NAME    [Toc]    [Back]

       xvfb-run  -  run  specified  X  client or command in a virtual X server
       environment

SYNOPSIS    [Toc]    [Back]

       xvfb-run [ command ]

DESCRIPTION    [Toc]    [Back]

       xvfb-run is a wrapper for the Xvfb(1) command which simplifies the task
       of  running  commands  (typically an X client, or a script containing a
       list of clients to be run) within a virtual X server environment.

       xvfb-run sets up an X authority file called Xauthority in  the  current
       working directory, writes a cookie to it (see xauth(1)) and then starts
       an Xvfb server as a background process using server number 99, with TCP
       port  listening turned off.  The process ID of Xvfb is stored for later
       use.  After three seconds (to give the server time  to  initialize  and
       start  listening  for  connections), the specified command is run using
       the X display corresponding to the Xvfb server just started and	the  X
       authority file created earlier.	The command is also echoed to standard
       output for convenience in Makefile-based invocations of.  xvfb-run.

       When the command exits, its status is saved, the Xvfb server is	killed
       (using  the process ID stored earlier), the X authority cookie removed,
       and the authority file deleted.	xvfb-run then exits with the exit status
 of command.

       xvfb-run  requires  the	xauth(1) command to function.  If xauth is not
       available, xvfb-run will issue an error message and  exit  with	status
       99.

ENVIRONMENT    [Toc]    [Back]

       None.

INPUT FILES    [Toc]    [Back]

       None.

OUTPUT FILES    [Toc]    [Back]

       Xauthority
	      is  created  (and  deleted)  in the current working directory to
	      store the X authority  cookies  used  by	the  Xvfb  server  and
	      client(s) run under it.

FUTURE DIRECTIONS    [Toc]    [Back]

       It  might  be  nice if xvfb-run support command-line options to support
       specification of the display number to use, whether TCP port  listening
       should  be enabled in the X server, the name of the X authority file to
       use, the length of the delay before the	client	is  started,  and  the
       keyspace  of  the  X  authority cookie (XDM-AUTHORIZATION-1 versus MITMAGIC-COOKIE-1,
 for instance.)

SEE ALSO    [Toc]    [Back]

       Xvfb(1), xauth(1)

AUTHOR    [Toc]    [Back]

       xfvb-run was written by Branden Robinson and Jeff Licquia  for  Progeny
       Linux Systems, Inc., and the Debian Project.



Debian GNU/Linux		  2002-02-21			   xvfb-run(1)