Setting Up Exceed

1) Installing Exceed

When the CD is inserted the installation screen should appear. Select "Install Exceed". You can choose Typical Install, however I would suggest choosing Custom Install. All the defaults should be fine, until it asks you what components to install. At this point click on Deselect All, and then highlight only "All X Server Related Components". Next it will ask which fonts to install. Make sure it highlights the 75dpi fonts, not the 100dpi fonts, otherwise the defaults should be fine. From here on out take the defaults until it starts installing the program files.

When the install prompts for serial number and site contact, enter 1 and Statistics. There is no need to enter an Xconfig password. I would recommend running the Xperf test. Restart your machine when Exceed prompts you to.

2a) Configuring Security at Home

If you do not configure security, anyone on the Internet can easily see what you type and what you see.

Go to Start -> Programs -> Exceed -> Xconfig. Open Security. The radio button file should be checked, go ahead and click Edit next to the filename (xhosts.txt). Under the # comment lines there may be zero or more hosts. Add the lines:
localhost

on separate lines right after the last comment. Then click OK and let Exceed perform a server reset.

(Note, if you decide not to tunnel, you must NOT enter any passwords using your X windows as they will NOT be encrypted, even if you're using ssh on the unix machine. If you're going to enter passwords, you should tunnel X through SSH, or use the SSH client on your PC.)

While still in the Xconfig window, click on "X Selection", in this window click on "Auto Copy X Selection", "Auto Paste to X Selection", and "Copy on focus Loss".

2b) Configuring Security at OSU (within Cockins)

If you do not configure security, anyone on the Internet can easily see what you type and what you see.

Start Exceed by going to the Start Menu -> Programs -> Exceed -> Xconfig. In Xconfig click on Security. Under Host Access Control List, change the setting from Disabled, to Enabled (no host access). Then click OK and let Exceed perform a server reset.

While still in the Xconfig window, click on "X Selection", in this window click on "Auto Copy X Selection", "Auto Paste to X Selection", and "Copy on focus Loss".

While still in the Xconfig window, click on "Communication", in this window change "Passive" to "XDMCP -Broadcast".

3a) Using Exceed from Home

To use Exceed through SSH do the following:

1. Start Exceed by going to Start -> Programs -> Exceed -> Exceed.

2. Via SSH, log into modor.stat. (Or whichever host you want to run on.)

3. On modor.stat, type: xterm -ls &

4. Do not quit SSH until you are done with X, as it is still working, doing the tunneling.

Now you can run whatever programs you want from this Xterm. Just remember to log out of all X windows clients before quitting Exceed. Also, please don't run Mozilla from Unix, it is much preferred to run it (or IE) locally on your PC.

Alternatively, you could replace the xterm step with: sh .xsession & and then continue with the last step once all your windows have come up. This method will launch all your windows just like at OSU. When you start this way Exceed uses the settings stored in your .xsession file in your Unix account's home directory. So if you change that it will change what starts on both the PC and the Unix machines. To have a different file for home you could create a .xsession.pc and run that instead of .xsession.

3b) Using Exceed from OSU (within Cockins)

To use Exceed do the following:

1. Start Exceed by going to Start -> Programs -> Exceed -> Exceed.

2. When Exceed starts pick your machine from the browser list and log in normally. Don't have a machine? Use mordor or unix.

Now you can run whatever programs you want from this Xterm. Just remember to log out of all X windows clients before quitting Exceed. Also, please don't run netscape from Unix, it is much preferred to run it locally on your PC.

When you start this way Exceed uses the settings stored in your .xsession file in your Unix account's home directory. So if you change that it will change what starts on both the PC and the Unix machines. There are ways to create a multiple architecture .xsession, but that is beyond the scope of this document.

(Note, if you get "can't open display" chances are you have not clicked 'tunnel X connections' in the SSH client.)

4) Other Tips

If you have a three button mouse, like a Microsoft Intellimouse, you can use the three buttons as you would in X windows. That is, left button cuts, middle button pastes. You can cut and paste from X to Windows and vice versa.

The Exceed toolbar (that thing in the upper left with all the little square icons) also has some interesting things. If it isn't shown you can show it by right clicking on the Exceed button in the Windows Taskbar, then Tools, Toolbar, and Show. I don't normally show it. The most useful thing on it is "Root Mouse Actions to X" the button with the menubar and pointer icons in it. Normally when you click on the Microsoft Windows Desktop you switch to Windows, but if you select the "Root Mouse Actions to X" button when you click on the desktop, this will be like clicking on the X desktop.

5) Other Features

Exceed also comes with many additional Internet programs. These, like IRC, finger, telnet, can be useful. Exceed also has various Unix Inetd daemons, ftpd, talkd, etc. WARNING: We do not recommend enabling these as they may open major security holes which will allow anyone access to any file on your computer.

6) Changing the Appearance of X Windows

When you run Exceed your X windows may not look the same as on a workstation. This is probably due to different screen resolution or different font availability. There is a document on the documentation web page under Unix, that describes how to change aspects of the X windows system.