Questions at bottom... [Background:]-------------------------- I used to be a happy dual-head user. Had two Matrox cards (Millennium +Millennium II) installed and configured in a Xinerama setup. The original procedure ended up basically: Use SaX to setup the cards and the two different monitors (one 15", one 17") as 'traditional' desktop. Manually edit XF86Config and change the Xinerama option to "on". (Doing so inside SaX would never work...) This worked fine both in my old machine (p166/SuSE 7.1) and the new one (Athlon1333/SuSE 7.3) Next thing you know it; Enter RtCW ...<yay>... Tried running the game, which obviously didn't like the idea of having to use aforementioned hardware (I don't blame it ;) O.K. A kind person gave me this Leadtek Vanta nVidia card, to try... So I removed the dual Matrox-cards, installed the nVidia one, set it up with SaX. Works. Lets me kill lots of other players on the Net and generally is pretty nice... :) *BUT* ...I miss my second screen... <Insert wailing noises here> ...so: [Experiment:]-------------------------- Last weekend I tried adding one of the Matrox cards (Mill II) back in there. Much to my surprise it actually *kind of* worked... SaX2 was my friend, again, and agreed to set it up (traditional-like of course) and after editing XF86Config to enable Xinerama, that *too* was working. I had my kde2 spread across both heads, and there was much rejoicing ;D Aside from the fact that my console now resided on the 15" monitor (being recognized as 'screen 0' by SaX2), and that I'd had to go with 15bpp as well as (naturally) not have any 3D-stuff loaded - it worked 'perfectly' ...that and the fact that (15bpp+no 3D)=(no Wolfenstein) which kind of defeats the purpose of having the nVidia card in there, in the first place... :-P The rest of saturday afternoon (abt 30 minutes) went restoring the single head setup from my backed-up XF86Config... ;) [Questions:]--------------------------- I realize that having (Xinerama on) this mixed hardware is not going to let me play RtCW right off the bat. But I wonder: Scenario 1 "Working configuration": a) The (AGP) nVidia card should be the 'primary' card. ie: should host the consoles (tty1-6) b) Should work with whatever resolution/colordepth is possible. Much like the above mentioned. c) Ideally I'd like to have dual-head console too... (anybody already have experience with this? http://linuxconsole.sourceforge.net ...haven't had the time to check it out yet...) Scenario 2 "Gaming configuration": a) Should probably ignore the Matrox card altogether. b) Could a) be achieved by setting up runlevel 4 as a "gaming-environment"? c) -or would it be nessecary to go as far 'back' as passing arguments to lilo/booting a custom-built kernel or the like... d) ... or something? (like maybe using a 'lighter' WM... ?-) Scenario 3 "Get-a-dualhead-card-that-works-with-games-too-dumbass": - yeah I know ;) but I really wasn't planning on spending money on this issue right now... and also I like the idea of getting disparate stuff to work together, if possible... anyway... suggestions anyone? [Closing:]----------------------------- I deliberately kept this message at a 'conversational' level, as the various measures involved in achieving Scenarios 1&2 probably could (and should) generate threads of their own... [Hardware/system:]--------------------- Mainboard: Abit KG7 lite (amd 761/via 686) CPU: XP 1500+ 1.333 RAM: 256 MB DDR 266MhZ nVidia card: "LeadTek Vanta [NV6]" 16 MB ram Matrox card: 2164-something (Haven't specs available right now) Monitor1: Hansol 710P Monitor2: Proview 1564 (Or whatever better I can find in a dumpster... ;) SuSE 7.3 KDE 2.2.2 Xfree 4.01 Hints/advice/pointers/ideas welcome :) Jon Clausen
On Friday 22 March 2002 19.19, Jon Clausen wrote:
Scenario 2 "Gaming configuration":
a) Should probably ignore the Matrox card altogether.
b) Could a) be achieved by setting up runlevel 4 as a "gaming-environment"?
c) -or would it be nessecary to go as far 'back' as passing arguments to lilo/booting a custom-built kernel or the like...
