Alpine Linux - User contributions [en]

PipeWire

2025-10-31T11:42:03Z

LittleWhiteFern: /* Connection failure: Connection refused: added note to verify that pipewire-pulse service is running */

{{TOC right}}
[https://pipewire.org/ PipeWire] is a multimedia processing engine that aims to improve audio and video handling on Linux. Pipewire can act as a replacement for both [[PulseAudio]] and [[ALSA]] servers.

== Prerequisites ==

* PipeWire requires [[D-Bus#D-Bus session bus|D-Bus session bus]] for most of its functionality.
* If [[Elogind|elogind]] is used, no further configuration is required.
** If [[Elogind#Verify_working_of_elogind|elogind is not used]], the user [[Setting_up_a_new_user#Group_management|should be added]] to <code>audio</code> group to access audio devices.
** Add <code>video</code> group, if you need to access webcam devices.
***{{Warning|Membership of the <code>video</code> group will also grant unrestricted access to video devices, which is often a security issue. See issue {{issue|15409}} for further details.}}

== Installation ==

The following packages i.e {{Pkg|pipewire}} and {{Pkg|wireplumber}} a session manager are the minimum required packages for getting pipewire to work.{{Cmd|# apk add pipewire wireplumber}}

=== Pulseaudio interface ===

The package {{Pkg|pipewire-pulse}} allows pulseaudio applications and [[#GUI tools|GUI tools]] to use PipeWire as audio server in the backend.{{Cmd|# apk add pipewire-pulse}}

=== JACK compatibility ===

Since Pipewire replaces JACK, Install {{Pkg|pipewire-jack}} package, so it provides ABI-compatible libraries for JACK applications.{{Cmd|# apk add pipewire-jack}}

=== ALSA support ===

Install {{Pkg|pipewire-alsa}} package to provide support for Alsa applications.{{Cmd|# apk add pipewire-alsa}}

=== GUI tools ===

[[#Pulseaudio interface|Pulseaudio Interface]] is mandatory for {{ic|pavucontrol}} to work with PipeWire.

<code>pavucontrol</code> tool from {{Pkg|pavucontrol}} provide a simple GUI app for controlling sound, outputs, etc. Consider using {{Pkg|pavucontrol-qt}} for [[KDE|Plasma]], if not installed already.

The XFCE Audio mixer can also be used to help control volume by installing the package {{pkg|xfce4-mixer}} which is currently in available in [[Repositories#Testing|testing]] repository.

''{{Pkg|qpwgraph}}''' is a graph manager dedicated to PipeWire with Qt GUI Interface.

== Launch Pipewire ==

Most [[Desktop_environments_and_Window_managers#Desktop_environments|desktop environments]] launch Pipewire automatically in Alpine Linux upon relogging( i.e logging out and logging in) after [[#Installation|installing the above packages]]. Proceed with section below only if Pipewire is [[#Testing|not launched]] after a relogin/reboot.

[[#Pipewire user service|Pipewire user service]] is the recommended method to launch Pipewire and will replace [[#pipewire-launcher|pipewire-launcher]]. Do '''NOT''' use both methods to avoid running multiple instances of Pipewire.

=== Pipewire user service ===

Since [[Release_Notes_for_Alpine_3.22.0#OpenRC_User_services|V3.22]], Pipewire can be launched as a user service.

{{Note| Ensure the [[OpenRC#Prerequisites|Prerequisites]] are met and necessary [[OpenRC#Configure environment variables|environment variables are configured]] for using OpenRC user services before proceeding further.}}

Issue the command {{ic|$ rc-status -Ur}} to view and verify the current user runlevel as '''gui''' and '''default''' for Wayland and Xorg, respectively, before proceeding.

To start the [[PipeWire]] user service and its '''wireplumber''' session manager:
<pre>
$ rc-service -U pipewire start
$ rc-service -U wireplumber start
</pre>
To enable the [[PipeWire]] and '''wireplumber''' user services in '''Wayland''', issue the following commands; omit the term {{ic|gui}}/swap it for {{ic|default}} for '''Xorg''' sessions:
<pre>
$ rc-update -U add pipewire gui
$ rc-update -U add wireplumber gui
</pre>

The above steps may be repeated for other user services, such as {{ic|pipewire-pulse}}, etc.

Note that the {{ic|pipewire-pulse}} service would be required to enable various functions, including setting audio levels with {{ic|pactl}} when [[PulseAudio#PulseAudio_Utils|running pulseaudio with pulseaudio-utils]] and to enable associated volume user keys.

=== pipewire-launcher ===

{{Note|The pipewire-launcher script will be removed in the future to be replaced with [[#Pipewire user service|OpenRC User service]].}}

Launch PipeWire by using the <code>pipewire-launcher</code> script. You'll probably get quite a few errors but just ignore them for now. {{Cmd|$ /usr/libexec/pipewire-launcher}}

If .xinitrc is used, add {{Path|/usr/libexec/pipewire-launcher}} to your {{Path|~/.xinitrc}}.

