Dual head display

Jonathan Keane cunan at ufl.edu
Thu Mar 31 03:17:38 UTC 2005


I just recently switched from a brief foray with Fedora Core 3 (and a brief install of 4) and both had a configuration tool for dual headed displays. I was actually surprised that Ubuntu did not. But this has been my only complaint so far, and with so much good I can live with manually configuring for a dual headed display config file, now to just get the time to try out what everyone has suggested. Thanks again! 

-Jon

Christoph Georgi wrote:
> IMHO, the dual head display capability that most notebooks offer is one 
> of the most important features for notebooks, especially when 
> considering the use of notebooks in business/student context 
> (presentations etc.). Using Linux, however, it is still a pain to 
> configure dual head displays and it takes most users quite a while to 
> get it running (I gave up on it with my nvidia geforce 2 go card). And 
> once it's running problems still persist as for example Gary pointed 
> out. This is the one "big" thing where I still look back to the "old 
> days" with Windows, where dual display never was an issue for me. IMO, 
> this is another "big" barrier (of those few left!) that Linux has as a 
> desktop OS especially on notebooks.
> 
> Isn't there any configuration tool for dual displays, preferably in form 
> of a GUI, available or planned for Linux?
> 
> Thanks
> .christoph
> 
> 
> Gary Jarrel wrote:
> 
>> The file is attached!
>>
>> You get pretty used to the fact that you can't drag and drop windows, as
>> it gives a clear purpose to each screen. When I switched to Ubuntu it
>> took me a good few hours reading x manuals and configuration files and a
>> day or so of trial and error before I came up with this configuration.
>> I've also managed to set up dual monitor so that you can drag and drop
>> windows from one monitor to the other however in this set up X didn't
>> allow me to use different resolutions on each monitor.
>>
>> Currently I'm set up as follows:
>>
>> Primary LCD Panel on Laptop, 1600x1200 resolution
>> Secondary LCD Panel connected to VGA connector at 1280x1024.
>> Secondary Panel on the Left of Primary Panel
>> Using ATI fglrx drivers.
>> The only major issue that I found so far is that if the secondary panel
>> is disconnected X doesn't start with this configuration, so you need to
>> manually comment out everything related to the secondary panel and start
>> X again. I've got a basic script that does that for me using 2 config
>> files one for dual monitor and one for single monitor. Ideally at
>> startup I'd like to detect home many screens are connected and use the
>> appropriate configuration, however I haven't as yet spent enough time
>> trying to figure out how to do this, any suggestions would be helpful.
>> Anyway, hope this is of some help.
>> Gary
>>
>>
>> On Wed, 2005-03-30 at 13:09 +0100, Jonathan McLoughlin wrote:
>>
>>> I work and support dual-head machines running ubuntu and debian a 
>>> posting of your XF86Config-4 file could be useful
>>>
>>> Gary Jarrel wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>> I've got a lap top as well with a Mobility FileGL 9600 and have set up
>>>> dual screen with primary display at 1600x1200 and secondary as
>>>> 1280x1024. The only issue is that I can not drag and drop windows from
>>>> one screen to the other but it's the only way that I was able to 
>>>> achieve
>>>> different resolutions on the 2 monitors.
>>>>
>>>> Gary
>>>> On Tue, 2005-03-29 at 17:17 -0500, Mike Smith wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> I have a laptop with the Radeon 9000 and have it working with the 
>>>>> following:
>>>>>
>>>>> http://www.ubuntulinux.org/wiki/XineramaHowTo/view?searchterm=dual%20head 
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> The only problem I have is screen0 is 1400x1050 and screen1 should be
>>>>> 1280x1024, but it has a "virtual" size of 1400x1050 so the entire
>>>>> screen is visible by draggin the mouse to the extreme
>>>>> right|left|top|bottom.
>>>>>
>>>>> Mike
>>>>>
>>>>>  
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>> # XF86Config-4 (XFree86 X Window System server configuration file)
>>> #
>>> # This file was generated by dexconf, the Debian X Configuration 
>>> tool, using
>>> # values from the debconf database.
>>> #
>>> # Edit this file with caution, and see the XF86Config-4 manual page.
>>> # (Type "man XF86Config-4" at the shell prompt.)
>>> #
>>> # This file is automatically updated on xserver-xfree86 package 
>>> upgrades *only*
>>> # if it has not been modified since the last upgrade of the 
>>> xserver-xfree86
>>> # package.
>>> #
>>> # If you have edited this file but would like it to be automatically 
>>> updated
>>> # again, run the following commands as root:
>>> #
>>> #   cp /etc/X11/XF86Config-4 /etc/X11/XF86Config-4.custom
>>> #   md5sum /etc/X11/XF86Config-4 >/var/lib/xfree86/XF86Config-4.md5sum
>>> #   dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xfree86
>>>
>>> Section "Files"
>>>     FontPath    "unix/:7100"            # local font server
