FreeBSD/Setup
Quick start
Graphics first
For a VirtualBox virtual machine:
- preset the machine to VBoxSVGA – not VMSVGA
- start the machine
- install emulators/virtualbox-ose-additions 6.1.36_1 or greater
- observe the package message.
For a real machine, see <https://wiki.freebsd.org/Graphics>.
KDE and the rest
pkg install --quiet --yes kde5 plasma5-sddm-kcm sddm xorg
sysrc dbus_enable="YES" && service dbus start
sysrc sddm_enable="YES" && service sddm start
- when logging in, you may want to avoid the Plasma (Wayland) … default that's presented by sddm – for NVidia GPUs, Wayland is not yet reliable.
Setup, in greater detail
To install the current official release, get ports or packages.
To install the bleeding edge, get area51.
After you have installed your preferred version – official ports of KDE Plasma 5, or (as of early 2017) KDE Frameworks, Plasma Workspace and Applications from area51 – a few more steps are required.
X Window System
KDE on FreeBSD currently requires X.Org. Installation of x11/org is described in the FreeBSD Handbook. Whilst X.Org is designed to work automatically wherever possible, it's sometimes necessary to spend some time on configuration.
Other requirements
Without this:
- the X Window System might not recognise your keyboard, mouse or other pointing device
- some KDE software will not run.
- D-Bus
sysrc dbus_enable="YES" && service dbus start
https://man.freebsd.org/dbus-daemon(1)
Starting KDE Plasma 5 Workspace
After installing KDE Plasma 5 Workspace, you must also install SDDM.
rewrite
Installing
The easiest way to get KDE running (on nearly every FreeBSD box) is to install the KDE binary packages from the standard FreeBSD repository.
The other way to install the KDE is to compile it from (FreeBSD) ports.
And you can also install by cloning and compiling sources directly like for Area 51.
Installing by using the Binary Package Management
FreeBSD Handbook:Installing Applications: Packages and Ports/Using pkg for Binary Package Management
The default repository for binary packages on FreeBSD is quarterly. An alternate repository for FreeBSD is latest provided from FreeBSD as well.
It is recommended to install and use (#X.Org minimal or) #X.Org.
It is recommended to install and use #SDDM.
Installing only the small stack of KDE Plasma by using the Binary Package Management
Installing the binary package x11/plasma5-plasma (KDE5 plasma meta port)
pkg ins -y plasma5-plasma
#Installing the minimal stack of X.Org by using the Binary Package Management
Optional (To have a first terminal emulator.) installing the (recommended) binary package x11/konsole
pkg ins -y konsole
Installing only a basic stack of KDE by using the Binary Package Management
#Installing only the small stack of KDE Plasma by using the Binary Package Management
Installing the binary package x11/kde-baseapps (KDE5 baseapps meta port)
pkg ins -y kde-baseapps
Installing the full stack of KDE by using the Binary Package Management
Installing the binary package x11/kde5 (KDE Plasma Desktop and Applications (current))
pkg ins -y kde5
#Installing the full stack of X.Org by using the Binary Package Management
Installing Wayland by using the Binary Package Management
Running KDE with Wayland do not work (2020-02).
To install the binary package (integration plugins for a Wayland-based desktop), please see:
https://www.freshports.org/x11/plasma5-kwayland-integration/#add
Installing X.Org by using the Binary Package Management
Installing the minimal stack of X.Org by using the Binary Package Management
Installing the (recommended) binary package x11/xorg-minimal (X.Org minimal distribution metaport)
pkg ins -y xorg-minimal
#Installing the graphics driver for X.Org by using the Binary Package Management
Installing the full stack of X.Org by using the Binary Package Management
Installing the (recommended) binary package x11/xorg (X.Org complete distribution metaport)
pkg ins -y xorg
#Installing the graphics driver for X.Org by using the Binary Package Management
Installing the graphics driver for X.Org by using the Binary Package Management
Search a (recommended) graphics driver package for your (hardware) graphics chipset (usually can be find as a part of the x11-drivers category)
pkg sea xf86-video
Installing the (recommended) graphics driver package for your (hardware) graphics chipset x11-drivers/xf86-video-intel (Driver for Intel integrated graphics chipsets)
pkg ins -y xf86-video-intel
Installing the (recommended) graphics driver package for your (hardware) graphics chipset x11-drivers/xf86-video-intel (Driver for Intel integrated graphics chipsets) Adding all the user accounts for the (hardware accelerated X11 sessions) to the group video
- If you are the one and only user for the graphical user interface with X11 like KDE.
pw groupmod video -m the-one-and-only-kde-user
- If you are the one and only user for the graphical user interface with X11 like KDE.
