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A problem may occur on systems that have a customized DECW$LOGIN.DAT file. The Start Session dialog box is the color blue instead of tan. If this condition exists, look for a customized DECW$LOGIN.DAT file in the directory SYS$COMMON:[DECW$DEFAULTS.USER] and move it to SYS$MANAGER. A DECW$LOGIN.DAT file in SYS$COMMON:[DECW$DEFAULTS.USER] prevents the "*background:" resource from being defined; thus, it will default to the color blue.
Compaq provides a copy of the DECW$LOGIN.DAT file in the
SYS$COMMON:[DECW$DEFAULTS.SYSTEM] directory. Any customized versions of
this file should reside only in SYS$MANAGER.
3.3 System and Environment Tuning Information
This section describes important considerations related to the tuning
of DECwindows Motif system.
3.3.1 Changes and Enhancements
The following notes describe changes and enhancements made to the
DECwindows Motif system tuning recommendations.
3.3.1.1 Displaying an Expanded Welcome Message (New Desktop Only)
You can now enter a longer, customized welcome message to be displayed on the Login Screen. The size of the welcome message string (Dtlogin*greeting.labelString) in XRESOURCES.DAT has been expanded allowing you to enter more than 8 lines of text.
Note that the actual number of lines you can enter and display is
limited by the size of the screen and the selected font. However, a
minimum of 25 lines is allowed on most display devices.
3.3.1.2 Setting the File Manager Refresh Rate (New Desktop Only)
You can now specify that the File Manager periodically update its view
by adjusting the Dtfile.rereadTime setting in the DTFILE.DAT resource
file. The value of this setting represents the seconds elapsed between
checking for changes in the viewed directories. Note that this setting
does not work when viewing search lists.
3.3.1.3 System Tuning for Non-VGA Devices
V1.2
The DECwindows server requires specific tuning for graphics-intensive and 3D applications because of greater demand for system resources. You need to make adjustments for server quotas on 3D accelerated systems. These are minimum values suggested for a system with as little as 64 MB of physical memory and for running complex clients.
Use the AUTHORIZE utility to set the following SYSTEM account quotas to the minimum values shown in Table 3-2.
Parameter | Value |
---|---|
FILLM | 400 |
ENQLM | 1024 |
WSDEF | 10240 |
WSQUO | 16384 |
WSEXTENT 1 | 20480 |
PGFLQUO 2 3 | 270000 |
The server has its own quotas that are set in SYS$COMMON:[SYSMGR]DECW$PRIVATE_SERVER_SETUP.COM. If this file does not exist, copy the file SYS$MANAGER:DECW$PRIVATE_SERVER_SETUP.TEMPLATE to SYS$MANAGER:DECW$PRIVATE_SERVER_SETUP.COM and edit the file to include the following values:
Quota | Value |
---|---|
DECW$SERVER_FILE_LIMIT | 400 |
DECW$SERVER_ENQUEUE_LIMIT | 1024 |
DECW$SERVER_WSDEF | 10240 |
DECW$SERVER_WSQUOTA | 16384 |
DECW$SERVER_WSEXTENT | 20480 |
DECW$SERVER_PAGE_FILE 1 | 270000 |
If you use larger values, you must also modify the corresponding SYSTEM account quotas that you set with the AUTHORIZE utility.
Tuning for Animation Applications
If your application involves lengthy animation sequences of large models or assemblies, performance may be improved by setting the following working set quotas and values:
Parameter | Value |
---|---|
WSDEF | 10240 |
WSQUO | 20480 |
WSEXTENT | 32768 |
You need to set the corresponding server quotas as follows:
Quota | Value |
---|---|
DECW$SERVER_WSDEF | 10240 |
DECW$SERVER_WSQUOTA | 20480 |
DECW$SERVER_WSEXTENT | 32768 |
The parameters should not be tuned upward unless you have at least 128 MB of physical memory. |
To determine whether you need to set larger parameters, monitor the server process during the heaviest display usage. If the working set use approaches the maximum WSEXTENT, then you need to adjust the values. However, do not set large values unless it is necessary. If you set these values too high, performance may be degraded. Optimal DECwindows server performance depends on application demands.
Use the SYSGEN utility to issue the SHOW VIRTUALPAGECNT command to determine the current virtual page count a process is allowed to have. If it is less than 525000, edit the SYS$SYSTEM:MODPARAMS.DAT file and add the following line:
MIN_VIRTUALPAGECNT = 525000 |
Note that the minimum value for VIRTUALPAGECNT for a working X server needs to be 525000 when a ZLX-E or a ZKXp-E graphics card is installed. MIN_VIRTUALPAGECNT could be set as high as the equivalent of your total available physical memory and page file space.
MIN_WSMAX must be at least as large as the largest WSEXTENT value set from among your accounts. Please refer to the OpenVMS System Manager's Manual for more information. Do not exceed what AUTOGEN gives for WSMAX. See the warning in the AUTOGEN report.
