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Customizing Your Netstations

This chapter explains how you can customize your Netstations. Optional customization topics include the following:

Setting Your Monitor Type

Most monitor types synchronize automatically when you power on the Netstation:

If your monitor does not synchronize to the desired resolution, refer to the following section.

Adjusting Your Monitor's Resolution

If your monitor synchronizes, but you want to adjust the monitor's resolution:

  1. Access the configuration screens by selecting the Setup icon.

  2. Select [Terminal], then [Monitor].

  3. Select the monitor type and the resolution that you want.

If your monitor does not synchronize, refer to Solving Monitor Problems.

Defining Your Own Monitor's Characteristics

If you have a monitor that is not listed in the selection list on the Terminal - Monitor (1) configuration screen, you can define your own monitor's characteristics (including video timings, resolution, and dots per inch). To define these characteristics, you need to edit the User Monitor parameter in the remote configuration file. View the /opt/hpxt/enware2/xthome/lib/monitorfile file for the specific characteristics for your monitor. For more information, see User Monitor.

Customizing Colors, Fonts and Other Application Defaults

You can specify colors, fonts, and other application defaults in the .Xdefaults file. If you do not have an .Xdefaults file in your home directory, copy one of the following files:

The values that you specify in the .Xdefaults file override the values specified in the /usr/lib/X11
/app-defaults directory.

Using Energy Star Monitors

If you have an Energy Star monitor, the monitor can enter stand-by mode, suspend mode, or off mode if it is left idle. Each of these modes reduces the monitor's energy consumption.

To exit one of these modes, simply move the mouse or press a keyboard key. In some cases, the monitor may take a few seconds to warm up again.

You can set the length of time that the monitor waits before going from one mode to another, using either the Terminal - Monitor (n) configuration screens or the remote configuration variables. For more information, see:

Using Downloadable Extensions

You can use downloadable extensions to add additional capabilities to the Netstation when it boots up. There are two types of extensions:

Some extensions may require additional Netstation memory. For example, the SharedX and Xie extensions require large amounts of memory to run. If you are concerned about Netstation memory, you should avoid loading these extensions, or load them only when you are using applications that require them.

You can configure a Netstation to download an X server with extensions at the next reboot as follows:

  1. Press and hold [F12] to access the configuration screens.

  2. Select [X Server], then [Extensions].

  3. Select an extension, then select [Load Next Boot]. To stop loading an extension, select [Delete for Next Boot].

  4. Switch the Netstation off and on again.

The following is a list of the most commonly used base extensions included with the HP Netstation Software. (Refer to the Extensions list on the Terminal - Extensions configuration screen for a complete list of base extensions.):

The following is a list of the most commonly used X server extensions. (Refer to the X Server - Extensions configuration screen for a complete list of X server extensions.):

Extension
Purpose
XTest:
Enables you to capture and play back (with synchronization) X traffic, keyboard, and mouse events
Shared X:
Enables you to share X windows with any other X capable device on the network, including non-HP X servers
X Imaging:
Provides you with fast image manipulation without having to transfer large images across the network
Note:

Customizing the directives File

The directives file controls which hardware drivers, local applications, and extensions are available on the network. For example, you can edit the directives file to do the following:

You can use the directives file in either of two ways:

The directives file controls which extensions are downloaded. Within the file, you will find a description of each extension and instructions on how to edit the file.

Note: You can also load and remove extensions through the Terminal - Extensions and X Server - Extensions configuration screens.

If you select the [Load Now] button on the Terminal - Extensions screen, the extensions you select will be loaded immediately for the current session only. If you select the [Load Next Boot] button on either screen, the extensions you select will be loaded the next time you reboot and on every subsequent reboot.

Customizing Your Session Manager

A session manager controls the log-in and log-out processes, and sets up the user's environment. You can use the following session managers:

You can customize the session manager in the following ways:

Using dtlogin or vuelogin in XDM Mode

You can use either dtlogin or vuelogin in XDM mode. In XDM mode, the user's .xsession script is executed and the user gets an XDM session.

