From 6ec79dbddf3fa5362190f1dcc8565bef79453897 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: crs Date: Wed, 25 Dec 2002 23:49:42 +0000 Subject: [PATCH] Documentation update. --- BUGS | 97 +++--------------------------------------------- FAQ | 113 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++- INSTALL | 92 +++++++++++++++++++++++---------------------- README | 21 ++++++----- TODO | 2 - 5 files changed, 176 insertions(+), 149 deletions(-) diff --git a/BUGS b/BUGS index 854f27e8..7cbc4373 100644 --- a/BUGS +++ b/BUGS @@ -1,97 +1,12 @@ Known Bugs in Synergy ===================== +View known bugs at: +http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=59275&atid=490467 + Report bugs at: -http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?func=browse&group_id=59275&atid=490467 +http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=59275&atid=490467 When reporting bugs, please include the version of the operating -system you're using and what locale you use. - -* Not all keystrokes are handled - - Certain keystrokes are not captured by the synergy server and, - therefore, are not transmitted to secondary screens. Which keys - depends on the primary screen's platform: - - Linux: - * ctrl+alt+del - * ctrl+alt+backspace (only if used by the X server) - * ctrl+alt+keypad_plus (only if used by the X server) - * ctrl+alt+keypad_minus (only if used by the X server) - - Windows NT family (except NT prior to service pack 3) - * ctrl+alt+del - * accessibility shortcuts (e.g. pressing shift 5 times for sticky keys) - - Windows 95 family (at NT prior to service pack 3) - * ctrl+alt+del - * ctrl+esc - * alt+[shift+]tab - * alt+[shift+]esc - * windows+E - * windows+[ctrl+]F - * windows+[shift+]M - * windows+R - * windows+F1 - * windows+tab - * windows+break - * accessibility shortcuts (e.g. press shift 5 times for sticky keys) - -* Non-ASCII keystrokes unsupported - - Only ASCII characters are decoded and transmitted by the server. - However, the clipboard does support Unicode. - -* Screen flashes (Windows) - - On Windows, the primary screen flashes when the cursor enters it. - This is a consequence of how synergy captures input. - -* Slow console text entry (Windows 95 family) - - Typing into a command prompt window on the Windows 95 family has - very slow visual feedback. - -* Event logs (Windows NT family) - - Synergy doesn't support event logs properly on the Windows NT family. - In particular, the event message is reported in the extra data portion - of the event instead of the normal message portion. - -* NoInteractiveServices not handled (Windows NT family) - - Synergy does not (cannot) work when the NoInteractiveServices registry - entry is set. Synergy doesn't not gracefully handle it being set. - -* Incorrectly hiding screen savers in certain situations (Windows) - - If turning off the screen saver on the primary screen requires a - password on Windows then all of the secondary screen screen savers - are deactivated when the password dialog appears. If the password - is not entered only the primary screen's screen saver is activated. - -* Not handling strange keyboards (X11) - - Synergy does not detect keyboards with unusual behavior and may - misbehave as a result. Unusual behavior includes keyboards that - don't report KeyRelease events and toggle keys that report KeyPress - when toggled on and KeyRelease when toggled off (instead of KeyPress - and KeyRelease for each physical press and release). - -* Not handling shift-lock (X11) - - Synergy doesn't handle shift-lock behavior (as opposed to caps-lock). - -* Large Motif clipboard items are truncated (X11) - - Synergy doesn't yet fully implement Motif's protocol for large - clipboard items. As a result it silently truncates those items. - Large depends on the X server but is probably around 256kB. - - Synergy also doesn't support by-name Motif clipboard items. It - will read no data at all for those items. - -* Automake isn't fully configured (Linux) - - The automake configuration isn't complete so synergy won't build - or fail to build properly on some (many) systems. +system you're using (on the server and relevant clients) and what +locales you use. diff --git a/FAQ b/FAQ index 0369b305..cb3a348c 100644 --- a/FAQ +++ b/FAQ @@ -1,10 +1,119 @@ Synergy Frequently Asked Questions ================================== -This will be added to as questions come in. +Questions +--------- +1. Why doesn't ctrl+alt+del work on secondary screens? +2. Can the server and client be on different operating systems? +3. What's the difference