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XFree86 server 4.x Design (DRAFT)

The XFree86 Project, Inc

19 December 2003

NOTE: This is a DRAFT document, and the interfaces described here are subject to change without notice.

1. Preface

2. The XF86Config File

2.1. Device section

2.2. Screen section

2.3. InputDevice section

2.4. ServerLayout section

2.5. Options

3. Driver Interface

4. Resource Access Control Introduction

4.1. Terms and Definitions

5. Control Flow in the Server and Mandatory Driver Functions

5.1. Parse the XF86Config file

5.2. Initial processing of parsed information and command line options

5.3. Enable port I/O access

5.4. General bus probe

5.5. Load initial set of modules

5.6. Register Video and Input Drivers

5.7. Initialise Access Control

5.8. Video Driver Probe

5.9. Matching Screens

5.10. Allocate non-conflicting resources

5.11. Sort the Screens and pre-check Monitor Information

5.12. PreInit

5.13. Cleaning up Unused Drivers

5.14. Consistency Checks

5.15. Check if Resource Control is Needed

5.16. AddScreen (ScreenInit)

5.17. Finalising RAC Initialisation

5.18. Finishing InitOutput()

5.19. Mode Switching

5.20. Changing Viewport

5.21. VT Switching

5.22. End of server generation

6. Optional Driver Functions

6.1. Mode Validation

6.2. Free screen data

7. Recommended driver functions

7.1. Save

7.2. Restore

7.3. Initialise Mode

8. Data and Data Structures

8.1. Command line data

8.2. Data handling

8.3. Accessing global data

8.4. Allocating private data

9. Keeping Track of Bus Resources

9.1. Theory of Operation

9.2. Resource Types

9.3. Available Functions

10. Config file ``Option'' entries

11. Modules, Drivers, Include Files and Interface Issues

11.1. Include files

12. Offscreen Memory Manager

13. Colormap Handling

14. DPMS Extension

15. DGA Extension

16. The XFree86 X Video Extension (Xv) Device Dependent Layer

17. The Loader

17.1. Loader Overview

17.2. Semi-private Loader Interface

17.3. Module Requirements

17.4. Public Loader Interface

17.5. Special Registration Functions

18. Helper Functions

18.1. Functions for printing messages

18.2. Functions for setting values based on command line and config file

18.3. Primary Mode functions

18.4. Secondary Mode functions

18.5. Functions for handling strings and tokens

18.6. Functions for finding which config file entries to use

18.7. Probing discrete clocks on old hardware

18.8. Other helper functions

19. The vgahw module

19.1. Data Structures

19.2. General vgahw Functions

19.3. VGA Colormap Functions

19.4. VGA Register Access Functions

20. Some notes about writing a driver

20.1. Include files

20.2. Data structures and initialisation

20.3. Functions

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