If you want dtlogin or vuelogin to run in XDM mode for some users, complete the following steps:

  1. As superuser, edit the Xconfig file (/usr/dt/config/Xconfig for dtlogin or /usr/vue/config/Xconfig for vuelogin).

  2. Look for a line in one of the following forms: 
    Dtlogin*xdmMode:       True
Vuelogin*xdmMode:       True

    The asterisk (*) sets a global XDM mode. You can also specify an XDM mode for a specific terminal name. For example, to use XDM mode for the Netstation named ns121a and dtlogin mode for all other Netstations, you would specify: 

    Dtlogin*xdmMode:            False
Dtlogin.ns121a_0.xdmMode:   True

Bypassing the Login Screen

You can bypass the login screen and automatically start a specified user's X session at login. To do this, complete the following steps:

  1. As superuser, edit the Xaccess file:

  2. Add a line in the following form:
    terminalname BYPASS_LOGIN loginname.

    For example: 

    ns121a     BYPASS_LOGIN       ksmith

The next time ns121a boots or resets, it will automatically run an X session for user ksmith.

Controlling Which Netstations a Workstation Will Manage

You use the Xaccess file to control which Netstations a workstation will manage:

  1. As superuser, edit the Xaccess file:

  2. Add one line for each Netstation or group of Netstations that you want to specifically include or exclude. You can use the following symbols:

  3. To support indirect requests, use the CHOOSER macro.

For example, the following lines set up a computer to respond to indirect requests for X session management from xterm1 through xterm9 (as represented by the ? wildcard) but not from xterm6: 

%hosts         hp720_1 hp720_3 hp750
!xterm6        dummy
xterm?         CHOOSER %hosts
*

Setting Resources for a Specific Class of Netstation

You can set a resource to affect a specific class of Netstation, as follows:

  1. As superuser, edit the Xconfig file:

  2. Add a line for the class. The classname is:
    Hewlett_Packard_Company-CxxxxA
    where CxxxxA is the Netstation hardware model number.

    For example: 

    DisplayManager.Hewlett_Packard_Company-C2731A.startup

For more information, type man xdm.

Using Multiple Versions of HP Netstation Software

When you install HP Netstation Software 9.0, any HP ENTRIA, ENTRIA Plus, ENVIZEX, and 700/RX users continue to use HP Netstation Software 7.1, or ENWARE 7.0 or 6.0. This happens automatically. (You do not need to do anything).

If you have installed HP Netstation Software 8.0, 8.1, or 8.2 and you want some of your Netstations to use the old software and some to use version 9.0, follow the instructions in this section.

Note: This section assumes you have completed the preliminary procedures to set up multiple versioning, as described in the accompanying Installation Guide. This section does not apply to IBM AIX systems; refer to your AIX documentation for alternate approaches using smit.

If the file server for the Netstations is the same server you use to run the administration scripts (xtadm), you can modify the HP Netstation Software version as follows:

  1. Invoke the administration scripts, as described in Invoking the Netstation Administration Scripts.

  2. Choose Manage software versions from the main menu.

  3. The Versioning menu appears: 
    HP NETSTATION ADMINISTRATIVE TASKS
       VERSIONING MENU
*NOTE*: This host must be the file server for the netstation(s)
*IMPORTANT NOTE*: Do not change or delete versions that are
 currently in use by a netstation. This can lead to unexpected
 results.
1) show installed versions
2) change default version sitewide
3) show/change active version for a netstation
4) remove a version
       ?) Help                p) previous menu
Please enter selection (default=1):

    1. Select 3) show/change active version for a netstation.

    2. When prompted, enter the terminal name of the Netstation whose version you want to modify.

    3. When prompted, select 'y' to reboot the Netstation.

  4. At a later time when you are ready to switch all remaining Netstations to the new version, select:
    2) change default version sitewide

    At this time, you may wish to delete the previous version by selecting:
    4) remove a version.

