Re: Controlling displays on a multi head system

[Camaleón <noelamac@gmail.com>]

On Sun, 04 Apr 2010 16:20:34 -0400, Frank H. Baker wrote:

> My setup is much like yours, though I have two nVidia 8400GS boards,
> running the console off one and the other two monitors off the other, a
> VGA driving one monitor and a DVI the other, and I installed the nVidia
> driver.  Though I have been aware of TwinView, the "twin" made me think
> it was adapted primarily for two monitors, and I have not looked further
> into it.  Where does TwinView fit into the processing path?

Are the boards linked by SLI (just as one card) or they acting 
independently (as two different boards)?

Anyway, I put here the relevant sections of my "/etc/X11/xorg.conf" file 
(btw, I am running Debian lenny and one Nvidia 7600GS, dual dvi-d ports). 
You can test it to see how it looks in your system and if you like what 
you see you will just have to add a second stanza for the other card.

(before making any change in your current "xorg.conf" file, do a backup 
copy of the original one for a quick restoration)


***
Section "Device"
        Identifier      "Configured Video Device"
        Driver          "nvidia"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
        Identifier      "Default Screen"
        Monitor         "Configured Monitor"
        Option          "RenderAccel" "true"
        Option          "TwinView"
        Option          "MetaModes" "1680x1050 1280x1024"
        Option          "TwinViewOrientation" "Above"
***


Some notes:

- 1680x1050 is the 21" monitor located on top (this one has an empty desktop)

- 1280x1024 is the 19" monitor located at the bottom (the one holding 
desktop icons and task bar)

- "TwinViewOrientation" "Above" indicates a top/bottom layout. You will 
have to modify this value at your conevience, i.e., "RightOf" or "LeftOf"

Whith this setup, only display "1" and "2" will be detected and configured.

If that works as expected, then you could do the same with the third 
monitor. I guess you will have to choose "Device0" and "Device1" to 
identify both nvidia cards, but I'm not sure with this point...

More info about "twinview" is available at nvidia "readme":

http://us.download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linux-x86_64/195.36.15/README/README.txt

> Regards and thanks for following up on this, Frank

You're welcome. THT.

Greetings,

-- 
Camaleón