The next time you run AUTOGEN and reboot, the new values will take effect. VIRTUALPAGECNT should not be less than the sum of your WSEXTENT and PGFLQUO, or the server cannot make full use of the quotas. In addition, you need to increase the size of the page file to accommodate the pagefile quotas of both the server and your clients. Note that pagefile quota for the server is derived from system page files.
If, after initial tuning and considerable use, the server is failing or is unnecessarily unresponsive, the server may have run out of memory or memory may have become fragmented. A particularly demanding application may require that you give the server even larger PGFLQUO and VIRTUALPAGECNT values.
If the server error log SYS$MANAGER:DECW$SERVER_0_ERROR.LOG contains the statement xxx: Out of memory, increase the pagefile quota for the server. Set this by modifying both system quota PGFLQUO and DECW$PRIVATE_SERVER_SETUP.COM and virtual page count via MODPARAMS.DAT and AUTOGEN.
Note that, in multiheaded configurations (for example, ZLX--E1 and
ZLX--E2), the PGFLQUO and the DECW$SERVER_PAGE_FILE parameters should
be increased to meet your system requirements.
3.3.1.4 Define DECW$UTILS Global Symbol When Moving DECW$EXAMPLES Global Symbol
DECwindows Motif Version 1.2 for OpenVMS introduced a new symbol, DECW$UTILS. Normally, this symbol points to a subdirectory of DECW$EXAMPLES. If you define a DECW$EXAMPLES global symbol in the DECW$PRIVATE_APPS_SETUP.COM command procedure to change the directory for DECwindows example programs, you must also define DECW$UTILS to change the directory for utilities.
For example, to redefine both DECW$EXAMPLES and DECW$UTILS, add the following lines to the SYS$MANAGER:DECW$PRIVATE_APPS_SETUP.COM procedure:
$ DECW$EXAMPLES == "SYS$SYSROOT:[DECWEXAMPLES] $ DECW$UTILS == "SYS$SYSROOT:[DECWEXAMPLES.UTILS] |
If the SYS$MANAGER:DECW$PRIVATE_APPS_SETUP.COM file does not exist, create it from the SYS$MANAGER:DECW$PRIVATE_APPS_SETUP.TEMPLATE file. |
Then, restart DECwindows Motif with the following command:
$@SYS$MANAGER:DECW$STARTUP RESTART |
To customize the login screen, create a file named DECW$LOGIN.DAT in the SYS$MANAGER directory that contains your resource definitions. The custom resource definitions from SYS$MANAGER:DECW$LOGIN.DAT are merged with the resource definitions supplied by Compaq in SYS$COMMON:[DECW$DEFAULTS.SYSTEM]DECW$LOGIN.DAT to form the new login screen.
Keep customized versions of the DECW$LOGIN.DAT resource file in the
SYS$MANAGER directory, and not in
DECW$SYSTEM_DEFAULTS, to prevent your customized file from being
overwritten when upgraded to a newer version of Compaq DECwindows Motif for OpenVMS software.
In addition, storing the file in the SYS$MANAGER directory prevents the
custom file from superseding the file that is supplied by Compaq.
3.3.1.5.1 Customizing the Compaq Logo and Login Screen Colors
You can define the resources in Table 3-3 to control the position and colors of the Compaq logo and the color of the screen background in the Start Session screen.
Resource | Description |
---|---|
rootColor | Color of the screen background. |
logoColor | Color of the Compaq logo (default is burgundy). |
logoX | x position of the Compaq logo (default is 0). |
logoY | y position of the Compaq logo (default is 75). |
centerLogoX | Boolean; if true (default), the Compaq logo is centered horizontally on the screen. |
For example, to position the Compaq logo at x=100, y=600, add the following resource definitions to the SYS$MANAGER:DECW$LOGIN.DAT file:
decw$login.logoX: 100 decw$login.logoY: 600 decw$login.centerLogoX: false |
You can define the resources in Table 3-4 to control the position of the Start Session and Set Password dialog boxes.
Resource | Description |
---|---|
centerStartSessionX | Boolean; if true (default), the Start Session dialog box is centered horizontally. |
centerStartSessionY | Boolean; if true (default), the Start Session dialog box is centered vertically. |
centerSetPasswordX | Boolean; if true (default), the Set Password dialog box for expired passwords is centered horizontally. |
centerSetPasswordY | Boolean; if true (default), the Set Password dialog box is centered vertically. |
For example, to position the Start Session dialog box at x=100, y=600, add the following resource definitions to the SYS$MANAGER:DECW$LOGIN.DAT file:
decw$login.centerStartSessionX: false decw$login.centerStartSessionY: false decw$login.HiddenShell.x: 100 decw$login.HiddenShell.y: 600 |
To position the Set Password dialog box at x=30, y=100, add the following resource definitions to the SYS$MANAGER:DECW$LOGIN.DAT file:
decw$login.centerSetPasswordX: false decw$login.centerSetPasswordY: false decw$login.SetPasswordShell.x: 30 decw$login.SetPasswordShell.y: 100 |
To prevent a node name from being displayed in the Start Session dialog box, add the following resource definition to the SYS$MANAGER:DECW$LOGIN.DAT file:
decw$login.displayNodeName: false |
By default, if there is no DECwindows Motif license registered for the SYSTEM account, DECwindows does not display customized login logos. This is a problem on systems with DECwindows Motif personal-use licenses that do not include SYSTEM on the list of authorized DECwindows users.
