dual display on laptop

anadyr · 2008-07-12 16:27:33

Hi,

I am having trouble installing a new 20" Iiyama monitor. I just plugged it in, and it works, but what the external monitor displays is exactly what the notebook monitor displays. But my laptop is a 12" with a fixed resolution of 1024x768. Running the latest kernel and openchrome driver.

The strange thing is that "xrandr" only lists one screen, even when it is plugged in:

Screen 0: minimum 640 x 480, current 1024 x 768, maximum 1024 x 768
default connected 1024x768+0+0 0mm x 0mm
1024x768 71.0*
800x600 61.0
720x576 0.0
720x480 0.0
640x480 67.0

This is how I tried to configure xorg.conf (on the basis of various google searches):

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "monitor0"
HorizSync 31.5-64
VertRefresh 50-70
Option "DPMS"
EndSection
Section "Monitor"
Identifier "monitor1"
HorizSync 31-83
VertRefresh 56-75
Option "DPMS"
EndSection
Section "Device"
Identifier "video0"
Driver "openchrome"
VideoRam 32768
Screen 0
EndSection
Section "Device"
Identifier "video1"
Driver "openchrome"
VideoRam 32768
Screen 1
EndSection
Section "Screen"
Identifier "screen0"
Device "video0"
Monitor "monitor0"
DefaultDepth 24
Subsection "Display"
Depth 24
Modes "1024x768"
ViewPort 0 0
EndSubsection
EndSection
Section "Screen"
Identifier "screen1"
Device "video1"
Monitor "monitor1"
DefaultDepth 24
Subsection "Display"
Depth 24
Modes "1680x1050"
ViewPort 0 0
EndSubsection
EndSection
Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "Default Layout"
Screen 0 "screen0" 0 0
Screen "screen1" LeftOf "screen0"
Option "DualHead" "true"
# Option "xinerama" "on"
# Option "clone" "off"
InputDevice "Mouse1" "CorePointer"
InputDevice "Keyboard1" "CoreKeyboard"
EndSection

How do I change the config so that I have a nice big screen with high resolution on the new monitor? Or (as I tried above) to connect the two screens?

ralvez · 2008-07-12 16:39:39

I'm not sure that's possible. I understand that the back connector in your laptop is not a second video card but a set of parallel connections to the internal video card in the laptop. That's the reason you see exactly the same image in both... because that is the intention. When you are doing a presentation you work on your computer and even if you are not looking at the screen where the presentation is rendered you see what public see on your laptop screen.

I'll be happy to hear from someone that knows any better if it is possible to have the output rendered individually but I'm not full of hope on that one.

R.

Damnshock · 2008-07-12 16:54:28

I'm writing this lines from a laptop with an external monitor plugged

What you are talking about seeing the same on both screens is the "clone" mode which is usually the default one. Right now I have a virtual desktop of 2560x1024

We need more information on what your system has. If it's an nvidia card, it should be REALLy easy to set up and running another monitor :nvidia-settings will do the magic for you. On intel system should be quite easy too since xrandr was included in X.org

If either xrandr nor nvidia-settings work, write it here and we'll try to set the config manually on your xorg.conf

Good luck!

pheon · 2008-07-12 17:27:14

Hi,
I've setup this some time ago on my Macbook with a 22" TFT.

The relevant party of my xorg.conf I used back in those days:

Section "Device"
    Identifier    "Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/GMS/940GML Express Integrated Graphics Controller"
    Driver        "i810"
    BusID        "PCI:0:2:0"
    Option        "MonitorLayout" "CRT,LFP"
    Option        "CloneRefresh" "85"
    Screen        0
EndSection

