[ale] Screen resolution in X versus console

[Michael B. Trausch]

On 10/15/2013 11:00 AM, Alex Carver wrote:
> I don't mind the mode switch as long as it would switch back when
> exiting X11 but it doesn't seem to do that.  Nouveau does not work at
> all with the GeForces.  Another machine similar to this one but with a
> slightly newer nVidia card actually works fine and it's a double headed
> system (though the monitors are mirrored in console mode).  The
> troublesome machine is only single-head, it just can't seem to switch
> back to the console resolution after X11 exits.  As I mentioned to JD I
> may just end up disabling the console frame buffer entirely.  I'm not
> going to be at console much but having the frame buffer makes reading
> all the boot messages a bit easier with the smaller font.

The big "tell" with KMS is that while your console screens will be
mirrors of each other, they will have different (native) resolutions,
unless the monitors have the same native resolution.  IOW, if you have
one that works at 1900x1080 and another one that works at 1280x768, the
console will be 1280x768 and there will be borders around it to the
right and bottom on the larger (resolution) display.

Otherwise, both monitors will be in the same mode at the VC.

Another reason that KMS is great is that there is "no" userspace display
driver.  If the kernel manages all of the interactions between the
graphics hardware and application(s) using it, the graphics card won't
wind up in an undefined state.

That said, I seem to recall that there are utilities that help.  Sadly,
though, it's been several years since I used any of them and I don't
know if they work any more, and I can't remember their names.

There was at one point a command line program that you could call to ask
the kernel to save the state of the graphics hardware, and then be able
to restore it later.  If memory serves, though, that utility only worked
sometimes.  And like I said, I have no idea what it was called.  Last
time I tried to use it was in another century...

    --- Mike

-- 
Naunet Corporation Logo 	Michael B. Trausch

President, *Naunet Corporation*
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