between synergy and x2x, x2vnc, etc? +4. What does "Cannot initialize hook library" mean? +5. What security/encryption does synergy provide? +6. What should I call my screens in the configuration? +7. Why do my CapsLock and NumLock keys act funny? +8. Can synergy share the display in addition to the mouse and keyboard? +9. Can synergy do drag and drop between computers? +10. Do AltGr or Mode-Switch work? + + +Answers +------- +1. Why doesn't ctrl+alt+del work on secondary screens? -1. ctrl+alt+del doesn't work on secondary screens. Synergy isn't able to capture ctrl+alt+del on PC compatible systems because it's handled completely differently than other keystrokes. If you need to use ctrl+alt+del you'll have to keep your other keyboards handy just for that. + Future versions may add support for or some equivalent to + ctrl+alt+del. + +2. Can the server and client be on different operating systems? + + Yes. The synergy network protocol is platform neutral so + synergy doesn't care what operating systems are running on + the server and clients. + +3. What's the difference between synergy and x2x, x2vnc, etc? + + Unlike x2x, synergy supports any number of computers and + it doesn't require X on Microsoft Windows platforms. It + also has more advanced clipboard support and synchronizes + screensavers. x2vnc is also limited to two computers, + requires the separate vnc package, and is really only + appropriate for using an X system to control a non-X system. + However, the right tool for the job is whatever tool works + best for you. + +4. What does "Cannot initialize hook library" mean? + + This error can occur on a synergy server running on a + Microsoft Windows operating system. It means that synergy + is already running or possibly was not shut down properly. + If it's running then first end the synergy task. If it's + not then try logging off and back on or rebooting then + starting synergy again. + +5. What security/encryption does synergy provide? + + None. Synergy currently does no encryption or authentication. + Given that, synergy should not be used on or over any untrusted + network, especially the Internet. It's generally fine for home + networks. Future versions will provide encryption and + authentication. + +6. What should I call my screens in the configuration? + + You can use any unique name in the configuration file for each + screen but it's easiest to use the hostname of the computer. + That's the computer name not including the domain. For example, + a computer with the fully qualified domain name `xyz.foo.com' has + the hostname `xyz'. There should also be an alias for `xyz' to + `xyz.foo.com'. If you don't use the computer's hostname, you + have to tell synergy the name of the screen using a command line + option, or the startup dialog on Windows. + +7. Why do my CapsLock and NumLock keys act funny? + + Some systems treat the Caps-Lock and Num-Lock keys differently + than all the others. Whereas most keys report going down when + physically pressed and going up when physically released, the + Caps-Lock and Num-Lock keys report going down when being + activated and going up when being deactivated. That is, when + you press and release, say, Caps-Lock to activate it, it only + reports going down, and when you press and release to deactivate + it, it only reports going up. This confuses synergy. + + You can solve the problem by changing your configuration file. + In the screens section, following each screen that has the + problem, add either or both of these lines as appropriate: + + halfDuplexCapsLock = true + halfDuplexNumLock = true + + Then restart synergy on the server. + +8. Can synergy share the display in addition to the mouse and keyboard? + + No. Synergy is a KM solution not a KVM (keyboard, video, mouse) + solution. However, future versions will probably support KVM. + Hopefully, this will make synergy suitable for managing large + numbers of headless servers. + +9. Can synergy do drag and drop between computers? + + No. That's a very cool idea and it'll be explored. However, it's + also clearly difficult and may take a long time to implement. + +10. Does AltGr/Mode-Switch work? + + Sort of. Synergy sends the character you're trying to create from + the server to the client. If the client can figure out how to + create that character then it will do so, synthesizing whatever + key events necessary. However, operating system differences can + cause unexpected problems. Pressing either Ctrl key plus the left + Alt key on Microsoft Windows means AltGr but on Unix that just + means