ThinkWiki - User contributions [en]

Problem with video output switching

2006-12-06T14:34:17Z

Spirit: /* Problems with ATI chipsets : added XFree info */

==Affected Models==
*ThinkPad {{T40}}, {{T40p}}, {{T41}}, {{T41p}}, {{T42}}, {{T42p}}, {{T43}}, {{T43p}}
*ThinkPad {{X22}}, {{X23}}, {{X41}}

==Problem Description==
It is not possible, using the FN-F7 key, to switch between the LCD and the external monitor in the following way
LCD --> external Monitor--> both -->LCD
however ''cloning'' is possible for the Intel chipsets, see below.

===Problems with Intel chipsets===
Disabling the internal LCD (e.g. when using an external Monitor) doesn't seem to work reliably.

* For Xorg 7.022 one can clone the LCD display to an external monitor, adding the following lines to the Device section in the xorg.conf file:
Section "Device"
Identifier "Generic Video Card"
Driver "i810"
Option "Clone" "true"
Option "MonitorLayout" "CRT,LFP"
however you can not switch between these screens as described above, once you use FN-F7 the cloned display is lost.

* i810switch doesn't have any effect. After disabling the LCD it is still on (but the status display of i810switch claims that is is switched off).

* i855crt works see: http://stefan.desire.ch/howto/x41debian/#graphics for details.

* With [[ibm-acpi]], {{cmdroot|echo lcd_disable >/proc/acpi/ibm/video}} works, but {{cmdroot|echo lcd_enable >/proc/acpi/ibm/video}} doesn't work - so one can't enable it anymore after disabling it. (the strange thing is that when switching to a console with {{key|ctrl}}{{key|alt}}{{key|F1}} the LCD display is used for it, so there must be some way to enable it but I can't find out how to control this in X). I've tried this with version 0.8 and version 0.11 of [[ibm-acpi]].
** {{key|Fn}}{{key|F7}} lets me enable the internal LCD after I disabled it with {{cmdroot|echo lcd_disable >/proc/acpi/ibm/video}} on my X41 but it corrupts the crt out

===Problems with ATI chipsets===
*It is a [http://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=2000 known issue] of xorgs radeon driver that {{key|Fn}}{{key|F7}} doesn't work.

You can force the <tt>radeon</tt> driver to enable both CRT and LCD using <tt>Option "MonitorLayout" "LVDS,CRT"</tt> in the <tt>"Device"</tt> section of {{path|/etc/X11/xorg.conf}}. The analogous option for [[fglrx]] is <tt>Option "ForceMonitors" "lvds,crt1"</tt>

The {{cmdroot|radeontool light off}} and {{cmdroot|radeontool dac off}} commands will disable the LCD and CRT if they're been enabled before in the X server, but the corresponding {{cmdroot|radeontool light on}} and {{cmdroot|radeontool dac on}} will not work if the displays have were not enabled when the X server started. Also note that turing off the CRT using this command will not reduce power consumption, nor allow [[fglrx]] to enable power saving modes.

You might try the following: Hit Ctrl+Alt+F1 to switch to a console, hit Fn+F7 to switch video, hit Alt+F7 to switch back to X.

* Similar problems exist with XFree86 4.3 and its radeon driver

You '''can''' switch the display off after switching to tty1 (STRG+ALT+F1) by
* pressing FN+F7 or
* executing ''echo crt_disable > /proc/acpi/ibm/video'' as root

You '''cannot''' do this under X11. The display is always on under X11. I tried
* ''echo auto_disable > /proc/acpi/ibm/video''
* ''echo crt_disable > /proc/acpi/ibm/video''
* ''echo lcd_disable > /proc/acpi/ibm/video''
* pressing FN+F7

but none of the above had any effect. If you switch the display off, then start X or switch to it, the display
will be activated automatically.

