6 Monitors - Ubuntu 8.04 - Compiz Fusion - XGL NVIDIA Working! (Video Included)

[kaiwondergoo]

Would it be possible to see your xorg.conf? I have been pulling my hair out trying to get just 3 working.

thanks in advance
kai

[d2globalinc]

Sure! - I've been wanting to get back to this and do a HOWTO - but I'll post what I can for now and my xorg.conf - I had to build this file (xorg.conf) myself since nvidia's control panel doesn't really take in account more than 2 monitors ... - When starting in on this project I recommend you start with getting one twinview working - then move onto the next, etc - saving your xorg.conf every-time you make a change so you can see exactly the results. I think I had about 30+ xorg.conf backup's that i had various notes about when i was finished. I think what the solution would be for a 3 monitor setup would be to create 1 twinview setup with two monitors and 1 independent monitor setup. Once you had that configured you could go the same route i did and enable xinerama along with installing xserver-xgl and i bet it would span all 3 monitors with 3d effects enabled... Remember - my setup is seen as 3 monitors - but again i had to enable twinview on them in order to get the 3d acceleration enabled on that card. so for you - 1 twinview, 1 standalone, enable xinerama and you should be able to use all 3 / drag windows across, etc - but compiz may not work - if not then try xserver-xgl and see if that works across all 3

Here are some more details -

- First - start with latest nvidia drivers - I installed EnvyNG from the package manager, then used that to install the latest drivers. after reboot you can start with your first twinview setup and go from there - don't try to do it all at once if you haven't before - it will confuse the hell outa ya! - To keep it simple I'm using all the same monitors at the same resolution - I wouldn't want to add even more complexity with various resolutions per monitor - but I'm sure if there is a will there is a way...

<( If anyone knows how to get around any of the limitations below or to do this a different way let me know! )>

#1 - I had to pair up the two DVI interfaces on each card to make 3 separate twinview arrangements. To keep it organized I connected one top row monitor and one bottom row monitor to each of my 3 dual DVI graphics cards. So at this point you can look at my arrangement as having 3 seperate twinview virtual monitors comprised of 2 monitors each.

I tried about every combination possible to get to this point - Here were some of my results and why I ended up with this configuration:

#1a - Each Monitor Individually
- With this configuration you could have seperate X screens per monitor - but in order to combine the screens into a virtual desktop you had to use Xinerama to do it. Once you enabled Xinerama - say goodbye to compiz-fusion effects - it has something to do with nvidia's drivers and composite - I dont know the technical reasons - but once you enabled Xinerama with each monitor configured individually your compiz-fusion effects will no longer work (it wont load). The funny thing is I could load up the gears Gl test and span it across all 6 monitors and it was VERY smooth and hardware rendering was working. But - no compiz-fusion = NO EYE CANDY = no thanks!

#2 Once all 3 twinview setups were working - without xinerama enabled these acted like 3 separate x Screens.. Compiz was working on each individually but you of course couldn't drag windows across the 3 sections and they acted independently - again - no thanks! I believe the next hangup I had was that if again I enabled xinerama - it would disable compiz effects..

#3 My final solution was a combination of the 3 twinview configurations, enable xinerama, and installing xserver-xgl from the package manager. Once these things were in place i had one large virtual screen with 3D enabled across all 6 monitors! I heard that there were issues with xserver-xgl but I haven't had any issues and I've been running on this for a few weeks now.. I will revisit the original xserver-xorg configuration again in the future to see if I can get it to work - but the limitation seems to be that if I enable xinerama with it - compiz-fusion will no longer work.. and without enabling xinerama - i was stuck with 3 separate xscreens! (so if i can find a solution to merge the 3 twinview screens without using xinerama - I'm all for it!).

- without xserver-xgl - 3d graphics would not span all 6 monitors because i believe they get disabled with the xinerama again..

#4 - the final issue had to do with the fact that now that i had all 6 monitors working as one - xserver-xgl now decided that when i maximize a window - it needs to maximize across all 6 monitors! I looked for various options and the one i came up with was a hack of the xinerama library itself - (do a search on google for fake xinerama) - but.. I now see that compiz-fusion has its own settings for settings monitor arrangements and you can manually enter them. The benefit of the fake xinerama deal was that it also allowed the bootup / login screen to show up in one monitor instead of expanded across all 6 -

#5 - there are still some quirks - some windows just don't seem to want to listen to compiz-fusion or the fake xinerama layout information - for example GKSU window will show up right smack in the middle of the virtual 6 monitor screen - so it shows up inbetween the middle top and middle bottom monitors - split across them.. ggrrr. - same with the logout selection display..

