Arch Linux enhancedX11 repository

Directory listing

Arch Linux enhancedX11 repository

(Work in Progress)

Index

Purpose of the enhancedX11 repository
Repository installation instructions
Enhanced xorg-server
Input and video drivers

Available input and video drivers
ABI versions

X.Org server 26.1 RC2 known issues and workarounds
Available repository packages
Maintainer PGP key info

1. Purpose of the enhancedX11 repository

This repository named enhancedX11 aims to provide for an optimal X11 experience on Arch Linux and derivative distributions.

This repository of enhanced X.Org X11 server and input/video driver packages and more, also mostly for X11, is created and provided to the Arch Linux community by developer Dinosaur.

The X.Org packages are currently based on Release Candidate 2 of release 26.1 This allows for testing with this version but for many setups works fine as a daily driver.

2. Repository installation instructions

Repository installation instructions are available in enhancedX11-install-instructions.html.

3. Enhanced xorg-server

3.1 Enhancements

The enhanced xorg-server packages - current version is 26.0.99.902 which is 26.1 Release Candidate 2 which includes the 'default TearFree option for modesetting' and 'rrandr-dpi' - have these enhancements:

use-intel-only-on-pre-gen4
xf86-dri2-Use-va_gl-as-vdpau_driver-for-Intel-i965-G
fix-hotkeys-fdo-bug-865 - currently not packaged
performance optimizations
optionally: AVX2 with x86-64-v3, or SSE4.1

3.2 X.Org xorg-server 26.1.0 release candidate announcements

X.Org xorg-server release candidate announcements with their changes, bug fixes and new functionality:

3.3 Installing the enhanced xorg-server packages

First establish which instruction sets are supported by the CPU by running commands:

grep -o 'sse4_1\|avx2' /proc/cpuinfo | sort -u

and:

/usr/lib64/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2 --help | grep -A5 '^Subdirectories' | grep supported | cut -d'(' -f1

No output means no support.

To install the suited enhanced xorg-server packages run:

in case x86-64-v3 is supported (roughly on systems from 2013 and newer) :

pacman -S xorg-server-enhanced-avx2 xorg-server-common-enhanced-avx2 xf86-input-libinput-enhanced

in case sse4_1 is supported, but x86-64-v3 is not (roughly on systems from between 2008 and 2013 :

pacman -S xorg-server-enhanced-sse41 xorg-server-common-enhanced-sse41 xf86-input-libinput-enhanced

in case neither sse4_1 nor x86-64-v3 is supported (roughly on systems from before 2008 :

pacman -S xorg-server-enhanced xorg-server-common-enhanced xf86-input-libinput-enhanced

4. Input and output drivers

4.1 Available input and video driver packages

These input and video drivers are available:

xf86-input-elographics-enhanced
xf86-input-evdev-enhanced
xf86-input-joystick-enhanced
xf86-input-libinput-enhanced
xf86-input-mtrack-enhanced
xf86-input-synaptics-enhanced
xf86-input-vmmouse-enhanced
xf86-input-void-enhanced
xf86-input-wacom-enhanced
xf86-video-amdgpu-enhanced
xf86-video-ati-enhanced
xf86-video-dummy-enhanced
xf86-video-fbdev-enhanced
xf86-video-intel-enhanced
xf86-video-nouveau-enhanced
xf86-video-qxl-enhanced
xf86-video-sisusb-enhanced
xf86-video-vesa-enhanced
xf86-video-voodoo-enhanced

4.2 ABI versions

All drivers accommodate for the increased ABI versions in xorg server 26.1.0:

X-ABI-VIDEODRV_VERSION 25.2 -> 28.0
X-ABI-XINPUT_VERSION 24.4 -> 26.0
X-ABI-EXTENSION_VERSION 10.0 -> 11.0

Closed source drivers - like those from Nvidia - might not have an updated ABI version to match xorg-server.
To prevent problems with these drivers create eg. file /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/15-ignore-abi.conf with content:

Section "ServerFlags"
  Option "IgnoreABI" "true"
EndSection

5. X.Org server 26.1 RC2 known issues and workarounds

Currently known issues and possible workarounds:

On AMPGPU and QEMU Virtio Video graphic cards the mouse cursor is displayed vertically crushed and with a slight offset.
For now, as a workaround, this configuration section in eg. file /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-modesetting.conf can be used as tested on QEMU Video Virtio:
```
Section "Device"
    Identifier "QEMU Video Virtio"
    Driver     "modesetting"
    Option     "SWcursor" "on"
EndSection
```
For QEMU Virtio Video another workaround is to use Virtio VGA as video model.
When using VLC, and maybe also other applications, a hang might occur over time after the resolution has changed. Until there is a fix for this issue a workaroung is to create or update a configuration file, similar to the workaround in the previous issue, and have it include the following in the modesetting Device section:
```
    Option "PageFlip" "off"
```

6. Available repository packages

A list of all currently available packages with their descriptions and versions can be found in 1-enhancedX11-package-overview.html.

7. Maintainer PGP key info

PGP key info Dinosaur
Key-ID: 2FC84CE10A0C6483
Key file: Dinosaur-pgpkey-2FC84CE10A0C6483.asc