Multiple Xservers and VT-Switch

[Wolfgang Draxinger]

On Tue, 26 Jun 2012 13:25:40 +0200
Alexandre CONFIANT-LATOUR <cmwachoukette at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi,
> 
> I'm working on a small X.org module that will provide remote desktop 
> capabilities to an Xserver but i'm stuck with VT-Switch problems.

Well, personally I'd use Xpra for this. Xpra is a proxy X server, that
allows to detach and reattch X clients. This would also ease up your
use case. Use a Xvfb or Xvnc for the remote framebuffer case and attach
to a regular X server for local login or SSH X forwarding.

Combine it with a login manager and it makes a foolproof screen locker
as well.

Only downside: Xpra doesn't work well with Xv and OpenGL. Though the
OpenGL problem should be manageable through VirtualGL. Technically it
should be no problem to proxy GLX through it, if you keep some
off-screen GPU at hand for the detached case and keep track of OpenGL
state.

> I think that this problem is caused by VT-Switch that disable inputs
> and outputs from the first Xserver when starting the second.

Yes. It's not only input processing that goes away, but also the
screen framebuffer. Without that you have no video you could send out.


Wolfgang