x11perf - X11 server performance test program

x11perf [ -option ... ]

The x11perf program runs one or more performance tests and reports how fast an X server can execute the tests.

Many graphics benchmarks assume that the graphics device is used to display the output of a single fancy graphics application, and that the user gets his work done on some other device, like a terminal. Such benchmarks usually measure drawing speed for lines, polygons, text, etc.

Since workstations are not used as standalone graphics engines, but as super-terminals, x11perf measures window management performance as well as traditional graphics performance. x11perf includes benchmarks for the time it takes to create and map windows (as when you start up an application); to map a pre-existing set of windows onto the screen (as when you deiconify an application or pop up a menu); and to rearrange windows (as when you slosh windows to and fro trying to find the one you want).

x11perf also measures graphics performance for operations not normally used in standalone graphics displays, but are nonetheless used frequently by X applications. Such operations include CopyPlane (used to map bitmaps into pixels), scrolling (used in text windows), and various stipples and tiles (used for CAD and color half-toning, respectively).

x11perf should be used to analyze particular strengths and weaknesses of servers, and is most useful to a server writer who wants to analyze and improve a server. x11perf is meant to comprehensively exercise just about every X11 operation you can perform; it does not purport to be a representative sample of the operations that X11 applications actually use. While it can be used as a benchmark, it was written and is intended as a performance testing tool.

As such, x11perf DOES NOT whittle down measurements to a single ``HeXStones'' or ``MeXops'' number. We consider such numbers to be uninformative at best and misleading at worst. Some servers which are very fast for certain applications can be very slow for others. No single number or small set of numbers are sufficient to characterize how an X implementation will perform on all applications. However, by knowledge of your favorite application, you may be able to use the numbers x11perf reports to predict its performance on a given X implementation.

That said, you might also want to look at x11perfcomp(1), a program to compare the outputs of different x11perf runs. You provide a list of files containing results from x11perf, and it lays them out in a nice tabular format.

For repeatable results, x11perf should be run using a local connection on a freshly-started server. The default configuration runs each test 5 times, in order to see if each trial takes approximately the same amount of time. Strange glitches should be examined; if non-repeatable one might chalk them up to daemons and network traffic. Each trial is run for 5 seconds, in order to reduce random time differences. The number of objects processed per second is displayed to 3 significant digits, but you'll be lucky on most UNIX system if the numbers are actually consistent to 2 digits. x11perf moves the cursor out of the test window; you should be careful not to bump the mouse and move it back into the window. (A prize to people who correctly explain why!!).

Before running a test, x11perf determines what the round trip time to the server is, and factors this out of the final timing reported. It ensures that the server has actually performed the work requested by fetching a pixel back from the test window, which means that servers talking to graphics accelerators can't claim that they are done, while in the meantime the accelerator is painting madly.

By default x11perf automatically calibrates the number of repetitions of each test, so that each should take approximately the same length of time to run across servers of widely differing speeds. However, since each test must be run to completion at least once, some slow servers may take a very long time, particularly on the window moving and resizing tests, and on the arc drawing tests.

All timing reports are for the smallest object involved. For example, the line tests use a PolyLine request to paint several lines at once, but report how many lines per second the server can paint, not how many PolyLine requests per second. Text tests paint a line of characters, but report on the number of characters per second. Some window tests map, unmap, or move a single parent window, but report on how many children windows per second the server can map, unmap, or move.

The current program is mostly the responsibility of Joel McCormack. It is based upon the x11perf developed by Phil Karlton, Susan Angebranndt, Chris Kent, Mary Walker, and Todd Newman, who wanted to assess performance differences between various servers. Several tests were added in order to write and tune the PMAX (DECStation 3100) servers. For a general release to the world, x11perf was rewritten to ease making comparisons between widely varying machines, to cover most important (and unimportant) X functionality, and to exercise graphics operations in as many different orientations and alignments as possible.

x11perf is solely Xlib based, and accepts the options listed below:

-display host:dpy

Specifies which display to use.

-sync

Runs the tests in synchronous mode. Normally only useful for debugging x11perf .

