11.2 KDE Multiple Display Issue NVIDIA

[kizbot777]

I am using a dual independent GPU setup comprised of two NVIDIA GTX 285 cards on OpenSuse 11.2. I am feeding these two cards to four monitors using separate Xsessions for each monitor and Xinerama to combine them into a single X screen (spanned 4 wide). I have the ability to span all 4 monitors and use all 4 of them normally with one exception: the KDE functionality only works on the first monitor (i.e. I cannot configure the background or maximize windows to individual monitors). If I maximize a window that is in a non-primary display, that windows will fly over to the primary display and maximize there. Has anyone seen this behavior before? Thanks for any advice you can provide.

[jdmcdaniel3]

I am using a dual independent GPU setup comprised of two NVIDIA GTX 285 cards on OpenSuse 11.2. I am feeding these two cards to four monitors using separate Xsessions for each monitor and Xinerama to combine them into a single X screen (spanned 4 wide). I have the ability to span all 4 monitors and use all 4 of them normally with one exception: the KDE functionality only works on the first monitor (i.e. I cannot configure the background or maximize windows to individual monitors). If I maximize a window that is in a non-primary display, that windows will fly over to the primary display and maximize there. Has anyone seen this behavior before? Thanks for any advice you can provide.

If you are really using openSUSE 11.2 and did not mean to say 12.1, then you are attempting to use an unsupported version of openSUSE. I use openSUSE 12.1, load the proprietary video driver and find that two monitors on one video card work fine. If you expect your setup to work, I suggest you would need the nVIDIA proprietary video driver loaded into openSUSE 12.1 but only nVIDIA can say for sure if their Linux driver will support this setup.

You can find out more from nVIDIA here: Installing the nVIDIA Video Driver the Hard Way - Blogs - openSUSE Forums

Thank You,

[conram]

Correct me if I'm wrong, if you use the nvidia proprietary driver just be sure that both video cards are supported by the driver that you are going to install.

[kizbot777]

Yes, I am using OpenSuse 11.2 due to a current software baseline requirement at work. This will be updated to 12.x down the road, but that takes time considering how quick the new OpenSuse releases come out. I am using the NVIDIA proprietary driver for the GTX 285 and both of the cards are that model. I can get KDE to display just fine across two monitors using twinview on 11.2 just as one would in 12.1. The issue is that twinview only covers two monitors and I am trying to cascade 4. I can, in fact, extend the monitors as separate X sessions across all 4 monitors just fine. I can move windows, resize them across all monitors, etc. but I cannot get the KDE desktop to apply to all 4. Since all 4 displays work as one huge extended monitor setup, I am led to believe that KDE is not recognizing them all while NVIDIA appears to be configuring them as expected.

[kizbot777]

The posts I have put on here are really the failed end result of what I am trying to achieve. The overall goal is to get KDE to work across four monitors using two identical non-SLI-connected NVIDIA graphics cards on OpenSuse 11.2. Has anyone does such a thing on any OpenSuse release including newer versions? Thank you for any inputs.

[kizbot777]

I installed 12.1 in addition to 11.2 and the issue is not present. It appears that either KDE did not handle the setup I am attempting until a later version or the NVIDIA driver does not support the functionality on 11.2. Either way, it looks like my solution is to upgrade our baseline to a current OpenSuse release. Thank you for the help.

[jdmcdaniel3]

I installed 12.1 in addition to 11.2 and the issue is not present. It appears that either KDE did not handle the setup I am attempting until a later version or the NVIDIA driver does not support the functionality on 11.2. Either way, it looks like my solution is to upgrade our baseline to a current OpenSuse release. Thank you for the help.

Security fixes aside, most such problems as you had require you upgrade to a newer desktop version. Its sounds like you did the right thing and I happy you have found your solution. Before you do an "upgrade" from 11.2 to 12.1, please ask more questions about the process.

Thank You,