xorg configuration details

pixellany · 01-17-2009, 01:49 PM

I've noticed in the newer versions of Linux and/or xorg that the config file (/etc/X11/xorg.conf) is missing much of the traditional detail. Here is an example from Debian 5.0-RC1:

Code:

Section "Device"
	Identifier	"Configured Video Device"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
	Identifier	"Configured Monitor"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
	Identifier	"Default Screen"
	Monitor		"Configured Monitor"
EndSection

What this tells me is that a "higher power" set up all the details. How do I see what those details are?---eg what video driver is in use?

(In this situation, it is a new install, and the Nvidia proprietary driver was not installed. The screen was autodetected and runs (correctly) at 1920x1200, 60Hz.)

bathory · 01-17-2009, 03:59 PM

You can take a look at Xorg.0.log to see the settings that xserver uses.
You can also run:

Code:

Xorg -configure

to let X probe your hardware and see the resulting xorg.conf.new file for details.

Regards

pixellany · 01-17-2009, 05:13 PM

Thanks...

Quote:

You can take a look at Xorg.0.log

The real issue is where X gets that information---specifically, how is it deciding what driver to use for the Nvidia video card?

almatic · 01-17-2009, 06:05 PM

in newer versions of xorg, hal is used for detection of the hardware, so you needn't specify it in xorg.conf anymore. In fact you can safely delete xorg.conf if you don't use a proprietary driver.
The reason is better hotplugging abilities for input devices.

pixellany · 01-18-2009, 08:27 AM

Hmmmm---starting to pick up the scent here!! So--if there is something in xorg.conf, does it take precedence? And how do we know what default driver HAL will use?

By the way, what started this is that I was reading on how to configure for Suspend. In several articles, there are notes about options to enable for the graphics card. The implication of the discussion here is that one can add those entries only and let HAL do the rest.