Dual monitors/video cards???

erikcw · 09-27-2001, 02:48 PM

I just recently put RH 7.1 on my Win 2000 machine (dual boot). I have dual displays set up under windows 2000 through two video cards. In linux, only my secondary display is utilized. How do I get them both to work?

acid_kewpie · 09-27-2001, 03:32 PM

you'll need to explore Xinerama. I've no idea how it works, but that's what it does...

erikcw · 09-28-2001, 12:08 PM

Where do I find this Xinerama app? I search my system and can't seem to find it...

c0c0deuz · 09-28-2001, 01:16 PM

It seams like no release have been done for this. I look at sourceforge and freashmeat. nothing... I am also locking for that thing.
Sourceforge mention no release from them.

no2nt · 09-28-2001, 02:00 PM

Here's some reading material:

Search for 'dual':
http://www.arava.co.il/matan/svgalib/hypermail/

also check out
http://www.svgalib.org/

I've heard XFree86 doesn't support dual monitors either, I don't know about XFree86 4.x.x

acid_kewpie · 09-28-2001, 03:16 PM

Xinerama is an extension (like glx etc..) and is defined in the XF86Config file. there's a howto all about it. http://www.linuxdoc.org

c0c0deuz · 09-28-2001, 03:25 PM

thx acid, there is also
Xig http://www.xig.com
and
Metro-X http://www.metrolink.com
I will look into it.

JHuizingh · 09-29-2001, 03:45 PM

I have dual monitors set up on my computer. Xinerama is a part of XFree86, so if you have a newer version of X, you have Xinerama.

Just search the web for "Xinerama howto" to find one of the many places that the help document is located. This was all that I needed to set it up.

I'll tell you a little bit about window managers for once you get it set up. I like kde more, but the window manager doesn't work great with xinerama. If you maximise a window, it goes across the entire desktop instead of just the monitor you are on. Also, if your monitors are not the same resolution and right next to each other, you will have some dead spaces, and sometimes new windows start in these dead spaces, where you can not get at them. The sawfish window manager that comes with gnome is a lot better with xinerama. It maximizes to a specific monitor, and the windows don't appear in the dead areas. The reason I don't like gnome is that there aren't as many buttons to mess with the windows as I want. (maybe there is a way to change this? I don't know).

Anyway, let me know if you need more help, I'd be happy to give more advice.

tomcf · 09-30-2001, 06:18 PM

Hi, Ive been having trouble getting Xinerama to work properly, So far I have only gotten both video cards/monitors to not hang my system if I leave Xinerama turned off, but the second card (pci) won't update the screen properly if at all. Currently I have it setup so my AGP card is the primary because XFree86 either locks the machine up hard or the AGP card (AIW 128 Pro) won't start at all even standalone with 'X -screen AIWScreen' (AIWScreen is actually the name of the screen section.) It complaines of 'xf86CreateI2CBusRec' being undefined, and then after trying to 'Write Combine' a chunk of video memory it then exits after complaining about the missing symbol again. The two cards that I am using are a AIW 128 Pro and a Cirrus Logic 5446.
If anyone could help me Id appreciate it.

JHuizingh · 10-01-2001, 12:32 AM

Perhaps you could post your /etc/xf86config file so we can see we can take a look at what's not working right. I can't really tell what's the matter based on what you've told us so far.

tomcf · 10-01-2001, 01:39 AM

Ok, heres my XF86Config file:

Code:

Section "Module"
    Load "dbe"
    SubSection  "extmod"
#      Option    "omit xfree86-dga"   # don't initialise the DGA extension
    EndSubSection

    Load        "type1"
    Load        "freetype"
    Load        "v4l"
    Load        "record"
    Load       "dri"
    Load       "GLcore"
    Load       "glx"
EndSection

Section "Files"
    RgbPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/rgb"

#    FontPath   "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/local/"
    FontPath   "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/misc/"
    FontPath   "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi/:unscaled"
    FontPath   "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/100dpi/:unscaled"
    FontPath   "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/Type1/"
    FontPath   "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/Speedo/"
    FontPath   "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi/"
    FontPath   "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/100dpi/"
EndSection

Section "ServerFlags"

#    Option "NoTrapSignals"
#    Option "DontZap"
#    Option "Dont Zoom"
#    Option "DisableVidModeExtension"
#    Option "AllowNonLocalXvidtune"
#    Option "DisableModInDev"
#    Option "AllowNonLocalModInDev"

