Commands Reference, Volume 6

xlock Command

Purpose

Locks the local X display until a password is entered.

Syntax

xlock [ -batchcount Number ] [ -bg Color ] [ -delay Users ] [ -display Display ] [ -fg Color ] [ -font FontName ] [ -info TextString ] [ -invalid TextString ] [ -mode ModeName ] [ +mono | -mono ] [ -username TextString ] [ -nice Level ] [ +nolock | -nolock ] [ -password TextString ] [ +remote | -remote ] [ +allowaccess | -allowaccess ] [ +allowroot | -allowroot ] [ +echokeys | -echokeys ] [ +enablesaver | -enablesaver ] [ -help ] [ -saturation Value ] [ -timeout Seconds ] [ +usefirst | -usefirst ] [ +v | -v ] [ -validate TextString ]

Description

The xlock command locks the X server until the user enters a password at the keyboard. While the xlock command is running, all new server connections are refused. The screen saver is disabled, the mouse cursor is turned off, the screen is blanked, and a changing pattern is displayed. If a key or a mouse button is pressed, a prompt asks for the password of the user who started the xlock command.

If the correct password is typed, the screen is unlocked and the X server is restored. When typing the password, Ctrl-U and Ctrl-H are active as kill and erase, respectively. To return to the locked screen, click in the small icon version of the changing pattern.

To function properly, xlock needs to run with root permission since the operating system restricts access to the password and access control files. To give xlock root permission, perform the following steps:

Log in as root.
Go to the directory that contains the xlock program file.
Run these two commands:
1. chown root xlock
2. chmod u+s xlock

Flags

-batchcount Number	Sets the number of things to do per batch. Number refers to different things depending on the mode: qix Refers to the number of lines rendered in the same color. hop Refers to the number of pixels rendered in the same color. image Refers to the number of sunlogos on screen at once. swarm Refers to the number of bees life and blank Does not apply.
-bg Color	Sets the color of the background on the password screen.
-delay Number	Sets the speed at which a mode operates to the number of microseconds to delay between batches of hopalong pixels, qix lines, life generations, image bits, and swarm motions. In the blank mode, it is important to set this to a small number because the keyboard and mouse are only checked after each delay. A delay of zero would needlessly consume the processing unit while checking for mouse and keyboard input in a tight loop since the blank mode has no work to do.
-display Display	Sets the X11 display to lock. The xlock command locks all available screens on the server and restricts you to locking only a local server, such as unix:0, localhost:0, or :0 (unless you set the -remote flag).
-fg Color	Sets the color of the text on the password screen.
-font FontName	Sets the font to be used on the prompt screen.
-help	Prints a brief description of available options.
-info TextString	Defines an informational message. The default is `Enter password to unlock; select icon to lock`.
-invalid TextString	Specifies an password message. The default is `Invalid login`.
-mode ModeName	Specifies one the following six display modes: blank Displays a black screen. hop Displays the real plane fractals from the September, 1986 issue of Scientific American. image Displays several randomly appearing sun logos. life Displays Conway's game of life. qix Displays spinning lines. swarm Displays a swarm of bees following a wasp.
-nice NiceLevel	Sets system nicelevel of the xlock process.
-password TextString	Specifies the password prompt string. The default is `Password:`.
-saturation Value	Sets saturation of the color ramp. A value of 0 (zero) is grayscale and a value of 1 is very rich color. A value of 0.4 is a medium pastel.
-timeout Seconds	Sets the number of seconds before the password screen times out.
-username TextString	Specifies the message shown in front of the user name. The default is `Name:`.
-validate TextString	Specifies the message that is shown while validating the password. The default is `Validating login...`.
-/+allowaccess	Allows the disabling of the access control list, but still causes the local server to prompt for a password. If xlock is killed using the -KILL command, the access control list is not lost. This flag is also needed when running the xlock command remotely since access to the control list is restricted.
-/+allowroot	Allows the root password to unlock the server as well as the user who started the xlock command.
-/+echokeys	Causes the xlock command to echo to screen a '?' (question mark) character for each key typed into the password prompt. The default is no echo.
+/-enablesaver	Enables the default screensaver. It is possible to set delay parameters long enough to cause phosphor burn on some displays. This flag can be used as an added precaution.
+/-mono	Causes the xlock command to display monochrome (black and white) pixels rather than the default colored ones on color displays.
+/-nolock	Causes the xlock command to only draw the patterns and not to lock the display. A keypress or a mouse click terminates the screen saver.
+/-remote	Allows remote locking of X11 servers. This flag should be used with care. It is intended mainly to lock X11 terminals that cannot run the xlock command locally. If you lock a workstation other than your own, that person will need your password to unlock it.The -remote option does not disable your ability to toggle to another shell.
+/-usefirst	Allows using the keystroke which obtained the password screen as the first input character in the password. The default ignores the first keystroke.
+/-v	Minus prefix enables the verbose mode to tell which options the xlock command is going to use. The plus prefix is the default.