Ok - there is a lot of information here - and more to post later in a formal howto - Let me know if you have any questions!



Shane Menshik
D2 GLOBAL INC.


xorg.conf for 6 monitor setup - using 3 x nvidia cards with 6 20" LCD monitors at 1680x1050 60hz - creates 3 virtual monitors using twinview then xinerama to combine them together - then used xserver-xgl ontop of it all to enable compiz - it creates one BIG virtual monitor across all 6 monitors..

I'm sure there are some things in here that can be removed - but I hadn't had time to clean this up - and if it aint broke - don't fix it

# xorg.conf file modifications by Shane Menshik - D2 GLOBAL INC
# LAST UPDATED 08-25-2008


Section "ServerLayout"
    Identifier     "Layout0"
    Screen      0  "Screen0" 0 0
    Screen      1  "Screen1" LeftOf "Screen0"
    Screen      2  "Screen2" RightOf "Screen0"
    InputDevice    "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
    InputDevice    "Mouse0" "CorePointer"
    Option 	   "AIGLX" "true"
    Option	   "RenderAccel" "true"
    Option 	   "AllowGLXWithComposite" "true"
    Option	   "XGL" "true"
EndSection

Section "Files"
    RgbPath         "/etc/X11/rgb"
    FontPath	    "/usr/share/fonts/X11/misc"
    FontPath	    "/usr/share/fonts/X11/util"
    FontPath	    "/usr/share/fonts/X11/100dpi/:unscaled"
    FontPath	    "/usr/share/fonts/X11/75dpi/:unscaled"
    FontPath	    "/usr/share/fonts/X11/Type1"
    FontPath	    "/usr/share/fonts/X11/100dpi"
    FontPath	    "/usr/share/fonts/X11/75dpi"
    FontPath	    "/usr/share/fonts/X11/encodings"
    FontPath	    "/var/lib/defoma/x-ttcidfont-conf.d/dirs/TrueType"
EndSection

Section "Module"
    Load	   "dri"
    Load           "dbe"
    Load           "extmod"
    Load           "type1"
    Load           "freetype"
    Load           "glx"
EndSection

Section "ServerFlags"
    Option         "Xinerama" "1"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
    # generated from default
    Identifier     "Mouse0"
    Driver         "mouse"
    Option         "Protocol" "auto"
    Option         "Device" "/dev/psaux"
#    Option         "Emulate3Buttons" "no"
    Option         "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
    Option	   "CorePointer"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
    # generated from default
    Identifier     "Keyboard0"
    Driver         "kbd"
    Option	   "XkbRules"	"xorg"
    Option	   "XkbModel"	"pc105"
    Option	   "XkbLayout"	"us"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"

    # HorizSync source: edid, VertRefresh source: edid
    Identifier     "Monitor0"
    VendorName     "Unknown"
    ModelName      "DELL 2009W"
    HorizSync       30.0 - 83.0
    VertRefresh     56.0 - 75.0
    Option         "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"

    # HorizSync source: edid, VertRefresh source: edid
    Identifier     "Monitor1"
    VendorName     "Unknown"
    ModelName      "DELL 2009W"
    HorizSync       30.0 - 83.0
    VertRefresh     56.0 - 75.0
    Option         "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"

    # HorizSync source: edid, VertRefresh source: edid
    Identifier     "Monitor2"
    VendorName     "Unknown"
    ModelName      "DELL 2009W"
    HorizSync       30.0 - 83.0
    VertRefresh     56.0 - 75.0
    Option         "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"

    # HorizSync source: edid, VertRefresh source: edid
    Identifier     "Monitor3"
    VendorName     "Unknown"
    ModelName      "DELL 2009W"
    HorizSync       30.0 - 83.0
    VertRefresh     56.0 - 75.0
    Option         "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"

    # HorizSync source: edid, VertRefresh source: edid
    Identifier     "Monitor4"
    VendorName     "Unknown"
    ModelName      "DELL 2009W"
    HorizSync       30.0 - 83.0
    VertRefresh     56.0 - 75.0
    Option         "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"

    # HorizSync source: edid, VertRefresh source: edid
    Identifier     "Monitor5"
    VendorName     "Unknown"
    ModelName      "DELL 2009W"
    HorizSync       30.0 - 83.0
    VertRefresh     56.0 - 75.0
    Option         "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Device"
    Identifier     "Videocard0"
    Driver         "nvidia"
    VendorName     "NVIDIA Corporation"
    BoardName      "GeForce 8800 GTX"
    BusID          "PCI:3:0:0"
    Option 	   "AllowGLXWithComposite" "true"
    Option	   "XAANoOffscreenPixmaps"
    Option	   "NoLogo" "true"
    Option	   "backingstore" "true"
EndSection

