OpenSUSE Leap 42.2 Plasma 5 will not detect secondary display

English Hardware
1

Hello Guys,

I have a video driver related issue. I installed OpenSUSE Leap 42.2 on my laptop (Lenovo Thinkpad R400) and it can’t use the secondary monitor to display the desktop. Let me explain my setup.
I have the laptop placed in a docking station and attached a monitor through the VGA display port on the dock. I currently use the monitor as my main display device and the laptop screen is not used, since the laptop is not even opened when I start it (basically I use the laptop as a desktop PC with a monitor attached). While for Ubuntu this is not an issue, OpenSUSE will not use the monitor for display.
I have booted OpenSUSE, with the cover of the laptop not opened, and it puts the laptop in sleep mode. The monitor does not show anything. If I boot OpenSUSE with the laptop opened then it uses the laptop’s display to show the desktop.
Not sure what is the issue here, as this is my first time running Linux on a PC (not within a virtual machine). I have Ubuntu installed but I don’t get this issue with it.

Here is the result from running the command “hwinfo --gfxcard”:


mariusv@linux-demi:~> sudo hwinfo --gfxcard
root's password:
09: PCI 02.0: 0300 VGA compatible controller (VGA)              
  [Created at pci.378]
  Unique ID: _Znp.j5duo6BuBmF
  SysFS ID: /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:02.0
  SysFS BusID: 0000:00:02.0
  Hardware Class: graphics card
  Model: "Intel Mobile 4 Series Chipset Integrated Graphics Controller"
  Vendor: pci 0x8086 "Intel Corporation"
  Device: pci 0x2a42 "Mobile 4 Series Chipset Integrated Graphics Controller"
  SubVendor: pci 0x17aa "Lenovo"
  SubDevice: pci 0x20e4 
  Revision: 0x07
  Memory Range: 0xf4400000-0xf47fffff (rw,non-prefetchable)
  Memory Range: 0xd0000000-0xdfffffff (ro,non-prefetchable)
  I/O Ports: 0x1800-0x1807 (rw)
  IRQ: 11 (no events)
  I/O Ports: 0x3c0-0x3df (rw)
  Module Alias: "pci:v00008086d00002A42sv000017AAsd000020E4bc03sc00i00"
  Driver Info #0:
    Driver Status: i915 is active
    Driver Activation Cmd: "modprobe i915"
  Config Status: cfg=no, avail=yes, need=no, active=unknown

10: PCI 02.1: 0380 Display controller
  [Created at pci.378]
  Unique ID: ruGf.EY_WiyTYTN5
  SysFS ID: /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:02.1
  SysFS BusID: 0000:00:02.1
  Hardware Class: graphics card
  Model: "Intel Mobile 4 Series Chipset Integrated Graphics Controller"
  Vendor: pci 0x8086 "Intel Corporation"
  Device: pci 0x2a43 "Mobile 4 Series Chipset Integrated Graphics Controller"
  SubVendor: pci 0x17aa "Lenovo"
  SubDevice: pci 0x20e4 
  Revision: 0x07
  Memory Range: 0xf4200000-0xf42fffff (rw,non-prefetchable)
  Module Alias: "pci:v00008086d00002A43sv000017AAsd000020E4bc03sc80i00"
  Config Status: cfg=no, avail=yes, need=no, active=unknown

Primary display adapter: #9


mariusv@linux-demi:~> /sbin/lspci -nnk | egrep 'VGA|3D|Display' -A3
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: Intel Corporation Mobile 4 Series Chipset Integrated Graphics Controller [8086:2a42] (rev 07)
        Subsystem: Lenovo Device [17aa:20e4]
        Kernel modules: i915
00:02.1 Display controller [0380]: Intel Corporation Mobile 4 Series Chipset Integrated Graphics Controller [8086:2a43] (rev 07)
        Subsystem: Lenovo Device [17aa:20e4]
00:03.0 Communication controller [0780]: Intel Corporation Mobile 4 Series Chipset MEI Controller [8086:2a44] (rev 07)
        Subsystem: Lenovo Device [17aa:20e6]

Can you please help me out? I would like to use the monitor as my main display since it has a higher resolution and better display quality overall.

Thanks a lot for the support.

