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#1 2011-05-08 02:56:03

DanielJackins
Member
Registered: 2010-01-12
Posts: 27

[SOLVED] Writing a .conf file for dual monitors - isn't working.

Hey guys,

I'm trying to get my dual monitors set up using the nouveau drivers. I've read the wiki for nouveau as well as xorg, and some posts on them as well. I've seen some .conf files I could just copy and paste, but I'd like to try to write my own and understand it as well. After reading man xorg.conf, this is what I've come up with -

Section "ServerLayout"
        Identifier       "Layout0"
        Screen          "Screen0"
        Screen          "Screen1" RightOf "Screen0"
EndSection

Section "Device"
        Identifier      "Card0"
        Driver          "nouveau"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
        Identifier      "DVI-I-1"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
        Identifier      "DVI-I-2"
EndSection 

Section "Screen"
        Identifier      "Screen0"
        Device          "Card0"
        Monitor         "DVI-I-1"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
        Identifier      "Screen1"      
        Device          "Card0"      
        Monitor         "DVI-I-2"
EndSection

Which, as far as I can tell, is doing absolutely nothing. Where am I going wrong?

Thanks

Last edited by DanielJackins (2011-05-09 07:48:34)

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#2 2011-05-08 17:54:18

Inxsible
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From: Chicago
Registered: 2008-06-09
Posts: 9,183

Re: [SOLVED] Writing a .conf file for dual monitors - isn't working.

Simply use xrandr to set up the screens. You probably do not need a .conf file unless both monitors have a different default resolution - in which case you will need to specify which resolution you want on each monitor.


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#3 2011-05-08 20:17:18

ConnorBehan
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From: Long Island NY
Registered: 2007-07-05
Posts: 1,359
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Re: [SOLVED] Writing a .conf file for dual monitors - isn't working.

I thought the numbering started from zero. Anyway, I think the way to make X use xrandr for dualhead automatically is to put the following in the "Device" section of xorg.conf:

Option "Monitor-DVI-I-0" "DVI-I-1"
Option "Monitor-DVI-I-1" "DVI-I-2"

Last edited by ConnorBehan (2011-05-08 20:17:53)


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#4 2011-05-09 01:01:00

DanielJackins
Member
Registered: 2010-01-12
Posts: 27

Re: [SOLVED] Writing a .conf file for dual monitors - isn't working.

Inxsible - How? As it stands when I first start up X I can get the other monitor working by entering "xrandr --output DVI-I-2 --right-of DVI-I-1", do you mean just keep doing it like that or put that in my .bashrc or something?

ConnorBehan - I tried entering that and couldn't see any noticeable changes either.

Thanks for the replies

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#5 2011-05-09 01:45:46

BurntSushi
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From: Massachusetts
Registered: 2009-06-28
Posts: 362
Website

Re: [SOLVED] Writing a .conf file for dual monitors - isn't working.

DanielJackins wrote:

Inxsible - How? As it stands when I first start up X I can get the other monitor working by entering "xrandr --output DVI-I-2 --right-of DVI-I-1", do you mean just keep doing it like that or put that in my .bashrc or something?

Indeed. Put it in your ~/.xinitrc (or whatever startup file your window manager/DE uses).

You probably don't need an xorg.conf file at all.


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#6 2011-05-09 04:32:08

Inxsible
Forum Fellow
From: Chicago
Registered: 2008-06-09
Posts: 9,183

Re: [SOLVED] Writing a .conf file for dual monitors - isn't working.

Yup. .xinitrc is where I used xrandr to set up my monitors. I had a 10-monitor.conf file, however, simply because the highest resolutions supported on each of my monitors was different. (one was widescreen, the other was a regular monitor) So I just defined what resolution I wanted each of them to be set at in the .conf file.


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#7 2011-05-09 06:43:52

BurntSushi
Member
From: Massachusetts
Registered: 2009-06-28
Posts: 362
Website

Re: [SOLVED] Writing a .conf file for dual monitors - isn't working.

Inxsible wrote:

Yup. .xinitrc is where I used xrandr to set up my monitors. I had a 10-monitor.conf file, however, simply because the highest resolutions supported on each of my monitors was different. (one was widescreen, the other was a regular monitor) So I just defined what resolution I wanted each of them to be set at in the .conf file.

You could use something like...

xrandr --output VGA-0 --auto --output VGA-1 --auto --right-of VGA-0

and it should pick up the best resolution on each monitor. Although, I suppose there are cases where this won't work. (When the monitor doesn't behave and reports bad resolutions masquerading as the best.)


Education is favorable to liberty. Freedom can exist only in a society of knowledge. Without learning, men are incapable of knowing their rights, and where learning is confined to a few people, liberty can be neither equal nor universal.

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#8 2011-05-09 07:00:36

DanielJackins
Member
Registered: 2010-01-12
Posts: 27

Re: [SOLVED] Writing a .conf file for dual monitors - isn't working.

Okay so my .xinitrc looks like this, but it's not working.


exec dwm
xrandr --output DVI-I-2 --right-of DVI-I-1


I've also tried putting exec and command in front of the line

EDIT: Nevermind, didn't know exec dwm had to come afterwards. Thanks for the help

Last edited by DanielJackins (2011-05-09 07:45:45)

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#9 2011-05-09 15:57:11

Inxsible
Forum Fellow
From: Chicago
Registered: 2008-06-09
Posts: 9,183

Re: [SOLVED] Writing a .conf file for dual monitors - isn't working.

@BurntSushi, yeah for some reason, --auto just wouldn't work for me. It just used to set both monitors at 1280x1024 (the highest res of the old monitor). I wanted 1680x1050 on my new monitor.


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