Matrox QID problem

[themate]

I have problem running QID low profile configured for dual/quad head with independent screen.
Attached there is my x configuration.
With this I can start my system (SLES 10 SP1) in graphical mode with the two monitor as one single desktop/screen. Also at login screen the two monitor are joined so the username/password field is in the midle of the two monitor.
I would simply use multi head like windows, with desktop stretched desktop over the two monitor and window maximized in only one monitor.
Another problem is SAX, that crash in /usr/share/sax/init.pl line 617 when I try to start it from command line.
Please help me!

[tuxx-home.at]

Section "ServerFlags"
# disabled xinerama, because I want two separate screens
Option "Xinerama" "on"
EndSection

This statement in your xorg.conf doesn't make sense.
Xinerama is the key to having separate desktops, disabling Xinerama will
merge your screens to what you're currently seeing.
Despite this setting being on in your configuration, you're still seeing a
merged setup, but that's because of how the QID has to be configured.

The QID low profile supports merging two outputs together to one logical
screen when using the 'Option "QID" "on"' command in your xorg.conf.
By using the option twice for two separate device sections in your
configuration file, you configured a quadhead setup. Is this what you want?
As far as I understood your posting, you want to have a dualhead independent
setup, is that right?

To achieve this goal, you could try to comment out the 'Option "QID" "on"'
in your device section and see how it fairs.

Also at login screen the two monitor are joined so the username/password
field is in the midle of the two monitor.

This issue should be gone with the above mentioned changes to your
configuration file, but please - after you made the changes - attach
the generated /var/log/Xorg.0.log file to your next message so that I
can see if the changes had any effect on your configuration.

Another problem is SAX, that crash in /usr/share/sax/init.pl line 617 when
I try to start it from command line.

Personally I don't use SuSE and therefore I don't use SAX, so I can't help
you out of the box with this issue, _BUT_ you won't need SAX for
configuring your Matrox graphics card because SAX can't configure it
(currently, no proprietary distribution specific configuration tool can handle
the Matrox P-series cards well because the drivers aren't shipped on the
CDs and Matrox doesn't care about being included in such scripts) so
simply ignore this error and don't use SAX on this system.

[themate]

Section "ServerFlags"
# disabled xinerama, because I want two separate screens
Option "Xinerama" "on"
EndSection

the # is only an old comment. Xinerama is enabled, is QID "on" that merge the monitor.

In my new configuration I have removed all QID "on" option. So, I obtain that the login sceen full fit only the first monitor and the second monitor is black (no video signal).
After login my desktop full fit the first monitor(screen 0) and a "imaginary" second screen (the second monitor is black). If I maximize a window it full fit only one monitor.

I would only get a desktop extended over all the monitor I have (2,3,4,5,6,7.....), with the screen that occupies only one monitor (like windows).
With the configuration I use now it seem to be therefore, but the second screen is not assigned to any monitor. Often when I open a terminal, gedit session, or other program, the window seem to be opened in the second screen but the monitor 2 remains black.

[tuxx-home.at]

Alright, then please try attached configuration file. It should give you a
QID dualhead setup, but I don't know if it will provide independent screens.

You talked about monitors 2,3,4,5,6,7... So, please tell me, how many
monitors do you have and what setup is it that you want to achieve?
I'm currently a bit unsure about what you want to realize.

[themate]

It give me dual head configuration with 1 screen.
I want use 4 independent monitor. If I maximize firefox I want thai it occupies only 1 monitor. With the attached configuration it occupies 2 monitor.
Thanks however.

[tuxx-home.at]

It give me dual head configuration with 1 screen.

Yes, that's what it's supposed to do. This behaviour is the default QID mode
available on your card.
We'll see if it's still possible to make an independent setup, but I don't think
that this is possible...

Once a user had the same problems, please refer to this thread:
[http://matrox.tuxx-home.at/viewtopic.php?t=189]

And in the following thread, some automagic X configuration software
discovered an undocumented option called "QHI" in the Matrox driver.
I don't know if this one works, but it seems to be what you're looking for.
AFAIK, it is not documented anywhere and so I don't think that it will
work, but it's worth a try (QHI = Quad Head Independent).

[http://matrox.tuxx-home.at/viewtopic.php?t=7]

[themate]

I have tried this option and I have obtained two independent screen, but the input of the second monitor is the third output of my QID. So, I think that it's impossible to obtain four independent screen. Other problem that I have found is that windows are isolated in the monitor in which they are opened, without the possibility to move them from a monitor to another, while the mouse can pass from one screen to the other.
Thanks for the help.

[tuxx-home.at]

I have tried this option and I have obtained two independent screen, but the
input of the second monitor is the third output of my QID.

That makes sense due to the fact how the QID chips are built.

Without the QID option in the device sections set, only the first outputs
of each QID chip are used (e.g. 1 and 3), with the QID option set, the
other outputs (e.g. 2 and 4) are controlled.

The reason why you might not be able to move windows across these
two screens may be due to the missing Xinerama extension.

Can I see your configuration and logfiles, please?

[themate]

My actual configuration give me dual head support like Windows with first and third outpuo of QID. I have enabled Xinerama so I can move windows between screens. With QID option the screen 1 and 2 are merged. I need that all screen are independent. I have read that this function is not implemented for linux driver, so I can use 4 monitor but like a dual head.

[tuxx-home.at]

My actual configuration give me dual head support like Windows with first and
third outpuo of QID.

Alright, so dualhead independent on a QID card is possible using your
attached configuration.

I have read that this function is not implemented for linux driver, so I can use
4 monitor but like a dual head.

Have you tried the QHI option mentioned above? It's undocumented, but
I'd give it a try.

Update: Alright, the QHI option is known to the driver (mtx_drv.so) because
on my system it doesn't complain about the option not being used when
I added it to one of my device sections. Additionally, after enabling the
QHI option for one screen, it didn't work anymore, so the QHI option
gets honoured.

I created two sample xorg configuration files for you, please could you
give them a try and report if one of them worked and if they both didn't,
please attach the generated logfiles for both of them to help me sort this
out.

[themate]

The configuration are not working.

[tuxx-home.at]

Are you willing to get this solved or not?
I asked you to attach the logfiles if both configuration files don't work.

Just saying "doesn't work" won't get us further.

[themate]

Sorry.

[tuxx-home.at]

Alright, it seems as if X segfaults with both configurations.

Your last chance seems to be to contact Matrox Tech Support and ask them
how to make use of the QHI option in xorg.conf.

You could also configure the quadhead setup as a QID quad merge setup
(as shown in the documentation and the sample configuration files) and
use a window manager that supports the fake xinerama extension to make
them independent.

[themate]

Fake xinerama extension? GNOME support it?