d) ... or something? (like maybe using a 'lighter' WM... ?-)
My experience with dual head is exactly nil, but here's a thought based on some general X ideas. When you restored the config so it worked with wolfenstein, did it involve more than copying back the XF86Config file to /etc/X11? If you have the dual head config running with /etc/X11/Xf86Config and have the "gaming config" in /etc/X11/XF86Config.gaming, try switching to a console, log in and do "startx -xf86config /etc/X11/XF86Config.gaming -- :1" I don't know if you'll have problems with kernel modules colliding, but theoretically it should work. Prepare for crashes, though. 3D isn't exactly the best tested aspect of linux. Just a thought //Anders
On Friday 22 March 2002 19:45, Anders Johansson wrote:
On Friday 22 March 2002 19.19, Jon Clausen wrote:
My experience with dual head is exactly nil, but here's a thought based on some general X ideas.
When you restored the config so it worked with wolfenstein, did it involve more than copying back the XF86Config file to /etc/X11?
Nope. Aside from RtCW got kind of confused, and was offset by (something like) 1/8th of the screen width, to the right. Had to muck around a bit with settings inside it, before 'load optimal screen resolution' put it straight...
If you have the dual head config running with /etc/X11/Xf86Config and have the "gaming config" in /etc/X11/XF86Config.gaming, try switching to a console, log in and do "startx -xf86config /etc/X11/XF86Config.gaming -- :1" I don't know if you'll have problems with kernel modules colliding, but theoretically it should work. Prepare for crashes, though. 3D isn't exactly the best tested aspect of linux.
Just a thought
Hm. Might be worth a try... This way I could also concieveably have a different (lighter) WM take care of stuff too (and get the benefit of not having all of kde2 loaded) ...no? I suspect I *will* be in for much Clashing of Kernel Modules and Crashing of 3D/X, but what the hell... ;) If this works, then there's just the issue of telling the system to make the nVidia card the primary one... (and subsequently exchanging the :1 with :0 in the above startx statement) any ideas on that? Thanks Jon
On Saturday 23 March 2002 11.39, Jon Clausen wrote:
If this works, then there's just the issue of telling the system to make the nVidia card the primary one... (and subsequently exchanging the :1 with :0 in the above startx statement) any ideas on that?
Two things: first, the :1 and :0 is counting X servers, not graphics cards. The first server you start, if you don't say differently, will be called :0 and the second will be :1. second, I have an AGP nvidia card and a PCI matrox card (just one monitor, that's why I haven't tested xinerama yet) and for me which card is primary is selected by the BIOS. In my bios I have a setting called (from memory) "init AGP first" (or something very similar) and if I check that the nvidia card is primary, if it's unchecked the matrox card is primary. //Anders
On Saturday 23 March 2002 11:48, Anders Johansson wrote:
Two things: first, the :1 and :0 is counting X servers, not graphics cards. The first server you start, if you don't say differently, will be called :0 and the second will be :1.
Ah... But I'm not thinking about having the two x-servers running concurrently... that would be asking for way more trouble than I'm up for... I'm thinking "Leave X entirely, (going to RL3) and *then* start the 'gaming-X-config'..." To get the two cards going with xinerama, I had to tell nVidia to relax, and forget about high bitrates/3D that sort of thing... So starting a second X-server with all that enabled... I don't think so ;)
second, I have an AGP nvidia card and a PCI matrox card (just one monitor, that's why I haven't tested xinerama yet) and for me which card is primary is selected by the BIOS. In my bios I have a setting called (from memory) "init AGP first" (or something very similar) and if I check that the nvidia card is primary, if it's unchecked the matrox card is primary.
Now there's a thought... "go check if the BIOS has options like that..." <feeling stupid> finishes message, shuts down, goes to check... </feeling stupid> :-P Jon
On Saturday 23 March 2002 12:09, Jon Clausen wrote:
Now there's a thought... "go check if the BIOS has options like that..."
