Using X without a Display Manager: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 23:56, 13 May 2018

To run X11 as a regular user, without services.xserver.enable = true; in configuration.nix, do the following:

First, install packages:

X11 itself:
- xorg.xorgserver
X11 input modules
- xorg.xf86inputevdev
- xorg.xf86inputsynaptics
- xorg.xf86inputlibinput
X11 video modules
- xorg.xf86videointel
- xorg.xf86videoati
- xorg.xf86videonouveau

You probably want to use DRI acceleration for X; enable it and OpenGL in configuration.nix: hardware.opengl.enable = true; and hardware.opengl.driSupport = true;.

Then, it's just necessary to gather X configuration files into one directory and create a config file that also points X at the correct module paths, by running the following script (which should be re-run each time you run nixos-rebuild switch), but you will need to add or remove to the pkgs and fontpkgs arrays according to your preferences:

#!/bin/sh
#generate unprivileged user xorg.conf for nixOS
#before running:
#    install any desired packages by placing them in `/etc/nixos/configuration.nix`
#    update by running `nix-channel --update` and `nixos-rebuild switch`

config_dir=${XDG_CONFIG_HOME:-~/.config}/xorg.conf.d

mkdir -p "$config_dir"
cd "$config_dir"

#failed glob expansions become empty, not literal 'foo/*'
shopt -s nullglob

get_pkg_path() {
	attr=$1
	nix show-derivation -f '<nixpkgs>' "$attr" | jq -r '.[].env.out' 
}

#add to this set according to your driver needs
pkgs="
	xorg.xf86inputevdev
	xorg.xf86videointel
	xorg.xf86inputsynaptics
	xorg.xorgserver
"

#make the intel backlight helper setuid if it isn't already
xf86videointel_path=$(get_pkg_path xorg.xf86videointel)
backlight_helper_path="${xf86_video_intel_path}/libexec/xf86-video-intel-backlight-helper"
if [ -e "$backlight_helper_path" -a ! -u "$backlight_helper_path" ]; then
	sudo chmod +s ${xf86_video_intel_path}/libexec/xf86-video-intel-backlight-helper
fi

echo 'Section "Files"' > 00-nix-module-paths.conf
for pkg in $pkgs; do
	pkg_path=$(get_pkg_path $pkg)
	for conf in "$pkg_path"/share/X11/xorg.conf.d/*; do 
		ln -sf "$conf" ./
	done
	echo '	ModulePath "'"$pkg_path"'/lib/xorg/modules/"' >> 00-nix-module-paths.conf
done

#add to this set according to your font preferences
fontpkgs="
	xorg.fontmiscmisc
	ucsFonts
"

for pkg in $fontpkgs; do
	pkg_path=$(get_pkg_path $pkg)
	path="$pkg_path"'/share/fonts/'
	[ -d "$path" ] && echo '	FontPath "'"$path"'"' >> 00-nix-module-paths.conf
	path="$pkg_path"'/lib/X11/fonts/misc/'
	[ -d "$path" ] && echo '	FontPath "'"$path"'"' >> 00-nix-module-paths.conf
done

echo 'EndSection' >> 00-nix-module-paths.conf

You can now start X11 by running:

startx -- :0 -configdir ~/.config/xorg.conf.d

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 To run X11 as a regular user, ''without'' <code>services.xserver.enable = true;</code> in configuration.nix, do the following:
-First, '''install packages'''; you need X11 itself, some X11 input modules (e.g. xf86-input-evdev, xf86-input-synaptics, xf86-input-libinput), and possibly video modules as well (xf86-video-intel, xf86-video-ati, xf86-video-nouveau).
+First, '''install packages''':
+* X11 itself:
+** <code>xorg.xorgserver</code>
+* X11 input modules
+** <code>xorg.xf86inputevdev</code>
+** <code>xorg.xf86inputsynaptics</code>
+** <code>xorg.xf86inputlibinput</code>
+*X11 video modules
+** <code>xorg.xf86videointel</code>
+** <code>xorg.xf86videoati</code>
+** <code>xorg.xf86videonouveau</code>
 You probably want to use '''DRI acceleration''' for X; enable it and OpenGL in configuration.nix: <code>hardware.opengl.enable = true;</code> and <code>hardware.opengl.driSupport = true;</code>.
-Then, it's just necessary to '''gather X configuration files''' into one directory and create a config file that also points X at the correct module paths.
+Then, it's just necessary to '''gather X configuration files''' into one directory and create a config file that also points X at the correct module paths, by running the following script (which should be re-run each time you run <code>nixos-rebuild switch</code>), but you will need to add or remove to the <code>pkgs</code> and <code>fontpkgs</code> arrays according to your preferences:
-This script does that (but you will need to add or remove to the <code>pkgs</code> and <code>fontpkgs</code> arrays according to your preferences):
 <syntaxhighlight lang="sh">
 #!/bin/sh
 #generate unprivileged user xorg.conf for nixOS
 #before running:
-#    install any desired packages with `nix-env -iA ...`
+#    install any desired packages by placing them in `/etc/nixos/configuration.nix`
-#    update by running `nix-channel --update` and `nix-env --upgrade --leq`
+#    update by running `nix-channel --update` and `nixos-rebuild switch`
-#TODO: obey XDG guidelines rather than assuming ~/.config
+config_dir=${XDG_CONFIG_HOME:-~/.config}/xorg.conf.d
-mkdir -p ~/.config/xorg.conf.d
-cd ~/.config/xorg.conf.d
+mkdir -p "$config_dir"
+cd "$config_dir"
 #failed glob expansions become empty, not literal 'foo/*'
@@ Line 34: / Line 43: @@
 	xorg.xorgserver
 "
+#make the intel backlight helper setuid if it isn't already
+xf86videointel_path=$(get_pkg_path xorg.xf86videointel)
+backlight_helper_path="${xf86_video_intel_path}/libexec/xf86-video-intel-backlight-helper"
+if [ -e "$backlight_helper_path" -a ! -u "$backlight_helper_path" ]; then
+	sudo chmod +s ${xf86_video_intel_path}/libexec/xf86-video-intel-backlight-helper
+fi
 echo 'Section "Files"' > 00-nix-module-paths.conf
@@ Line 39: / Line 55: @@
 	pkg_path=$(get_pkg_path $pkg)
 	for conf in "$pkg_path"/share/X11/xorg.conf.d/*; do
-		ln -s "$conf" ./
+		ln -sf "$conf" ./
 	done
 	echo '	ModulePath "'"$pkg_path"'/lib/xorg/modules/"' >> 00-nix-module-paths.conf