Section "Device"
    Identifier    "Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/GMS/940GML Express Integrated Graphics Controller2"
    Driver        "i810"
    BusID        "PCI:0:2:0"
    Option        "Display" "CRT"
    Option        "MonitorLayout" "CRT,LFP"
    Screen        1
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
    Identifier    "Standardbildschirm"
    Option        "DPMS"
    HorizSync    28-64
    VertRefresh    43-60
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
       Identifier "TFT"
       HorizSync 30-82
       VertRefresh 56-76
       Option "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
    Identifier    "Default Screen"
    Device        "Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/GMS/940GML Express Integrated Graphics Controller"
    Monitor        "Standardbildschirm"
    DefaultDepth    24
    SubSection "Display"
        Depth        24
        Modes        "1280x800"
    EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "Screen"
    Identifier    "TFT"
    Device        "Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/GMS/940GML Express Integrated Graphics Controller2"
    Monitor        "TFT"
    DefaultDepth    24
    SubSection "Display"
        Depth        24
        Modes "1680x1050"
    EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "ServerLayout"
    Identifier    "Two Screen Layout"
    Screen        0 "Default Screen" 0 0
        Screen        1 "TFT" LeftOf "Default Screen"
        Option        "Xinerama" "On"
EndSection

Section "ServerFlags"
    Option    "Xinerama" "true"
EndSection

It is really some time ago (1 year?) I used this for the last time. You could adjust it to fit your settings (device, monitor, refresh rates etc.) and give it a try.

Best regards

anadyr · 2008-07-12 22:24:29

Hmm, well what I found out is that my videocard simply cannot "project" 1680x1050 (not even in Windows), so I hooked it up to a desktop computer, and I got the old 15" TFT monitor from that one to my laptop. This makes things easier since the max resolution of both screens (laptop + 15" TFT) are both 1024x768. To make things easier I would simply like to have one "virtual desktop" of both screens next to each other in the same resolution (without bothering about WSXGA stuff). But xrandr does not see two monitors, and I just cannot find a clear step-by-step guide (such as a wiki) on how to install a virtual desktop.

In any case I do have an intel system, and I use the openchrome driver. The exact identification of my videocard is (I posted this info a few months ago in a different topic):

output of lspci:
00:00.0 Host bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. CN400/PM880 Host Bridge
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. S3 Unichrome Pro VGA Adapter (rev 02)
output of Xorg.0.log
(--) VIA(0): Chipset: "PM800/PM880/CN400"
output of dmesg
agpgart: Detected VIA PM800/PN800/PM880/PN880 chipset
agpgart: AGP aperture is 128M @ 0xe8000000
output of xf86-video-unichrome
The VT3118 chip is not supported
identification from the manufacturer's website
VIA PN800 DDR-SDRAM based chipset featuring the VIA UniChrome Pro IGP graphics core.

It seems that xrandr need to "see" the external monitor, but I can't figure out how to do that.

X/ax · 2008-07-12 22:46:20

anadyr wrote:

Hmm, well what I found out is that my videocard simply cannot "project" 1680x1050 (not even in Windows), so I hooked it up to a desktop computer, and I got the old 15" TFT monitor from that one to my laptop. This makes things easier since the max resolution of both screens (laptop + 15" TFT) are both 1024x768. To make things easier I would simply like to have one "virtual desktop" of both screens next to each other in the same resolution (without bothering about WSXGA stuff). But xrandr does not see two monitors, and I just cannot find a clear step-by-step guide (such as a wiki) on how to install a virtual desktop.

When you've got the initial monitor working and stuff, making a virtual desktop on the second monitor is mostly done through creating a new X11 session on the second monitor. (That's how I used to do it)
Or by using some window managers (e.g. I'm using xmonad, which supports xinerama and still I can fullscreen on 1 screen)

anadyr · 2008-07-12 23:14:08

I have analyzed the stuff further and I believe I see where the problem lies: xrandr does not detect the second monitor (even though Google says that it does detect monitors automagically, even if they are turned off). Consequently the second monitor is a clone of the laptop screen. Does anybody have an idea on how to make xrandr detect the second monitor?

sand_man · 2008-07-12 23:53:25

When I bought this laptop (Asus F3) it came with Vista and the dual monitor support worked really well. Just using the S-Video out on the laptop would allow me to run separate resolutions, one on the laptop and one on the external monitor.
I have also had similar problems as the OP under Arch. I used the NVidia X Server Settings.

anadyr · 2008-07-13 07:55:13

Well, but the thing is that I do not have an NVidia card. There are many wikis to set it up with an NVidia card, and Radeon and ATI, but none for Unichrome cards.