-pack

Runs rectangle tests so that they pack rectangles right next to each other. This makes it easy to debug server code for stipples and tiles...if the pattern looks ugly, you've got alignment problems.

-repeat <n>

Repeats each test n times (by default each test is run 5 times).

-time <s>

Specifies how long in seconds each test should be run (default 5 seconds).

-all

Runs all tests. This may take a while.

-range <test1>[,<test2>]

Runs all the tests starting from the specified name test1 until the name test2, including both the specified tests. The testnames should be one of the options starting from -dot. (eg) -range line100 will peform the tests from the 100 pixel line test, and go on till the last test, -range line100,dline10 will do the tests from line100 to dline10.

-labels

Generates just the descriptive labels for each test specified. See x11perfcomp for more details.

-fg color-or-pixel

Specifies the foreground color or pixel value to use.

-bg color-or-pixel

Specifies the background color or pixel value to use.

-clips default

Default number of clip windows.

-ddbg color-or-pixel

Specifies the color or pixel value to use for drawing the odd segments of a DoubleDashed line or arc. This will default to the bg color.

-rop <rop0 rop1 ...>

Use specified raster ops (default is GXcopy). This option only affects graphics benchmarks in which the graphics function is actually used.

-pm <pm0 pm1 ...>

Use specified planemasks (default is ~0). This option only affects graphics benchmarks in which the planemask is actually used.

-depth <depth>

Use a visual with <depth> planes per pixel (default is the default visual).

-vclass <vclass>

Use a visual with of class <vclass>. <vclass> can be StaticGray, GrayScale, StaticColor, PseudoColor, TrueColor, or DirectColor. (default is the default visual).

-reps <n>

Specify the repetition count (Default is number that takes aprox. 5 seconds)

-subs <s0 s1 ...>

Specify the number of sub windows to use in the Window tests. Default is 4, 16, 25, 50, 75, 100 and 200.

-v1.2

Perform only x11perf Version 1.2 tests using Version 1.2 semantics.

-v1.3

Perform only x11perf Version 1.3 tests using Version 1.3 semantics.

-su

Set the save_under window attribute to True on all windows created by x11perf. Default is False.

-bs <backing_store_hint>

Set the backing_store window attribute to the given value on all windows created by x11perf. <backing_store_hint> can be WhenMapped or Always. Default is NotUseful.

-dot

Dot.

-rect1

1x1 solid-filled rectangle.

-rect10

10x10 solid-filled rectangle.

-rect100

100x100 solid-filled rectangle.

-rect500

500x500 solid-filled rectangle.

-srect1

1x1 transparent stippled rectangle, 8x8 stipple pattern.

-srect10

10x10 transparent stippled rectangle, 8x8 stipple pattern.

-srect100

100x100 transparent stippled rectangle, 8x8 stipple pattern.

-srect500

500x500 transparent stippled rectangle, 8x8 stipple pattern.

-osrect1

1x1 opaque stippled rectangle, 8x8 stipple pattern.

-osrect10

10x10 opaque stippled rectangle, 8x8 stipple pattern.

-osrect100

100x100 opaque stippled rectangle, 8x8 stipple pattern.

-osrect500

500x500 opaque stippled rectangle, 8x8 stipple pattern.

-tilerect1

1x1 tiled rectangle, 4x4 tile pattern.

-tilerect10

10x10 tiled rectangle, 4x4 tile pattern.

-tilerect100

100x100 tiled rectangle, 4x4 tile pattern.

-tilerect500

500x500 tiled rectangle, 4x4 tile pattern.

-oddsrect1

1x1 transparent stippled rectangle, 17x15 stipple pattern.

-oddsrect10

10x10 transparent stippled rectangle, 17x15 stipple pattern.

-oddsrect100

100x100 transparent stippled rectangle, 17x15 stipple pattern.

-oddsrect500

500x500 transparent stippled rectangle, 17x15 stipple pattern.

-oddosrect1

1x1 opaque stippled rectangle, 17x15 stipple pattern.