Section "Device"
    Identifier     "Videocard1"
    Driver         "nvidia"
    VendorName     "NVIDIA Corporation"
    BoardName      "GeForce 8800 GTX"
    BusID          "PCI:4:0:0"
    Option 	   "AllowGLXWithComposite" "true"
    Option	   "XAANoOffscreenPixmaps"
    Option	   "NoLogo" "true"
    Option	   "backingstore" "true"
EndSection

Section "Device"
    Identifier     "Videocard2"
    Driver         "nvidia"
    VendorName     "NVIDIA Corporation"
    BoardName      "GeForce 8800 GTX"
    BusID          "PCI:7:0:0"
    Option 	   "AllowGLXWithComposite" "true"
    Option	   "XAANoOffscreenPixmaps"
    Option	   "NoLogo" "true"
    Option	   "backingstore" "true"
EndSection

Section "Device"
    Identifier     "Videocard3"
    Driver         "nvidia"
    VendorName     "NVIDIA Corporation"
    BoardName      "GeForce 8800 GTX"
    BusID          "PCI:4:0:0"
    Option 	   "AllowGLXWithComposite" "true"
    Option	   "XAANoOffscreenPixmaps"
    Option	   "NoLogo" "true"
    Option	   "backingstore" "true"
    Screen          1
EndSection

Section "Device"
    Identifier     "Videocard4"
    Driver         "nvidia"
    VendorName     "NVIDIA Corporation"
    BoardName      "GeForce 8800 GTX"
    BusID          "PCI:3:0:0"
    Option 	   "AllowGLXWithComposite" "true"
    Option	   "XAANoOffscreenPixmaps"
    Option	   "NoLogo" "true"
    Option	   "backingstore" "true"
    Screen          0
EndSection

Section "Device"
    Identifier     "Videocard5"
    Driver         "nvidia"
    VendorName     "NVIDIA Corporation"
    BoardName      "GeForce 8800 GTX"
    BusID          "PCI:7:0:0"
    Option 	   "AllowGLXWithComposite" "true"
    Option	   "XAANoOffscreenPixmaps"
    Option	   "NoLogo" "true"
    Option	   "backingstore" "true"
    Screen          1
EndSection

Section "Screen"
    Identifier     "Screen0"
    Device         "Videocard0"
    Monitor        "Monitor0"
    DefaultDepth    24
    Option 	   "AllowGLXWithComposite" "true"
    Option	   "AddARGBGLXVisuals"	"True"
    Option         "TwinView" "1"
    Option         "metamodes" "DFP-0: 1680x1050_60 +0+1050, DFP-1: 1680x1050_60 +0+0"
    SubSection     "Display"
        Depth       24
    EndSubSection
    Defaultdepth    24
EndSection

Section "Screen"
    Identifier     "Screen1"
    Device         "Videocard1"
    Monitor        "Monitor1"
    DefaultDepth    24
    Option 	   "AllowGLXWithComposite" "true"
    Option	   "AddARGBGLXVisuals"	"True"
    Option         "TwinView" "1"
    Option         "metamodes" "DFP-0: 1680x1050_60 +0+1050, DFP-1: 1680x1050_60 +0+0"
    SubSection     "Display"
        Depth       24
    EndSubSection
    Defaultdepth    24
EndSection

Section "Screen"
    Identifier     "Screen2"
    Device         "Videocard2"
    Monitor        "Monitor2"
    DefaultDepth    24
    Option 	   "AllowGLXWithComposite" "true"
    Option	   "AddARGBGLXVisuals"	"True"
    Option         "TwinView" "1"
    Option         "metamodes" "DFP-0: 1680x1050_60 +0+1050, DFP-1: 1680x1050_60 +0+0"
    SubSection     "Display"
        Depth       24
    EndSubSection
    Defaultdepth    24
EndSection

Section "Screen"
    Identifier     "Screen3"
    Device         "Videocard3"
    Monitor        "Monitor3"
    DefaultDepth    24
    Option 	   "AllowGLXWithComposite" "true"
    Option	   "AddARGBGLXVisuals"	"True"
    Option         "TwinView" "0"
    Option         "metamodes" "DFP-1: 1680x1050_60 +0+0"
    SubSection     "Display"
        Depth       24
    EndSubSection
    Defaultdepth    24
EndSection

