barrier/README

Synergy
=======

synergy: [noun] a mutually advantageous conjunction of distinct elements

Synergy lets you easily share a single mouse and keyboard between
multiple computers with different operating systems, each with its
own display, without special hardware.  It's intended for users
with multiple computers on their desk since each system uses its
own display.

Redirecting the mouse and keyboard is as simple as moving the mouse
off the edge of your screen.  Synergy also merges the clipboards of
all the systems into one, allowing cut-and-paste between systems.
Furthermore, it synchronizes screen savers so they all start and stop
together and, if screen locking is enabled, only one screen requires
a password to unlock them all.

Synergy is open source and released under the GNU Public License (GPL).

The synergy home page is:
http://synergy2.sourceforge.net/

The synergy project page is:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/synergy2/

Report bugs to:
synergy@groundhog.pair.com


Please see the following files for more information:
AUTHORS   -- The list of synergy's authors
BUGS      -- A list of known bugs and limitations
COPYING   -- The license synergy is release under
HISTORY   -- A brief history of synergy
INSTALL   -- Detailed build and installation instructions
NEWS      -- News about the synergy project
PORTING   -- Porting guide for developers


System Requirements
-------------------

* All operating systems:
  keyboard,
  mouse,
  TCP/IP networking;

* Microsoft Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me (the Windows 96 family);

* Microsoft Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP (the Windows NT family);

* Linux:
  X Windows version 11 revision 4 or up with the XTEST extension
    (use `xdpyinfo | grep XTEST' to check for XTEST).


Installation
------------

See INSTALL for detailed build and installation instructions.


Quick Start
-----------
Synergy lets you use one keyboard and mouse across multiple computers.
To do so it requires that all the computers are connected to each other
via TCP/IP networking.  Most systems come with this installed.

The first step is to pick which keyboard and mouse you want to share.
The computer with that keyboard and mouse is called the "primary
screen" and it runs the synergy server.  All of the other computers
are "secondary screens" and run the synergy client.  The Windows NT
family, starting with NT 4 with service pack 3, is the best choice
for the primary screen but Linux is good too.  (This is based on the
known bugs;  see BUGS for more details.)

Next you must install the software.  You must install the synergy
server on the primary screen and the synergy client on all the
secondary screens.  If it's easier just install both on all of the
systems.

Third, you create a configuration file for the server.  Only the
server requires configuration.  Create a text file named
synergy.conf with the following:

	section: screens
	   <screen1>:
	   <screen2>:
	end
	section: links
	   <screen1>:
		   right = <screen2>
	   <screen2>:
		   left = <screen1>
	end

Replace each occurrence of `<screen1>' with the host name of the
primary screen computer and `<screen2>' with the host name of a
secondary screen computer.  In the above example, <screen2> is to
the right of <screen1> and <screen1> is to the left of <screen2>.
If necessary you should replace `right' and `left' with `left',
`right', 'up', or `down'.  If you have more than two computers
you can add those too:  add each computer's host name in the
`screens' section and add the appropriate links.

Finally, you start the server then all of the clients.  Normally
synergy wants to run "in the background."  It detaches from the
terminal and doesn't have a visible window, effectively
disappearing from view.  Until you're sure your configuration
works you should start synergy "in the foreground" using the `-f'
command line option.

To get a command line on Windows, choose Run... from the Start
menu.  Type `cmd' if you're using the Windows NT family or
`command' if you're using the Windows 95 family and press enter.

To start the server, enter the following on the command line:

  synergyd -f --config synergy.conf

To start a client, enter the following:

  synergy -f <server-host-name>

where `<server-host-name>' is replaced by the name of the computer
running the synergy server.

Both the client and server should immediately report the connection
or an error.  If successful, you should now be able to move the
mouse off the appropriate edge of your server's screen and have it
appear on the client's screen.  Use the mouse and keyboard normally
except use the edge of the screens to jump to other screens.  You
can also cut-and-paste across computers.  Currently, only text
transfers between computers.  Start the remaining clients.

Be aware that not all keystrokes can be handled by synergy.  In
particular, ctrl+alt+del is not handled.  You cannot use synergy
to log into a Windows NT family system that requires the user to
press ctrl+alt+del to log on.  You'll need to keep that computer's
keyboard handy in order to log on.

Once the configuration is verified, see the instructions in INSTALL
under `Starting Automatically' for details on running synergy in
the background and on starting synergy automatically when you start
your computers.


Tips and Tricks
---------------
* A screen can be its own neighbor.  That allows a screen to "wrap".
  For example, if a configuration linked the left and right sides of
  a screen to itself then moving off the left of the screen would put
  the mouse at the right of the screen and vice versa.

* You cannot switch screens when a key or mouse button is pressed.

* You cannot switch screens when the scroll lock it toggled on.  Use
  this to prevent unintentional switching.

* Turn off mouse driven virtual desktop switching on X windows.  It
  will interfere with synergy.  Use keyboard shortcuts instead.

* Synergy's screen saver synchronization works best with xscreensaver
  under X windows.  Synergy works better with xscreensaver if it is
  using of the screen saver extensions.  Prior to xscreensaver 4.0
  you can use `-mit-extension', `-sgi-extension', or `-xidle-extension'
  command line options to enable an extension (assuming your server has
  the extension).  Starting with 4.0 you must enable the corresponding
  option in your .xscreensaver file.

* To work around the lack of ctrl+alt+del, you can configure Windows
  2000 and XP to not require ctrl+alt+del to log on using the System
  control panel.  If you're the only user of an NT system you might
  want to enable auto-logon.  In any case, you should keep each
  computer's keyboard handy, perhaps under the desk or on top of the
  computer itself.  If the system supports USB you should also be able
  to attach/detach a keyboard as necessary.

* Synergy automatically converts newlines in clipboard text (Linux
  expects \n to end each line while Windows expects \r\n).

* Clients can be started and stopped at any time.  When a screen is
  not connected, the mouse will jump over that screen as if the mouse
  had moved all the way across it and jumped to the next screen.

* A client's keyboard and mouse are fully functional while synergy is
  running.  You can use them in case synergy hangs.


Bug Reports
-----------

Synergy is being improved all the time but we can only fix problems
that we know about.  Please let us know of any problems you encounter,
including confusing or unhelpful documentation.  Send reports to:

    synergy@groundhog.pair.com