Help setup Fedora 17 with dual monitors
 

Hi all,
After trying to get dual monitors RHEL 6, I gave up, due to old kernels and drivers. i am attempting to get dual monitors set up in fedora 17. I am close, but not there yet. This is what I have so far:

Kernel: 3.4.4-5.fc17.x86_64
Onboard Graphics: Intel Corporation 2nd Generation (sandybridge 2000/3000)
External graphics: ATI Technologies Inc Device (Radeon HD 7950)

Ati drivers: kmod-catalyst-3.4.4-5.fc17.x86_64-12.6-1.fc17.1.x86_64
intel drivers: libva-intel-driver-1.0.15-4.fc17.x86_64

xorg: xorg-x11-server-common-1.12.2-4.fc17.x86_64
: xorg-x11-drv-intel-2.19.0-5.fc17.x86_64

Now both graphic cards work individually with their respective driver and respective xorg.conf. Both intel and fglrx drivers load fine individually. I can get direct rendering with the ATI card, but not with the onboard graphics (I don't think it can, but who begs to differ?). But when I combined the 2 xorg.confs, both screens light up, but the X server crash before GUI login. The monitor on onboard graphics blink a few times and stay black. I uploaded the xorg.conf and Xorg.0.log files for anyone who can help me. Thanks.

more progress.....
 

So I made some progress...I split the server layout section in the xorg.conf (see attached file). Then at the command line before starting the GUI, I did:
"startx -- -layout ATI"
This starts the x server on the external graphics card ( with HW acceleration and all)

then from within the GUI and a terminal I did:
""startx -- -layout INTEL"
This starts another x server running on the second monitor. Not bad at all. However as you experts may know I am now stuck in the second monitor now with keyboard and mouse only operating there. I can't move mouse over to the first monitor. I expect this, as this setup is like a clone mode, not twinview or xinerama. Anyone who can help me get extended destops I will appreciate. Thanks.

P.S. I can run the two startx commands only as root. It complain about not having permission and what not....

I can run "startx" as regular user but not with the layout option. If I run "startx" it defaults to the ATI card and first monitor. Anyone please help me iron out the wrinkles now...its almost done....

The easiest way would be to disable the onboard video in the BIOS and connect both monitors to the AMD card. Then just use the Catalyst Control Center to set up the desired mode.

some more progress...
 

So after struggling some more, I made some headway.....
Following a post at this website:

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...torial-864646/


I set up KDE similar, and use synergy to share mouse and keyboard. The exact tutorial did not work for me. The starting of the 2 X servers, although shown in different monitors, cannot be seen at the same time. I had to do a Ctrl-Alt-Fn(0-1) to switch (on and off) each screen. It seems the the servers were starting in different virtual screens although I am using 2 video cards. I was assuming that each Xserver starts with its own virtual terminals (0-6). I found another tutorial that (and the man pages of Xserver) that talks about the -sharevts switch, which can share virtual terminals. So the following 2 commands:

ServerCmd=/usr/bin/X -config xorg.conf.ati -layout ATI vt7
ServerCmd=/usr/bin/X -config xorg.conf.intel -layout INTEL -sharevts -nocursor

set up both monitors with GUI logins to KDE! Also you normally get mouse and keyboard on both screen at the same time (which is a mess).
Further reading points to the "void" driver (xorg-x11-drv-void-1.4.0-8.fc17.x86_64). This did not work for me. (please see attach file "xorg.conf.intel.txt" if I set it up right for the onboard graphics card).

Then I found the -nocursor option above hides the cursor on one monitor but there is no (I couldn't find any) switch to do the same with the keyboard. So I had to add the line:

Option "AutoAddDevices" "false"

to the xorg.conf.intel file. This did the trick. No mouse and keyboard for one monitor, but mouse and keyboard for the other! Almost there. I search for ways to share the mouse and keyboard across both monitors and ofcourse synergy came up in Google. I follow the same tutorial above (URL website) to set up synergy. I got the two commands like this:

synergys -f -a 127.0.0.1 --display :0 -n ATI& (to start server on display 0)
synergyc -f -n INTEL --display :1 127.0.0.1& (to start client on display 1)

This did not work. Any ideas I am doing something wrong or not doing something I should? Thanks

Still the question remain why you use the Intel device at all. A HD7950 should have at least 3-4 monitor outputs.

P.S.
 

Hi Tobi,
I don't have monitor connections: I need minidisplay port connector or HDMI or DVI. I got only VGA monitors. Now I got one dvi to vga connector which I used. The on board card has one vga connector which I used. So.....
Anyway, I bought one minidisplay to vga connector from someone in China (takes a while to reach). So this is a problem I want to solve just in case, and it is also helpful for others with similar problems.

Now it seems like the

Option "AutoAddDevices" "false"

interfares with synergy. So i had to turn it off. Synergy works now, but I am stuck with mouse and pointer in both screens (or monitors). So the problem boils down to this:
How to turn off the mouse & keyboard for the one xserver without affecting the other? That will solve the entire problem (hopefully). Any takers? Thanks.

After reading Xorg some more, it seems like the only way to turn off mouse and keyboard is to shut off evdev via the option "AutoAddDevices" "false". After turning off mouse and keyboard, synergy would not connect to the other screen to enable me to login. So I simple set Xserver to auto login for me on both terminals. After that I fired up synergy and Whoa! It worked. Damn nice to control both screens now. Now that this is solved, I will try to get one Xserver to handle both screens, so that I can get xinerama mode...