Section "Screen"
    Identifier     "Screen4"
    Device         "Videocard4"
    Monitor        "Monitor4"
    DefaultDepth    24
    Option 	   "AllowGLXWithComposite" "true"
    Option	   "AddARGBGLXVisuals"	"True"
    Option         "TwinView" "0"
    Option         "metamodes" "DFP-0: 1680x1050_60 +0+0"
    SubSection     "Display"
        Depth       24
    EndSubSection
    Defaultdepth    24
EndSection

Section "Screen"
    Identifier     "Screen5"
    Device         "Videocard5"
    Monitor        "Monitor5"
    DefaultDepth    24
    Option 	   "AllowGLXWithComposite" "true"
    Option	   "AddARGBGLXVisuals"	"True"
    Option         "TwinView" "0"
    Option         "metamodes" "DFP-1: 1680x1050_60 +0+0"
    SubSection     "Display"
        Depth       24
    EndSubSection
    Defaultdepth    24
EndSection

Section "DRI"
	Mode 0666
EndSection

Section "Extensions"
    Option  "Composite" "Enable"
EndSection

[kaiwondergoo]

I made it to #4, then I hit a wall...

After enabling xinerama I have to use failsafe gnome to log in, otherwise it sits for 15 seconds and then I'm back to the login. Of course failsafe doesnt load xgl, so I have all three monitors running, xinerama (well, the fake one) running and windows behave as they should, but no 3d accel. I did some goolging but all I have not found the solution yet. Best I have is the following output from .xsession-errors:

/etc/gdm/Xsession: Beginning session setup...
Checking for nVidia: present. 
Starting Xgl with options:  -accel xv:fbo -accel glx:pbuffer -nolisten tcp -fullscreen -br +xinerama 

Fatal server error:
no GLX visuals available

rm: cannot remove `/tmp/.X1-lock': No such file or directory
rm: cannot remove `/tmp/.X11-unix/X1': No such file or directory
xmodmap:  unable to open display ':1'

(x-session-manager:9002): Gtk-WARNING **: cannot open display:

I found one post somewhere that blamed the user not being in the correct group, but after verifying that I was in the group, I'm out of ideas.

I'm going to walk away from this for a bit. Maybe after some lunch I will catch something I missed.

--
kai

[d2globalinc]

What kind of video cards you using in what configuration? and post your xorg.conf - I'll take a look!

thanks!

- Shane

[kaiwondergoo]

nvidia 8500gt running 2 displays (one dvi (screen0) one dsub (screen1))
nvidia 7600gt running 1 display (dsub (screen2))

the current xorg is partially from running 'nvidia-xconfig --twinview --twinview-orientation=leftof -a' with a little hacking on it. it could be much cleaner. if i turn xinerama off i can run with 3d, but you know, on 1 'screen' spread on 2 displays and, oddly the 3rd display just sits there. if gnome-panel comes up on it (i think only happens if i remove xserver-xgl) i dont get any window manager with it. mostly though its just blank. I can move the mouse to it and i get the default X cursor.

this config will only start in failsafe:

Section "ServerLayout"
    Identifier     "Layout0"
    Screen      0  "Screen0"
    Screen      1  "Screen1" RightOf "Screen0"
    InputDevice    "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
    InputDevice    "Mouse0" "CorePointer"
EndSection

Section "Files"
    RgbPath         "/usr/lib/X11/rgb"
EndSection

Section "Module"
    Load           "dbe"
    Load           "extmod"
    Load           "type1"
    Load           "freetype"
    Load           "glx"
    Load	   "dri"
EndSection

Section "ServerFlags"
    Option         "Xinerama" "1"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
    # generated from default
    Identifier     "Mouse0"
    Driver         "mouse"
    Option         "Protocol" "auto"
    Option         "Device" "/dev/psaux"
    Option         "Emulate3Buttons" "no"
    Option         "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
    # generated from default
    Identifier     "Keyboard0"
    Driver         "kbd"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
    Identifier     "Monitor0"
    VendorName     "Unknown"
    ModelName      "Unknown"
    HorizSync       30.0 - 110.0
    VertRefresh     50.0 - 150.0
    Option         "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
    Identifier     "Monitor1"
    VendorName     "Unknown"
    ModelName      "Unknown"
    HorizSync       30.0 - 110.0
    VertRefresh     50.0 - 150.0
    Option         "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Device"
    Identifier     "Device0"
    Driver         "nvidia"
    VendorName     "NVIDIA Corporation"
    BoardName      "GeForce 8500 GT"
    BusID          "PCI:1:0:0"
EndSection

