Hi All,

I'm running Debian Lenny on a laptop that is always docked, and I have two identical monitors (both HP LP2065) plugged into the dock's VGA and DVI port respectively. The laptop has an Intel "Mobile 4 Series" video chipset.

I have been using this hardware configuration with Ubuntu for years and have always found it to recognize my dual monitor setup out of the box. I am now wishing to run Debian on it but find that the video driver only "sees" one of my monitors. When I run a ddcprobe, I see the following:

vbe: VESA 3.0 detected.
oem: Intel(r)Cantiga Graphics Chip Accelerated VGA BIOS
vendor: Intel Corporation
product: Intel(r)Cantiga Graphics Controller Hardware Version 0.0
memory: 65472kb
mode: 1280x1024x256
mode: 1280x1024x64k
mode: 1280x1024x16m
mode: 1024x768x256
mode: 1024x768x64k
mode: 1024x768x16m
mode: 640x480x16m
mode: 800x600x64k
mode: 800x600x16m
mode: 640x480x256
mode: 800x600x256
mode: 640x480x64k
edid:
edid: 1 3
id: 0a71
eisa: HWP0a71
serial: 01010101
manufacture: 38 2006
input: separate sync, composite sync, sync on green, digital signal.
screensize: 41 31
gamma: 2.200000
dpms: RGB, active off, suspend, standby
timing: 720x400@70 Hz (VGA 640x400, IBM)
timing: 640x480@60 Hz (VGA)
timing: 640x480@75 Hz (VESA)
timing: 800x600@60 Hz (VESA)
timing: 800x600@72 Hz (VESA)
timing: 800x600@75 Hz (VESA)
timing: 1024x768@87 Hz Interlaced (8514A)
timing: 1024x768@70 Hz (VESA)
ctiming: 640x480@85
ctiming: 800x600@85
ctiming: 1024x768@85
ctiming: 1280x960@60
ctiming: 1280x1024@60
ctiming: 1280x1024@85
ctiming: 1600x1200@60
ctiming: 1600x1200@75
dtiming: 1600x1200@78
monitorrange: 30-94, 48-85
monitorname: HP LP2065
monitorserial: CNG63800ZD

I am only seeing 1 monitor with this output and figure I should see 2 if my video driver is supporting my dual monitor setup. I get similar results from other programs as well, for example, xrandr only shows me 1 monitor to configure.

I know that my dual monitor setup is possible, but I figure I need to do something to get my driver to see the other monitor and am at a loss how to go about that.

Please help, I need my screen real estate back! Thanks in advance!

Please show us your /var/log/Xorg.0.log file. Just so you know, though, the version of Xorg Lenny is pretty old, which might be limiting your functionality.

Adam

So I'm a little closer. I realized that I was using the default vesa driver in Debian while my working dual monitor setup in Ubuntu was using the 'intel' driver. A simple Driver line in my xorg.conf took care of that.

I am still unable to get the monitor I have plugged into my dock's DVI port to work, although the monitor attached to the dock's VGA port now works fine.

I have attached 2 Xorg.0.log files:
Xorg.0.log.ubuntu.txt is the older log from my old Ubuntu OS that had a working dual monitor setup.
Xorg.0.log.debian.txt is from my most recent attempt at getting the dual monitors to work in Debian.
Also, I have attached xorg.conf.txt. This is my most recent xorg.conf that coincides with Xorg.0.log.debian.

It seems to me like Xorg.0.log.ubuntu is showing that the intel driver considered my VGA and DVI monitors 'VGA' and 'HDMI' respectively, and that it also considers my (unused) laptop monitor 'LVDS'. Given all that, I attempted to create an xorg.conf file using the 'VGA' and 'HDMI' directives, but as can be seen in Xorg.0.log.debian, the driver disregarded my 'HDMI' entry leaving me with only my vga monitor configured (and my laptop monitor mirroring my vga because of the default configuration of 'LVDS').

I feel like I am so close, but something about my intel driver is not recognizing the DVI output under any label, being 'HDMI' or otherwise.

Any help with this would be greatly appreciated!

Attached Files

	Xorg.0.log.ubuntu.txt (45.1 KB, 27 views)
	Xorg.0.log.debian.txt (46.1 KB, 17 views)
	xorg.conf.txt (1.5 KB, 11 views)

Wait... Are trying to use the LVDS (laptop monitor) at the same time as both a VGA and DVI monitor attached to the dock?

No. Although all 3 monitors in the configuration were configured in my Ubuntu OS, I just had the LVDS "disabled" (whatever that means, I was using the gnome gui to configure my dual monitors when I was still using Ubuntu). If possible, I would like to have my VGA and DVI monitors configured, and the LVDS deconfigured by the intel driver. I'm thinking it may be a good idea to make a Monitor section for the LVDS with an 'Option "Enable" "False"' in there, but I haven't tried that yet.

OK, when X starts up, run 'xrandr' and show us the output.

Adam

Running an 'xrandr' prints the following:

Screen 0: minimum 320 x 200, current 1600 x 1200, maximum 1920 x 1920
VGA connected 1600x1200+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 408mm x 306mm
1600x1200 60.0*+ 75.0 75.0 70.0 65.0 60.0* 59.9
1792x1344 60.0
1920x1200 60.0
1680x1050 60.0
1600x1024 60.0
1400x1050 74.8 70.0 60.0
1280x1024 84.8 75.0 59.9 60.0
1440x900 60.2
1280x960 60.0 59.9
1280x800 60.0
1152x864 75.0
1280x768 60.0
1152x768 54.8
1024x768 84.9 85.0 75.1 75.0 70.1 60.0
832x624 74.6
800x600 84.9 72.2 75.0 60.3 56.2
640x480 84.6 75.0 72.8 75.0 60.0 59.9
720x400 70.1
LVDS connected 1440x900+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 303mm x 189mm
1440x900 60.0*+
1280x800 60.0
1280x768 60.0
1024x768 60.0
800x600 60.3
640x480 59.9
TV disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)

This is using the xorg.conf attached above.
This looks to coincide with what I see physically. My VGA monitor is at 1600x1200 and my laptop monitor is mirroring the VGA, but at 1440x900. My DVI monitor immediately goes to sleep.

The driver is clearly not detecting the monitor on the DVI port. Unfortunately, all I can really do is guess why, and I'd say it probably has to do with the X server and intel driver being two years old (the versions of both were released in June of 2008). I guess you could check with the xorg mailing lists, but they'd probably tell you to upgrade first, and then troubleshoot the problem if it continued.

Adam

OK. Thanks Adam! I'll try grabbing the latest intel open source driver instead of the one I got from the Debian repositories. I'll post my results on this thread.