I then see?

Is there anything else I need to know?

Thanks!



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Open an X11 query from Terminal.app
Authored by: ar on Feb 23, '04 05:36:26PM

Great hint! (I've been looking for something like this)

Unfortunately my local linux boxes seem to be offline right now.

To get the login working you may need to follow the XDMCP HOWTO ( http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/XDMCP-HOWTO/ )



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Open an X11 query from Terminal.app
Authored by: MattHaffner on Feb 24, '04 01:07:55AM

No, this actually displays the login screen just as if you were sitting at that remote host. When you log in, you get the full session just as if you were there. I haven't tried this with OS X yet (and can't until work tomorrow), but it might be best used with the full-screen option since you'll likely get whatever remote session management is your default overlain on top of OS X. Could be confusing :)



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Here's how get it to work with Solaris
Authored by: JerkyJerk on Feb 29, '04 05:31:38AM
this hint as listed didn't work for me while trying to connect to a Solaris 8 box. What would happen is I would get the XDMCP login dialog. I'd enter my userid, then my password. I would get the splash screen saying logging into the Solaris Desktop Environment. then it would just disappear and bring back to the userid login screen. If I would try again it would just be an endless loop of returning me to the login prompt. So I tried the "failsafe" login. It would give me a xterm but no windowmanager. when I tried to start quartz-wm(or was it twm??) from a local terminal, after doing an xhost + on the Solaris machine. I got an error about Xinerama. I toggled it off and it then worked. So, it appears there is a problem with Xinerama. Here's what I used:

/usr/X11R6/bin/Xquartz -depth 24 -query "hostname or IP you are connecting to" -xinerama

--
What is pirate software? Software for inventory of stolen treasure?

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Open an X11 query from Terminal.app
Authored by: Cobalt Jacket on Mar 12, '04 12:21:03AM

I have a better way.

/usr/X11R6/bin/Xnest :1 -geometry 1024x768 -query [hostname]

You can do this multiple times for each XDMCP host you want to hit, and so be logged into several XDMCP hosts simultaneously Remember to increment the display number (:1) for each session.



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It doesn't work in Solaris
Authored by: JerkyJerk on Mar 20, '04 02:27:05PM
I explored this command while trying to get a remote XDMCP session off of a solaris box(tried it on both 8 and 9) it doesn't work. The command you have listed does work ok on a linux box with XDMCP enabled.

What happens on Solaris is the X Windows pops up but you don't get the login screen just a window full of grey. I don't plan on leaving this alone if I figure it out I'll post it. just the full screen mode was good enough to do what I needed to do.

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Open an X11 query from Terminal.app
Authored by: Findem on Apr 02, '04 01:25:00PM

oops, i responded to the wrong thread.

okay, the original hint worked wonderfully when I was onsite at our company. But dialing in thru dsl with vpn gave me the following error message:

XDM: too many retransmissions

over and over again. I tried it on a machine thru airport and hardlined into the dsl.

Where should i go from here?

peace

---
Listen baby, you aint gotta lie to sleep with me.



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Open an X11 query from Terminal.app
Authored by: makeitsimple on Mar 22, '06 08:06:37PM

Two years later - did anyone figure this out?!

I've tried these commands:
$ /usr/X11R6/bin/Xquartz -depth 24 -query <hostname> -xinerama
-OR-
$ /usr/X11R6/bin/X -query <hostname>

I found out that I was originally being denied due to firewall issues. So, I opened/mapped ports 6000-6010 and then I started to get this instead:

XFree86 Version 4.4.0 / X Window System
(protocol Version 11, revision 0, vendor release 6600)
_XSERVTransmkdir: Owner of /tmp/.X11-unix should be set to root
[DRI] screen 0 installation complete
Screen 0 added: 1440x878 @ (0,22)
Screen 0 placed at X11 coordinate (0,0).
Could not init font path element /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/CID/, removing from list!
XDM: too many retransmissions, declaring session dead
[DRI] screen 0 installation complete
Screen 0 added: 1440x900 @ (0,0)
Could not init font path element /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/CID/, removing from list!
^CQuitting XDarwin...

No matter how I adjust the command, it's the same old story - gray screen with the X cursor and these endless loops on dead xdm sessions.

The Solaris 9 box has * for access in Xaccess, so I'm not sure what more to do...Surely SOMEONE has gotten this to work?! If so, can you psot or link to the X* files so we can check the settings against ours that fail?



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Open an X11 query from Terminal.app
Authored by: zoombronco on Apr 19, '06 07:19:36PM

Ok, well, I did this with an installation of LTSP, but I assume the principle is similar:

X -query x.x.x.x :1

where x.x.x.x is the IP address of the server you are trying to reach.

I believe you were leaving out the display number after the address.

I did this in an X11 window running xterm. i simply started X11 from my utilities folder in Applications, typed in the above command, watched a few messages, and then the login popped up. i believe xdmcp must be configured properly in either gdm, kdm, or xdm to load properly. But I'm a newb, so what do i know? :)
Now my problem is that the login screen will not disconnect, even when using the "DISCONNECT" button on the darn screen...



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Open an X11 query from Terminal.app
Authored by: raywang on May 06, '06 06:47:29PM

Hi there,

I encountered the same problem when I ran the following command in a terminal. FYI, my X11 works well in my Intel Mac-Mini with 10.4.6 Tiger.

Any hint for the solution? Thanks.

$ /usr/X11R6/bin/Xquartz -query my-ubuntu

XFree86 Version 4.4.0 / X Window System
(protocol Version 11, revision 0, vendor release 6600)
_XSERVTransmkdir: Owner of /tmp/.X11-unix should be set to root
[DRI] screen 0 installation complete
Screen 0 added: 1024x768 @ (0,0)
Could not init font path element /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/CID/, removing from list!



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