Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
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From: mouse@lightning.mcrcim.mcgill.EDU (der Mouse)
Subject: Re:  X terminal server for Sun 3's
Message-ID: <9105021228.AA18003@lightning.McRCIM.McGill.EDU>
Sender: daemon@athena.mit.edu (Mr Background)
Organization: The Internet
Date: 2 May 91 12:28:10 GMT
Lines: 49

> There had been some talk of a X terminal package for Sun 3's (ie. I
> dont want to boot SunOs).

Your informant was probably confused (or perhaps simply uninformed).
The package probably being referred to, something called Xkernel, does
in fact boot a SunOS kernel, but arranges to run nothing but the X
server under it.  Removing the usual clutter of user-level daemons does
improve performace significantly, though I suspect this effect is more
due to the memory saving than anything else.  (Another hint: run the
oldest SunOS kernel you can.  X doesn't need much in the way of kernel
services, and you really want the *smallest* kernel possible.)

If this is good enough for you, you can either get Xkernel or just do
it yourself; it's fairly easy: replace /etc/init in the diskless
machine's root area with a shell script that sets up a few things and
runs Xsun with appropriate options, then strip everything out of the
root area except for what's used.  Here, for example, is the /etc/init
script from our X-terminal disklesses.  (I will be glad to discuss this
script, or any other aspect of our setup, by mail.)

#! /bin/sh
exec >/dev/console 2>&1
/etc/fsck -p /dev/nd0
case $? in
	0)	;;
	4)	/etc/reboot -q -n
		;;
	8)	echo ND fsck failed - get help
		/etc/halt
		;;
	12)	echo Interrupted
		/etc/reboot
		;;
	*)	echo Unknown error in reboot fsck - get help
		/etc/halt
		;;
esac
/bin/dd if=/tmp-fs of=/dev/nd2 bs=512 count=128 >/dev/null 2>&1
/etc/mount /dev/nd2 /tmp
/etc/ifconfig le0 netmask 255.255.255.0 broadcast 132.206.41.255
/etc/mount -o ro apollo:/u2/x11/lib /local/lib/X11
/etc/route add default 132.206.41.1 1 >/dev/null
set `/etc/ifconfig le0`
exec /Xsun -once -multidisp -mux -query `(sh -vn </local/lib/X11/xdm-servers/$2 2>&1)`

					der Mouse

			old: mcgill-vision!mouse
			new: mouse@larry.mcrcim.mcgill.edu