Sun Microsystems 817-3630-11 manual Color Depth Issues with Linux and the System Monitor

Color Depth Issues with Linux and the System Monitor

When using the system monitor, the color depth used on your SunPCi Linux desktop depends on the following:

■The color depths available on your Solaris desktop

■The XserverOptions in the Linux section of your SunPC.ini file

The color depth on your system monitor for your Linux application depends on the supported color depths on your Solaris X server. Upon installation of Linux, the depth automatically defaults to the depth existing in Solaris if no depth options were provided in the .ini file for SunPCi. For example, if the Solaris desktop supported 8-bit and 24-bit, Linux would also support the same 8-bit and 24-bit.

The current release of the Linux GNOME software contains an issue whereby an X client that creates an 8-bit windows might crash when a GNOME library function incorrectly creates 24-bit pixmaps, and attempts to copy the contents onto the 8-bit window. The Solaris X server allows multiple simultaneous depths, which the Linux GNOME software does not handle properly.

If the root window of the Linux desktop is a 24-bit window depth instead of an 8-bit window depth, Linux works properly.

SunPCi software adds the option -depth 24 to the XserverOptions in the .ini file for SunPCi. This option, when provided to SunPCi, acts as a recommendation, rather than a requirement, for the system monitor window. When the system sees a depth provided, it attempts to create the system monitor window at that depth. If successful, then all windows are created at that same depth. If unsuccessful, the system monitor window is created at whatever depth is available on the Solaris X server.

Note – If the Solaris X server supports only 8-bit depth, the initial creation of the 24-bit depth fails, and the system monitor window reverts to 8-bit depth.

Tip – Some Linux applications do not operate properly using 8-bit depth and require 24-bit depth. These applications do not run properly on Linux when the X server is configured for 8-bit depth. The -depth 24 option was added as a default when the Linux section is initially added to the .ini file, so this issue is transparent whenever possible.

Chapter 8 Using Red Hat Linux 93