>>>     # if the local font server has problems, we can fall back on these
>>>     FontPath    "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/misc"
>>>     FontPath    "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/cyrillic"
>>>     FontPath    "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/100dpi/:unscaled"
>>>     FontPath    "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi/:unscaled"
>>>     FontPath    "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/Type1"
>>>     FontPath    "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/CID"
>>>     FontPath    "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/Speedo"
>>>     FontPath    "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/100dpi"
>>>     FontPath    "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi"
>>>        # paths to defoma fonts
>>>     FontPath    "/var/lib/defoma/x-ttcidfont-conf.d/dirs/TrueType"
>>>     FontPath    "/var/lib/defoma/x-ttcidfont-conf.d/dirs/CID"
>>> EndSection
>>>
>>> Section "Module"
>>>     Load    "GLcore"
>>>     Load    "bitmap"
>>>     Load    "dbe"
>>>     Load    "ddc"
>>>     Load    "dri"
>>>     Load    "extmod"
>>>     Load    "freetype"
>>>     Load    "glx"
>>>     Load    "int10"
>>>     Load    "record"
>>>     Load    "speedo"
>>>     Load    "type1"
>>>     Load    "v4l"
>>>     Load    "vbe"
>>>     Load    "xtt"
>>> EndSection
>>>
>>> Section "InputDevice"
>>>     Identifier    "Generic Keyboard"
>>>     Driver        "keyboard"
>>>     Option        "CoreKeyboard"
>>>     Option        "XkbRules"    "xfree86"
>>>     Option        "XkbModel"    "pc104"
>>>     Option        "XkbLayout"    "us"
>>> EndSection
>>>
>>> Section "InputDevice"
>>>     Identifier    "Configured Mouse"
>>>     Driver        "mouse"
>>>     Option        "CorePointer"
>>>     Option        "Device"        "/dev/input/mice"
>>>     Option        "Protocol"        "ImPS/2"
>>>     Option        "Emulate3Buttons"    "true"
>>>     Option        "ZAxisMapping"        "4 5"
>>> EndSection
>>> Section "InputDevice"
>>>        Identifier      "Synaptics Touchpad"
>>>        Driver          "synaptics"
>>>        Option          "SendCoreEvents"        "true"
>>>        Option          "Device"                "/dev/psaux"
>>>        Option          "Protocol"              "auto-dev"
>>> EndSection
>>>
>>> Section "Device"
>>>     Identifier    "ATI Technologies, Inc. Radeon Mobility 9600/9700 
>>> M10/M11 (RV350 NP)"
>>>     Driver        "fglrx"
>>>     BusID        "PCI:1:0:0"
>>>     Screen 0
>>> EndSection
>>>
>>> Section "Device"
>>>     Identifier     "ATI Graphics Adapter connector 1"
>>>     Driver        "fglrx"
>>>     BusID "PCI:1:0:0"     Screen 1
>>> EndSection
>>>
>>> Section "Monitor"
>>>     Identifier    "Generic Monitor"
>>>     HorizSync    28-96
>>>     VertRefresh    50-75
>>>     Option        "DPMS"
>>> EndSection
>>>
>>> Section "Monitor"
>>>    Identifier  "Monitor1"
>>>    HorizSync   31-83
>>>    VertRefresh 56-75
>>>    Option     "DPMS"
>>>    VendorName    "HTC"
>>>    ModelName "HTC1794"
>>> EndSection
>>>
>>> Section "Screen"
>>>     Identifier    "Default Screen"
>>>     Device        "ATI Technologies, Inc. Radeon Mobility 9600/9700 
>>> M10/M11 (RV350 NP)"
>>>     Monitor        "Generic Monitor"
>>>     DefaultDepth    24
>>>     SubSection "Display"
>>>         Depth        1
>>>         Modes        "1600x1200"
>>>     EndSubSection
>>>     SubSection "Display"
>>>         Depth        4
>>>         Modes        "1600x1200"
>>>     EndSubSection
>>>     SubSection "Display"
>>>         Depth        8
>>>         Modes        "1600x1200"
>>>     EndSubSection
>>>     SubSection "Display"
>>>         Depth        15
>>>         Modes        "1600x1200"
>>>     EndSubSection
>>>     SubSection "Display"
>>>         Depth        16
>>>         Modes        "1600x1200"
>>>     EndSubSection
>>>     SubSection "Display"
>>>         Depth        24
>>>         Modes        "1600x1200"
>>>     EndSubSection
>>> EndSection
>>>
>>> Section "Screen"
>>>    Identifier  "Screen1"
>>>    Device      "ATI Graphics Adapter connector 1"
>>>    Monitor     "Monitor1"
>>>    DefaultDepth 24
>>>    #Option "backingstore"
>>>
>>>    Subsection "Display"
>>>        Depth       24
>>>        Modes       "1280x1024"
>>>        ViewPort    0 0  # initial origin if mode is smaller than desktop
>>> #        Virtual     1280 1024
>>>    EndSubsection
>>> EndSection
>>>
>>> Section "ServerLayout"
>>>     Identifier    "Default Layout"
>>>     Screen        "Default Screen"
>>>     Screen         "Screen1" LeftOf "Default Screen"
>>>     InputDevice    "Generic Keyboard"
>>>     InputDevice    "Configured Mouse"
>>>     InputDevice    "Synaptics Touchpad"
>>> EndSection
>>>
>>> Section "ServerLayout"
>>>     Identifier    "SingleMonitor"
>>>     Screen        "Default Screen"
>>>     InputDevice    "Generic Keyboard"
>>>     InputDevice    "Configured Mouse"
>>>     InputDevice    "Synaptics Touchpad"
>>> EndSection
>>>
>>> Section "DRI"
>>>     Mode    0666
>>> EndSection
>>>
> 




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