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23
24 <manpage name="pulse-daemon.conf" section="5" desc="PulseAudio daemon configuration file">
25
26 <synopsis>
27 <p><file>~/.pulse/daemon.conf</file></p>
28
29 <p><file>@pulseconfdir@/daemon.conf</file></p>
30 </synopsis>
31
32 <description>
33 <p>The PulseAudio sound server reads configuration directives from
34 a file <file>~/.pulse/daemon.conf</file> on startup and when that
35 file doesn't exist from
36 <file>@pulseconfdir@/daemon.conf</file>. Please note that the
37 server also reads a configuration script on startup
38 <file>default.pa</file> which also contains runtime configuration
39 directives.</p>
40
41 <p>The configuration file is a simple collection of variable
42 declarations. If the configuration file parser encounters either ;
43 or # it ignores the rest of the line until its end.</p>
44
45 <p>For the settings that take a boolean argument the values
46 <opt>true</opt>, <opt>yes</opt>, <opt>on</opt> and <opt>1</opt>
47 are equivalent, resp. <opt>false</opt>, <opt>no</opt>,
48 <opt>off</opt>, <opt>0</opt>.</p>
49
50 </description>
51
52 <section name="General Directives">
53
54 <option>
55 <p><opt>daemonize= </opt> Daemonize after startup. Takes a
56 boolean value, defaults to <opt>no</opt>. The <opt>--daemonize</opt>
57 command line option takes precedence.</p>
58 </option>
59
60 <option>
61 <p><opt>fail=</opt> Fail to start up if any of the directives
62 in the configuration script <file>default.pa</file>
63 fail. Takes a boolean argument, defaults to <opt>yes</opt>. The <opt>--fail</opt> command line
64 option takes precedence.</p>
65 </option>
66
67 <option>
68 <p><opt>allow-module-loading=</opt> Allow/disallow module
69 loading after startup. This is a security feature that if
70 dsabled makes sure that no further modules may be loaded into
71 the PulseAudio server after startup completed. It is recommended
72 to disable this when <opt>system-instance</opt> is
73 enabled. Please note that certain features like automatic
74 hot-plug support will not work if this option is enabled. Takes
75 a boolean argument, defaults to <opt>yes</opt>. The
76 <opt>--disallow-module-loading</opt> command line option takes
77 precedence.</p>
78 </option>
79
80 <option>
81 <p><opt>allow-exit=</opt> Allow/disallow exit on user
82 request. Defaults to <opt>yes</opt>.</p>
83 </option>
84
85 <option>
86 <p><opt>resample-method=</opt> The resampling algorithm to
87 use. Use one of <opt>src-sinc-best-quality</opt>,
88 <opt>src-sinc-medium-quality</opt>, <opt>src-sinc-fastest</opt>,
89 <opt>src-zero-order-hold</opt>, <opt>src-linear</opt>,
90 <opt>trivial</opt>, <opt>speex-float-N</opt>,
91 <opt>speex-fixed-N</opt>, <opt>ffmpeg</opt>. See the
92 documentation of libsamplerate for an explanation for the
93 different src- methods. The method <opt>trivial</opt> is the most basic
94 algorithm implemented. If you're tight on CPU consider using
95 this. On the other hand it has the worst quality of them
96 all. The Speex resamplers take an integer quality setting in the
97 range 0..9 (bad...good). They exist in two flavours: <opt>fixed</opt> and
98 <opt>float</opt>. The former uses fixed point numbers, the latter relies on
99 floating point numbers. On most desktop CPUs the float point
100 resmampler is a lot faster, and it also offers slightly better
101 quality. See the output of <opt>dump-resample-methods</opt> for
102 a complete list of all available resamplers. Defaults to
103 <opt>speex-float-3</opt>. The <opt>--resample-method</opt>
104 command line option takes precedence. Note that some modules
105 overwrite or allow overwriting of the resampler to use.</p>
106 </option>
107
108 <option>
109 <p><opt>enable-remixing=</opt> If disabled never upmix or
110 downmix channels to different channel maps. Instead, do a simple
111 name-based matching only. Defaults to <opt>yes.</opt></p>
112 </option>
113
114 <option>
115 <p><opt>enable-lfe-remixing=</opt> if disabeld when upmixing or
