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User FAQ

Frequently asked questions for our end-users.

This FAQ is for end-users. If you are a developer, please refer to DeveloperFAQ.

Q. How do I install the application?

Download and run the latest installer from the downloads page (recommended for most users). Also, advanced users can follow our compile instructions instead.

Q. What operating systems are supported?

  • Windows (XP, Vista, 7)
  • Linux (Ubuntu, Fedora)
  • Mac OS X (10.4 to 10.7)

We try to support other versions of Linux, but Ubuntu and Fedora are the main ones we aim for as they are the most popular.

Q. How do I configure the application?

Windows users can use the Synergy GUI application which is installed by default. Linux and Mac OS X users should take a look at RelatedProjects, which suggests some 3rd party applications that can be used to configure Synergy. More advanced users can follow our setup instructions instead.

Q. What if the application won't start?

First try downgrading to an earlier version, and if the problem persists, check out the support page.

Q. Why is a client unable to connect to the server?

Some users may see this error message:

failed to connect to server: address not found for: foobar

This is usually due to an invalid DNS configuration. Ensure that you're able to resolve the IP using nslookup foobar. If your DNS configuration is indeed broken, a temporary workaround is to use IP addresses instead of hostnames in your Synergy config.

Q. How do I stop synergys from crashing in CentOS?

Some versions of CentOS (and Red Hat) freeze when the XInitThreads function is called. Use the --no-xinitthreads argument to fix this.

Q. Why do certain programs stop me from moving the mouse off screen?

This usually occurs in Vista and above, and is due to UAC in Windows. An easy way to fix this is to download 1.4.x and install synergy as a Windows service. You could also try launching Synergy as an administrator.

Q. Why do I get "This application has failed to start..." error?

The application has failed to start because the application configuration is incorrect. Reinstalling the application may fix the problem.

The installer does not currently include the Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable Package. Please download either the x86 or x64 version.

Q. How do I send you guys debug output?

When reporting a bug or trying to solve a problem, it's always useful get the debug output from `synergyc` or `synergys`. To do this, run the application from the command prompt and use the `--debug DEBUG1` argument (or `DEBUG2` for extra verbosity). From v1.3.5 onward, up to `DEBUG5` is supported. On unix platform this will be sent to console, but on Windows you'll need to use the special console window (accessed via the system tray). From v1.3.5 onward, you can use the `--log <file>` argument to log to a file. Please see debug output example to make sure you're doing it right.

Once you've got the debug output in a text file, please attach this to the appropriate issue (you can attach files to support tickets that you've opened).

Q. How do I lock the mouse on one screen?

This is useful for when playing computer games or other full screen applications. The `Scroll Lock` key can be used to prevent the mouse switching input to another screen. For users that don't have a scroll lock key, you can re-assign the lock key.

Q. Why is the mouse over sensitive in games on the client?

To solve this you need to enable relative mouse movements on the server, and screen lock the client (press scroll lock when your mouse is on the client).

Q. What's the difference between Synergy and a KVM?

The biggest difference is that a KVM handles video, and Synergy does not. To use our application, you must have a display for each computer. Other than that, Synergy is better because you don't need to press a button to change input focus (just move your mouse off the edge of your screen).

Q. How secure is the application?

Well, not very, but we're working on it (see issue #13). In the meantime, you could look at using Stunnel (cross-platform). One of our targets is to make Synergy run over an encrypted connection. You're safe to use Synergy if you're on a network you trust, such as a LAN which is protected from the internet using a firewall.

Q. Are there any plans to improve the Windows GUI?

Version 1.4.x provides a GUI (based on QSynergy), which some users find more user friendly.

Q. Does synergy work with tablets (such as a wacom tablet or a cintiq tablet)?

Yes. However it is recommended that you set the tablet to mapped mode and use it on the client rather than the server. If you want to use it in mouse/trackpad mode it will work fine on either the server or client but partially defeats the purpose of the tablet. See this mailing list discussion for details.

Q. Help, my cursor randomly gets stuck on a client screen!

This most likely happens because of an accidental press of the ScrollLock key. The ScrollLock key is meant to be used specifically to lock the mouse to a client screen. To disable this feature add the following to the options section of the server configuration file:

keystroke(ScrollLock) = lockCursorToScreen(off)

This may also cause the following error when you run synergy:

WARNING: failed to register hotkey ScrollLock (id=ef14 mask=0000)

But that is probably safe to ignore. Here is the relevant mailing list post: https://groups.google.com/d/topic/synergy-plus/TKubJbGkxBo/discussion

Q. What port does synergy use?

By default synergy uses TCP port 24800 but this can be changed.

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