====fglrx-Driver====
Output switching with the Closed-Source ati-driver works: Just use {{cmdroot|aticonfig --query-monitor}} and e.g. {{cmdroot |aticonfig --enable-monitor..."}}. You can use those two commands in a script, and bind them to {{key|Fn}}{{key|F7}}

----

Alternative solution: {{path|fglrx}} 8.28.8 will recognize {{key|Fn}}{{key|F7}} directly, if the key is enabled. This obviates the need for scripts which call aticonfig. To enable the hotkey, issue the command {{cmdroot|echo enable,0xffff >/proc/acpi/ibm/hotkey}}. You'll want to have this run both at boot time, and after resume (on my T43, the hotkey mask is reset on resume). For Ubuntu, I've put a script with the command in both the {{path|/etc/acpi/resume.d}}, and {{path|/etc/acpi/start.d}} directories.

==Related Links==
*https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=2000

==Solutions==

====BIOSHotKeys====

Try adding
Option "BiosHotKeys" "on"
to /etc/xorg.conf. For some reason, this is not the default, and will cause xorg to ignore the BIOS's request to switch modes!
This fixes the problem for an X22, with xorg 6.9.0.

User:Spirit

2006-12-06T13:48:51Z

Spirit: created page

using debian sarge on a thinkpad r51.

there's also some info on (mostly) debian-specific r51-stuff, kernel-config files and a bit more in the 'networks'-section of http://www.sp1r1t.org, but i tend to put the interesting things into the thinkwiki, too.
some of the stuff there was created before i knew this page exists.

please see http://www.sp1r1t.org/contact/ for more info on howto contact me.

Additional options for the radeon driver

2006-12-06T13:42:36Z

Spirit: /* Video overlay : explained how to have video overlay on both screens */

Options for the [[radeon]] driver are documented on the radeon(4x) man page.

==External Monitors==

First of all, suppose you want to plug in your laptop into a projector occasionally, but you
don't want to restart X when you do so.
The easiest thing is to not use any of the CRT2 options and use

Option "MonitorLayout" "LVDS,NONE"

The vga port will carry the same signal as the laptop display
(at least on my T42p). If the projector does not support the resolution, you can change it using xrandr.

===Using Xinerama===

You can use '''MergedFB''' to provide dualhead '''Xinerama'''-like setups. MergedFB's pseudo-Xinerama is not Xorg server's Xinerama. You don't have to enable Xorg server's Xinerama to use MergedFB's pseudo-Xinerama. However, applications compiled with Xinerama support (Gentoo users USE="xinerama") can interpret pseudo-Xinerama hints, for example, to maximize to a single monitor instead of spanning two monitors.

The following (partial) '''Xorg''' config will make the Radeon card use '''1024x768''' on the internal lcd display and '''1280x1024''' on the external ('''Note''': only one screen/monitor section is needed (it controls the setup of the internal monitor) even though we have two displays):
'''N.B.:''' Modes used in the ''MetaModes'' also have to be present in the ''screen'' modes section.

Section "Device"
Identifier "ATI"
Driver "radeon"
'''# accelration'''
Option "AGPMode" "4"
Option "EnablePageFlip" "on"
Option "RenderAccel" "on"
'''# enable (partial) PowerPlay features'''
Option "DynamicClocks" "on"
'''# use bios hot keys on thinkpad (aka fn+f7)'''
Option "BIOSHotkeys" "on"
'''# enable radeon specific xinerama'''
Option "MergedFB" "true"
Option "CRT2Position" "RightOf"
Option "CRT2Hsync" "50-75"
Option "CRT2VRefresh" "30-82"
Option "MetaModes" "1024x768-1280x1024"
Option "MergedNonRectangular" "true"
BusID "PCI:1:0:0"
EndSection
Section "Monitor"
Identifier "InternalLCD"
Option "DPMS"
EndSection
Section "Screen"
Identifier "Default Screen"
Device "ATI"
Monitor "InternalLCD"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
Modes "1024x768"
EndSubSection
EndSection

Note: The '''CRT2''' directives always applies for the external monitore regardless of type (LCD, CRT...). The option '''MergedNonRectangular''' is needed to force the screens into two different sizes.

