LX0-103 · Question #109
What key combination is used to forcibly halt the X server in the event of the graphical session becoming unusable (eg., desktop manager or fullscreen application hanging)?
The correct answer is B. press CTRL+ALT+BACK_SPACE. The X server can be forcibly terminated using a keyboard shortcut known as the 'Zap' function, which is built into the X.Org server.
Question
What key combination is used to forcibly halt the X server in the event of the graphical session becoming unusable (eg., desktop manager or fullscreen application hanging)?
Options
- Apress CTRL+ALT+DEL
- Bpress CTRL+ALT+BACK_SPACE
- Cpress CTRL+ALT+DEL twice
- Dpress CTRL+ALT+F1 then run
How the community answered
(16 responses)- A6% (1)
- B88% (14)
- C6% (1)
Why each option
The X server can be forcibly terminated using a keyboard shortcut known as the 'Zap' function, which is built into the X.Org server.
CTRL+ALT+DEL sends a reboot or shutdown signal to the init/systemd process, not specifically to the X server.
Pressing CTRL+ALT+BACKSPACE triggers the X server's built-in 'Zap' termination sequence, immediately killing the X display server process. This is handled at the X server level, bypassing any frozen desktop manager or application. Note that on modern distributions this may need to be re-enabled via 'DontZap' option or the setxkbmap terminate option.
Pressing CTRL+ALT+DEL twice may trigger a forced reboot on some systems but does not target or kill the X server.
CTRL+ALT+F1 switches to virtual terminal 1 (a text console), but does not halt or terminate the X server process.
Concept tested: Forcibly terminating the X.Org display server
Source: https://www.x.org/releases/current/doc/man/man1/Xserver.1.xhtml
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