-oddosrect10

10x10 opaque stippled rectangle, 17x15 stipple pattern.

-oddosrect100

100x100 opaque stippled rectangle, 17x15 stipple pattern.

-oddosrect500

500x500 opaque stippled rectangle, 17x15 stipple pattern.

-oddtilerect1

1x1 tiled rectangle, 17x15 tile pattern.

-oddtilerect10

10x10 tiled rectangle, 17x15 tile pattern.

-oddtilerect100

100x100 tiled rectangle, 17x15 tile pattern.

-oddtilerect500

500x500 tiled rectangle, 17x15 tile pattern.

-bigsrect1

1x1 stippled rectangle, 161x145 stipple pattern.

-bigsrect10

10x10 stippled rectangle, 161x145 stipple pattern.

-bigsrect100

100x100 stippled rectangle, 161x145 stipple pattern.

-bigsrect500

500x500 stippled rectangle, 161x145 stipple pattern.

-bigosrect1

1x1 opaque stippled rectangle, 161x145 stipple pattern.

-bigosrect10

10x10 opaque stippled rectangle, 161x145 stipple pattern.

-bigosrect100

100x100 opaque stippled rectangle, 161x145 stipple pattern.

-bigosrect500

500x500 opaque stippled rectangle, 161x145 stipple pattern.

-bigtilerect1

1x1 tiled rectangle, 161x145 tile pattern.

-bigtilerect10

10x10 tiled rectangle, 161x145 tile pattern.

-bigtilerect100

100x100 tiled rectangle, 161x145 tile pattern.

-bigtilerect500

500x500 tiled rectangle, 161x145 tile pattern.

-eschertilerect1

1x1 tiled rectangle, 215x208 tile pattern.

-eschertilerect10

10x10 tiled rectangle, 215x208 tile pattern.

-eschertilerect100

100x100 tiled rectangle, 215x208 tile pattern.

-eschertilerect500

500x500 tiled rectangle, 215x208 tile pattern.

-seg1

1-pixel thin line segment.

-seg10

10-pixel thin line segment.

-seg100

100-pixel thin line segment.

-seg500

500-pixel thin line segment.

-seg100c1

100-pixel thin line segment (1 obscuring rectangle).

-seg100c2

100-pixel thin line segment (2 obscuring rectangles).

-seg100c3

100-pixel thin line segment (3 obscuring rectangles).

-dseg10

10-pixel thin dashed segment (3 on, 2 off).

-dseg100

100-pixel thin dashed segment (3 on, 2 off).

-ddseg100

100-pixel thin double-dashed segment (3 fg, 2 bg).

-hseg10

10-pixel thin horizontal line segment.

-hseg100

100-pixel thin horizontal line segment.

-hseg500

500-pixel thin horizontal line segment.

-vseg10

10-pixel thin vertical line segment.

-vseg100

100-pixel thin vertical line segment.

-vseg500

500-pixel thin vertical line segment.

-whseg10

10-pixel wide horizontal line segment.

-whseg100

100-pixel wide horizontal line segment.

-whseg500

500-pixel wide horizontal line segment.

-wvseg10

10-pixel wide vertical line segment.

-wvseg100

100-pixel wide vertical line segment.

-wvseg500

500-pixel wide vertical line segment.

-line1

1-pixel thin (width 0) line.

-line10

10-pixel thin line.

-line100

100-pixel thin line.

-line500

500-pixel thin line.

-dline10

10-pixel thin dashed line (3 on, 2 off).

-dline100

100-pixel thin dashed line (3 on, 2 off).

-ddline100

100-pixel thin double-dashed line (3 fg, 2 bg).

-wline10

10-pixel line, line width 1.

-wline100

100-pixel line, line width 10.

-wline500

500-pixel line, line width 50.

-wdline100

100-pixel dashed line, line width 10 (30 on, 20 off).

-wddline100

100-pixel double-dashed line, line width 10 (30 fg, 20 bg).

-orect10

10x10 thin rectangle outline.

-orect100

100-pixel thin vertical line segment.

-orect500

500-pixel thin vertical line segment.

