Multi-monitor orientation at boot time

English Applications
1

opensuse v12.2
ati 470 (dual dvi-d ports)
Viewsonic vp2320 monitors (1600 x 1200)

I have set a workstation with two (old-ish) monitors oriented in portrait mode so that the overall size is 2400 x1600 (2 x 1200 x 1600). It all works fine after logging in to an account.

Boot up, however, is unusual. Both monitors display in landscape and both show the same information. And stay that way until after a log in.

Is there a way to at least have the boot screen show in portrait mode?

[rant]
Why wait until after a login to set the final monitor disposition? It is not like people are going to be twirling the monitors for each account.
[/rant]

2

I think part of the background to this is that you should know where you configured the monitors to be treated like this. I bet it was in the desktop (which one, you forget to mention). And when you did, you did that as user of that desktop. And yes, that does not influence any other users desktop. And it certainly does not work on anything that runs outside the desktop.

3

The Graphics setup is a desktop setting. KDE can’t set the default until it is loaded and will set what has been made the default. If using the nVIDIA proprietary video driver, you might get the right monitor setup in the login screen, but as I remember, it works just as you suggest. Consider that without the desktop being loaded, all is in terminal text mode.

Thank You,

4

If you want your desired display configuration to take effect as soon as the X-server starts, then you need to make the changes via the Xorg config files (located in the /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/ directory).

The desktop configuration tools rely on the X Resize, Rotate and Reflect Extension (RandR) instead.

5

Along with the desktop environment, it would be useful to know which graphic driver you’re using for your ATI hardware. That may influence the config approach. (The proprietary drivers come with their own config tools).

6

The video is Gallium 0.4 on RV740.

Is there a GUI for updating the X configuration? (There is nothing in Yast.) If not, in which of the conf files do I place said information?

7

I assume you’re using the default radeon driver? Have you considered installing the proprietary driver? Then you can use the accompanying graphical proprietary tools to configure Xorg.

8

If using the open source drivers, then apart from the xrandr-based desktop config utilities, the Xorg configuration for multi-monitor set-ups requires the user to be familiar with editing system files (root privileges required). It is not a trivial exercise for the uninitiated.

This might be helpful to you:

X.Org/Dual Monitors - Gentoo Linux Wiki

9

None of what is said above will help the OP in his question:

Boot up, however, is unusual. Both monitors display in landscape and both show the same information. And stay that way until after a log in.

Is there a way to at least have the boot screen show in portrait mode?

There is no X during boot.

10

jimoe666 wrote:
> deano_ferrari;2511293 Wrote:
>> If you want your desired display configuration to take effect as soon as
>> the X-server starts, then you need to make the changes via the Xorg
>> config files (located in the /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/ directory).
>>
>> The desktop configuration tools rely on the X Resize, Rotate and
>> Reflect -Extension- (RandR) instead.
> The video is Gallium 0.4 on RV740.
>
> Is there a GUI for updating the X configuration? (There is nothing in
> Yast.) If not, in which of the conf files do I place said information?

Note that no change to the X configuration is going to affect the boot
screen.

I run a system with a single monitor in portrait mode. The boot screen
(whether it’s Xmas penguins or a scrolling text log) is sideways (i.e.
landscape-mode) and the display switches to portrait mode when X starts up.

11

Boot up, however, is unusual. Both monitors display in landscape and both show the same information. And stay that way until after a log in.

All here have tried to explain (in different words) that any Xorg configuration made will only take effect when the X-server is started. The boot screen prior to that will be as you described, regardless. Desktop configuration only takes effect after login occurs.

12

Thank you for your responses and insight. I understand fairly clearly what happens during boot and after log in. There is no real problem with looking at sideways text until logging in.

13

This struck my curiosity. Why is this rotation? Is this because the monitor is physically rotated 90 degrees ? (ie by stating your ‘single monitor in portrait mode’ you mean the monitor is physically rotated 90 degrees to a portrait mode (apologies for my poor lack of comprehension here).

It also has me pondering the capabilities of grub2. I assume it has no capability to rotate the initial display 90 degrees.

14

It’s determined by the capability of the framebuffer in use. For example, ‘fbcon’ can apparently offer the ability to rotate a console display:

Linux Kernel Documentation :: fb : fbcon.txt

I’ve never played with fbcon, but it may be of use to the OP.