Section "Device"
    Identifier     "Device1"
    Driver         "nvidia"
    VendorName     "NVIDIA Corporation"
    BoardName      "GeForce 7600 GT"
    BusID          "PCI:2:0:0"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
    Identifier     "Screen0"
    Device         "Device0"
    Monitor        "Monitor0"
    DefaultDepth    24
    Option         "TwinView" "True"
    Option         "MetaModes" "nvidia-auto-select, nvidia-auto-select"
    Option         "TwinViewOrientation" "leftof"
    SubSection     "Display"
        Depth       24
    EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "Screen"
    Identifier     "Screen1"
    Device         "Device1"
    Monitor        "Monitor1"
    DefaultDepth    24
    Option         "TwinView" "True"
    Option         "MetaModes" "nvidia-auto-select, nvidia-auto-select"
    Option         "TwinViewOrientation" "leftof"
    SubSection     "Display"
        Depth       24
    EndSubSection
EndSection


Section "DRI"
	Mode 0666
EndSection

Section "Extensions"
    Option  "Composite" "Enable"
EndSection

this is more verbose, but the results are the same:

Section "ServerLayout"
	Identifier	"Layout0"
	Screen		0  "Screen0" 0 0
	Screen		1  "Screen1" RightOf "Screen0" 
	Screen		2  "Screen2" RightOf "Screen1" 
	InputDevice	"Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
	InputDevice	"Mouse0" "CorePointer"
	Option 	   	"AIGLX" "true"
	Option	   	"RenderAccel" "true"
	Option 	   	"AllowGLXWithComposite" "true"
	Option	   	"XGL" "true"
EndSection

Section "Files"
	RgbPath         "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/rgb"
EndSection

Section "Module"
	Load		"dri"
	Load            "dbe"
	Load            "extmod"
	Load            "type1"
	Load            "freetype"
	Load            "glx"
EndSection

Section "ServerFlags"
	Option         	"Xinerama" "1"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
	Identifier     	"Mouse0"
	Driver         	"mouse"
	Option         	"Protocol" "auto"
	Option         	"Device" "/dev/psaux"
	Option         	"Emulate3Buttons" "no"
	Option		"Buttons" "9"
	Option         	"ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
	Identifier     	"Keyboard0"
	Driver         	"kbd"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
    Identifier     	"Monitor0"
    VendorName     	"Samsung"
    ModelName      	"Samsung SyncMaster"
    HorizSync       	30.0 - 81.0
    VertRefresh     	56.0 - 75.0
    Option         	"DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
    Identifier     	"Monitor1"
    VendorName     	"Samsung"
    ModelName      	"Samsung SyncMaster"
    HorizSync       	30.0 - 81.0
    VertRefresh     	56.0 - 75.0
    Option         	"DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
    Identifier     	"Monitor2"
    VendorName     	"Samsung"
    ModelName      	"Samsung SyncMaster"
    HorizSync       	30.0 - 81.0
    VertRefresh     	56.0 - 75.0
EndSection

Section "Device"
    Identifier     	"Videocard0"
    Driver        	"nvidia"
    VendorName     	"NVIDIA Corporation"
    BoardName      	"GeForce 8500 GT"
    BusID          	"PCI:1:0:0"
    Option 	   "AllowGLXWithComposite" "true"
    Option	   "XAANoOffscreenPixmaps"
    Option	   "NoLogo" "true"
    Option	   "backingstore" "true"
    Screen         	0
EndSection

Section "Device"
    Identifier     	"Videocard1"
    Driver         	"nvidia"
    VendorName     	"NVIDIA Corporation"
    BoardName      	"GeForce 8500 GT"
    BusID          	"PCI:1:0:0"
    Option 	   "AllowGLXWithComposite" "true"
    Option	   "XAANoOffscreenPixmaps"
    Option	   "NoLogo" "true"
    Option	   "backingstore" "true"
    Screen          	1
EndSection