-worect10

10x10 wide rectangle outline.

-worect100

100-pixel wide vertical line segment.

-worect500

500-pixel wide vertical line segment.

-circle1

1-pixel diameter thin (line width 0) circle.

-circle10

10-pixel diameter thin circle.

-circle100

100-pixel diameter thin circle.

-circle500

500-pixel diameter thin circle.

-dcircle100

100-pixel diameter thin dashed circle (3 on, 2 off).

-ddcircle100

100-pixel diameter thin double-dashed circle (3 fg, 2 bg).

-wcircle10

10-pixel diameter circle, line width 1.

-wcircle100

100-pixel diameter circle, line width 10.

-wcircle500

500-pixel diameter circle, line width 50.

-wdcircle100

100-pixel diameter dashed circle, line width 10 (30 on, 20 off).

-wddcircle100

100-pixel diameter double-dashed circle, line width 10 (30 fg, 20 bg).

-pcircle10

10-pixel diameter thin partial circle, orientation and arc angle evenly distributed.

-pcircle100

100-pixel diameter thin partial circle.

-wpcircle10

10-pixel diameter wide partial circle.

-wpcircle100

100-pixel diameter wide partial circle.

-fcircle1

1-pixel diameter filled circle.

-fcircle10

10-pixel diameter filled circle.

-fcircle100

100-pixel diameter filled circle.

-fcircle500

500-pixel diameter filled circle.

-fcpcircle10

10-pixel diameter partial filled circle, chord fill, orientation and arc angle evenly distributed.

-fcpcircle100

100-pixel diameter partial filled circle, chord fill.

-fspcircle10

10-pixel diameter partial filled circle, pie slice fill, orientation and arc angle evenly distributed.

-fspcircle100

100-pixel diameter partial filled circle, pie slice fill.

-ellipse10

10-pixel diameter thin (line width 0) ellipse, major and minor axis sizes evenly distributed.

-ellipse100

100-pixel diameter thin ellipse.

-ellipse500

500-pixel diameter thin ellipse.

-dellipse100

100-pixel diameter thin dashed ellipse (3 on, 2 off).

-ddellipse100

100-pixel diameter thin double-dashed ellipse (3 fg, 2 bg).

-wellipse10

10-pixel diameter ellipse, line width 1.

-wellipse100

100-pixel diameter ellipse, line width 10.

-wellipse500

500-pixel diameter ellipse, line width 50.

-wdellipse100

100-pixel diameter dashed ellipse, line width 10 (30 on, 20 off).

-wddellipse100

100-pixel diameter double-dashed ellipse, line width 10 (30 fg, 20 bg).

-pellipse10

10-pixel diameter thin partial ellipse.

-pellipse100

100-pixel diameter thin partial ellipse.

-wpellipse10

10-pixel diameter wide partial ellipse.

-wpellipse100

100-pixel diameter wide partial ellipse.

-fellipse10

10-pixel diameter filled ellipse.

-fellipse100

100-pixel diameter filled ellipse.

-fellipse500

500-pixel diameter filled ellipse.

-fcpellipse10

10-pixel diameter partial filled ellipse, chord fill.

-fcpellipse100

100-pixel diameter partial filled ellipse, chord fill.

-fspellipse10

10-pixel diameter partial filled ellipse, pie slice fill.

-fspellipse100

100-pixel diameter partial filled ellipse, pie slice fill.

-triangle1

Fill 1-pixel/side triangle.

-triangle10

Fill 10-pixel/side triangle.

-triangle100

Fill 100-pixel/side triangle.

-trap1

Fill 1x1 trapezoid.

-trap10

Fill 10x10 trapezoid.

-trap100

Fill 100x100 trapezoid.

-trap300

Fill 300x300 trapezoid.

-strap1

Fill 1x1 transparent stippled trapezoid, 8x8 stipple pattern.

-strap10

Fill 10x10 transparent stippled trapezoid, 8x8 stipple pattern.

-strap100

Fill 100x100 transparent stippled trapezoid, 8x8 stipple pattern.