Ctrl and Alt are down. If you have a synergy server running + on Windows and are having trouble with Ctrl+Alt_L = AltGr, try using + the right Alt key as AltGr instead. + + + diff --git a/INSTALL b/INSTALL index 40b1355a..8d531dd0 100644 --- a/INSTALL +++ b/INSTALL @@ -9,15 +9,18 @@ To build synergy from the sources you'll need the following: Windows: * VC++ 6.0 or up - Linux: - * gcc 2.95 (or up?) + Unix: + * gcc 2.95 (or up) * X11R4 or up headers and libraries +In this document, "Unix" means any of the following: Linux, Solaris, +Irix. + Configuring the build --------------------- -This step is only necessary when building on Linux. +This step is only necessary when building on Unix. To configure the build for your platform use the configure script: @@ -36,7 +39,7 @@ Windows: (Build | Set Active Configuration) to `All - Debug' or `All - Release' then build. Binaries are built into ./Debug or ./Release. -Linux: +Unix: Simply enter: make @@ -59,7 +62,7 @@ Windows: * synergys.exe * synrgyhk.dll -Linux: +Unix: make install will install the client and server into /usr/local/bin unless you @@ -126,8 +129,8 @@ See `Starting Automatically on Windows' below for configuring synergy to start automatically when the computer starts. -Configuring the Server on Linux -------------------------------- +Configuring the Server on Unix +------------------------------ The synergy server requires configuration. The configuration file is a plain text file broken into sections. Each section has the form: @@ -210,8 +213,8 @@ file if the user doesn't specify a path using the `--config' command line option. `synergys --help' reports those pathnames. -Running the Server on Linux ---------------------------- +Running the Server on Unix +-------------------------- Run the server on the computer that has the keyboard and mouse to be shared. You must have prepared a configuration file before @@ -232,12 +235,12 @@ file (either as a screen name or an alias) then you'll have to add a name in the configuration file. You can use `synergys --help' for a list of command line options. -See `Starting Automatically on Linux' below for running synergy +See `Starting Automatically on Unix' below for running synergy automatically when the X server starts. -Running the Client on Linux ---------------------------- +Running the Client on Unix +-------------------------- Run the client on all computers that aren't the server using the following command line: @@ -280,7 +283,7 @@ the problem. Here are typical problems and possible solutions: Once all the clients are running, try moving the mouse to each screen. Be sure to check all the configured links. -See `Starting Automatically on Linux' below for running synergy +See `Starting Automatically on Unix' below for running synergy automatically when the X server starts. @@ -316,51 +319,50 @@ Otherwise, click the `Install' button in the `When You Log In' box to have synergy automatically start when you log in. -Starting Automatically on Linux -------------------------------- +Starting Automatically on Unix +------------------------------ -Linux: - Synergy requires an X server. That means a server must be - running and synergy must be authorized to connect to that server. - It's best to have the display manager start synergy. You'll need - the necessary (probably root) permission to modify the display - manager configuration files. If you don't have that permission - you can start synergy after logging in via the .xsession file. +Synergy requires an X server. That means a server must be +running and synergy must be authorized to connect to that server. +It's best to have the display manager start synergy. You'll need +the necessary (probably root) permission to modify the display +manager configuration files. If you don't have that permission +you can start synergy after logging in via the .xsession file. - To have the display manager start synergy, edit the Xsetup script. - The location of this file depends on your installation. It might - be /etc/X11/xdm/Xsetup. Near the end of the file but before - anyplace the script calls exit, start the client with something - like: +To have the display manager start synergy, edit the Xsetup script. +The location of this file depends on your installation. It might +be /etc/X11/xdm/Xsetup. Near the end of the file but before +anyplace the script calls exit, start the client with something +like: - /usr/bin/killall synergyc - /usr/local/bin/synergyc [] + /usr/bin/killall synergyc + /usr/local/bin/synergyc [] - must not include `-f' or `--no-daemon'. Change the - paths as necessary. It's important to make sure no old copies - of synergy are running so they can't interfere with the new one. + must not include `-f' or `--no-daemon'. Change the +paths as necessary. It's important to make sure no old copies +of synergy are running so they can't interfere with the new one. - To start the server use something like: +To start the server use something like: - /usr/bin/killall synergys - /usr/local/bin/synergys [] --config + /usr/bin/killall synergys + /usr/local/bin/synergys [] --config - Again, must not include `-f' or `--no-daemon'. If - the configuration pathname is one of the default locations then - you don't need the `--config' option. +Again, must not include `-f' or `--no-daemon'. If +the configuration pathname is one of the default locations then +you don't need the `--config' option. - Note that some display managers (xdm and kdm, but not gdm) grab - the keyboard and do not release it until the user logs in, for - security reasons. This prevents a synergy server from sharing - the mouse and keyboard until the user logs in. It doesn't - prevent a synergy client from synthesizing mouse and keyboard - input, though. +Note that some display managers (xdm and kdm, but not gdm) grab +the keyboard and do not release it until the user logs in, for +security reasons. This prevents a synergy server from sharing +the mouse and keyboard until the user logs in. It doesn't +prevent a synergy client from synthesizing mouse and keyboard +input, though. Common Command Line Options --------------------------- -d, --debug use debugging level - --daemon run as a daemon (Linux) or background (Windows) + --daemon run as a daemon (Unix) or background (Windows) -f, --no-daemon run in the foreground -n, --name use instead of the hostname --restart automatically restart on failures diff --git a/README b/README index fb190422..cec0cd53 100644 --- a/README +++ b/README @@ -52,10 +52,13 @@ System Requirements * Microsoft Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP (the Windows NT family); -* Linux: +* Unix: X Windows version 11 revision 4 or up with the XTEST extension (use `xdpyinfo | grep XTEST' to check for XTEST). +In this document, "Unix" means any of the following: Linux, Solaris, +Irix. + Installation ------------ @@ -74,7 +77,7 @@ The computer with that keyboard and mouse is called the "primary screen" and it runs the synergy server. All of the other computers are "secondary screens" and run the synergy client. The Windows NT family, starting with NT 4 with service pack 3, is the best choice -for the primary screen but Linux is good too. (This is based on the +for the primary screen but Unix is good too. (This is based on the known bugs; see BUGS for more details.) Second, you install the software. Choose the appropriate package @@ -111,8 +114,8 @@ Third, you configure and start the server. read the log messages to determine the problem then correct it and try `Test' again. - Linux - ----- + Unix + ---- Create a text file named synergy.conf with the following: section: screens @@ -165,8 +168,8 @@ Finally, start the clients. about to quit; read the log messages to determine the problem then correct it and try `Test' again. - Linux - ----- + Unix + ---- To start a client, enter the following: @@ -221,13 +224,13 @@ Tips and Tricks * Synergy's screen saver synchronization works best with xscreensaver under X windows. Synergy works better with xscreensaver if it is - using of the screen saver extensions. Prior to xscreensaver 4.0 + using one of the screen saver extensions. Prior to xscreensaver 4.0 you can use `-mit-extension', `-sgi-extension', or `-xidle-extension' command line options to enable an extension (assuming your server has the extension). Starting with 4.0 you must enable the corresponding option in your .xscreensaver file. -* Synergy automatically converts newlines in clipboard text (Linux +* Synergy automatically converts newlines in clipboard text (Unix expects \n to end each line while Windows expects \r\n). * Clients can be started and stopped at any time. When a screen is @@ -235,7 +238,7 @@ Tips and Tricks had moved all the way across it and jumped to the next screen. * A client's keyboard and mouse are fully functional while synergy is - running. You can use them in case synergy hangs. + running. You can use them in case synergy locks up. Bug Reports diff --git a/TODO b/TODO index b8a1efac..eeda47d3 100644 --- a/TODO +++ b/TODO @@ -31,8 +31,6 @@ Things to do to synergy, in no particular order: * MacOS 9 * MacOS 10 * BSD - * Irix - * Solaris * HP-UX * AIX