From: mark@datasoft.north.net (Mark Buckaway) Subject: Re: Secondary Display Date: Sat, 7 Aug 1993 15:45:38 GMT
Edwin Tisdale (edwin@maui.cs.ucla.edu) wrote:
: I would like to connect two displays to my linux system. The primary
: display (EGA) would be the system console and the secondary display
: (Super VGA) would be an X window system display. Can anybody tell me
: whether this is possible? If so, I would appeciate some instruction
: or even a pointer to appropriate documentation. Thanks in advance,
: Bob Tisdale (edwin@cs.ucla.edu)
What you are suggesting is not possible in an IBM PC system.
Because of the way the memory is mapped for color text and graphics,
two color cards cannot reside in the same system.
There are two ways to do it though:
1) Have the secondary display as a monochrone (MDA not mono VGA)
2) Use an accelerator card with NO built in VGA
The second method is a better method, but it would mean you need
something that is 8514/A compatible (I am not sure if an S3 solution
would work here) and use the X8514 server for X. The ATI 8514/ULTRA or
Graphics Ultra Pro would work in this card (there are others I am
sure).
The first method would work but it would mean your 16-bit VGA would
have to be in an 8 bit slot or in 8 bit mode to avoid conflicts
(thanks to IBM's bus design). This would also mean you would need
special support in the kernel to driver the two displays.
Hope that helps a bit.
Mark