Option "CRT2Position" "RightOf"
EndSection
The MergedFB option enables dual video output. CRT2HSync and CRT2VRefresh set the horizontal and vertical frequency ranges for the second monitor (the settings for the primary monitor are in the Monitor section of the file), and the MetaModes option sets the resolution of the two displays. MergedXinerama enables sending display hints to applications, and CRT2Position sets the the position of the second display relative to the first for the purpose of mouse movement and window positioning (possible values are Above , Below , LeftOf , or RightOf ).
Restart the X server by changing to runlevel 3 and then back to 5, by restarting the system, or by terminating the running X server with Ctrl-Alt-Backspace (save your work first!). When the X server restarts, both displays should be active.
3.4.1.3. Configuring dual video on an ATI video card using the ATI closed source driver
The ATI closed source driver is configured in much the same way as the other drivers. First, configure and test your system using the ATI closed source driver fglrx , and then add the lines highlighted in bold to the Device section of your /etc/X11/xorg.conf :
Section "Device"
Identifier "Card0"
Driver "fglrx"
VendorName "ATI"
BoardName "ATI 7500"
BusID "PCI:1:0:0"
Option "DesktopSetup" "0x00000200"
Option "HSync2" "31.0 - 80.0"
Option "VRefresh2" "50.0 - 75.0"
EndSection
The DesktopSetup option enables dual video output and specifies that the monitor attached to connector 1 is on the left; change this value to "0x00000201" if the monitors are reversed (it's not always apparent whether the internal or external monitor is attached to connector 1). HSync2 and VRefresh2 set the horizontal and vertical frequency ranges for the second monitor (the settings for the primary monitor are in the Monitor section of the file). The resolutions will automatically be selected from available options by the device driver.
Restart the X server by changing to runlevel 3 and then back to 5, by restarting the system, or by terminating the running X server with Ctrl-Alt-Backspace (save your work first!). When the X server restarts, the two monitors should display two halves of the desktop.
3.4.2. How Does It Work?
The X server contains code to manage two (or more) separate video cards, combining them into a single desktop. However, the X.org server and the configuration file layout were never really designed for multiple outputs from one card controlled by one driver; for example, there is no way to associate more than one Monitor section in the configuration file with a single Device (video card) section.
Some video card drivers have been enhanced to support multiple video outputs, and in order to fit within the X.org configuration file format, the configuration information for the second monitor is placed in the Device section.
There are two ways to use multiple monitors as part of a single display in X:
Each monitor can be given a distinct Screen number, which enables output to be sent to a specific monitor but prevents windows from spanning displays or being moved from one display to another.
Use Xinerama, which is named after the old Cinerama movie technology and that combines multiple monitors into a single large display, permitting windows to span monitors and to be moved between monitors.
All of the X.org video card drivers that support multiple video outputs use the Xinerama approach, but the Xinerama extensions used to inform applications of the underlying monitor geometry may be enabled or disabled using configuration options (with the exception of the ATI driver, which does not offer this capability). This information is particularly useful to window managers because it enables the window manager to correctly center dialogs in the middle of the monitor instead of the middle of the virtual desktop, and to make maximized windows fill a monitor instead of spanning monitors.
3.4.3. What About...
3.4.3.1. ...using dual video output with another video driver?
Very few of the other X.org video drivers support multiple video outputs. If you have another driver and want to see the options supported, look for a manpage for your driver. For example, to see the driver options for the Intel 810 adapter:
$ man i810
3.4.4. Where Can I Learn More?
The manpages for the radeon driver
NVIDIA closed-source driver information from /usr/share/doc/NVIDIA_GLX-1.0/README.txt
Chapter 4. Basic System Management
In order to maintain your system effectively, it's necessary to learn some basic system management skills. This chapter covers these essential skills.
With a small investment in time, you'll be able to adjust your system configuration, keep the filesystem under control, disable unused services, and identify and stop rogue processes. I'll cover the basics of performing these operations using both graphical and command-line tools, both locally and remotely.
4.1. Using the Command Line
Many system management tasks can be performed using either of the graphical user interfaces provided with Fedora (i.e., GNOME or KDE). However, most power users prefer the command line for system management work because they find it faster, more consistent between different versions of Linux, and easier to access remotely. The command line is also called a shell prompt , because the commands are processed by a program called a shell; the standard shell on a Fedora system is the Bourne-again shell ( bash ).
4.1.1. How Do I Do That?
If you are logged in to the system through the graphical user interface, access the command line through the terminal program. Select the menu option Applications→Accessories→Terminal (System→Terminal in KDE), or right-click on the desktop background and select Konsole under KDE.
If you find yourself using the terminal frequently, you can make it easier to launch: right-click on the Terminal option in the application menu and select "Add this launcher to panel." A new panel icon will appear that will launch a new terminal when clicked.
If you have logged in to the system through a character-mode login screen or an SSH login, you will automatically be presented with a command line.
4.1.1.1. Understanding the shell prompt
The standard shell prompt looks like this:
[chris@concord2 ~]$
This message is an invitation to enter a command. It shows the name of the user ( chris ), the computer being used ( concord2 ), and the current working directory within the filesystem ( ~ , meaning the user's home directory). The last character of the prompt, $ , indicates that this is a normal user's prompt, as opposed to the system administrator's prompt, which ends with # .