FAQ: I received thie error message: "X connection to localhost:20.0 broken (explicit kill or server shutdown)".   Why does this occur and how can I fix this problem?

Answer: This means that your computer is not running an X11 server.

• If you are using UNIX/Linux, you may need to connect with X11 forwarding enabled. For example, if the application is on pamd, use "ssh -X username@pamd.csit.fsu.edu" and substitute your username into the command.

• If you are using Windows, you need to have a X11 client running and X11 forwarding enabled in your SSH client. In PuTTY, this is under the "Connection -> SSH -> Auth" window and is labeled "Enable X11 forwarding." Note that you have to be running a X11 client program such as X-Win32 or a similar package BEFORE you connect with your SSH client. The feature won't work unless you have your own X11 client program installed.

• Alternatively, some programs also support text-mode execution. The example below disables the remote display and then executes the program locally.

unset DISPLAY
matlab                # or whatever the name of the program that had failed (emacs, vi, etc.)

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-- ElaineVDennison? - 30 Nov 2005