If you do not use GUI by default, add the following stanza to your shell configuration file:{{Cmd|export $(dbus-launch)
/usr/libexec/pipewire-launcher}}

== Configuration ==

PipeWire and WirePlumber store their default configuration in {{Path|/usr/share/pipewire}} and {{Path|/usr/share/wireplumber}} respectively. If you want to edit the configuration, you need to move it to {{Path|/etc}}:

{{Cmd|<nowiki># cp -a /usr/share/pipewire /etc
# cp -a /usr/share/wireplumber /etc</nowiki>}}

=== Screen sharing on Wayland ===

Applications which don't implement native Wayland screensharing rely on [https://github.com/flatpak/xdg-desktop-portal xdg-desktop-portal] plus the correct backend for your compositor. Screen sharing is known to work on:
* GNOME with <code>xdg-desktop-portal-gtk</code>
* KDE Plasma with <code>xdg-desktop-portal-kde</code> and Firefox
* Sway with <code>xdg-desktop-portal-wlr</code> and Firefox, see [[Sway]] for details

=== Bluetooth audio ===
{{Main|Bluetooth}}
* Enable PulseAudio support as described above
* Install bluetooth service packages: <code>bluez bluez-openrc pipewire-spa-bluez</code>
* Optional: install GUI manager for bluetooth <code>blueman</code>
* Enable and start bluetooth service: <code>rc-update add bluetooth; rc-service bluetooth start</code>
* Restart PipeWire
* Use commandline program <code>bluetoothctl</code> or GUI program <code>blueman-manager</code> to scan and pair bluetooth audio devices.
* Use pavucontrol to adjust volume and manually select high definition bluetooth codecs.

=== Video ===

Video should work out-of-the-box with v4l2 devices (e.g. a lot of webcams) and [https://gstreamer.freedesktop.org/ GStreamer] applications.

=== Realtime scheduling ===

For realtime scheduling, it is recommended to use {{Pkg|rtkit}} package. Add your user to the <code>rtkit</code> group.

Alternatively, ensure your user has the right ulimit permissions. Since pipewire 0.3.66, you can add yourself to the <code>pipewire</code> group. You generally need (e.g. in {{Path|/etc/security/limits.conf}}):

<pre>
@pipewire - memlock 4194304
@pipewire - nice -19
@pipewire - rtprio 95
</pre>

This allows a member of the pipewire group to have the right permissions for PipeWire to use realtime scheduling without rtkit. This same snippet comes with pipewire since 0.3.66, so if you have a [[PAM]] login session and add yourself to the pipewire group, you don't have to do anything else. Note that the above {{Path|/etc/security/limits.conf}} will only work if your session is using [[PAM]].

== Testing ==

Use the <code>wpctl</code> utility from {{pkg|WirePlumber}} to test the working of pipewire: {{Cmd|$ wpctl status}}

=== pw-cat playback ===

Test sound is working using an audio file in a format supported by [http://www.mega-nerd.com/libsndfile/ libsndfile]{{insecure url|Server refuses HTTPS connections}} (e.g. flac, opus, ogg, wav). Use <code>pw-cat</code> utility from {{Pkg|pipewire-tools}}:

{{Cmd|$ pw-cat -p test.flac
$ pw-play /usr/share/sounds/alsa/Front_Center.wav
}}

=== pw-cat recording ===

If you have a microphone test audio recording is working.

{{Cmd|$ pw-cat -r --list-targets
$ pw-cat -r recording.flac
(Speak for a while then stop it with Ctrl+c)
$ pw-cat -p recording.flac
}}

=== PulseAudio ===

Test PulseAudio clients using a media player, as most use PulseAudio.

=== JACK ===

Use <code>jack_simple_client</code> from {{Pkg|jack-simple-clients}}:

{{Cmd|$ jack_simple_client}}

You should hear a sustained beep.

== Troubleshooting ==

=== `wpctl status` shows no targets ===

First, check whether ALSA knows about your sound card using the <code>aplay</code> utility from {{pkg|alsa-utils}} package: {{Cmd|aplay -l}}

If sound devices are found, the issue is with your pipewire configuration. Consider double-checking the instructions above. Otherwise, your sound card may not be supported in the version of the Linux Kernel you're running. You should search online for fixes relating to your current kernel version and the codec of your sound card. You can find each of these with:

{{Cmd|uname -r
cat /proc/asound/card0/codec* | grep Codec}}

Modern devices might require {{Pkg|sof-firmware}}, which is the case if you get <code>sof firmware file is missing</code> errors in dmesg.

