Exceed Version 6 for Windows

Exceed is a software package that transforms a Windows workstation into a fully functional X Windows System workstation. It allows you to access UNIX-based applications from within the Windows environment. It also lets you interact with multiple UNIX-based applications and Microsoft Windows-based applications at the same time. Exceed consists of two major parts: an X Window Display Server that enables you to use X clients on your PC and on remote hosts (e.g., Copland, Strauss, Mahler, departmental UNIX systems) and a collection of utilities such as ftp and telnet.

In this document, there are references to icons on the Windows desktop named Exceed (XDM), Exceed (non-XDM) and Exceed User-Setup,. These are the icon names used in Information Technology's public computing sites. If you are in a departmental site, the icons may be named differently. The Exceed (XDM) icon corresponds to the Exceed.exe file in the Exceed home directory. The latter two correspond to files named Localunix.ses and User-setup.xs in Exceed's user directory.

Customizing Your UNIX Account for Exceed

We recommend that you copy some specially prepared UNIX files into the home directory of your UNIX account before making general use of Exceed. These files (.xsession and .Xresources-exceed) will provide several benefits when using the UNIX systems. Some of the improvements include copy-and-paste capabilities between UNIX and Microsoft Windows applications, larger scroll buffers and the use of the backspace key in UNIX xterm windows, and better default font choices.

Performing the Customization

What you should do:

  1. Double-click the Exceed User-Setup icon.
  2. In the dialog box that appears, type your username; press Tab; type your password; and press Enter.
What the customization does:
  1. A Status Box will appear to show you the progress of the file modification occurring on your UNIX account. When the file processing is complete, the Status Box will contain the note:
Status: Connection Closed (read error)
  1. Click OK to dismiss the Status Window. Depending on the files you have in your UNIX account, the system performs various parts of the following file processing.
This customization process should be done once by each Exceed user.
It modifies files on your UNIX account, not on the PC.

Using Exceed

This section describes the basic use of Exceed:

Version 6 of Exceed provides two ways to use Exceed, corresponding to the Desktop shortcut icons. This documentation refers to the Exceed (XDM) icon (large, yellow X) as the XDM-connection method, and the Exceed (non-XDM) icon (large, yellow X with overlaid windows) as the non-XDM-connection method. You may use either connection method. As installed, there are advantages and disadvantages to both.

Generally, we recommend the use of the XDM method if you’re using the central UNIX systems (Copland, Strauss, Mahler), and the use of the non-XDM method if you’re using departmental systems that do not support XDM. XDM’s capabilities allow the keyboard, mouse, and display to be more secure from users who might try to interfere with your sessions.

Starting Exceed Initially Using the XDM-connection Method

This is the method recommended if the systems you use primarily are Copland, Mahler and Strauss.

  1. Double-click the Exceed (XDM) icon on the Windows desktop. Or, from the Start Menu, select Start / Programs / Exceed / Exceed.
  2. A login window will appear requesting your username and password.
  3. Type your username and press Enter. Type your password and press Enter.
  4. If this login process succeeds, a yellow "X" Exceed icon appears on the taskbar.
You can open additional windows on the composers (Copland, Strauss, Mahler) as well as on departmental systems using commands described in the section
"Connecting to Other Systems Using the XDM-connection Method", below. For example, you can type onstrauss at the UNIX prompt to open an xterm window on Strauss. Or you can type oncopland at the UNIX prompt to open an xterm window on Copland.

Starting Exceed Initially Using the Non-XDM-connection Method

This is the method recommended if the systems you use primarily do not support XDM connections.

  1. Double-click the Exceed (non-XDM) icon on the Windows desktop.
  2. A login window will appear requesting a host system, your username and password, and an application command.
  3. You have several ways to select a UNIX host system to connect to, and an application (e.g., xterm, SAS) to run. You may use the mouse to select an application/host combination from a single pop-up list. Alternatively, you may select a host system from one pop-up list, or type a host system name yourself. And then, you can select an application from a second pop-up list, or type the application command yourself.
  1. Selecting application and host system from a single pop-up list:
    Click the "" button on the Command: line. Double-click the application name; then double-click the host system's name.
  2. Selecting host system first and application command second:

NOTE: When you open additional windows using this method, a dialog box will state that the server is running and ask if you'd like to terminate it. Click No.

Quitting Exceed and Logging Out

The entire Exceed process is terminated when you close the Exceed icon on the taskbar, regardless of which connection method you are using. (To close the Exceed icon, use the right mouse-button to click the Exceed entry on the Windows taskbar, and select Close.) Depending on which connection method you used, you can also quit Exceed in the following ways.
 

To close an xterm window, type exit at the UNIX prompt (%) in that window. Alternatively, use the Microsoft Windows convention of clicking the close button (an "x" in the upper-right corner of the xterm window).

Connecting to Other Systems Using the XDM-connection Method

Running Other X Applications

onstrauss sas

Similarly, to run Maple on Mahler, type the following at the UNIX prompt (%):

onmahler xmaple

(If the system responds "Command not found: onmahler", you will need to edit the .alias file to add the onmahler alias. Then type the UNIX command

source ~/.alias

Middle Mouse-Button

UNIX applications that require that you press the middle mouse-button of a 3-button mouse can still be used with a 2-button mouse. Simultaneously press both buttons of your 2-button mouse to emulate the 3-button mouse's middle button. Or if you have a Microsoft Mouse with a small round dial between the two mouse-buttons, you may press the dial instead.

Copy-and-Paste Between UNIX and Microsoft Windows Applications

In UNIX applications that run in an xterm window, you can copy and paste within the same xterm window or between xterm windows by first highlighting the section to be copied. Paste the highlighted area into an xterm window by pressing the "middle" mouse-button, just as you would on an X-terminal. The pasting occurs at the point designated by the UNIX cursor. Instructions above describe how to press the "middle" mouse-button when you're using a 2-button mouse.

In Microsoft Windows applications (e.g., Word, Excel), you generally highlight a section, and then press Ctrl-C and Ctrl-V to copy and paste within or between Microsoft Windows applications' windows. (You may also use Edit / Copy menu items instead of Ctrl-C and Ctrl-V.)

After customizing your UNIX account's files (e.g., .Xresources-exceed) as described above, you can also copy and paste between Microsoft Windows and UNIX windows.

  1. Highlight the desired section of the Microsoft Windows window, and press Ctrl-C.
  2. Click once in the UNIX xterm window (taking care not to highlight anything in the xterm window) and press Alt-V. There are two Alt keys on a PC keyboard. You must use the one to the right of the spacebar.
  1. Highlight the desired section of the xterm window, and press Alt-C. There are two Alt keys on a PC keyboard. You must use the one to the right of the spacebar. Note: do not move the mouse pointer before you press Ctrl-C.
  2. Click once in the Microsoft Windows window (or highlight the text to be replaced) and press Ctrl-V.


Copyright © University of Delaware 1998
Last revised: August 20,1998