Configuration utility for Intel integrated graphics?

taylorkh · 12-25-2015, 12:47 PM

Recently I have acquired a couple of Dell Inspiron 3050 Micro computers. The ones about the footprint of a CD/DVD box and about 2" tall. Great little machines - especially when you zap Windoze and install Linux. I am running Ubuntu Mate 15.10 on one - my dedicated download machine (only draws about 6 watts) and I am using the other one to test Ubuntu Mate 16.04 alpha. Which brings me to my question...

The default Monitor Preferences application provides very little in the way of configuration options - especially with two monitors. My LARGE desktop PCs are running Nvidia cards and have the nvidia-settings tool which allows for example setting up two monitors as Separate X Screens. I do not find any "additional drivers" in the Ubuntu repositories for Intel graphics.

I did find an "Intel Graphics Installer for Linux" for Ubuntu 15.10 on the Intel site. I have installed it on the 15.10 machine (does not work on 16.04 yet). It performed a bunch of gyrations and downloaded some packages from the Ubuntu repository. However, I can not find that it installed any sort of a configuration utility. Nor do I find any documentation with the installed package(s) not on the Intel web site.

Does anyone know if there are additional tools/utilities for CONFIGURING Intel integrated graphics?

TIA,

Ken

p.s. lspci reports the video controller as follows:

Code:

00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Atom Processor Z36xxx/Z37xxx Series Graphics & Display (rev 0e) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
        Subsystem: Dell Device 0703
        Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 91
        Memory at d0000000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=4M]
        Memory at c0000000 (32-bit, prefetchable) [size=256M]
        I/O ports at f080 [size=8]
        Expansion ROM at <unassigned> [disabled]
        Capabilities: <access denied>
        Kernel driver in use: i915

Not sure why it says Atom Processor - one machine is a Celeron J1800 and the other a Pentium J2900.

ugjka · 12-26-2015, 05:55 AM

I don't think there are any gui tools for intel graphics

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Intel_graphics

taylorkh · 12-26-2015, 07:29 AM

Thanks ugjka,

I think you are correct. I had come across that Arch Linux page before and the Intel page to which it links. I guess I need to learn how to manually build an xorg.conf file.

Ken

business_kid · 12-30-2015, 10:03 AM

Slackware offers intel-gpu-tools, which claim

Code:

intel-gpu-tools: intel-gpu-tools (Intel DRM Driver Testing Tools)
intel-gpu-tools:
intel-gpu-tools: This is a collection of tools for development and testing of the
intel-gpu-tools: Intel DRM driver.  There are many macro-level test suites including
intel-gpu-tools: xtest, rendercheck, piglit, and oglconform.

Not sure if they're useful to the average mortal.

Ztcoracat · 12-30-2015, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Not sure if they're useful to the average mortal.

LOL!

Maybe for the sub-genius:-

Are you feeling better?

taylorkh · 12-30-2015, 04:33 PM

Thanks business_kid,

Many years ago I recall an opinion stated by one of the columnists for InfoWorld that if you wanted to do multi-tasking... get more than one computer. There seems to be some truth to that with respect to multiple X screens

It is easy to do with an Nvidia card - sometimes it even works. As to the Intel integrated graphics... I am not yet close.

Ken

Emerson · 12-30-2015, 05:33 PM

I use nvidia and I'm not using their tools, command below in my .xinitrc sets up the displays for me the way I want.

Code:

xrandr --auto --output DVI-I-3 --left-of DVI-I-2

taylorkh · 12-30-2015, 06:02 PM

Thanks Emerson,

Your post gives me an idea. I have started reading up on xorg.conf etc. I suspect that some of the latest issue I am having are due to the fact that I have moved my system somewhat into the modern age with one monitor an the HDMI port and the other on the DisplayPort of the video card. I had used VGA and HDMI before I updated my card (Quadro K420) and two Dell Ultrasharp 24" monitors. I need to look at the xorg.conf created by nvidia-config on Ubuntu 15.10 and see if it is specifying which monitor is on which wire. Of course something about the latest Ubuntu release has an issue with the CPU fan. About every 10 seconds it runs up to max speed and then back down. Sounds like the PC is breathing. I am currently moving things around to free up an SSD so I can start a test build of CentOS 7 with the Mate desktop. I have done pieces of it and it works well so far.

Ken

Emerson · 12-30-2015, 07:45 PM

Actually all methods of generating xorg.conf are obsolete. Up to date Xorg works best without xorg.conf, unless tweaking is required for non-us keyboard or for some reason default settings do not work for you. Also, Device section is required for proprietary driver.

taylorkh · 12-30-2015, 08:07 PM

Thanks again Emerson,

I have seen the comment about xorg.conf being depreciated or obsoleted but have not been able to find what has replaced it. For single monitor setups I have had no problems. Dual monitors setup as a mirrored display seems to be the default but is basically worthless unless on is being used to run the computer and the other is a projector or similar. I have also been able to configure the monitors to work as a single large screen. The downside to this configuration is that if I open a program and drag it to the second monitor I cannot switch the workplace on the primary monitor without loosing sight of my parked program.

My preferred mode is to run two separate X screens. Each one allows me a large number of permutations of what is running on one monitor vs. the other. I have not found any documentation about how to do that with Nouveau nor with whatever controls the monitors on an Intel integrated graphics machine.

I suppose it would be possible to run two virtual machines, one dragged to the second monitor and one maximized on the primary monitor. Just never use the host OS. However, that sounds like a waste of CPU cycles.

Ken

business_kid · 12-31-2015, 04:10 AM

/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/ has replaced xorg.conf. You can put any number of files in there. I have one for keyboard/mouse and one for video. - the section contents out of xorg.conf that are not defaults.

taylorkh · 12-31-2015, 08:21 AM

Thanks business_kid,

I take it that /etc/X11/dorg.conf.d has to be created manually. I do not find it on any of my machines. The man pages re. xorg.conf mention this directory although only as a sort of equivalent to xorg.conf. I guess old habits die hard.

Ken

grapedog · 01-04-2016, 06:26 PM

Random comments:

Intel GPU tools (IGT) are test tools used to exercise new features/bugfixes added to the i915 drm driver. They don't have a connection to creating xorg.conf files.

The "Intel Graphics Installer for Linux" is a fairly straightforward way to bring a supported Ubuntu or Fedora release up to the latest graphics driver stack recipe. This "recipe" is posted quarterly. The reason for this project was that commercial Ubuntu (or Fedora, where applicable) platforms were running really old graphics driver stacks which impacted gamers, etc. The quarterly graphics stack "recipes" show a combination of all key components of the graphics stack that have been validated together by Intel. The installer for Ubuntu 16.04 will be released in Q2 of this year. Sometimes, if an OSV keeps their distros updated and fresh, we don't need to release an installer kit, which is the ultimate goal.

taylorkh · 01-04-2016, 06:45 PM

Thanks grapedog,

The installer did in fact install the latest driver. However, it did not provide a way to tweak my setup. I need to continue studying my xorg documentation so I can try and configure the thing by hand.

Ken