-which, indeed, it does... I changed that, and now this part of the setup works The Matrox card's in there but dormant, as it should be. :) Next I went and tried going to rl3, and started twm thusly: startx twm works, and from there opening an xterm and starting RtCW works nicely too (maybe even a smidgen faster and more responsive, due to the lack of kde2-resource-hogging in the background?). I wanted to test the 'gaming' situation first, because it's the closest to the present config, so none of the dual-head stuff, just yet. Next I went to try out the startx -xf86config option. (I should mention that at present XF86Config is a symlink pointing to XF86Config-single, a remnant from last weekend) So i did (still from rl3): startx -xf86config /etc/X11/XF86Config-single - in various forms with and without specifying twm as the WM. This gets me tons of: /etc/X11/XF86Config-single: Section: command not found /etc/X11/XF86Config-single: FontPath: command not found /etc/X11/XF86Config-single: FontPath: command not found /etc/X11/XF86Config-single: FontPath: command not found /etc/X11/XF86Config-single: ModulePath: command not found /etc/X11/XF86Config-single: RgbPath: command not found /etc/X11/XF86Config-single: EndSection: command not found /etc/X11/XF86Config-single: Section: command not found /etc/X11/XF86Config-single: Option: command not found /etc/X11/XF86Config-single: EndSection: command not found -which looks to me as if XF86Config-single is attempted *executed* (?) What am I misunderstanding here? Does not the -xf86config option tell startx to use <file> as the config, instead of the default ? (/etc/X11/XF86Config) Also from the top of the err file: (==) Log file: "/var/log/XFree86.0.log", Time: Sat Mar 23 13:26:52 2002 (==) Using config file: "/etc/X11/XF86Config" -which certainly would suggest that indeed XF86Config-single is not being used (?!) I have the impression, that once I get this part to work, then setting up dual-head for the 'work-config' will be basically a matter of retracing my steps from last weekend, so at this point it would seem that I just need to get X to use the other XF86Config... TIA Jon
On Saturday 23 March 2002 14.45, Jon Clausen wrote:
startx -xf86config /etc/X11/XF86Config-single
Sorry, my mistake. I forgot how startx passes on parms to X. It should read startx -- -xf86config XF86Config-single (I also forgot that only root is allowed to specify full paths. Normal users have to settle for what is in /etc/X11) //Anders
On Saturday 23 March 2002 14:55, Anders Johansson wrote:
It should read
startx -- -xf86config XF86Config-single
Almost anyway... : startx twm -xf86config XF86Config-single works nicely...
(I also forgot that only root is allowed to specify full paths. Normal users have to settle for what is in /etc/X11)
Nice to know. In this case that's just dandy, as that's where it lives anyway... So now this part is all good... Next I'll be setting up the dual-head stuff, and after that there's just the convenience thing of adding that 'session' to the kdm drop-down. I'll be back ;) Jon
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 ...snip...
Scenario 3 "Get-a-dualhead-card-that-works-with-games-too-dumbass":
- yeah I know ;) but I really wasn't planning on spending money on this issue right now... and also I like the idea of getting disparate stuff to work together, if possible... anyway... suggestions anyone? ...snip...
Yes, you don't want to hear this, but I have a Matrox G450 that works beautifully for exactly what you describe, including RtCW. The great thing is that these cards are cheap. I paid CAN$200 for mine and that was when it was the latest Gxx card. - -- James Oakley Engineering - SolutionInc Ltd. joakley@solutioninc.com http://www.solutioninc.com -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.0.6 (GNU/Linux) Comment: For info see http://www.gnupg.org iD8DBQE8m5xO+FOexA3koIgRAtZ8AKC21xuZh3zJhpMEg4C/mI4P8TR/xQCgmUkC 9JdiwGNUydlD6YfPUrjTZYY= =slAw -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
On Friday 22 March 2002 22:04, James Oakley wrote:
...snip... Yes, you don't want to hear this, but I have a Matrox G450 that works beautifully for exactly what you describe, including RtCW.
The great thing is that these cards are cheap. I paid CAN$200 for mine and that was when it was the latest Gxx card.
Well... It *does* kind of look like I'm not neccesarily forced to fork out the money, but I've looked around a little, and these cards *are* pretty cheap... Nice to know that if my other scheme fails, this will work... (I was under the impression that the g450's weren't much good for gaming...) thnx Jon
participants (3)
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Anders Johansson
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James Oakley
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Jon Clausen