To display a customized logo without a DECwindows Motif license for SYSTEM, add the following definition to the SYS$MANAGER:DECW$PRIVATE_APPS_SETUP.COM file:
$ DECW$LOGINLOGOSUB == "TRUE" |
If the file does not exist, copy it from the file SYS$MANAGER:DECW$PRIVATE_APPS_SETUP.TEMPLATE. |
After editing the setup file, restart DECwindows Motif using the following command:
$ @SYS$MANAGER:DECW$STARTUP RESTART |
DECwindows Motif login starts the logo process as a subprocess instead
of as a detached process. The license check sees that the logo process
is a child of the login process and that the X connection is opened.
3.3.2 Problems and Restrictions
The following notes describe the known problems and restrictions that
currently exist with tuning and customizing the DECwindows Motif
environment.
3.3.2.1 System Hangs With Some Graphics Cards
V1.2--5
On systems with Powerstorm 4d20 or ZLXp-E2 graphics cards, the operating system may hang or become extremely sluggish if you have a large number of open application windows or if certain CDA documents are opened. To verify that a system hang is caused by this problem, use the Watch Errors utility in the Desktop Tools drawer of the Application Manager. If the system hang is due to this problem, you will see the following:
-> RCV'D (pid nnnnnnnn): RCV'D (pid nnnnnnnn %SYSTEM-F-EXBUFOBJLM, exceeded systemwide buffer object page limit (MAXBOBMEM) -> RCV'D (pid nnnnnnnn): RCV'D (pid nnnnnnnn SYSTEM logged out at dd-mmm-yyyy hh:mm:ss |
At the present time, there is no workaround for this problem other than
using fewer windows (increasing the MAXBOBMEM value doesn't fix the
problem). If you experience this problem, you may want to keep a
DECterm window free so that you can perform a graceful system reboot.
Otherwise, you will need to perform a hard reboot.
3.3.2.2 Performance Problem with Certain Keymaps
V1.2--5
There is a performance problem when using the Austrian-German keymap (AUSTRIAN_GERMAN_LK401AG_TW). The problem can also occur with other keyboard and/or language changes, when the user selects a sequence of keyboard maps/languages which force the Mode_switch modifier into the mod4 or mod5 entry in the keyboard modifier map. This happens in response to the user selecting a keyboard map in the "Keyboard Options" popup that uses the Mode_switch modifier.
To verify the position of the Mode_switch modifier in the keyboard modifier map, use the following commands:
$ XMODMAP :== $DECW$UTILS:XMODMAP.EXE $ XMODMAP xmodmap: up to 3 keys per modifier, (keycodes in parentheses): shift Shift_R (0xab), Shift_L (0xae) lock Caps_Lock (0xb0) control Control_L (0xaf) mod1 Alt_L (0xac), Alt_R (0xb2) mod2 Mode_switch (0xb1) mod3 Multi_key (0xad) mod4 Mode_switch (0x7a) mod5 Help (0x7c) |
As a workaround, change the modifier mapping after selecting the keyboard map by using the DECW$UTILS:XMODMAP.EXE utility.
clear shift clear lock clear control clear mod1 clear mod2 clear mod3 clear mod4 clear mod5 add shift = Shift_R Shift_L add lock = Caps_Lock add control = Control_L add mod1 = Alt_R Alt_L add mod2 = Multi_key add mod3 = Mode_switch add mod5 = Help |
$ XMODMAP :== $DECW$UTILS:XMODMAP.EXE $ XMODMAP XMODMAPRC.DAT |
This section contains information about the Console Window application.
3.4.1 Changes and Enhancements
The following notes describe changes and enhancements made to the
Console Window application.
3.4.1.1 Displaying Console Messages
DECwindows Motif Version 1.2--3 for OpenVMS introduced the feature of displaying console messages in the Console Window application. Previous versions of DECwindows Motif displayed the console window by default.
Specify how to display messages by defining the global symbol DECW$CONSOLE_SELECTION in the customized startup file SYS$MANAGER:DECW$PRIVATE_APPS_SETUP.COM. Enter one of the following values: WINDOW, DISABLE, or ENABLE.
$ DECW$CONSOLE_GEOMETRY == "+0-0" |
Although ENABLE was the default value in previous releases of DECwindows Motif, it is recommended that you do not use this option with DECwindows Motif Version 1.2--3 for OpenVMS and later versions. Displaying console messages by default in the console window can corrupt the contents of the workstation display. |
Refer to Managing DECwindows Motif for OpenVMS Systems for information about defining global symbols in the file SYS$MANAGER:DECW$PRIVATE_APPS_SETUP.COM.
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