Connecting With X Windows

• X Windows at UIC
• Related Links

X Windows is client/server software, but contrary to the more common use of the "client/server" concept, the X server is the part of the X Windows client/server system that you run on your local machine; the X Windows applications software packages that you run remotely are the X Windows clients.

To use an X server with an networked X client application (such as one running on an ACCC UNIX machine), you'll need a connection to the UIC campus network. While some X servers can be configured to be used with dialin connections, you will probably find X Windows over the telephone to be too slow. X servers communicate with TCP/IP protocols, which is included in all modern personal computer operating systems.

The ACCC has a site license for the Exceed X server for Windows 3.x, Windows NT, and Windows 9x, Windows 2000, and OS/2:

• ACCC how-to document: Using Exceed X Server
• Exceed home page: http://www.hummingbird.com/products/nc/exceed/index.html
• Hummingbird Exceed support: http://www.hummingbird.com/support/nc/exceed/
• How to set Exceed up to use with tigger and other ACCC Unix servers: http://www.uic.edu/depts/accc/software/exceed/

EXceed is available:

• for purchase by faculty and staff
• for use by any member of the UIC community in the ACCC public microcomputer labs
• in ACCC Server Services (both in campus offices and in the dorms)

The Windows personal computers in the ACCC public labs have eXceed installed, set up for use with the ACCC UNIX workstations (currently icarus, tigger, and borg) -- just double-click on the X Windows icon in the main menu.

• Through an X Window Darkly (a brief introduction to X Windows at UIC)
• Using Exceed X Server with Xhost Security (instructions specifically for tigger, but applies to other UNIX machines at UIC also)
• Introduction to the X Windows System (Rice University [PDF])
• Customizing X Windows (Rice University [PDF])
• X11 (X Windows) FAQ

(Rice University's Introduction to the UNIX Operating System [PDF] is good too.)

There are a number of X Windows client software packages on the ACCC public UNIX workstations; for a list, see: