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Installing and Using the X Virtual Framebuffer, Xvfb

Installing and Using the X Virtual Framebuffer, Xvfb

Question:

Date: Wed, 18 Jun 1997 14:10:41 -0700 (PDT)
From: "E. Mayorga"
Subject: X virtual frame buffer and -unmapped
To: Ferret User's Group

I want to create GIF images in batch processes, when no X session is on.
ferret -unmapped has worked well when an X session is on, but that
restriction leads to other complications. I understand I need to install
the X virtual frame buffer, which is supposed to be a standard component
of X11. I've asked 3 system managers, and none of them have dealt with
Xvfb before (I found some relevant links on the web). I use Solaris 2.5 on
a SPARC 10.

Has anyone installed the Xvfb before? Where do I get it? Once installed
(any hints on how to do that?), how do I use it -- that is, does someone
have an example of the sequence of commands you would need to send a
ferret -unmapped [journal file] command to the Xvfb?

Explanation:

The X virtual framebuffer (Xvfb) is an X server that can run on machines with no display hardware and no physical input devices. It emulates a dumb framebuffer using virtual memory. It is an included component of X11R6, but not in earlier X releases.

Xvfb was a useful utility for Ferret because it allows graphic output without having an Xserver running.

Solution:

For recent versions of Ferret, start Ferret with the -server option:

ferret -server

See the Ferret documentation for this and other options for running Ferret; e.g. -gif -memsize.