[GM45] (Intel, KMS) xrandr cannot change relative positions of outputs

[nickolai]

Binary package hint: xorg

Running kernel 2.6.31-3.19 and xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.7.99.901+git20090702.74227141-0ubuntu1 on a Thinkpad W500 laptop, I cannot get xrandr to place the VGA output anywhere but to the right of the LVDS output.

In particular, I used to be able to run "xrandr --output VGA --auto --above LVDS" or "xrandr --output VGA --auto --below LVDS" to get them stacked vertically with respect to each other. Now, these commands do nothing; the VGA output gets always placed to the right of LVDS and none of these xrandr invocations change it.

Another minor annoyance: previously, running "xrandr" would only list the state of the different outputs. Now, running "xrandr" seems to automatically enable the VGA output, without any request on my behalf to do so.

ProblemType: Bug
Architecture: amd64
Date: Fri Jul 17 13:49:50 2009
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 9.10
MachineType: LENOVO 4058CTO
Package: xorg 1:7.4+3ubuntu5
ProcCmdLine: root=UUID=462b8d55-f4b6-40d1-bd10-0c0ce38ba988 ro
ProcEnviron:
 PATH=(custom, user)
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
 LC_PAPER=en_US.UTF-8
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.31-3.19-generic
RelatedPackageVersions:
 xserver-xorg 1:7.4+3ubuntu5
 libgl1-mesa-glx 7.5~rc4-1ubuntu3
 libdrm2 2.4.11-1ubuntu1
 xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.7.99.901+git20090702.74227141-0ubuntu1
 xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:6.12.99+git20090629.f39cafc5-0ubuntu1
SourcePackage: xorg
Uname: Linux 2.6.31-3-generic x86_64
dmi.bios.date: 09/24/2008
dmi.bios.vendor: LENOVO
dmi.bios.version: 6FET46WW (1.16 )
dmi.board.name: 4058CTO
dmi.board.vendor: LENOVO
dmi.board.version: Not Available
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: No Asset Information
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: LENOVO
dmi.chassis.version: Not Available
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnLENOVO:bvr6FET46WW(1.16):bd09/24/2008:svnLENOVO:pn4058CTO:pvrThinkPadW500:rvnLENOVO:rn4058CTO:rvrNotAvailable:cvnLENOVO:ct10:cvrNotAvailable:
dmi.product.name: 4058CTO
dmi.product.version: ThinkPad W500
dmi.sys.vendor: LENOVO
fglrx: Not loaded
system:
 distro: Ubuntu
 architecture: x86_64kernel: 2.6.31-3-generic

[nickolai (nickolai)]

It turns out things are even worse than I originally stated for xrandr under KMS. The only thing xrandr appears to be able to do is to set every output to default mode, and arrange them horizontally. It's not possible to disable an output (xrandr --output VGA --off), or to change modes (xrandr --output VGA --mode 640x480); those commands have no effect at all.

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

Forwarding this bug from Ubuntu reporter nickolai:
http://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xserver-xorg-video-intel/+bug/400797

[Problem]
Running kernel 2.6.31-3.19 and xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.7.99.901+git20090702.74227141-0ubuntu1 on a Thinkpad W500 laptop, I cannot get xrandr to place the VGA output anywhere but to the right of the LVDS output.

[Discussion]
In particular, I used to be able to run "xrandr --output VGA --auto --above LVDS" or "xrandr --output VGA --auto --below LVDS" to get them stacked vertically with respect to each other. Now, these commands do nothing; the VGA output gets always placed to the right of LVDS and none of these xrandr invocations change it.

Another minor annoyance: previously, running "xrandr" would only list the state of the different outputs. Now, running "xrandr" seems to automatically enable the VGA output, without any request on my behalf to do so.

It turns out things are even worse than I originally stated for xrandr under KMS. The only thing xrandr appears to be able to do is to set every output to default mode, and arrange them horizontally. It's not possible to disable an output (xrandr --output VGA --off), or to change modes (xrandr --output VGA --mode 640x480); those commands have no effect at all.

