FC10 - Dual monitor with Twinview: panels not spanning desktop

[luminarycrush]

I've searched on this topic and not found anything in the end helpful, so I'll lob a new thread.

I just installed FC10 (formerly FC8 - did new install/not upgrade) and can't replicate my dual-monitor behavior from FC8. Using an Nvidia 7600GT with dual DVI outputs.

Old behavior (FC8):
One virtual screen (dual 20" LCD) with resolution 3200x1200 (1600x1200 x2) using Twinview
Top/bottom panels span the virtual screen
"maximize" a window maximizes across both screens
"login" window has login in the center of the screen

New behavior (FC10):
One virtual screen (dual 20" LCD) with resolution 3200x1200 (1600x1200 x2) using Twinview
Top/bottom panels exist on only left screen
"maximize" a window maximizes to just one screen
"login" window has login on just one screen (sometimes randomly switches from left to right)

I attempted to use my old FC8 xorg.conf, which did not work. I've tried messing with adding the "Virtual" keyword to 'xorg.conf' and some other sections I copy/pasted in from my old FC8 xorg.conf, but to be honest it in the end was 'just working' in FC8 and I didn't have to rummage around xorg.conf.

Any thoughts? Here's my current FC10 xorg.conf file - the only thing I manually added was the 'Virtual' setting, which made no difference.

Thanks...

# nvidia-settings: X configuration file generated by nvidia-settings
# nvidia-settings: version 1.0 (buildmeister@builder63) Thu Apr 16 19:37:21 PDT 2009


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

Section "Files"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/default/Type1"
EndSection

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

Section "ServerFlags"
Option "Xinerama" "0"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"

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

Section "InputDevice"

# generated from data in "/etc/sysconfig/keyboard"
Identifier "Keyboard0"
Driver "kbd"
Option "XkbLayout" "us"
Option "XkbModel" "pc105"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"

# HorizSync source: edid, VertRefresh source: edid
Identifier "Monitor0"
VendorName "Unknown"
ModelName "DELL 2001FP"
HorizSync 31.0 - 80.0
VertRefresh 56.0 - 76.0
Option "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "Device0"
Driver "nvidia"
VendorName "NVIDIA Corporation"
BoardName "GeForce 7600 GT"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen0"
Device "Device0"
Monitor "Monitor0"
DefaultDepth 24
Option "TwinView" "1"
Option "TwinViewXineramaInfoOrder" "DFP-0"
Option "metamodes" "DFP-0: 1600x1200 +0+0, DFP-1: 1600x1200 +1600+0; DFP-0: NULL, DFP-1: nvidia-auto-select +0+0; DFP-0: 1400x1050 +0+0, DFP-1: nvidia-auto-select +1400+0; DFP-0: 1280x1024 +0+0, DFP-1: nvidia-auto-select +1280+0; DFP-0: 1280x960 +0+0, DFP-1: nvidia-auto-select +1280+0; DFP-0: 1152x864 +0+0, DFP-1: nvidia-auto-select +1152+0; DFP-0: 1024x768 +0+0, DFP-1: nvidia-auto-select +1024+0; DFP-0: 800x600 +0+0, DFP-1: nvidia-auto-select +800+0; DFP-0: 640x480 +0+0, DFP-1: nvidia-auto-select +640+0"
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
Virtual 3200 1200
EndSubSection
EndSection

[antaresCH]

I have the same problem with my Redhat Enterprise Linux 5.4.
Can anyone help me finding the setting to span panels across two screens (with Twinview)?

[bodhi.zazen]

IMO Gnome is not the best WM for multiple monitors. I have had better luck with XFCE and KDE.

[antaresCH]

I found a solution by adding two more lines:
Option "Xinerama" "1"
Option "NoTwinViewXineramaInfo" "True"
to xorg.conf.
It is better but now windows maximize over both screens an minimize to the panel on the left side screen, even if the windows was dragged previously to the right screen.

I know that I saw the behavior I wish with RHEL or Fedora, I just don't remember if xorg.conf or the windowmanager is responsible for it.