EndSection

Section "InputDevice"

    Identifier "Keyboard1"
    Driver "Keyboard"
#    Option     "Protocol"      "Xqueue"
    Option "AutoRepeat" "500 30"
    Option "XkbRules" "xfree86"
    Option "XkbModel" "pc104"
    Option "XkbLayout" "us"

EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
    Identifier "Mouse1"
    Driver "mouse"
    Option "Protocol"    "IMPS/2"
    Option "Device"      "/dev/psaux"
    Option "Buttons"     "5"
    Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection

# Second monitor
Section "Monitor"
    Identifier  "CompuPartner"
    HorizSync   31.5 - 48.5
    VertRefresh 60
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
    Identifier  "SyncMaster500s"
    HorizSync   31.5 - 48.5
    VertRefresh 50-90
EndSection

Section "Device"
    Identifier "Standard VGA"
    VendorName "Unknown"
    BoardName "Unknown"
    Driver     "vga"
#    BusID      "PCI:0:10:0"
#    VideoRam 256
#    Clocks 25.2 28.3
EndSection

Section "Device"
    Identifier  "AIW 128Pro"
    Driver      "ati"
    #VideoRam    16384
    Option "AGPMode" "4"
    BusID "PCI:1:0:0"
EndSection

Section "Device"
    Identifier "CirrusLogic 5446"
    Driver "cirrus"
    Option "no_bitblit" "yes"
    Option "noaccel" "yes"
    BusID "PCI:0:8:0"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
    Identifier  "Screen1"
    Device      "AIW 128Pro"
    Monitor     "SyncMaster500s"
    DefaultDepth 16

    Subsection "Display"
        Depth       16
        Modes       "640x480"
        ViewPort    0 0
    EndSubsection
EndSection

Section "Screen"
    Identifier  "Screen2"
    Device      "CirrusLogic 5446"
    Monitor     "CompuPartner"
    DefaultDepth 16
    Subsection "Display"
        Depth       16
        Modes       "640x480"
        ViewPort    0 0
    EndSubsection
EndSection

Section "ServerLayout"
    Identifier  "Layout1"
#    Option "Clone" "on"
    Option "Xinerama" "on"
    Screen 0 "Screen1" #LeftOf "Screen2"
    Screen 1 "Screen2" RightOf "Screen1"
    InputDevice "Mouse1" "CorePointer"
    InputDevice "Keyboard1" "CoreKeyboard"
EndSection

Section "DRI"
 Mode 0666
EndSection

Thanks for the help.

JHuizingh · 10-01-2001, 10:35 AM

Well, I'm no expert at setting up XFree86, but it looks like you have the xinerama portion set up correctly. It sounds a lot more like you have a hardware problem.

Have you gotten each card to work by itself when it's the only one in the machine? What I would do (it may not be necessary, but it's easier to tell what's going on) is to take one card out, set up X for the card that's still in the machine, and then switch cards and set up the other card. If they both work, you should just be able to put info about both cards in the xf86config file and it should work.

Well, hopefully that will get you somewhere. If you've already done that, sorry I couldn't be of more help.

tomcf · 10-01-2001, 01:49 PM

I haven't tried it wth only the PCI card in the machine, but I have no doubt that it would work considering I can get It to work perfectly if (1) the bios is set to boot it first or (2) I tell X to start up only with the PCI card. (this puts the first card/monitor AIW into 'sleep' mode).

Thanks for the help.

c0c0deuz · 10-03-2001, 07:12 PM

OK,
I look at the Xinerama HOWTO, i'm at the step of configuring XF86Config file...
First, there is no GUI Xconfigurator anymore on RH7,1 :-9 any raison why???
Second, the window manager is sawfish. I tough the window manager was XFree86.
I beleave that i have to understand this before editting XF86Config since Xinerama is suposed to work only with XFree

Please help me get that thing strait so i can get back on that clear as mud setup.
tks
P.S. the Gui kernel configurator is not there also on RH7.1 :-( again why?

tomcf · 10-03-2001, 07:45 PM

c0c0deuz> Xfree86 is the 'Server' for all of the graphical programs you run including the window manager (like kwm, sawfish, etc...) Also I think RedHat 7 comes with XFree 4.1.0 which doesnt include the Xconfigurator, but it does have 'xf86config' or 'X -configure'.