=== Error acquiring bus address: Cannot autolaunch D-Bus without X11 $DISPLAY ===

Check and ensure that [[D-Bus#D-Bus session bus|D-Bus session bus]] is started along with your GUI session i.e. you are in a tty.

=== Connection failure: Connection refused ===

When using [[Wayland]], ensure that [[XDG_RUNTIME_DIR]] is configured correctly. If this is not set, pipewire will create a directory in your home folder instead, called {{Path|~/pulse}}, and on attempting to run Pavucontrol or pactl, you will get the following error:

<pre>
$ pactl list
Connection failure: Connection refused
pa_context_connect() failed: Connection refused
</pre>

If you are running Alpine 3.22+ and continue to experience this error after verifying that [[XDG_RUNTIME_DIR]] is correctly set, ensure that the <code>pipewire-pulse</code> [[#Pipewire_user_service|user service is running]].

=== Bluetooth connect failed: br-connection-profile-unavailable ===

Ensure that [[#WirePlumber|Session Manager]] is running.

=== Play/Pause buttons not working on bluetooth headphones ===

Check {{Path|/var/log/messages}}. If you see something like this:
<pre>
bluetoothd[3463]: profiles/audio/avctp.c:uinput_create() Can't open input device: No such file or directory (2)
bluetoothd[3463]: profiles/audio/avctp.c:init_uinput() AVRCP: failed to init uinput for WH-1000XM5
</pre>

Then bluez is trying to register the headphones buttons as an input devices, but <code>uinput</code> is not loaded. Try <code>modprobe uinput</code>. If this works, see [[Architecture#Module_Loading]] for instructions on how to make sure this module is loaded automatically on each startup.

=== RTKit error: org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.ServiceUnknown ===

<pre>
mod.rt ../src/modules/module-rt.c:330:translate_error: RTKit error: org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.ServiceUnknown
mod.rt ../src/modules/module-rt.c:995:do_rtkit_setup: RTKit does not give us MaxRealtimePriority, using 1
mod.rt ../src/modules/module-rt.c:330:translate_error: RTKit error: org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.ServiceUnknown
mod.rt ../src/modules/module-rt.c:1000:do_rtkit_setup: RTKit does not give us MinNiceLevel, using 0
mod.rt ../src/modules/module-rt.c:330:translate_error: RTKit error: org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.ServiceUnknown
mod.rt ../src/modules/module-rt.c:1005:do_rtkit_setup: RTKit does not give us RTTimeUSecMax, using -1
</pre>

Installing the {{pkg|rtkit}} package as mentioned in [[#Realtime scheduling|Realtime scheduling]] section resolves the above error message.

== See also ==

* [[Bluetooth]]
* [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/pipewire PipeWire source repository]
* [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/pipewire/-/wikis/home PipeWire Wiki]
* [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/PipeWire PipeWire on the ArchWiki]
* [https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Pipewire PipeWire on the Gentoo Wiki]

[[Category:Sound]]

Dwm

2025-10-30T05:22:44Z

LittleWhiteFern: /* Add Troubleshooting section for odd bug where kb/mouse are unresponsive on starting X */

{{DISPLAYTITLE:dwm}}[https://dwm.suckless.org/ dwm] is an extremely fast, small, and dynamic window manager for X. It manages windows in tiled, monocle and floating layouts. This page provides instructions for installing dwm both from binary packages and from source along with dependencies.

== Prerequisites ==

{{:Include:Desktop prerequisites}}
* [[Alpine_setup_scripts#setup-xorg-base|Install Xorg]]

== Installation ==

The {{pkg|dbus-x11}} package is needed for the dbus system as it enables Firefox running in dwm to open in a tile.The packages {{pkg|adwaita-icon-theme}} and {{pkg|font-dejavu}} are optional, but recommended for a nicer looking firefox. Install them before proceeding: {{Cmd|# apk add {{pkg|dbus-x11}} {{pkg|adwaita-icon-theme}} {{pkg|font-dejavu}} {{pkg|firefox-esr}}}}

=== Installing binary packages ===

Alpine Linux provides binary packages for {{Pkg|dwm}} (dynamic window manager), {{Pkg|dmenu}} (dynamic menu) and {{Pkg|st}} (simple terminal). This allows new users to experience dwm quickly without compiling the source code. To install the binary packages, issue the command:{{Cmd|# apk add dwm dmenu st}}

Proceed to [[#Starting dwm|Starting dwm]] section to start using dwm with default settings. If you are new to dwm, refer to the [https://dwm.suckless.org/tutorial/ official dwm tutorial].

To customize dwm, refer [[#Installing from source|Installing from source]].

=== Installing from source ===

To customize dwm, the source code written in '''c''' language must be edited, compiled and installed everytime for the changes to take effect, which usuaully takes less than a minute.

