How many graphics cards being used for display?
 

Please help? I would like to find out how many graphics cards being used
for linux display (looking at the back panel of a linux boxe is not an option). For example: 2 (or multiple) graphics cards being installed and connected to monitors for the X display. How do I know how many cards are actually being used for the X server? Once again, looking at the back panel of a linux boxe is not an option

For example: I have a machine, HPxw9300 workstation, being set up as dual heads display with 2 Quadro FX 3400 cards installed. (i.e. 2 cards with 2 monitors, each card connects with each monitor). But the /var/log/XFree86.0.log shows only one cards being used for X. Please see the following log file and lspci output:



2% lspci
00:00.0 Memory controller: nVidia Corporation CK804 Memory Controller (rev a3)
00:01.0 ISA bridge: nVidia Corporation: Unknown device 0051 (rev a3)
00:01.1 SMBus: nVidia Corporation CK804 SMBus (rev a2)
00:02.0 USB Controller: nVidia Corporation CK804 USB Controller (rev a2)
00:02.1 USB Controller: nVidia Corporation CK804 USB Controller (rev a3)
00:04.0 Multimedia audio controller: nVidia Corporation CK804 AC'97 Audio Controller (rev a2)
00:06.0 IDE interface: nVidia Corporation CK804 IDE (rev a2)
00:07.0 IDE interface: nVidia Corporation CK804 Serial ATA Controller (rev a3)
00:08.0 IDE interface: nVidia Corporation CK804 Serial ATA Controller (rev a3)
00:09.0 PCI bridge: nVidia Corporation CK804 PCI Bridge (rev a2)
00:0a.0 Bridge: nVidia Corporation CK804 Ethernet Controller (rev a3)
00:0e.0 PCI bridge: nVidia Corporation CK804 PCIE Bridge (rev a3)
00:18.0 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] K8 [Athlon64/Opteron] HyperTransport Technology Configuration
00:18.1 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] K8 [Athlon64/Opteron] Address Map
00:18.2 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] K8 [Athlon64/Opteron] DRAM Controller
00:18.3 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] K8 [Athlon64/Opteron] Miscellaneous Control
00:19.0 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] K8 [Athlon64/Opteron] HyperTransport Technology Configuration
00:19.1 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] K8 [Athlon64/Opteron] Address Map
00:19.2 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] K8 [Athlon64/Opteron] DRAM Controller
00:19.3 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] K8 [Athlon64/Opteron] Miscellaneous Control
05:05.0 FireWire (IEEE 1394): Texas Instruments TSB43AB22/A IEEE-1394a-2000 Controller (PHY/Link)
0a:00.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation NV45GL [Quadro FX 3400] (rev a2)
40:01.0 PCI bridge: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] AMD-8131 PCI-X Bridge (rev 12)
40:01.1 PIC: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] AMD-8131 PCI-X APIC (rev 01)
40:02.0 PCI bridge: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] AMD-8131 PCI-X Bridge (rev 12)
40:02.1 PIC: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] AMD-8131 PCI-X APIC (rev 01)
61:06.0 SCSI storage controller: LSI Logic / Symbios Logic 53c1030 PCI-X Fusion-MPT Dual Ultra320 SCSI (rev 07)
61:06.1 SCSI storage controller: LSI Logic / Symbios Logic 53c1030 PCI-X Fusion-MPT Dual Ultra320 SCSI (rev 07)
80:00.0 Memory controller: nVidia Corporation CK804 Memory Controller (rev a3)
80:01.0 Memory controller: nVidia Corporation CK804 Memory Controller (rev a3)
80:0e.0 PCI bridge: nVidia Corporation CK804 PCIE Bridge (rev a3)
81:00.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation NV45GL [Quadro FX 3400] (rev a2)


From log file

(II) Primary Device is: PCI 0a:00:0
(WW) NVIDIA: No matching Device section for instance (BusID PCI:129:0:0) found
(--) Chipset NVIDIA GPU found
(II) resource ranges after xf86ClaimFixedResources() call:




Thanks for the help ....

Re: How many graphics cards being used for display?
 

You need a second device, monitor & screen section for the second card and monitor in your /etc/X11/XF86Config(-4) file depending on the distro you are using. Something like this for example.

For the card basically just duplicate what is their for the first card changing the Identifer to something unique. For the monitor it would look something like this.

Making sure again that the Identifer is unique and changing the settings to match the second monitor you have. Now to make sure that every thing gets displayed you need another screen section for the second monitor and card.

Now this just gives you 24 bit colour at the resolutions listed but you can just duplicate the existing section you have in your file and again change the Identifer using the Device, Monitor names you used. Then you would need to restart the X server for the file to be re-read and used. If you have any trouble getting it work can you post details on your second monitor and the /etc/X11/XF86Config(-4) file you are using and the contents of the log file where it is detecting the monitors and testing the resolutions it will use.