- or
- For more than one user a comma-separated list of user names (for example kde-user-1 and kde-user-2).
pw groupmod video -m kde-user-1,kde-user-2
- For more than one user a comma-separated list of user names (for example kde-user-1 and kde-user-2).
Installing SDDM by using the Binary Package Management
Installing the binary package x11/sddm
pkg ins -y sddm
#Installing the minimal stack of X.Org by using the Binary Package Management
- additional packages
Optional installing the binary package deskutils/plasma5-sddm-kcm
pkg ins -y plasma5-sddm-kcm
Optional installing the binary package x11-themes/sddm-freebsd-black-theme
pkg ins -y sddm-freebsd-black-theme
Changing the binary packages repository
On FreeBSD are a lot of useful tools that optional can be used. For example there is beadm
(package sysutils/beadm), a tool to create create and manage ZFS snapshots of your system (independent from your home directory data).
Checking the binary packages repository
Optional printing the standard configuration file for the pkg binary package management (to the standard output)
cat /etc/pkg/FreeBSD.conf
On a default FreeBSD you should get the following.
FreeBSD: { url: "pkg+http://pkg.FreeBSD.org/${ABI}/quarterly", mirror_type: "srv", signature_type: "fingerprints", fingerprints: "/usr/share/keys/pkg", enabled: yes }
Optional checking the standard directory for custom configurations of the pkg binary package management and printing all configuration files in the standard directory for custom repositories of the pkg binary package management (to the standard output)
ls /local/etc/pkg/ && cat /local/etc/pkg/repos/*
On a default FreeBSD you should get the following.
ls: /local/etc/pkg/: No such file or directory
Changing the binary packages repository quick & dirty
Replacing pkg+http://pkg.FreeBSD.org/${ABI}/quarterly with pkg+http://pkg.FreeBSD.org/${ABI}/latest in the standard configuration file for the pkg binary package management
sed -i '' -e 's/pkg.FreeBSD.org\/\${ABI}\/quarterly/pkg.FreeBSD.org\/\${ABI}\/latest/g' /etc/pkg/FreeBSD.conf
Updating all (currently) installed binary packages
pkg upg -y
Changing the binary packages repository the exemplary FreeBSD way
Installing by using the FreeBSD Ports Collection
FreeBSD Handbook:Installing Applications: Packages and Ports/Using the Ports Collection
Installing SDDM by using the FreeBSD Ports Collection
Installing by using the sources for the FreeBSD Port
Dependencies
display server
Wayland
Configuring Wayland
X.Org
- or
X.Org minimal
a smaller stack of #X.Org
Configuring X.Org
display manager
SDDM
SDDM is highly recommended to get KDE running easily. (So you can avoid some problems. SDDM helps to choose the right Screen for example.)
- or
Configuring SDDM
Configuring SDDM by using plasma5-sddm-kcm
If you installed sddm by binary package you have to set this rule in order to get this module functional:
Create this file /usr/local/etc/polkit-1/rules-d/40-wheel-group.rules
with this content:
polkit.addRule(function(action, subject) { if (subject.isInGroup("wheel")) { return polkit.Result.YES; } });
and restart the session.
Configuring SDDM by using the configuration file
diff /usr/local/etc/sddm.conf.sample /usr/local/etc/sddm.conf
$EDITOR /usr/local/etc/sddm.conf
Likewise, if you installed sddm using binary packets perhaps you cannot find sddm.conf and sddm.conf.sample files. You can get one by launching
# sddm --example-config /usr/local/etc/sddm.conf
Service SDDM
Starting the service sddm once
service sddm onestart
Stopping the service sddm once
service sddm onestop
Enabling the service sddm for system starts
sysrc sddm_enable=yes
Starting the (enabled) service sddm now
service sddm start
dbus
https://www.freshports.org/devel/dbus/ (Message bus system for inter-application communication)
Recommendations
drm-kmod
https://www.freshports.org/graphics/drm-kmod/ (Metaport of DRM modules for the linuxkpi-based KMS components)
Problems
See also
- 5.7.2. KDE in the FreeBSD Handbook – but please ignore the hald subsection under Troubleshooting.