===External Monitors and Docking Stations/Port Replicators===
I seems that '''Xorg''' incorectly discovers the external displays when connected to a docking station/port replicator - the only solution to this problem (at least that I know of) is to start the laptop (and boot all the way into X) prior to inserting it in the dock.

It also happens that if you are attempting to use the mergedFB trick to
do dual head with out a docking station, you have to start X on the laptop
LCD first, then plug a monitor into the VGA port. If the external monitor
is already plugged in, the internal LCD will be blank.

===External Monitors and FireGL Boards with x.org 7===
x.org release 7, the modular release, broke mergedfb mode with FireGL boards (t4xp systems). Dual screen displays hard locked the machine in certain cases. This is fixed in x.org cvs. Fedora Core 5 (and possibly other distros using x.org 7) can get a new version of radeon_drv.so [http://www.marcuswatkins.net/firegl_xorg7_fedora.html here].

==AGP speed==

By default, the open source radeon driver forces 1x AGP speed. Quote from the developers:

tuning to the highest speed possible has caused hangs on some boxes, with no
discernable pattern, so we default to 'slow but safe' whilst giving the option
to go fast if the user wants to try it.

Higher speeds can be enabled by adding '''Option "AGPMode" "X"''' (where X is a number) in the '''Device''' section in {{path|/etc/X11/xorg.conf}}.

Section "Device"
Identifier "Videocard0"
Driver "radeon"
VendorName "IBM Thinkpad"
BoardName "ATIdd Mobility FireGL 7800"
'''Option "AGPMode" "4"'''
EndSection

With this option enabled (set to 4x speed), the X11 server should print ({{path|/var/log/Xorg.0.log}}):

(**) RADEON(0): Option "AGPMode" "4"
(**) RADEON(0): Using AGP 4x mode

==AGP Fast Writes==

By default, the open source radeon driver disables AGP Fast Writes. Fast Writes can be enabled by adding '''Option "AGPFastWrite" "yes"''' in the '''Device''' section in {{path|/etc/X11/xorg.conf}}.

Section "Device"
Identifier "Videocard0"
Driver "radeon"
VendorName "IBM Thinkpad"
BoardName "ATI Mobility FireGL 7800"
'''Option "AGPFastWrite" "yes"'''
EndSection

==Dynamic Clock scaling==

Please see:

*[[How to make use of Graphics Chips Power Management features]] <tt>(save even more battery power)</tt>
*[https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=2187 Xorg bug] <tt>DynamicClocks may hang your machine</tt>

==Color Tiling==

ColorTiling is supposed to be enabled by default. But, it looks like setting it explicitely to "on" increases the FPS in glxgears.

Option "ColorTiling" "on"

==Acceleration Architecture==

By default, the XAA architecture is used. EXA is newer and supposed to have better performance. It looks like it reduces the FPS in glxgears (maybe because it disables Page Flip) but makes the Composite extension be fast.

Option "AccelMethod" "EXA"

==Page Flip==

Page Flip increases performance but is not always supported. It will be disabled if the EXA architecture is used.

Option "EnablePageFlip" "on"

==Video overlay==

When the video overlay is used (e.g., by most video players) in dual-screen configuration, the content will be shown only on one head (LCD or CRT) and the other will display a blank rectangle. To control which head displays the video, use the following:

Option "OverlayOnCRTC2" "on"

Note : You may want to have the video overlay on ''both'' Screens. Simply add the following 2 lines :

Option "OverlayOnCRTC1" "on"
Option "OverlayOnCRTC2" "on"

To switch on the fly, use these commands:

:{{cmd|xvattr -a XV_SWITCHCRT -v 0|}}   (LCD)
:{{cmd|xvattr -a XV_SWITCHCRT -v 1|}}   (CRT)

{{HINT|You can configure [[acpid]] to execute these commands automatically when the lid is opened or closed.}}

== Related Links ==
*[http://www.x.org/X11R6.8.2/doc/radeon.4.html xorg 6.8.2 Radeon manual page]