Architecture: amd64
Date: Fri Jul 17 13:49:50 2009
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 9.10
MachineType: LENOVO 4058CTO
Package: xorg 1:7.4+3ubuntu5
ProcCmdLine: root=UUID=462b8d55-f4b6-40d1-bd10-0c0ce38ba988 ro
ProcEnviron:
 PATH=(custom, user)
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8 LC_PAPER=en_US.UTF-8
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.31-3.19-generic
RelatedPackageVersions:
 xserver-xorg 1:7.4+3ubuntu5
 libgl1-mesa-glx 7.5~rc4-1ubuntu3
 libdrm2 2.4.11-1ubuntu1
 xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.7.99.901+git20090702.74227141-0ubuntu1
 xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:6.12.99+git20090629.f39cafc5-0ubuntu1
SourcePackage: xorg
Uname: Linux 2.6.31-3-generic x86_64
dmi.bios.date: 09/24/2008
dmi.bios.vendor: LENOVO
dmi.bios.version: 6FET46WW (1.16 )
dmi.board.name: 4058CTO
dmi.board.vendor: LENOVO
dmi.board.version: Not Available
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: No Asset Information
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: LENOVO
dmi.chassis.version: Not Available
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnLENOVO:bvr6FET46WW(1.16):bd09/24/2008:svnLENOVO:pn4058CTO:pvrThinkPadW500:rvnLENOVO:rn4058CTO:rvrNotAvailable:cvnLENOVO:ct10:cvrNotAvailable:
dmi.product.name: 4058CTO
dmi.product.version: ThinkPad W500
dmi.sys.vendor: LENOVO

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

Created an attachment (id=28092)
BootDmesg.gz

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

Created an attachment (id=28093)
CurrentDmesg.txt

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

Created an attachment (id=28094)
XorgLog.txt

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

Created an attachment (id=28095)
Xrandr.txt

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

Created an attachment (id=28096)
monitors.xml.txt

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

Hi Nickolai,

I've forwarded your bug upstream to https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=22991 and subscribed you to it - please follow up with upstream on any further info they need.

[abrouwers (abrouwers)]

Hello,

I've hit this on slackware too. Using a 2.6.30.X kernel, I use the following the set multiple monitors for my laptop:

xrandr --output LVDS --mode 1280x800 --output VGA --mode 1280x1024 -r 60 --pos 1280x0

As soon as I enable KMS, the command simple does not work. When I startx, I get cloned output on each monitor, and am unable to over-ride it with xrandr. Disabling KMS and attempting again, the xrandr command works exactly as expected.

Running x-server 1.6.3, mesa 7.5, intel 2.8.0, and xrandr 1.3 (slackware's -current, stock, with the exception of the kernel). My hardware is a Lenovo thinkpad, with a 965 chipset.

[abrouwers (abrouwers)]

(In reply to comment #6)
> Hello,
>
> I've hit this on slackware too. Using a 2.6.30.X kernel, I use the following
> the set multiple monitors for my laptop:
>
> xrandr --output LVDS --mode 1280x800 --output VGA --mode 1280x1024 -r 60 --pos
> 1280x0
>
> As soon as I enable KMS, the command simple does not work. When I startx, I
> get cloned output on each monitor, and am unable to over-ride it with xrandr.
> Disabling KMS and attempting again, the xrandr command works exactly as
> expected.
>
> Running x-server 1.6.3, mesa 7.5, intel 2.8.0, and xrandr 1.3 (slackware's
> -current, stock, with the exception of the kernel). My hardware is a Lenovo
> thinkpad, with a 965 chipset.
>

Sorry, a very quick update on mine. I failed to realize KMS changes the naming (VGA -> VGA1). It works for me - disregard my comment! Sorry for the noise :)

[nickolai (nickolai)]

Oh, good catch! Using the KMS names (VGA1, LVDS1) seems to work for me as well. I wonder why xrandr doesn't give an error when an invalid output name is specified?

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

> Oh, good catch! Using the KMS names (VGA1, LVDS1) seems to work for me as
> well. I wonder why xrandr doesn't give an error when an invalid output name is
> specified?

Ah, that's right the names have changed. Sounds like you've got stuff sorted out so I'm closing this one now. If there are additional aspects to this that you think should be addressed as well now that you've straightened out the naming scheme, please open new bug reports (we like keeping things to one-bug-report-per-issue since it's nuts keeping track of the status of stuff otherwise.)

[Jesse Barnes (jbarnes-virtuousgeek)]

Yeah, xrandr could be a lot friendlier, but that's what we have nice GUI tools for, right? :)

[nickolai (nickolai)]

Well, I don't expect the command-line tools to be terribly friendly, but most other tools seem to report an error, or at least a warning, when I use an invalid name:

nickolai@sahara:~$ xterm -display :blah
xterm Xt error: Can't open display: :blah
nickolai@sahara:~$ xterm -display :1
xterm Xt error: Can't open display: :1
nickolai@sahara:~$ xterm -fn blah
xterm: cannot load font blah
xterm: cannot load font blah
nickolai@sahara:~$ xterm -fg blah
Warning: Color name "blah" is not defined
nickolai@sahara:~$

and even xrandr seems to be helpful when I specify a bad mode:

nickolai@sahara:~$ xrandr --output LVDS1 --mode blah
xrandr: cannot find mode blah
nickolai@sahara:~$

so it seems like this is a bug with xrandr, though not one I strongly care about anymore.