[Linux-fbdev-users] Multiple Video Cards

[James L. <ja...@ak...>]

Fedora Core 4 : kernel 2.6.12.1

1. Single Matrox AGP 32MB G400 Dual Head.
All I get is one head. That's it. The other head is black.

2. Single Matrox AGP 16MB G450 Dual Head
From power on all through boot up, the two heads put out exactly the =
same image.

3. Multiple Matrox PCI (Millennium I, II & Mystique)
Beautiful! Works exactly like it should. PCI slot #1 is fb0, #2 is fb1, =
etc. I have 4 different versions of Matrox PCI cards working at the same =
time with a PCI network card.

4. Single Matrox AGP 16MB G450 Dual Head + Multiple Matrox PCI =
(Millennium I, II & Mystique)
From power on all through BIOS and into Linux boot up, the two heads on =
the G450 put out exactly the same image and are the primary display. As =
soon as Tux appears, he's on the first PCI Matrox card and the Linux =
boot continues with that as /dev/fb0. The AGP card is /dev/fb1 and =
additional PCI cards are 2, 3, etc.

5. Single Matrox AGP 32MB G400 Dual Head + Multiple Matrox PCI =
(Millennium I, II & Mystique)
Just one head on the G400 and it is the primary boot display. As soon as =
Tux appears, he's on the first PCI Matrox card and the Linux boot =
continues with that as /dev/fb0. The AGP card is /dev/fb1 and additional =
PCI cards are 2, 3, etc.

There is something else that is a little bit annoying. Every time I =
switch out the video cards, Linux boots up into X. I have a '3' at the =
end of the boot line in grub.conf to enter run level 3 and that works =
every time except for the first time I boot up with a different video =
card. Once I log in to X as root and wait for it to come up I have to =
ctrl-alt-backspace to get out to a shell prompt, where I have to log in =
as root again.

I will try all of this on another machine in Red Hat 9.0 with whatever =
2.4 kernel is sitting there and let you know.

James.   :o)

  ----- Original Message -----=20
  From: James Lehman=20
  To: lin...@li...=20
  Sent: Friday, September 09, 2005 12:08 PM
  Subject: Re: [Linux-fbdev-users] Re: Re: Getting started


  This much I can tell you... The BEST performance I have ever gotten =
out of ANY use of the frame buffer has been with Matrox cards. The last =
time I tried multiple video cards in the same computer was with kernel =
2.4, all PCI Matrox cards in a mobo with an Intel 440 (BX ?) chipset. I =
will try it again and see what happens with 2.6 and let you know.

  If I remember correctly, I have tried it with non Matrox cards and I =
think it sort-of worked, except the frame buffers above zero could not =
be set to anything other than 640x480 @ 8bpp, or something weird like =
that.

  You know Matrox makes multi headed video cards. I have several of =
them. They are AGP and they work just like they should; /dev/fb0 & =
/dev/fb1.

  James.   :o)
    ----- Original Message -----=20
    From: William Estrada=20
    To: ja...@ak... ; lin...@li...=20
    Sent: Friday, September 09, 2005 1:59 AM
    Subject: [Linux-fbdev-users] Re: Re: Getting started


    James,

      I would like to see how you got 5 Frame Buffer devices configured.

      I have one MX 4000-PCI, one Ti 4200-AGP(two ports), one S2-Trio =
and still only=20
    get one FB.  What did you have to do to get 5 FBs?  I'm missing =
something
    here!  What version of Linux are you running.


    --=20
      William Estrada    --  MrUmunhum at popdial dot com  --   =
408-997-0743
      Ymessenger ID: MrUmunhum
      HTTP://Mt-Umunhum-Wireless.net

If you want to use more than one video card then that implies that you =
=3D
need at least one that is PCI. I have had success using 5 Matrox PCI =3D
cards (all slots full).