116 downmixing ignore LFE channels. When this option is dsabled the
117 output LFE channel will only get a signal when an input LFE
118 channel is available as well. If no input LFE channel is
119 available the output LFE channel will always be 0. If no output
120 LFE channel is available the signal on the input LFE channel
121 will be ignored. Defaults to <opt>no</opt>.</p>
122 </option>
123
124 <option>
125 <p><opt>use-pid-file=</opt> Create a PID file in the runtime directory
126 (<file>$HOME/.pulse/*-runtime/pid</file>). If this is enabled you may
127 use commands like <opt>--kill</opt> or <opt>--check</opt>. If
128 you are planning to start more than one PulseAudio process per
129 user, you better disable this option since it effectively
130 disables multiple instances. Takes a boolean argument, defaults
131 to <opt>yes</opt>. The <opt>--use-pid-file</opt> command line
132 option takes precedence.</p>
133 </option>
134
135 <option>
136 <p><opt>cpu-limit=</opt> If disabled do not install the CPU load
137 limiter, even on platforms where it is supported. This option is
138 useful when debugging/profiling PulseAudio to disable disturbing
139 SIGXCPU signals. Takes a boolean argument, defaults to
140 <opt>no</opt>. The <opt>--no-cpu-limit</opt> command line
141 argument takes precedence.</p>
142 </option>
143
144 <option>
145 <p><opt>system-instance=</opt> Run the daemon as system-wide
146 instance, requires root priviliges. Takes a boolean argument,
147 defaults to <opt>no</opt>. The <opt>--system</opt> command line
148 argument takes precedence.</p>
149 </option>
150
151 <option>
152 <p><opt>enable-shm=</opt> Enable data transfer via POSIX
153 shared memory. Takes a boolean argument, defaults to
154 <opt>yes</opt>. The <opt>--disable-shm</opt> command line
155 argument takes precedence.</p>
156 </option>
157
158 <option>
159 <p><opt>shm-size-bytes=</opt> Sets the shared memory segment
160 size for the daemon, in bytes. If left unspecified or is set to 0
161 it will default to some system-specific default, usually 64
162 MiB. Please note that usually there is no need to change this
163 value, unless you are running an OS kernel that does not do
164 memory overcommit.</p>
165 </option>
166
167 <option>
168 <p><opt>lock-memory=</opt> Locks the entire PulseAudio process
169 into memory. While this might increase drop-out safety when used
170 in conjunction with real-time scheduling this takes away a lot
171 of memory from other processes and might hence considerably slow
172 down your system. Defaults to <opt>no</opt>.</p>
173 </option>
174
175 <option>
176 <p><opt>flat-volumes=</opt> Enable 'flat' volumes, i.e. where
177 possible let the sink volume equal the maximum of the volumes of
178 the inputs connected to it. Takes a boolean argument, defaults
179 to <opt>yes</opt>.</p>
180 </option>
181
182 </section>
183
184 <section name="Scheduling">
185
186 <option>
187 <p><opt>high-priority=</opt> Renice the daemon after startup to
188 become a high-priority process. This a good idea if you
189 experience drop-outs during playback. However, this is a certain
190 security issue, since it works when called SUID root only, or
191 RLIMIT_NICE is used. root is dropped immediately after gaining
192 the nice level on startup, thus it is presumably safe. See
193 <manref section="1" name="pulseaudio"/> for more
194 information. Takes a boolean argument, defaults to <opt>yes</opt>. The <opt>--high-priority</opt>
195 command line option takes precedence.</p>
196 </option>
197
198 <option>
199 <p><opt>realtime-scheduling=</opt> Try to acquire SCHED_FIFO
200 scheduling for the IO threads. The same security concerns as
201 mentioned above apply. However, if PA enters an endless loop,
202 realtime scheduling causes a system lockup. Thus, realtime
203 scheduling should only be enabled on trusted machines for
204 now. Please not that only the IO threads of PulseAudio are made
205 real-time. The controlling thread is left a normally scheduled
206 thread. Thus enabling the high-priority option is orthogonal.
