Help:Cygwin

Cygwin is a UNIX environment that runs under Microsoft Windows. This is a port of the unix API libraries and many unix commands, including the X Window System. You can try this as an (inferior) alternative to installing Linux. Note that cygwin is NOT linux, and it can't run linux binaries. It just looks and feels a bit like unix, and many (not all) unix applications can be compiled to run under it with no changes.

Note that the X Windows server contained within Cygwin can be used to access remote unix graphics applications locally. However, the Exceed software works better for this (but is commercial and only available to those running fluent).

NOTE: Xming is a repackaged version of Cygwin that includes only the X server. This is much easier to install if you only need X.

Project homepage

http://cygwin.com/

Software availability

Windows

Other related software

Unix, Linux, Help:Exceed, Help:Xming

See also Help:Remote X Terminals

Location of example files

\\carnot\msdos\cygwin-X

Installation notes

NOTE: If you only need X, it is highly recommended you use Xming instead.

If you only want the X Window System, and not the whole Cygwin package, click on the arrow circle thingie (there will be a big delay the first time) until it says UNINSTALL, and then expand the X package and click on it there to install just the X binaries and libraries. (Selecting one should select all necessary subcomponents.)

Even if you install the default cygwin package, expand the X11 tree, and make sure that xorg-x11-xwin is selected.

After you have installed (all or part of) Cygwin, to get X working, copy these two files from \\carnot\msdos\cygnus-X:

X.bat X.lnk

into your c:\cygwin\ directory. If you are using Windows XP, you will also have to either disable the built in software firewall, or add the X protocol (port 6000) to the list of allowed protocols.

If all is well, and you are on the UCF local network, you should then be able to click on the X icon and get a menu of the available Engineering unix servers.

Hints For Using Cygwin

If you start the software multiple times, it doesn't work right. Close all the windows except one, and it should recover and start right.

The version of Cygwin I have tried claims to support GLX (OpenGL) but does not. I-DEAS 9 will not work with it unless you tell it not to use OGL. Start it with this command:

ideas9 -d x3d

If you are having trouble starting Cygwin X with ssh, you might want to try this helper shortcut and batch file. Right click on these and save in the C:\cygwin directory. (You might want to copy the icon to your start menu and/or desktop.) You may need to edit one or both of these to match how cygwin is installed on your system.

Selecting a server

The default options in X.bat ask carnot for a list of servers, which should work for most people. Alternatives include:

• change the server after -indirect to another server to get a different list
• change -indirect to -query to go directly to a server without picking from the list