-strap300

Fill 300x300 transparent stippled trapezoid, 8x8 stipple pattern.

-ostrap1

Fill 10x10 opaque stippled trapezoid, 8x8 stipple pattern.

-ostrap10

Fill 10x10 opaque stippled trapezoid, 8x8 stipple pattern.

-ostrap100

Fill 100x100 opaque stippled trapezoid, 8x8 stipple pattern.

-ostrap300

Fill 300x300 opaque stippled trapezoid, 8x8 stipple pattern.

-tiletrap1

Fill 10x10 tiled trapezoid, 4x4 tile pattern.

-tiletrap10

Fill 10x10 tiled trapezoid, 4x4 tile pattern.

-tiletrap100

Fill 100x100 tiled trapezoid, 4x4 tile pattern.

-tiletrap300

Fill 300x300 tiled trapezoid, 4x4 tile pattern.

-oddstrap1

Fill 1x1 transparent stippled trapezoid, 17x15 stipple pattern.

-oddstrap10

Fill 10x10 transparent stippled trapezoid, 17x15 stipple pattern.

-oddstrap100

Fill 100x100 transparent stippled trapezoid, 17x15 stipple pattern.

-oddstrap300

Fill 300x300 transparent stippled trapezoid, 17x15 stipple pattern.

-oddostrap1

Fill 10x10 opaque stippled trapezoid, 17x15 stipple pattern.

-oddostrap10

Fill 10x10 opaque stippled trapezoid, 17x15 stipple pattern.

-oddostrap100

Fill 100x100 opaque stippled trapezoid, 17x15 stipple pattern.

-oddostrap300

Fill 300x300 opaque stippled trapezoid, 17x15 stipple pattern.

-oddtiletrap1

Fill 10x10 tiled trapezoid, 17x15 tile pattern.

-oddtiletrap10

Fill 10x10 tiled trapezoid, 17x15 tile pattern.

-oddtiletrap100

Fill 100x100 tiled trapezoid, 17x15 tile pattern.

-oddtiletrap300

Fill 300x300 tiled trapezoid, 17x15 tile pattern.

-bigstrap1

Fill 1x1 transparent stippled trapezoid, 161x145 stipple pattern.

-bigstrap10

Fill 10x10 transparent stippled trapezoid, 161x145 stipple pattern.

-bigstrap100

Fill 100x100 transparent stippled trapezoid, 161x145 stipple pattern.

-bigstrap300

Fill 300x300 transparent stippled trapezoid, 161x145 stipple pattern.

-bigostrap1

Fill 10x10 opaque stippled trapezoid, 161x145 stipple pattern.

-bigostrap10

Fill 10x10 opaque stippled trapezoid, 161x145 stipple pattern.

-bigostrap100

Fill 100x100 opaque stippled trapezoid, 161x145 stipple pattern.

-bigostrap300

Fill 300x300 opaque stippled trapezoid, 161x145 stipple pattern.

-bigtiletrap1

Fill 10x10 tiled trapezoid, 161x145 tile pattern.

-bigtiletrap10

Fill 10x10 tiled trapezoid, 161x145 tile pattern.

-bigtiletrap100

Fill 100x100 tiled trapezoid, 161x145 tile pattern.

-bigtiletrap300

Fill 300x300 tiled trapezoid, 161x145 tile pattern.

-eschertiletrap1

Fill 1x1 tiled trapezoid, 216x208 tile pattern.

-eschertiletrap10

Fill 10x10 tiled trapezoid, 216x208 tile pattern.

-eschertiletrap100

Fill 100x100 tiled trapezoid, 216x208 tile pattern.

-eschertiletrap300

Fill 300x300 tiled trapezoid, 216x208 tile pattern.

-complex10

Fill 10-pixel/side complex polygon.

-complex100

Fill 100-pixel/side complex polygon.

-64poly10convex

Fill 10x10 convex 64-gon.

-64poly100convex

Fill 100x100 convex 64-gon.

-64poly10complex

Fill 10x10 complex 64-gon.

-64poly100complex

Fill 100x100 complex 64-gon.