2

For the suspend issue,in the /etc/systemd/logind.conf file, set up the HandleLidSwitch to your liking … see “man logind.conf” for details.

For enabling the screen, goto systemsetttings/configure desktop > hardware > display and monitor > displays and set it accordingly

3

Hello Tyler_K,

Neither suggestions helped. In the System settings, under display and monitor I cannot find my monitor as a selectable display, only the laptop display, named “default”.

Regarding the suspend issue that you mentioned, I don’t think it is related to my issue.

Thanks.

4

What is reported by xrandr?

5

Hello Tyler,

Here is the code that I get when using the “xrandr” command:


mariusv@linux-demi:~> xrandr
xrandr: Failed to get size of gamma for output default
Screen 0: minimum 1280 x 800, current 1280 x 800, maximum 1280 x 800
default connected primary 1280x800+0+0 0mm x 0mm
   1280x800      76.00*

I tried to use it with “sudo” but is says that it “can’t open the display”.

I have looked in the Yast settings>display to see if the monitor is detected, but couldn’t find it at all. All I could find was the laptop display.

Any idea what is the issue?

Thanks.

6

Umm, unless I didn’t read your first post correctly, I’m pretty sure you conveyed that you have a suspend issue as well. If that is the case, then read the suggestion as it pertains to lid closes and docking.

Revisiting your /lspci output, and what I missed earlier is that, it is clear that the intel kernel driver is not loaded. The output from hwinfo is deceiving.

What output do you have for “cat /proc/cmdline”

7

Tyler,

Here is what the “cat /proc/cmdline” revealed:


mariusv@linux-demi:~> cat /proc/cmdline
BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-4.4.36-8-default root=UUID=55b9d5cc-5d79-462e-a269-8cf427955826 nomodeset resume=/dev/disk/by-uuid/5b997aaf-d9e2-421f-b1e5-359d72303305 splash=silent quiet showopts

Then I should try to load the intel kernel driver.
Not sure if it helps, but I did mention that I have the laptop docked in the docking station and the monitor is connected through the dock to the laptop. When I have the laptop lid closed and boot OpenSUSE after I select to boot OpenSUSE it loads up to the point where the splash screen should start and the loading of the KDE environment, but instead the laptop is put to sleep mode. If I have the lid opened then it boots normally and ignores the monitor.

8

Yes, and you can achieve that by removing the nomodeset boot option, as it effectively prevents the kernel driver from loading. Right now you’d be using the generic fbdev driver. Out of curiosity, why did you have that (nomodeset) placed there?

Not sure if it helps, but I did mention that I have the laptop docked in the docking station and the monitor is connected through the dock to the laptop. When I have the laptop lid closed and boot OpenSUSE after I select to boot OpenSUSE it loads up to the point where the splash screen should start and the loading of the KDE environment, but instead the laptop is put to sleep mode. If I have the lid opened then it boots normally and ignores the monitor.
Unless you changed something, by default, a “lid close” is = suspend. Similarly, the default for “when lid closed and docked” is = ignore.

IIRC, the fbdev driver doesn’t do multi-monitor … there is a single video output, and if your video adapter happens to have multiple outputs, then the signal on all outputs is simply a clone of the one output signal provided by the fbdev. I believe the above logind logic is kicking in after login – simply, because the laptop’s panel (which is attached to the primary output of the video adapter) is not receiving a signal, it believes that it is undocked and a simple “lid closed” has occured; hence sleep. I believe that when the intel driver stack is employed, this should go away.

9

Hello Tyler,

I tried to remove the “nomodeset” option from the CMDLINE file but it just wouldn’t write the changes. I get the Input/Output error message in Nano editor. So, no luck trying to remove it from the file. Any other suggestions?

Is there any way to select a “modeset” ?

Thanks.
Thanks.

10

Use the boatloader module available in Yast > System > Boat Loader > Kernel Parameters … then remove it from the “optional kernel command lne parameter” box, click okay, and your linux boot command will be re-written for the grub boat loader. Next time you reboot your system, you’re kernel drm graphics driver will be able to do a modeset

11

Hey Tyler,

It worked!!

Thanks a lot for all the support that I got from you and the other guys. Now I can enjoy the best linux distro on my monitor, on a larger resolution.

All the best,
Marius.

12

Awesome! Enjoy