If you have installed the [[#Installing binary packages|binary packages]], remove them first before proceeding:{{Codeline| # apk del dwm dmenu st}}

Install the necessary packages to compile dwm: {{cmd|# apk add {{pkg|git}} {{pkg|make}} {{pkg|gcc}} {{pkg|g++}} {{pkg|libx11-dev}} {{pkg|libxft-dev}} {{pkg|libxinerama-dev}} {{pkg|ncurses}} }}

The following instructions downloads the sources for {{ic|dwm}}, {{ic|dmenu}} and {{ic|st}} in {{Path|/usr/src/suckless}}, compiles the source(make) and installs the binaries in {{Path|/usr/local/bin}}. If you do not want to keep the sources, use {{Path|/tmp}} for downloading the sources.

# Create a directory {{Path|/usr/src/suckless}} using the command: {{Cmd|# mkdir -p /usr/src/suckless}}
# Change to the {{Path|/usr/src/suckless directory}}:{{cmd|$ cd /usr/src/suckless}}
# Download the {{ic|dwm}} sources: {{cmd|# git clone https://git.suckless.org/dwm}}
# Once downloaded, go to the dwm directory:{{cmd|# cd dwm }}
# To install dwm, issue the command: {{cmd|# make clean install}}
# Next, go up one directory level {{cmd|# cd ..}}
# Download and install {{ic|dmenu}} launcher: {{cmd|<nowiki># git clone https://git.suckless.org/dmenu
# cd dmenu
# make clean install</nowiki>}}
# Finally, go up one more directory level: {{cmd|# cd ..}}
# Download and install {{ic|st}} terminal: {{cmd|<nowiki># git clone https://git.suckless.org/st
# cd st
# make clean install</nowiki>}}

== Configuration ==

The configuration of dwm and other suckless tools are done by editing the {{Path|config.h}} file. If not already done, complete [[#Installing from source|Installing from source]] before proceeding.

The {{ic|make}} command will create {{Path|config.h}} file from {{Path|config.def.h}}. If the file {{Path|config.h}} already exists, {{ic|make}} won't overwrite it and instead use it. Based on above instructions, for customizing dwm, edit the file {{Path|/usr/src/suckless/dwm/config.h}}.

All changes related to keybindings, colors, fonts, patches, etc. are to be made to the {{Path|config.h}} file and (re)compile the source code by issuing the command {{Codeline|# make clean install}}.

=== Starting dwm ===

Create or edit {{Path|~/.xinitrc}} with at least the following: {{cat|~/.xinitrc|#!/bin/sh
# Start D-Bus session
if [ -z "$DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS" ]; then
eval $(dbus-launch --sh-syntax --exit-with-session)
fi
exec dwm}}

To prevent X from attempting to launch {{ic|dwm}} every time your shell is called with the login flag, make launching `startx` conditional by creating or editing {{Path|.profile}} as follows:{{cat|~/.profile|if [ -z $DISPLAY ] && [ $(tty) {{=}} /dev/tty1 ]; then
startx
fi
}}

Log out or reboot. dwm will run the next time you log in.

Press {{Key|Alt}}+{{Key|p}} to launch {{ic|dmenu}}. Type firefox then press {{key|enter}}. Firefox will load and run in tile 9.

== Troubleshooting ==

=== unable to connect to X server: Connection refused ===

If you receive above error message on hitting "startx" with {{Path|Xorg.0.log}} showing errors like {{Cmd|
Xorg.(EE) Failed to load module "driver_name"
Fatal server error:
no screens found}}
The issue might be due to the user not in the '''video''' group. [[Setting_up_a_new_user#Group_management|Adding '''video''' group]] for the user will solve the issue.

=== No Input/Keyboard and Mouse don't work ===

If X and dwm start but you find you cannot use your mouse and/or keyboard/trackpad, check to make sure your user is in the '''input''' group.

[[Setting_up_a_new_user#Group_management]]

If you used the [[Alpine_setup_scripts#setup-alpine|{{ic|setup-alpine}}]] script to set up a user, this ''should'' already be done for you, but there seems to be edge cases where the scrip fails, or some other part of setting up the desktop removes the user from the '''input''' group.
{{Todo|More testing is needed to see how and why this occurs.}}

== See also ==

* [https://dwm.suckless.org/tutorial/ official dwm tutorial]
* [https://git.sr.ht/~bt/alpine-suck-installer Alpine Suck] Desktop installer for Alpine Linux based on the suckless philosophy
* [https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Dwm Gentoo wiki page on dwm]
* [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dwm Archwiki page on dwm]
* [[Raspberry Pi 3 - Browser Client]] - A guide which omits dwm, but uses similar steps to install firefox in a diskless install on ARM. dwm is not used on the RPI3, due to tmpfs limitations.

[[Category:Window Managers]]