Member Avatar for sonah

Hello Guys

am currently stuck configuring synergy on my laptop(with vista) and my pc with debian. my debian config file looks like this

# This section defines the hosts
section: screens
host1:
host2:
super=meta
end

# This section defines the relationship between the hosts.
section: links
host1:
right = host2
host2:
left = host1
end

section: options

However everytime i run "synergys -f --config /etc/synergy.conf"

I get this error msg:

ERROR: synergys.cpp,1068: cannot read configuration "/etc/synergy.conf": read error: line 3: argument before first screen
synergys: no configuration available


What could be cause of the problem. team please help

  • 2 Contributors
  • 2 Replies
  • 368 Views
  • 7 Hours Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by sonah

Dani AI

Generated

Short version: the parser errors mean the config file has syntax tokens where the parser expects simple screen names or a key = value mapping. was on the right track — the screens list must contain host (screen) names only, and any keyboard/modifier options belong under the options section. Also be sure each name in the config exactly matches the machine’s hostname (or a resolvable entry in hosts on both machines).

A minimal, working layout (use your real machine names) looks like this:

section: screens
  debian-pc:
  vista-laptop:
end

section: links
  debian-pc:
    right = vista-laptop
  vista-laptop:
    left = debian-pc
end

section: options
  # put modifier/key mappings and other options here
end

Troubleshooting checklist:

  • Confirm the name you used in section: screens is exactly the machine’s hostname (check hostname on Debian; use System → Computer Name or hostname on Windows).
  • Make sure both machines can resolve those names (update /etc/hosts on Debian and the Windows hosts file if needed) and test with ping.
  • Keep the screens section to names only (no IPs, no option lines). Put any key/value settings under section: options.
  • Ensure each mapping line in links uses = (for example right = vista-laptop) and proper indentation. A missing = will trigger the parser error you saw.
  • Check the firewall on Vista and Debian — Synergy’s default TCP port must be reachable.
  • Run the server in the foreground with logging enabled to read the exact parse errors, fix the indicated line, and retry. If problems persist, post the sanitized config (remove passwords) and the exact hostname outputs so the community can spot the remaining syntax issue.

Recommended Answers

All 2 Replies

Member Avatar for blud

I'm not 100% posative, but this line:
host1:

looks wrong, it should just be:
host1:


and make sure you have 'host1' in your /etc/hosts file with the right ip.

Member Avatar for sonah

I changed to host1 as u said and also edited the hosts file to look like this below:

GNU nano 2.0.7 File: /etc/hosts

127.0.0.1 localhost
127.0.0.1 sonah.WORKGROUP sonah
host1

# The following lines are desirable for IPv6 capable hosts
::1 localhost ip6-localhost ip6-loopback
fe00::0 ip6-localnet
ff00::0 ip6-mcastprefix
ff02::1 ip6-allnodes
ff02::2 ip6-allrouters
ff02::3 ip6-allhosts

but now i get this error below:

ERROR: synergys.cpp,1068: cannot read configuration "/etc/synergy.conf": read error: line 4: missing =
synergys: no configuration available

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.