Section "Device"
    Identifier     	"Videocard2"
    Driver         	"nvidia"
    VendorName     	"NVIDIA Corporation"
    BoardName      	"GeForce 7600 GT"
    BusID          	"PCI:2:0:0"
    Option 	   "AllowGLXWithComposite" "true"
    Option	   "XAANoOffscreenPixmaps"
    Option	   "NoLogo" "true"
    Option	   "backingstore" "true"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
	Identifier     "Screen0"
	Device         "Videocard0"
	Monitor        "Monitor0"
	DefaultDepth    24
	Option	       "AllowGLXWithComposite" "true"
	Option	       "AddARGBGLXVisuals"	"True"
	Option         "TwinView" "1"
	Option         "metamodes" "DFP-0: 1280x1024"
	SubSection     "Display"
		Depth       24
	EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "Screen"
	Identifier     "Screen1"
	Device         "Videocard1"
	Monitor        "Monitor1"
	DefaultDepth    24
	Option	       "AllowGLXWithComposite" "true"
	Option	       "AddARGBGLXVisuals"	"True"
	Option         "TwinView" "1"
	Option         "metamodes" "DFP-1: 1280x1024"
	SubSection     "Display"
		Depth       24
	EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "Screen"
	Identifier     "Screen2"
	Device         "Videocard2"
	Monitor        "Monitor2"
	DefaultDepth    24
	Option	       "AllowGLXWithComposite" "true"
	Option	       "AddARGBGLXVisuals"	"True"
#	Option         "TwinView" "1"
	Option         "metamodes" "CRT-0: 1280x1024"
	SubSection     "Display"
		Depth       24
	EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "DRI"
	Mode 0666
EndSection

Section "Extensions"
    Option  "Composite" "Enable"
EndSection

[d2globalinc]

I never had any luck with the twinview orientation stuff, also I always set my cord of screen 0 to 0 0 - then used the leftof and rightof settings.. I'll mess with my xorg here and see if i can reprodcue your setup using just 2 of my video cards! - Should have something shortly!

- Shane

[d2globalinc]

WE HAVE A WINNER!

I modified my own config and turned my 6 monitor system into a 3 monitor system for testing - The method is identical to what I use for mine but minus 1&1/2 twinview options .. Here is how it works and what you need -

#1 - Latest Nvidia Drivers using EnvyNG
#2 - xserver-xgl from the package manager installed

#3 - Compiz-Fusion - but you can install that after you get everything running.

The layout is as follows - you can adjust this after you get it working so as to make sure the monitors are next to each other correctly..

XSCREEN0 <-> XSCREEN1

XSCREEN0 "Screen0" is on the left and using Videocard0 and Videocard1 in TwinView mode (Large Virtual Screen).

Videocard0's display size is 1280x1024 located at x=0 and y=0
Videocard1's display size is 1280x1024 located to the right of videocard0 at x=1280 and y=0

XSCREEN1 "Screen1" is set to be located to the right of "Screen0" which means to the right of where Videocard1 ends which will translate to X=2560 y=0 and is using Videocard2!!

Looking at the configuration for Screen1 you can see Videocard2's display size is set to 1280x1024 and located at x=0 y=0 because these coordinates are relative to the X-Screen this Screen1 profile is creating.

Diving deeper into the config file you can see how it works - you have the 3 monitor profiles, then the 3 videocard profiles, then the 2 X-Screen creation profiles.

- Sometimes the fact they use "Screen" under the "Device" sections is a bit confusing - those "Screen" declarations are actually the PORT #'s on the video card - not anything to do with the XServer / Xscreens.. 0 is the first port, 1 second on the same card.. in the metamodes lines you can also set the refresh rate of your monitors by using 1280x1024_60 instead of just 1280x1024 - 60 = 60hz .. the following numbers +0+0 or +1280+0 are the actual x and y coordinates of where the monitor should be placed within the virtual X screen being created by Twinview / Nvidia Drivers - and not to be confused with the overall x and Y cordinates of the entire desktop being created - which is why the screen1 profile's is set to +0+0 (for its postion within the virutal xscreen1).

- What ties it all together is the xinerama option being enabled - and then using xserver-xgl.. Without xserver-xgl it all works together but you can not use compiz-fusion because xinerama disables composite in the default xorg xserver.. also if you dont enable twinview on the two monitors connected to the same video card that messes up the 3d rendering as well - so as a rule (for anyone else reading this) if your connecting two monitors to a single video card - you need to set them up using twinview in order to make sure they will be able to render correctly! - any stragglers or single monitors connected to a single video card are ok without twinview enabled..

