[Debian-eeepc-devel] External monitor separate from intenal (WORKS!)

[obregonmateo at gmail.com]

Eric, Robert, Ben, Axel and others.

Thanks for your help. After many reboots and tries ... I have a beautiful LVDS 
1024x600 monitor BELOW my external 19" 1440x900 flat-screen VGA monitor! I 
can drag windows between each and run things separately in each. :)

I can use Fn+F5 to go back-and-forth between just the internal LVDS and then 
both, but I had to add a bit to the eee-acpi-scripts action/vga-toggle.sh

First, specify the mode I want, but this only applies for when you hit the 
Fn+F5 keys. The original setting for the two screens must be defined in 
the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file.

-----------><-- /etc/default/eeepc-acpi-scripts -----><-------
# these are the switches for xrandr --output VGA when Fn-F5 is used to
# select LCD+VGA mode
COMBINED_DISPLAY_SWITCHES="--output LVDS --below VGA"
----------------><-----------------

And, I had to ad an "--auto" mode to first activate the external monitor, wait 
5 secs, then put it in the mode I wanted:

----><---- /etc/acpi/actions/vga-toggle.sh------><------
getvga_status;
# handle return value
case $? in
    2)
        xrandr --output VGA --off
        ;;
    *)
        xrandr --auto
	sleep 5
        xrandr $COMBINED_DISPLAY_SWITCHES
esac
---------------><-------------------


-----><----- /etc/X11/xorg.conf -----><---------
# xorg.conf (X.Org X Window System server configuration file)

Section "InputDevice"
	Identifier	"Generic Keyboard"
	Driver		"kbd"
	Option		"XkbRules"	"xorg"
	Option		"XkbModel"	"pc105"
	Option		"XkbLayout"	"gb"
	Option		"XkbVariant"	"dead"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
	Identifier	"Configured Mouse"
	Driver		"mouse"
EndSection

Section "Device"
	Identifier	"Configured Video Device 0"
	Driver		"intel"
	BusID		"PCI:0:2:0"
	Option          "UseFBDev"              "true"
	Screen		0
EndSection

Section "Device"
	Identifier	"Configured Video Device 1"
	Screen		1
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
	Identifier	"LVDS"
	Option		"Below" "VGA"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
	Identifier	"VGA"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
	Identifier	"LVDS Screen"
	Monitor		"LVDS"
	Device		"Configured Video Device 0"
	DefaultDepth	16
	Subsection "Display"
		Depth	16
		Virtual 2048 2048
		Modes	"1024x600"
	EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "Screen"
	Identifier	"VGA Screen"
	Monitor		"VGA"
	Device		"Configured Video Device 1"
	DefaultDepth	16
	Subsection "Display"
		Depth	16
		Virtual 2048 2048
		Modes	"1440x900"
	EndSubSection
EndSection
-------------><-------------------------


In summary:

* eeepc 900 Debian/lenny/KDE (I just upgraded the BIOS to 501).

In /etc/X11/xorg.conf

* I tried dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg, but it generated an xorg.conf with 
generic names and this didn't work.

* I tried having a ServerLayout, with all sorts of definition of screens, nut 
nothing worked. So, removed the ServerLayout section.

* I added a Module section, but nothing in it seemed necessary as 
the /var/log/Xorg.0.log output showed that most modules were automatically 
loaded. So, I left the Modules section out.

* I added synaptics InputDevice to see if that worked, but it disactivated 
touchpad presses. Can the touchpad be managed separately from the mouse?

* I have two Device sections, with the first specifying the intel driver, the 
busId, UseFBDev true, and Screen 0. The second Device, just has the name and 
screen 1. Apparently, naming them separately as "screen 0" and "screen 1" is 
really important.

* I have two monitor sections. The first labeled "LVDS" and to 
appear "Below" "VGA". Apparently these names are really important ... have to 
match what xrandr outputs. Also, I tried putting "Above" "LVDS" in the VGA 
monitor, but this put the LVDS starting 600 pixels down the VGA!

* I have two Screen sections, each specifying a different monitor and a 
different device. In each I have a subsection specifying a virtual 2048 2048, 
and a correct Modes line for that monitor. If I didn't specify the virtual 
size and the monitor size, it would try and put the combined of the two 
monitors on the VGA.

This is by trial-and-error. Anything else special that should be in xorg.conf, 
or in any other place?

Mateo.

On Tuesday 20 May 2008 21:42, Ben Armstrong wrote:
> On Tue, 20 May 2008 17:09:29 +0200
>
> Robert Epprecht <epprecht at solnet.ch> wrote:
> > The wiki has a similar suggestion:
> > http://wiki.debian.org/DebianEeePC/HowTo/Configure
> > It sets COMBINED_DISPLAY_SWITCHES="--above LVDS\ --auto" in
> > /etc/default/eeepc-acpi-scripts
> >
> > I would be interested to learn which way to tell people to use.
> > (I don't know anything about X)