Section Screen
    Identifier     "Screen0"
    Device         "Device0"
    Monitor        "Monitor0"
    DefaultDepth    24
    Option         "TwinView" "1"
    Option         "Xinerama" "1"
    Option         "TwinViewXineramaInfoOrder" "DFP-0"
    Option         "NoTwinViewXineramaInfo" "True"
    Option         "metamodes" "DFP-0: 1920x1080_60 +0+0, DFP-1: 1920x1080_60 +1920+0"
    SubSection     "Display"
        Depth       24
    EndSubSection
EndSection

---------- Post added at 12:54 PM CDT ---------- Previous post was at 12:11 PM CDT ----------

The two options (see above) can be omitted if Xinerama is enabled properly:

Section "ServerLayout"
    Identifier     "Layout0"
    Screen      0  "Screen0" 0 0
    InputDevice    "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
    InputDevice    "Mouse0" "CorePointer"
    Option "Xinerama" "True"
EndSection

and later on

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

I however still lack the feature that I could maximize and minimize to left and right screen according to where I have dragged the app before.

---------- Post added at 02:21 PM CDT ---------- Previous post was at 12:54 PM CDT ----------

Well, I got a solution!!! And it is so easy that I have to ask myself why I could not think of that earlier.

Let me first summarize the above posts (should anyone have similar problems):
I was able to configure Twinview where the gnome panel is only visible on one monitor, when maximizing a window it is maximized to the left screen only; - Or I was able to setup one large screen (using Xinerama and Twinview) where the gnome panel was expanded to both monitors and when maximizing a window it was maximized over both monitors;

In order to be able to maximize (and minimize) to both screens according to the position of the application, and thereby get the impression of a spanned panel is simply achieved by adding another gnome panel to the second screen.

Step by Step Solution:
1) Configure xorg.conf to use Twinview with both screens, so that the panel spans only one screen but windows can be dragged over to the second screen (xorg.conf below)
2) Right click a blank space on the panel (which is only spanning one screen)
3) Select "New Panel"
4) Drag new panel to right screen bottom
5) Right click new panel and select "Add to Panel..."
6) Scroll until you find "Window List"

Yay, now the apps just behave like I want them to do, just don't forget to save the session.
Of course you can add and configure as many panels with all the features you like.
Even though the windows now maximize to one of the screens, it is still possible to manually maximize them over both the screens (which is rarely needed).

Should you use compiz:
Setting the cube option to 'one big cube' let it rotate over both screens and the background image is also shown as one background image over both screens;


Here my actual xorg.conf:

# nvidia-settings: X configuration file generated by nvidia-settings
# nvidia-settings:  version 1.0  (buildmeister@builder62)  Thu Feb  5 00:09:30 PST 2009


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

Section "Files"
    FontPath        "unix/:7100"
EndSection

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

Section "ServerFlags"
    Option         "Xinerama" "0"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"

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

Section "InputDevice"

    # generated from data in "/etc/sysconfig/keyboard"
    Identifier     "Keyboard0"
    Driver         "kbd"
    Option         "XkbLayout" "us"
    Option         "XkbModel" "pc105"
EndSection
Section "Monitor"

    # HorizSync source: edid, VertRefresh source: edid
    Identifier     "Monitor0"
    VendorName     "Unknown"
    ModelName      "HP w2338h"
    HorizSync       24.0 - 83.0
    VertRefresh     48.0 - 76.0
    Option         "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Device"
    Identifier     "Device0"
    Driver         "nvidia"
    VendorName     "NVIDIA Corporation"
    BoardName      "Quadro NVS 295"
EndSection

Section "Screen"

    Identifier     "Screen0"
    Device         "Device0"
    Monitor        "Monitor0"
    DefaultDepth    24
    Option         "TwinView" "1"
    Option         "TwinViewXineramaInfoOrder" "DFP-0"
    Option         "metamodes" "DFP-0: 1920x1080_60 +0+0, DFP-1: 1920x1080_60 +1920+0"
    SubSection     "Display"
        Depth       24
    EndSubSection
EndSection

[benbenny]

Originally Posted by antaresCH

Step by Step Solution:
1) Configure xorg.conf to use Twinview with both screens, so that the panel spans only one screen but windows can be dragged over to the second screen (xorg.conf below)
2) Right click a blank space on the panel (which is only spanning one screen)
3) Select "New Panel"
4) Drag new panel to right screen bottom
5) Right click new panel and select "Add to Panel..."
6) Scroll until you find "Window List"

[/CODE]

Once I create a new panel Im not able to drag it. It is fixed to either top, bottom, left or right of the left screen. How does one make it transportable?

Cheers

[duncombe]

Originally Posted by benbenny

Once I create a new panel Im not able to drag it. It is fixed to either top, bottom, left or right of the left screen. How does one make it transportable?

Cheers

Seems that not being able to drag a panel is due to the panel being maximized. Go to panel properties and untick expand. Panel now becomes movable. Once in position, you still have to futz with the orientation, but at least you can put it anywhere you want. Then check expand again and it should place itself correctly.