Once you have all 3 monitors up and running and the layout is correct (as in you can take you mouse and drag it across them in order) - then your ready to install / configure compiz-fusion -

Once your at this point and have all 3 working with xserver-xgl running you will notice that windows will expand across all 3 monitors when you maximize them! There are a few options you can perform to fix this -(fake xinerama patch, etc) - but the easiest way to do it is to leave xinerama unpatched and just override the detected display settings in compiz fusion - Here is how for your setup:

- Make sure compiz fusion and the compizconfig settings manager are installed.
- Goto your System menu -> Preferences -> CompizConfig Settings Manager
- Goto the "General Options" section
- Click on the "Display Settings" Tab
- Uncheck "Detect Outputs" if its checked!
- now enter your new screen layout!
- for your example you would need to erase whatever is already in there (if anything) and then create 3 new entries by clicking on the New button and creating them one at a time! - those entries would be as follows: (no spaces in these - the format is resolution+xcord+ycord)
1280x1024+0+0
1280x1024+1280+0
1280x1024+2560+0

Thats it! - once you have those entries in there thats letting compiz fusion know how to handle windows and where your screens are located in relation to the desktop and one another there are tons of options that you can change / tweak in that manager but those are the most important to start - so I'll leave that for another howto (if you have issues with windows expanding too much - try choosing "Prefer Smaller Output" in that drop down box below the Outputs section)

I modified your 2nd xorg.conf from above since it had the entire listing of your video cards and monitors - you should be able to just copy and paste this into a blank xorg.conf - reboot - and be ready to go!

Section "ServerLayout"
	Identifier	"Layout0"
	Screen		0  "Screen0" 0 0
	Screen		1  "Screen1" RightOf "Screen0" 
	InputDevice	"Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
	InputDevice	"Mouse0" "CorePointer"
	Option	   	"RenderAccel" "true"
	Option 	   	"AllowGLXWithComposite" "true"
EndSection

Section "Files"
    RgbPath         "/etc/X11/rgb"
    FontPath	    "/usr/share/fonts/X11/misc"
    FontPath	    "/usr/share/fonts/X11/util"
    FontPath	    "/usr/share/fonts/X11/100dpi/:unscaled"
    FontPath	    "/usr/share/fonts/X11/75dpi/:unscaled"
    FontPath	    "/usr/share/fonts/X11/Type1"
    FontPath	    "/usr/share/fonts/X11/100dpi"
    FontPath	    "/usr/share/fonts/X11/75dpi"
    FontPath	    "/usr/share/fonts/X11/encodings"
    FontPath	    "/var/lib/defoma/x-ttcidfont-conf.d/dirs/CID"
    FontPath	    "/var/lib/defoma/x-ttcidfont-conf.d/dirs/TrueType"
EndSection

Section "Module"
	Load            "dbe"
	Load            "extmod"
	Load            "type1"
	Load            "freetype"
	Load            "glx"
EndSection

Section "ServerFlags"
	Option         	"Xinerama" "1"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
	Identifier     	"Mouse0"
	Driver         	"mouse"
	Option         	"Protocol" "auto"
	Option         	"Device" "/dev/psaux"
	Option         	"Emulate3Buttons" "no"
	Option		"Buttons" "9"
	Option         	"ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
	Identifier     	"Keyboard0"
	Driver         	"kbd"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
    Identifier     	"Monitor0"
    VendorName     	"Samsung"
    ModelName      	"Samsung SyncMaster"
    HorizSync       	30.0 - 81.0
    VertRefresh     	56.0 - 75.0
    Option         	"DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
    Identifier     	"Monitor1"
    VendorName     	"Samsung"
    ModelName      	"Samsung SyncMaster"
    HorizSync       	30.0 - 81.0
    VertRefresh     	56.0 - 75.0
    Option         	"DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
    Identifier     	"Monitor2"
    VendorName     	"Samsung"
    ModelName      	"Samsung SyncMaster"
    HorizSync       	30.0 - 81.0
    VertRefresh     	56.0 - 75.0
EndSection

Section "Device"
    Identifier     	"Videocard0"
    Driver        	"nvidia"
    VendorName     	"NVIDIA Corporation"
    BoardName      	"GeForce 8500 GT"
    BusID          	"PCI:1:0:0"
    Option 	   "AllowGLXWithComposite" "true"
    Option         "UseCompositeWrapper" "true"
    Option	   "XAANoOffscreenPixmaps"
    Option	   "NoLogo" "true"
    Option	   "backingstore" "true"
    Option         "TripleBuffer" "true"
    Option	   "AddARGBGLXVisuals"	"true"
    Screen         	0
EndSection

Section "Device"
    Identifier     	"Videocard1"
    Driver         	"nvidia"
    VendorName     	"NVIDIA Corporation"
    BoardName      	"GeForce 8500 GT"
    BusID          	"PCI:1:0:0"
    Option 	   "AllowGLXWithComposite" "true"
    Option         "UseCompositeWrapper" "true"
    Option	   "XAANoOffscreenPixmaps"
    Option	   "NoLogo" "true"
    Option	   "backingstore" "true"
    Option         "TripleBuffer" "true"
    Option	   "AddARGBGLXVisuals"	"true"
    Screen          	1
EndSection

