Re: [vizstack-users] Configuring Physical Desktops( was RE: Yet another odd problem . . .)

[<Sim...@cs...>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Kumar, Shree [mailto:shr...@hp...] 
> Sent: Tuesday, 18 May 2010 3:47 PM
> To: viz...@li...
> Subject: Re: [vizstack-users] Configuring Physical Desktops( 
> was RE: Yet another odd problem . . .)
> 
> 
> Ah ! 1 point to Manju and Glenn who wanted this functionality 
> earlier. If only I had included this generic functionality. 
> For now, I will consider this as a feature request.
>
Yeah, it's definitely a useful feature to support, since for tiled displays you want odd numbers of rows and columns, in order to put the center of the display in the middle of one monitor, rather than hidden under a bezel. Until GPUs regularly support three or more outputs that's problematic under the current model.
 
> That brings us to what we can do in the current 
> circumstances. Not using all the GPUs in not an option in 
> your case, since it triggers the console keyboard problem.
> 
> Here is one solution :
>   - Create two tiled displays :
>       - first one with two GPUs with dual monitor blocks, and 
> a keyboard and mouse (lets call this "node-LEFT")
>       - one with two GPUs and single monitor blocks (lets 
> call this "node-RIGHT")
>   - Create another script based on "viz-desktop". This script will
>       - Allocate two tiled displays (as opposed to one right now)
>       - Reconfigure the X servers on the tiled display such 
> that the single X server controls all the GPUs
>         - during this, we have to ensure that the left bezel 
> is included for the displays on "node-RIGHT"
>       - Start the desktop
> 
> I am hoping that this will look like a natural solution to 
> your end users. You will retain the ability to switch 
> resolutions as a command line option.
> 
It's a bit of a kludge, but I can see how it should work. We still have the console issue with any subdivision of the display, but I don't think it's too much of an issue to require people to ssh in to do anything outside the norm . . . at least for the moment.

> Let me know if you want to go with this. Do I remember right 
> that you are comfortable with a small amount of python programming ?
>
heh - more than comfortable, I'm pretty familiar with python. I'll take a look at viz-desktop and see what I can do, but I may not have time between other things to make much progress. I'll let you know how it goes.

Simon