Dual display does work under Windows XP, so I figured that Linux should then also be able to recognize a second monitor and create dual display.

Damnshock · 2008-07-13 10:42:28

Have you tried to follow pheon config? That's probably the way...

anadyr · 2008-07-13 14:33:44

well yes, it is just cloned. This is the exact text from xorg.conf that I use

#DEVICE
Section "Device"
    Identifier  "video0"
    Driver      "openchrome"
#   VideoRam    32768
#   BusID       "PCI:1:0:0"
    Option      "EnableAGPDMA" "false"
    Option      "MonitorLayout" "LCD,CRT"
#   Option  "CRT2Position" "RightOf"
#   Option  "MetaModes" "1024x768-1024x768"
#   Option  "MergedXinerama" "on"
#   option  "MergedNonRectangular" "true"
#   Option  "MergedFB" "true"
    Option      "CloneRefresh" "85"     
    Screen      0
EndSection

Section "Device"
    Identifier  "video1"
    Driver      "openchrome"
#   VideoRam    32768
#   BusID       "PCI:1:0:0"    
    Option      "EnableAGPDMA" "false"
    Option      "MonitorLayout" "LCD,CRT"       
    Screen      1
EndSection

#MONITOR
Section "Monitor"
    Identifier  "monitor0"
    HorizSync   31.5-64
    VertRefresh 50-70
    DisplaySize 247 186 # 96 DPI @ 1024x768
    Option      "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
    Identifier  "monitor1"
    HorizSync   31.5-64
    VertRefresh 50-70
#    DisplaySize 247 186 # 96 DPI @ 1024x768
    Option      "DPMS"
EndSection

#SCREEN
Section "Screen"
    Identifier  "screen0"
    Device      "video0"
    Monitor     "monitor0"
    DefaultDepth 24
    Subsection "Display"
        Depth       24
        Modes       "1024x768"
    EndSubsection
EndSection

Section "Screen"
    Identifier  "screen1"
    Device      "video1"
    Monitor     "monitor1"
    DefaultDepth 24
    Subsection "Display"
        Depth       24
        Modes       "1024x768"
    EndSubsection
EndSection

#SERVER
Section "ServerLayout"

    Identifier  "Twoscreen Layout"
    Screen 0 "screen0" 0 0
    Screen 1 "screen1" LeftOf "screen0"
#   Option "DualHead" "true"
    Option "Xinerama" "on"
#    Option "clone" "off"
    InputDevice "Mouse1" "CorePointer"
    InputDevice "Keyboard1" "CoreKeyboard"

EndSection

Section "ServerFlags"
    Option    "Xinerama" "true"
EndSection

As far as I can see, I use the same options as pheon used, but the external monitor is a clone of the laptop screen

Arch Linux

#1 2008-07-12 16:27:33

dual display on laptop

#2 2008-07-12 16:39:39

Re: dual display on laptop

#3 2008-07-12 16:54:28

Re: dual display on laptop

#4 2008-07-12 17:27:14

Re: dual display on laptop

#5 2008-07-12 22:24:29

Re: dual display on laptop

#6 2008-07-12 22:46:20

Re: dual display on laptop

#7 2008-07-12 23:14:08

Re: dual display on laptop

#8 2008-07-12 23:53:25

Re: dual display on laptop

#9 2008-07-13 07:55:13

Re: dual display on laptop

#10 2008-07-13 10:42:28

Re: dual display on laptop

#11 2008-07-13 14:33:44

Re: dual display on laptop

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