207 See <manref section="1" name="pulseaudio"/> for more
208 information. Takes a boolean argument, defaults to <opt>yes</opt>. The
209 <opt>--realtime</opt> command line option takes precedence.</p>
210 </option>
211
212 <option>
213 <p><opt>realtime-priority=</opt> The realtime priority to
214 acquire, if <opt>realtime-scheduling</opt> is enabled. Note: JACK uses 10
215 by default, 9 for clients. Thus it is recommended to choose the
216 PulseAudio real-time priorities lower. Some PulseAudio threads
217 might choose a priority a little lower or higher than the
218 specified value. Defaults to <opt>5</opt>.</p>
219 </option>
220
221 <option>
222 <p><opt>nice-level=</opt> The nice level to acquire for the
223 daemon, if <opt>high-priority</opt> is enabled. Note: on some
224 distributions X11 uses -10 by default. Defaults to -11.</p>
225 </option>
226
227 </section>
228
229 <section name="Idle Times">
230
231 <option>
232 <p><opt>exit-idle-time=</opt> Terminate the daemon after the
233 last client quit and this time in seconds passed. Use a negative value to
234 disable this feature. Defaults to 20. The
235 <opt>--exit-idle-time</opt> command line option takes
236 precedence.</p>
237 </option>
238
239 <option>
240 <p><opt>scache-idle-time=</opt> Unload autoloaded sample cache
241 entries after being idle for this time in seconds. Defaults to
242 20. The <opt>--scache-idle-time</opt> command line option takes
243 precedence.</p>
244 </option>
245
246 </section>
247
248 <section name="Paths">
249
250 <option>
251 <p><opt>dl-search-path=</opt> The path were to look for dynamic
252 shared objects (DSOs/plugins). You may specify more than one
253 path seperated by colons. The default path depends on compile
254 time settings. The <opt>--dl-search-path</opt> command line
255 option takes precedence. </p>
256 </option>
257
258 <option>
259 <p><opt>default-script-file=</opt> The default configuration
260 script file to load. Specify an empty string for not loading a
261 default script file. The default behaviour is to load
262 <file>~/.pulse/default.pa</file>, and if that file does not
263 exist fall back to the system wide installed version
264 <file>@pulseconfdir@/default.pa</file>. If run in system-wide
265 mode the file <file>@pulseconfdir@/system.pa</file> is used
266 instead. If <opt>-n</opt> is passed on the command line
267 or <opt>default-script-file=</opt> is disabled the default
268 configuration script is ignored.</p>
269 </option>
270
271 <option>
272 <p><opt>load-default-script-file=</opt> Load the default
273 configuration script file as specified
274 in <opt>default-script-file=</opt>. Defaults to <opt>yes</opt>.</p>
275 </option>
276
277 </section>
278
279 <section name="Logging">
280
281 <option>
282 <p><opt>log-target=</opt> The default log target. Use either
283 <opt>stderr</opt>, <opt>syslog</opt> or <opt>auto</opt>. The
284 latter is equivalent to <opt>sylog</opt> in case
285 <opt>daemonize</opt> is enabled, otherwise to
286 <opt>stderr</opt>. Defaults to <opt>auto</opt>. The
287 <opt>--log-target</opt> command line option takes
288 precedence.</p>
289 </option>
290
291 <option>
292 <p><opt>log-level=</opt> Log level, one of <opt>debug</opt>,
293 <opt>info</opt>, <opt>notice</opt>, <opt>warning</opt>,
294 <opt>error</opt>. Log messages with a lower log level than
295 specified here are not logged. Defaults to
296 <opt>notice</opt>. The <opt>--log-level</opt> command line
297 option takes precedence. The <opt>-v</opt> command line option
298 might alter this setting.</p>
299 </option>
300
301 <option>
302 <p><opt>log-meta=</opt> With each logged message log the code
303 location the message was generated from. Defaults to
304 <opt>no</opt>.</p>
305 </option>
306
307 <option>
308 <p><opt>log-time=</opt> With each logged messages log the
309 relative time since startup. Defaults to <opt>no</opt>.</p>
310 </option>
311
312 <option>
313 <p><opt>log-backtrace=</opt> When greater than 0, with each
314 logged message log a code stack trace up the the specified
315 number of stack frames. Defaults to <opt>0</opt>.</p>
316 </option>
317
318 </section>
319
320 <section name="Resource Limits">
321
322 <p>See <manref name="getrlimit" section="2"/> for
323 more information. Set to -1 if PulseAudio shall not touch the resource
324 limit. Not all resource limits are available on all operating
325 systems.</p>
326
327 <option>
328 <p><opt>rlimit-as</opt> Defaults to -1.</p>
329 </option>
330 <option>
331 <p><opt>rlimit-rss</opt> Defaults to -1.</p>
332 </option>
333 <option>
334 <p><opt>rlimit-core</opt> Defaults to -1.</p>
335 </option>
336 <option>
337 <p><opt>rlimit-data</opt> Defaults to -1.</p>
338 </option>
339 <option>
340 <p><opt>rlimit-fsize</opt> Defaults to -1.</p>
341 </option>
342 <option>
343 <p><opt>rlimit-nofile</opt> Defaults to 256.</p>
344 </option>
345 <option>
346 <p><opt>rlimit-stack</opt> Defaults to -1.</p>
347 </option>
348 <option>
349 <p><opt>rlimit-nproc</opt> Defaults to -1.</p>
350 </option>
