xvfb\-run

Section: User Commands (1)
Updated: 2002-10-24
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NAME

xvfb-run - run specified X client or command in a virtual X server environment

SYNOPSIS

xvfb-run [ options ] command

DESCRIPTION

xvfb-run is a wrapper for the Xvfb(1x) command which simplifies the task of running commands (typically an X client, or a script containing a list of clients to be run) within a virtual X server environment.

xvfb-run sets up an X authority file, writes a cookie to it (see xauth(1x)) and then starts the Xvfb X server as a background process. The process ID of Xvfb is stored for later use. The specified command is then run using the X display corresponding to the Xvfb server just started and the X authority file created earlier.

When the command exits, its status is saved, the Xvfb server is killed (using the process ID stored earlier), the X authority cookie removed, and the authority file deleted. xvfb-run then exits with the exit status of command.

xvfb-run requires the xauth command to function.

OPTIONS

-a, --auto-servernum: Try to get a free server number, starting at 99, or the argument to --server-num.
-e file, --error-file=file: Store output from xauth and Xvfb in file. If not set, output is sent to /dev/null.
-f file, --auth-file=file: Store X authentication data in file. By default, a file named .Xauthority in the current working directory is used.
-h, --help: Display a usage message and exit.
-n servernumber, --server-num=servernumber: Use servernumber as the server number (but see the -a, --auto-servernum option above). This value defaults to 99.
-l, --listen-tcp: Enable TCP port listening in the X server.
-p protocolname, --xauth-protocol=protocolname: Use protocolname as the X authority protocol to use. This defaults to oq.cq, which xauth interprets as its own default protocol, which is MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1.
-s arguments, --server-args=arguments: Pass arguments to the Xvfb server. Be careful to quote any whitespace characters that may occur within arguments to prevent them from regarded as separators for xvfb-run's own arguments. Also, note that specification of oq-nolisten tcpcq in arguments may override the function of xvfb-run's own -l, --listen-tcp option, and that specification of the server number (e.g., oq:1cq) may be ignored because of the way the X server parses its argument list. Use the xvfb-run option -n servernumber, --server-num=servernumber to achieve the latter function. Defaults to oq-screen 0 640x480x8cq.
-w delay, --wait=delay: Wait delay seconds after launching Xvfb before attempting to start the specified command. Defaults to 3.

OUTPUT FILES

.Xauthority: is created (and deleted) in the current working directory to store the X authority cookies used by the Xvfb server and client(s) run under it.

An error file with a user-specified name is also created if the -e or --error-file options are specifed; see above.

EXIT STATUS

xvfb-run uses its exit status as well as output to standard error to communicate diagnostics.

1: The command-line options could not be processed.
2: No command to run was specified.
3: The xauth command is not available.

EXAMPLES

xvfb-run --auto-servernum --server-num=1 xlogo: runs the xlogo(1x) demonstration client inside the Xvfb X server on the first available server number greater than or equal to 1.
xvfb-run --server-args=-screen 0 1024x768x24 ico -faces: runs the ico(1x) demonstration client (and passes it the -faces argument) inside the Xvfb X server, configured with a root window of 1024 by 768 pixels and a color depth of 24 bits.

Note that the demo X clients used in the above examples will not exit on their own, so they will have to be killed before xvfb-run will exit.

AUTHOR

xfvb-run was written by Branden Robinson and Jeff Licquia for Progeny Linux Systems, Inc., and the Debian Project.

This document was created by man2html, using the manual pages.
Time: 10:08:22 GMT, July 31, 2010