Section "Device"
    Identifier     	"Videocard2"
    Driver         	"nvidia"
    VendorName     	"NVIDIA Corporation"
    BoardName      	"GeForce 7600 GT"
    BusID          	"PCI:2:0:0"
    Option 	   "AllowGLXWithComposite" "true"
    Option         "UseCompositeWrapper" "true"
    Option	   "XAANoOffscreenPixmaps"
    Option	   "NoLogo" "true"
    Option	   "backingstore" "true"
    Option         "TripleBuffer" "true"
    Option	   "AddARGBGLXVisuals"	"true"
    Screen         	0
EndSection

Section "Screen"
	Identifier     "Screen0"
	Device         "Videocard0"
	Monitor        "Monitor0"
	DefaultDepth    24
        Option 	       "AllowGLXWithComposite" "true"
        Option         "UseCompositeWrapper" "true"
        Option	       "AddARGBGLXVisuals" "true"
	Option         "TwinView" "1"
	Option         "metamodes" "DFP-0: 1280x1024 +0+0, DFP-1: 1280x1024 +1280+0"
	SubSection     "Display"
		Depth       24
	EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "Screen"
	Identifier     "Screen1"
	Device         "Videocard2"
	Monitor        "Monitor2"
	DefaultDepth    24
        Option 	       "AllowGLXWithComposite" "true"
        Option         "UseCompositeWrapper" "true"
        Option	       "AddARGBGLXVisuals" "true"
	Option         "TwinView" "0"
	Option         "metamodes" "DFP-0: 1280x1024 +0+0"
	SubSection     "Display"
		Depth       24
	EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "Extensions"
    Option  "Composite" "Enable"
EndSection

Let me know if you have any questions!

3 screens at 1680x1050 with compiz-fusion - This is my 6 screen setup I modified to do testing for yours -



- Good Luck!!

Shane Menshik
D2 GLOBAL INC.

[d2globalinc]

One more helpful thing that allows you to enable / disable xserver-xgl quickly for the current user - helpful during testing..

Create the xserver-xgl config directory for the current user using the following command:

mkdir -p ~/.config/xserver-xgl/

then all you need to do is type this to tell xserver-xgl not to load on the next login of the current user by doing:

touch ~/.config/xserver-xgl/disable

then you can use CTRL-ALT-BACKSPACE to logout / restart X - then re-login and xserver-xgl will not load

Then when you ready to re-enable it, just remove the file you created above by doing:

rm ~/.config/xserver-xgl/disable

then CTRL-ALT-BACKSPACE to logout - then re-log in and xserver-xgl will be enabled! - This is much easier and more efficient than adding / removing it from package manager all the time!


Have fun!

Shane Menshik
D2 GLOBAL INC

[kaiwondergoo]

Latest run over coffee today:

installed clean 8.04.1
updated - reboot
install/run envyng - reboot
installed xserver-xgl - restart X
- I get compiz up on 1 screen, as expected (the three task bars in the following screen shot are there from the previous setup)
copy last xorg.conf over - restart X
- change a 'DFP-1 and a 'DFP-0 to CRT-0 and 'CRT-0' - restart X
- get the twinview stretch on the left and middle monitor, ubuntu brown on the right one, mouse moves between them all as it should, windows maximize to the twinview screen
install and modify the compiz settings
- still seeing the ubuntu brown for the right screen, now windows maximize to all 3 screens - almost like they are going behind the brown screen

taking a screenshot now - the brown doesnt show up at all, just shows as black

remade fakexinerama and replaced libXinerama
- now GDM displays on all three screens fine - stretched (was only on the twinviews before)

thank you for all your help, I will hack in the xorg.conf a little more.

--
kai

[d2globalinc]

post another copy of your current xorg.conf - so you are using CRT's? Those ID's you changed to CRT should have still had the same #'s as mine did - so CRT-1 CRT-0 , etc - Your message says you changed them both to CRT-0? - Might not have read that right.. anyway - Post your xorg - it looks like its creating a seperate screen ontop of the others - should be an easy fix.. Also that fake xinerama - you do not need to install that at all unless you want to make GDM - NOT stretch across all screens.. Compiz will take care of everything after you login using the options I said to change above in the "General Settings".. I'll give instructions on what to do for GDM not stretching once we get the normal login session working - do you have a copy of your .fakexinerama file you put in your user folder? If so rename that file to .OLDfakexinerama and dont make a new one - we will deal with xinerama later after we get your 3 monitors working side by side with one large desktop, etc.

- Thanks

D2G