Tuning X window server for high definition

[dhml at comcast.net (David Hummel)]

On Fri, Dec 03, 2004 at 10:30:47PM -0500, Robert La Ferla wrote:
> 
> David Backeberg wrote:
> 
> >On Fri, 3 Dec 2004, Robert La Ferla wrote:
> >
> >>1. How can I set the priority of the X window and font servers so
> >>that they are run at nice -10 every time they are started?
> >
> >How did you decide this is desirable?

It's presumably desirable because you wouldn't want X clients to have
higher priority than the server itself.  Just a guess.

> My question is really a detail in that I am asking where to best make
> the modification: (a) in the rc scripts or (b) in another
> configuration file.  If it is in the rc scripts, where is X started?

It depends on whether or not you are using a display manager (xdm, gdm,
kdm, etc.) or starting the X session manually.  If the former, then yes
the rc scripts.  If the latter, then the xinit/Xsession scripts.

> Should I just replace the command with "nice -10 command"?

The XFree86 and X.org binaries on all of my GNU/Linux machines start
with a nice value of -10 by default, and it's not set explicitly in any
of the startup scripts, which leads me to believe the scheduling
priority is hardcoded.  Don't know for sure though.

David Hummel
Informatics Program
Children's Hospital Boston