x11, ssh, xsession keyboard input problem

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x11, ssh, xsession keyboard input problem

I have OSX 10.5.1 and am trying to run a solaris9 Xsession on my iMac display. Through google'ing I have found how to get most of this working. What is not working is keyboard input into the applications displayed on the xdesktop. Mouse clicks and menu selects with the mouse work. Yet focus seems to not bring the keyboard into the xapp. Keyboard input stays with the last osx application that had focus.

Here is what I am doing

start a terminal

terminal: DISPLAY=:0.0;export DISPLAY
terminal: /usr/X11R6/bin/Xquartz -xinerama&
terminal: ssh -X <remote system>

remote system: Xsession&

I'm not an expert at X11. So I may have missed some hacks to make this work. Thanks for your thoughts on this.

-bill w

iMac, Mac OS X (10.5.1)

Posted on Dec 12, 2007 1:49 PM

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Answer 1

Bill Scott

Level 6

11,465 points

Dec 12, 2007 4:09 PM in response to Bill Winnett

ssh -X <remote system>

or

ssh -Y <remote system>

should be all you need (or want) on 10.5. The local DISPLAY is set automatically when you start ssh

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Answer 2

Bill Winnett Author

Level 1

0 points

Dec 13, 2007 1:08 PM in response to Bill Scott

Duh, ssh -X remotesystem "should" be all that is needed. Xsession in that case dies with an error about not being able to control window 0. I assume that is because OSX has launched some window manager that owns root or whatever.

I have been able to run a Xsession with the workarounds I posted above, by what I am having an issue with now is keyboard input, or mabye focus. Anything on the xdesktop that needs keyboard input, receives none. Instead the keyboard input goes to the last OSX app that had focus.

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Answer 3

Bill Winnett Author

Level 1

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Dec 14, 2007 5:43 AM in response to Bill Winnett

Seems there are other having the same or similar problems.

http://lists.apple.com/archives/x11-users/2007/Nov/msg00517.html

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Answer 4

Dec 14, 2007 5:16 PM in response to Bill Winnett

I know for the xterm connections, I need to either set my TERM=vt100 and then run 'tset $TERM'.
or run

infocmp > /tmp/term # on the mac.

copy /tmp/term to the remote system. and run 'tic /tmp/term' as root.

I don't know if this will fix the problem that you're seeing though.

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