-ftext

Character in 80-char line (6x13).

-f8text

Character in 70-char line (8x13).

-f9text

Character in 60-char line (9x15).

-f14text16

2-byte character in 40-char line (k14).

-tr10text

Character in 80-char line (Times-Roman 10).

-tr24text

Character in 30-char line (Times-Roman 24).

-polytext

Character in 20/40/20 line (6x13, Times-Roman 10, 6x13).

-polytext16

2-byte character in 7/14/7 line (k14, k24).

-fitext

Character in 80-char image line (6x13).

-f8itext

Character in 70-char image line (8x13).

-f9itext

Character in 60-char image line (9x15).

-f14itext16

2-byte character in 40-char image line (k14).

-f24itext16

2-byte character in 23-char image line (k24).

-tr10itext

Character in 80-char image line (Times-Roman 10).

-tr24itext

Character in 30-char image line (Times-Roman 24).

-scroll10

Scroll 10x10 pixels vertically.

-scroll100

Scroll 100x100 pixels vertically.

-scroll500

Scroll 500x500 pixels vertically.

-copywinwin10

Copy 10x10 square from window to window.

-copywinwin100

Copy 100x100 square from window to window.

-copywinwin500

Copy 500x500 square from window to window.

-copypixwin10

Copy 10x10 square from pixmap to window.

-copypixwin100

Copy 100x100 square from pixmap to window.

-copypixwin500

Copy 500x500 square from pixmap to window.

-copywinpix10

Copy 10x10 square from window to pixmap.

-copywinpix100

Copy 100x100 square from window to pixmap.

-copywinpix500

Copy 500x500 square from window to pixmap.

-copypixpix10

Copy 10x10 square from pixmap to pixmap.

-copypixpix100

Copy 100x100 square from pixmap to pixmap.

-copypixpix500

Copy 500x500 square from pixmap to pixmap.

-copyplane10

Copy 10x10 1-bit deep plane.

-copyplane100

Copy 100x100 1-bit deep plane.

-copyplane500

Copy 500x500 1-bit deep plane.

-putimage10

PutImage 10x10 square.

-putimage100

PutImage 100x100 square.

-putimage500

PutImage 500x500 square.

-putimagexy10

PutImage XY format 10x10 square.

-putimagexy100

PutImage XY format 100x100 square.

-putimagexy500

PutImage XY format 500x500 square.

-shmput10

PutImage 10x10 square, MIT shared memory extension.

-shmput100

PutImage 100x100 square, MIT shared memory extension.

-shmput500

PutImage 500x500 square, MIT shared memory extension.

-shmputxy10

PutImage XY format 10x10 square, MIT shared memory extension.

-shmputxy100

PutImage XY format 100x100 square, MIT shared memory extension.

-shmputxy500

PutImage XY format 500x500 square, MIT shared memory extension.

-getimage10

GetImage 10x10 square.

-getimage100

GetImage 100x100 square.

-getimage500

GetImage 500x500 square.

-getimagexy10

GetImage XY format 10x10 square.

-getimagexy100

GetImage XY format 100x100 square.

-getimagexy500

GetImage XY format 500x500 square.

-noop

X protocol NoOperation.

-atom

GetAtomName.

-pointer

QueryPointer.

-prop

GetProperty.

-gc

Change graphics context.

-create

Create child window and map using MapSubwindows.

-ucreate

Create unmapped window.

-map

Map child window via MapWindow on parent.

-unmap

Unmap child window via UnmapWindow on parent.

-destroy

Destroy child window via DestroyWindow parent.

-popup

Hide/expose window via Map/Unmap popup window.

-move

Move window.

-umove

Moved unmapped window.

-movetree

Move window via MoveWindow on parent.

-resize

Resize window.

-uresize

Resize unmapped window.

-circulate

Circulate lowest window to top.

-ucirculate

Circulate unmapped window to top.

There are no X defaults used by this program.

X(7), xbench(1), x11perfcomp(1)

Joel McCormack

Phil Karlton

Susan Angebranndt

Chris Kent

Keith Packard

Graeme Gill