351 <option>
352 <p><opt>rlimit-locks</opt> Defaults to -1.</p>
353 </option>
354 <option>
355 <p><opt>rlimit-sigpending</opt> Defaults to -1.</p>
356 </option>
357 <option>
358 <p><opt>rlimit-msgqueue</opt> Defaults to -1.</p>
359 </option>
360 <option>
361 <p><opt>rlimit-memlock</opt> Defaults to 16 KiB. Please note
362 that the JACK client libraries may require more locked
363 memory.</p>
364 </option>
365 <option>
366 <p><opt>rlimit-nice</opt> Defaults to 31. Please make sure that
367 the default nice level as configured with <opt>nice-level</opt>
368 fits in this resource limit, if <opt>high-priority</opt> is
369 enabled.</p>
370 </option>
371 <option>
372 <p><opt>rlimit-rtprio</opt> Defaults to 9. Please make sure that
373 the default real-time priority level as configured with
374 <opt>realtime-priority=</opt> fits in this resource limit, if
375 <opt>realtime-scheduling</opt> is enabled. The JACK client
376 libraries require a real-time prority of 9 by default. </p>
377 </option>
378 <option>
379 <p><opt>rlimit-rttime</opt> Defaults to 1000000.</p>
380 </option>
381
382 </section>
383
384 <section name="Default Device Settings">
385
386 <p>Most drivers try to open the audio device with these settings
387 and then fall back to lower settings. The default settings are CD
388 quality: 16bit native endian, 2 channels, 44100 Hz sampling.</p>
389
390 <option>
391 <p><opt>default-sample-format=</opt> The default sampling
392 format. Specify one of <opt>u8</opt>, <opt>s16le</opt>,
393 <opt>s16be</opt>, <opt>s24le</opt>, <opt>s24be</opt>,
394 <opt>s24-32le</opt>, <opt>s24-32be</opt>, <opt>s32le</opt>,
395 <opt>s32be</opt> <opt>float32le</opt>, <opt>float32be</opt>,
396 <opt>ulaw</opt>, <opt>alaw</opt>. Depending on the endianess of
397 the CPU the formats <opt>s16ne</opt>, <opt>s16re</opt>,
398 <opt>s24ne</opt>, <opt>s24re</opt>, <opt>s24-32ne</opt>,
399 <opt>s24-32re</opt>, <opt>s32ne</opt>, <opt>s32re</opt>,
400 <opt>float32ne</opt>, <opt>float32re</opt> (for native,
401 resp. reverse endian) are available as aliases.</p>
402 </option>
403
404 <option>
405 <p><opt>default-sample-rate=</opt> The default sample frequency.</p>
406 </option>
407
408 <option>
409 <p><opt>default-sample-channels</opt> The default number of channels.</p>
410 </option>
411
412 <option>
413 <p><opt>default-channel-map</opt> The default channel map.</p>
414 </option>
415
416 </section>
417
418 <section name="Default Fragment Settings">
419
420 <p>Some hardware drivers require the hardware playback buffer to
421 be subdivided into several fragments. It is possible to change
422 these buffer metrics for machines with high scheduling
423 latencies. Not all possible values that may be configured here are
424 available in all hardware. The driver will to find the nearest
425 setting supported. Modern drivers that support timer-based
426 scheduling ignore these options.</p>
427
428 <option>
429 <p><opt>default-fragments=</opt> The default number of
430 fragments. Defaults to 4.</p>
431 </option>
432 <option>
433 <p><opt>default-fragment-size-msec=</opt>The duration of a
434 single fragment. Defaults to 25ms (i.e. the total buffer is thus
435 100ms long).</p>
436 </option>
437
438 </section>
439
440 <section name="Default Sync Volume Settings">
441
442 <p>With the flat volume feature enabled, the sink HW volume is set
443 to the same level as the highest volume input stream. Any other streams
444 (with lower volumes) have the appropriate adjustment applied in SW to
445 bring them to the correct overall level. Sadly hadware mixer changes
446 cannot be timed accurately and thus this change of volumes can somtimes
447 cause the resulting output sound to be momentarily too loud or too soft.
448 So to ensure SW and HW volumes are applied concurrently without any
449 glitches, their application needs to be synchronized. The sink
450 implementation needs to support synchronized volumes. The following
451 parameters can be used to refine the process.</p>
452
453 <option>
454 <p><opt>enable-sync-volume=</opt> Enable sync volume for the sinks that
455 support it. This feature is enabled by default.</p>
456 </option>
457 <option>
458 <p><opt>sync-volume-safety-margin-usec=</opt> The amount of time (in
459 usec) by which the HW volume increases are delayed and HW volume
460 decreases are advanced. Defaults to 8000 usec.</p>
461 </option>
462 <option>
463 <p><opt>sync-volume-extra-delay-usec=</opt> The amount of time (in usec)
464 by which HW volume changes are delayed. Negative values are also allowed.
465 Defaults to 0.</p>
466 </option>
467
468 </section>
469
470 <section name="Authors">
471 <p>The PulseAudio Developers &lt;@PACKAGE_BUGREPORT@&gt;; PulseAudio is available from <url href="@PACKAGE_URL@"/></p>
472 </section>
473
474 <section name="See also">
475 <p>
476 <manref name="pulse-client.conf" section="5"/>, <manref name="default.pa" section="5"/>, <manref name="pulseaudio" section="1"/>, <manref name="pacmd" section="1"/>
477 </p>
478 </section>
479
480 </manpage>