AIX Tip of the Week: Using an RS/6000 System with a Graphics Display as an "X" Terminal

Audience: AIX Users

Date: May 7, 1999

Any RS/6000 with a graphics terminal can be used as an "X" terminal**. An "X" terminal functions as a graphics display for a remote server across a TCP/IP network. The following command starts a CDE session from a remote host on a local graphics display:

X -query "remote_host_name"

Where "remote_host_name" is the TCP/IP name of the remote host. To run this command, you must be logged into the system with the graphics display in the command line mode.

The following keystroke combination terminates the session:

Ctrl-Alt-Backspace

This command should work for any combination of UNIX systems that support X11 and XDM, including Sun, HP, IBM, Digital, SGI, SCO, Linux.

Comments:

1. Prerequisites: X11 and xdm software must be installed on both hosts. Both are included int the AIX base CD-ROM. X11 is typically installed by default, but xdm may/may not be installed depending on the AIX.
2. My tests indicate that this command may fail on systems with multiple network adapters.