Customizing Your Keyboard

This section describes how you can use various features of HP Netstation Software to customize your keyboard. For example, you can:

In addition, if you want to use national language characters:

Customizing Keyboard Operation for Clients

In environments where you run clients on different types of hosts, you may want to have different keyboard functions available depending on which client you are using. This capability, called dynamic keyboard mapping, is the process of assigning a predefined keyboard map to a particular client. To use dynamic keyboard mapping:

  1. Define a keyboard map for each client that needs a non-standard keyboard map.

  2. Modify your $HOME/.xsession or $HOME/.vueprofile file to start your clients with customized keyboard maps the next time you log in.

  3. Log out and log in again.

Setting Up Dynamic Keyboard Mapping

If you need to set up a predefined keyboard map for a particular client, edit your $HOME/.xsession or $HOME/.vueprofile file.

For example, in the $HOME/.xsession file, after the line that reads: 

 ###  Add client commands below, one command per line.
add lines similar to the following

(replacing /opt/hpxt/enware2 with your installation directory, terminalname with the name of your Netstation, and client1 and client2 with the names of the clients): 

/opt/hpxt/enware2/bin/hpxt.dkmserver -port 2 &
xmodmap -display terminalname:0.0 -pke > terminalname.kbd
xmodmap -display terminalname:2.0 - < terminalname.kbd
xmodmap -display terminalname:2.0 - < client1.kbd
client1 -display terminalname:2.0 &
xmodmap -display terminalname:2.0 - < terminalname.kbd
xmodmap -display terminalname:2.0 - < client2.kbd
client2 -display terminalname:2.0 &

These example lines do the following:

Note: You cannot remap "modifiers" (Shift, Control, Lock, Mod1 to Mod5) using this client.

For more information, type: 

man dkmserver

Using a PS/2 Keyboard with HP Clients

If you are primarily running HP clients and have a PS/2 keyboard, you can re-map your PS/2 keyboard to provide the missing functions required by some HP clients.

To re-map your PS/2 keyboard:

Note: The hpemulation line that maps [Delete Char] to [Delete] also makes it impossible to use [Ctrl] [Alt] [Delete] to reset the Netstation.

If this is unacceptable, you could use a line similar to the following to permit the reset key-combination to work and to map [Delete Char] to [Shift]+[Delete] and [Shift]+[Delete line] to [Alt]+[Delete]:

keycode 109 = Delete DeleteChar DeleteLine

The HP-HIL keyboard emulation on a PS/2 keyboard provides the following key mappings:

46021A Keys
Emulation on PS/2
[Stop]
[Scroll Lock]
[Reset/Break]
[Pause/Break]
[Delete Char]
[Delete]
[Shift]+[Delete line]
[Shift]+[Delete]
[Delete line]
[Alt]+[End]
[Insert Char]
[Insert]
[Shift]+[Insert line]
[Shift]+[Insert]
[Insert line]
[Alt]+[Home]
[Menu]
[Alt]+[Num Lock]
[Shift]+[Menu]
[Shift]+[Num Lock]
[User]
[Shift]+Numkpd [/]
[System]
[Alt]+Numkpd [/]
[Enter]
[Shift]+Numkpd [-]
[Select]
[Alt]+Numkpd [-]
[Clear line]
[Alt]+Numkpd [+]
[Shift]+[Clear line]
[Shift]+Numkpd [*]
[Clear display]
[Alt]+Numkpd [*]
[f1]...[f8]
[F1]...[F8]
Blank 1...Blank 4
[F9]...[F12]
Numkpd [Enter]
Numkpd [Enter]
right [Extend Char]
right [Alt]
Numkpd [Tab]
(no equivalent)

Using NLS Characters on Sun Systems

If you want to activate national language characters on your keyboard, you need to set the character type.

For applications to access the 8-bit Latin-1 character set (ISO 8859.1), add the following lines to the .cshrc file in your home directory:

You can now invoke an application using an 8-bit font, typically from the iso_8859.1 font directory. For example:
cmdtool -ls -fn timR10 & 

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