phgrafx

Choose display preferences for your workstation

Syntax:

phgrafx [-aeh] [-S i|m|n] [-s server] 
        [-x x_pos] [-y y_pos]

Options:

-a

Display all the driver families.

-e

Expand all the branches of the tree.

-h

Display a help message in the main window.

-S i|m|n

Specify initial window state (i - iconify, m - maximize, n - normal).

-s server

Specify server node or device name to display system information on.

-x x_pos

Initial x_pos position of window.

-y y_pos

Initial y_pos position of window.

Description:

You choose the display preferences for your workstation with the phgrafx utility.

The list of available graphics modes displayed in the following dialog will most likely be different from those on your machine.

The initial settings are the result of a hardware scan Photon did during the installation. The default selection is a "safe" choice based on this scan; you'll probably want to choose something better. The hardware detection program presents only options that correspond to the kind of graphics card you have. To save these initial settings, choose the Done button.

Changing the graphics resolution

Photon supports the following settings for the color depth, depending on the capabilities of your graphics card:

Choose the best one!

The resolution setting that's currently in effect for your type of display is shown by an icon to the left of the setting. The default setting is 256 color with a 640*480 resolution.

The type of graphics card Photon detected is one of a family of cards that are listed in the Driver Family list (top left corner). One card may be supported by different driver families, including generic drivers. A driver can be selected using the Driver Family button.

Selecting the refresh rate

The refresh rate determines how often the image on your display is redrawn. Selecting a higher refresh rate can produce a better screen image with less flicker, but it may slow down some graphics cards. The options include:

Interlaced

The horizontal refresh is interlaced (one pass on even scan lines, followed by one pass on odd scan lines). There may be a noticeable flicker at this setting.

Low

A vertical refresh, typically 60 Hz. This setting could apply to a card that supports an interlaced refresh.

Medium

A vertical refresh rate that's higher than 60 Hz.

High

The best refresh rate supported by your graphics card.

Custom

Specify a refresh rate in Hz. Before selecting a custom refresh rate, consult the documentation provided with your monitor to ensure that it's capable of displaying an image at the selected resolution and refresh rate.

Setting the refresh value incorrectly can damage your monitor. Consult your monitor and video card manuals first.

Selecting the color palette

The color palette is used by 256- and 16-color graphics drivers. It provides the base set of colors a graphics driver can use to display images on your screen.

Click the button beside the Palette field to choose from a list of palette files. All palette files are kept in the /usr/photon/palette directory. The default setting is symbolically linked to the photon11.pal file. For a life-like rendering of flesh tones, try portrait.pal.

Examples:

Run phgrafx using Photon server on node 4:

phgrafx -s4

Or

phgrafx -s//4/dev/photon

Run at initial position (10,10) with initial dimension of 200*300.

phgrafx -x10 -y10 -h200 -w300

Files:

/etc/config/trap/crt.$NODE

See also:

crttrap