Tài liệu Using the Linux GUI (X Window) pdf

Lab 10.1.2: Using the Linux GUI X Window Estimated Time: 25 minutes Objective In this lab, the student will learn to explore the basic features of the X Window and the KDE desktop envi

Lab 10.1.2: Using the Linux GUI (X Window)

Estimated Time: 25 minutes

Objective

In this lab, the student will learn to explore the basic features of the X Window and the KDE desktop environment

Equipment

The following equipment is required for this exercise:

• Computer with Linux Red Hat 7.2 (or greater) installed

Scenario

The XYZ Company has just installed a server running Red Hat Linux 7.2 The company has asked the student to log in to the server with the administrative account The server

is configured with the KDE desktop environment The task is to explore the basic features

of the KDE GUI

Procedures

Before beginning this lab, power on or reboot the Red Hat Linux server

Step 1: Starting an X Window Session

This Linux system was setup to boot into the command line by default Linux, however,

can be configured to boot into the GUI by default If the user is just booting up the system

for the first time, then the user will need to login and supply the password as done in the previous lab If already at the command prompt, type:

startx

The startx command will initialize an X Window session and start the KDE interface Once the X Window session initializes, the KDE Welcome dialog box appears The user will not have to log in to the GUI because a username and password were already

supplied in order to authenticate the user in the CLI

Step 2: Navigating the KDE interface

Once the system grants access, the desktop environment will be visible on the server The installation of Red Hat 7.2 allows installation of the KDE desktop environment Use the KDE as the default Graphical User Interface (GUI) for all users Other desktop

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KDE control

environments, such as GNOME, can also be configured and used with Linux

UNIX and Linux both rely on the X Window system to display the GUI The X Window

system is software that works with the system hardware and graphical applications

including the window manager The window manager is the software responsible for

sizing, positioning, and rendering the graphical windows that programs run in

Windows include borders that can be dragged to resize and graphical buttons that can be

clicked to minimize, maximize, restore, and close the window Since Linux supports

several window managers and each window manager can be customized, there is no one

way a window will look or act

KDE, like most Unix/Linux GUIs, is designed to use a three-button mouse The function

of each button can be customized on a per-user basis The following table describes the

functions commonly associated with each mouse button:

Left Use to select and drag items

Middle Used to paste text or to move things Right Used to bring up a menu for the selected

object (when applicable)

KDE is not a window manager In fact, KDE can work with several different kinds of

window managers KDE is a desktop environment A desktop environment is a

combination of programs, applications, and applets that make up part of the GUI

KDE provides:

• Graphical panels that can be used to start applications or display status

• A graphical “desktop” that can be used to place applications, files, and menus

• A standard set of desktop tools and applications

• A set of conventions that enable applications to work together consistently

The KDE desktop panel contains icons that start key applications or open menus The

panel contains icons that start key applications or open menus It also contains a task bar

that allows switching between running applications

The following icons typically appear on the panel:

The KDE desktop environment can be configured to look and act in hundreds of different

ways Some of KDE’s key features can be configured using the KDE Control Center

To switch to another desktop environment go to the “K” at the lower left corner of the screen Hold the mouse down until the menu pops up and find the run command Click

on the run command and type in:

switchdesk

After clicking Enter, a display of all of the available desktops that are installed will be

seen

Read the popup box and click Cancel

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Run the KDE Control Center now by clicking once on the icon on the panel The KDE

Control Center window will appear as shown:

From the Control Center, the user can customize aspects of KDE’s appearance, including the desktop background, the window manager, and the panel

Before leaving the Control Center, click on the Look and Feel option under the Index tab

This will list many options for configuring the KDE desktop environment

The Look and Feel tool is the name of the window manager that KDE is working with

Remember, KDE can be configured to work with other window managers There are

many aspects of the window manager that can be configured here For now, click on the

Theme Manager icon under the Look and Feel menu and then select the Eclipse option

from the list as shown:

Click on the Apply button at the bottom of the Control Center window The new frame

style should appear on all open windows This change is purely cosmetic and does not affect the way the operating system functions

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To get back to the default KDE settings, reopen the KDE Control Center, click on the

Look and Feel button, and then select Theme Manager Select the Default setting and

click Apply, and KDE will revert to its original settings

Click on the “X” at the top of window to close the Theme Manager

Step 3: Opening the Control Panel

Next, click on the KDE start application button in the lower left hand corner of the screen

A menu will open Find the system menu, and drag the mouse up to it Once the mouse

has been left there for a moment, a submenu will open up Move the mouse up to the

KDE Control Panel and click once

Once in the KDE Control Panel, click on the Hardware Browser icon If asked for the

root password, enter it in the KDE dialog box that will appear

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Click through each item listed In the space below briefly describe the disk information

that is described under the Hard Drives section

To close the control panel click the “X” in the upper right corner of each window that is

open

Step 4: Closing X Window and Shutting down the system

To close out of the X Window session entirely, close all the applications that are open

Next, click the following three keys simultaneously:

Ctrl + Alt + Backspace

This will close X Window and bring the user back in the CLI From the CLI, shut the

computer off by using the shutdown command:

shutdown –h now

Or, as an alternative, reboot the computer:

shutdown –r now Troubleshooting

Configuring X for a particular system can be a challenging task Many software

components are required, including a window manager and several libraries

Problem: Cannot run X Window

Possible causes:

• Because X configuration can be complicated, the user will have to consult websites and other documentation relevant to the software and the system being used If in

the CLI, try using the ALT-F7 key combination to switch to X If X is not running, type

startx at the shell prompt

Reflection

1 What types of applications require a GUI?

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2 Who is more likely to use a GUI, an end user or an administrator? Why?

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3 The CLI program Xconfigurator is useful in fixing and reconfiguring X Window

problems At a terminal window type in man Xconfigurator and read the online

documentation

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