4 monitors, 2 NVIDIA video cards - ubuntu not working

Question

I know this question has been asked before but I trully don't understand how to make it work on my computer too.

I have two video cards

lspci | grep VGA

01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: NVIDIA Corporation GF110 [GeForce GTX 570 Rev. 2] (rev a1) 02:00.0 VGA compatible controller: NVIDIA Corporation GT218 [GeForce 210] (rev a2)

I have 4 monitors plugged in the 2 video cards. I have dual boot (the windows is working with all 4 monitors and it took me like 2-3 minutes to make it working)

Nvidia X Server Settings detects me the four monitors but it requires me to create 2 separate X Screens (namely X Screen 1 and X Screen 2). By default, it shows me the 2 monitors from the 1st video card correctly, and I can only see a black screen with an X cursor on the 3-4 monitor from the 2nd video card. Moreover when I run the xrandr

xrandr has only shown me the first 2 monitors. I have never been able to make xrandr show me the 3 and 4th monitor. Never. I think there is a major bug.

This is the xorg.conf

# nvidia-settings: X configuration file generated by nvidia-settings
# nvidia-settings:  version 375.26  (buildmeister@vm-ubuntu1604-x64-001)  Thu Dec  8 19:58:55 PST 2016


Section "ServerLayout"
    Identifier     "Layout0"
    Screen      0  "Screen0" 0 0
    Screen      1  "Screen1" RightOf "Screen0"
    InputDevice    "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
    InputDevice    "Mouse0" "CorePointer"
    Option         "Xinerama" "0"
EndSection

Section "Files"
EndSection

Section "Module"
    Load           "dbe"
    Load           "extmod"
    Load           "type1"
    Load           "freetype"
    Load           "glx"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"

    # generated from default
    Identifier     "Mouse0"
    Driver         "mouse"
    Option         "Protocol" "auto"
    Option         "Device" "/dev/psaux"
    Option         "Emulate3Buttons" "no"
    Option         "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"

    # generated from default
    Identifier     "Keyboard0"
    Driver         "kbd"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"

    # HorizSync source: edid, VertRefresh source: edid
    Identifier     "Monitor0"
    VendorName     "Unknown"
    ModelName      "BenQ GW2255"
    HorizSync       30.0 - 83.0
    VertRefresh     50.0 - 76.0
    Option         "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"

    # HorizSync source: unknown, VertRefresh source: unknown
    Identifier     "Monitor1"
    VendorName     "Unknown"
    ModelName      "BenQG2222HDL"
    HorizSync       0.0 - 0.0
    VertRefresh     0.0
    Option         "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Device"
    Identifier     "Device0"
    Driver         "nvidia"
    VendorName     "NVIDIA Corporation"
    BoardName      "GeForce GTX 570"
    BusID          "PCI:1:0:0"
EndSection

Section "Device"
    Identifier     "Device1"
    Driver         "nvidia"
    VendorName     "NVIDIA Corporation"
    BoardName      "GeForce 210"
    BusID          "PCI:2:0:0"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
    Identifier     "Screen0"
    Device         "Device0"
    Monitor        "Monitor0"
    DefaultDepth    24
    Option         "Stereo" "0"
    Option         "nvidiaXineramaInfoOrder" "DFP-1"
    Option         "metamodes" "DVI-I-1: nvidia-auto-select +1920+0, HDMI-0: nvidia-auto-select +0+0"
    Option         "SLI" "Off"
    Option         "MultiGPU" "Off"
    Option         "BaseMosaic" "off"
    SubSection     "Display"
        Depth       24
    EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "Screen"

# Removed Option "metamodes" "HDMI-0: nvidia-auto-select +1920+0, VGA-0: nvidia-auto-select +0+0"
    Identifier     "Screen1"
    Device         "Device1"
    Monitor        "Monitor1"
    DefaultDepth    24
    Option         "Stereo" "0"
    Option         "metamodes" "VGA-0: nvidia-auto-select +0+0, HDMI-0: nvidia-auto-select +1920+0"
    Option         "SLI" "Off"
    Option         "MultiGPU" "Off"
    Option         "BaseMosaic" "off"
    SubSection     "Display"
        Depth       24
    EndSubSection
EndSection

Moreover, I have tried also a personalized xorg file that has only one screen and Base Mosaic turned on but with no luck.

Section "ServerLayout"
    Identifier     "Layout0"
    Screen      0  "Screen0" 0 0
    InputDevice    "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
    InputDevice    "Mouse0" "CorePointer"
    Option         "Xinerama" "0"
EndSection

Section "Files"
EndSection

Section "Module"
    Load           "dbe"
    Load           "extmod"
    Load           "type1"
    Load           "freetype"
    Load           "glx"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"

    # generated from default
    Identifier     "Mouse0"
    Driver         "mouse"
    Option         "Protocol" "auto"
    Option         "Device" "/dev/psaux"
    Option         "Emulate3Buttons" "no"
    Option         "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"

    # generated from default
    Identifier     "Keyboard0"
    Driver         "kbd"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"

    # HorizSync source: edid, VertRefresh source: edid
    Identifier     "Monitor0"
    VendorName     "Unknown"
    ModelName      "BenQ GW2255"
    HorizSync       30.0 - 83.0
    VertRefresh     50.0 - 76.0
    Option         "DPMS"
EndSection


Section "Monitor"
    Identifier     "Monitor1"
    VendorName     "Unknown"
    ModelName      "BenQG2222HDL"
    HorizSync       0.0 - 0.0
    VertRefresh     0.0
EndSection

Section "Device"
    Identifier     "Device0"
    Driver         "nvidia"
    BoardName      "GeForce GTX 570"
    Option         "ConnectedMonitor" "DFP-0,DFP-1"
    Option         "MetaModeOrientation" "DFP-0 LeftOf DFP-1"
    VendorName     "NVIDIA Corporation"
EndSection

Section "Device"
    Identifier     "Device1"
    Driver         "nvidia"
    VendorName     "NVIDIA Corporation"
    Option         "ConnectedMonitor" "DFP-1,CRT-1"
    Option         "MetaModeOrientation" "DFP-1 LeftOf CRT-1"
    BoardName      "GeForce 210"
    BusID          "PCI:2:0:0"
EndSection


Section "Screen"
    Identifier     "Screen0"
    Device         "Device0"
    Monitor        "Monitor0"
    DefaultDepth    24
    Option         "Stereo" "0"
    Option         "nvidiaXineramaInfoOrder" "DFP-1"
    Option         "metamodes" "DPY-1: nvidia-auto-select @1920x1080 +1920+0
  {ViewPortIn=1920x1080, ViewPortOut=1920x1080+0+0}, DPY-2: nvidia-auto-select   @1920x1080 +0+0 {ViewPortIn=1920x1080, ViewPortOut=1920x1080+0+0}  DPY-4: nvidia-auto-select @1920x1080 +0+0   {ViewPortIn=1920x1080, ViewPortOut=1920x1080+0+0}, DPY-6: nvidia-auto-select  @1920x1080 +1920+0 {ViewPortIn=1920x1080, ViewPortOut=1920x1080+0+0}"
    Option         "SLI" "Off"
    Option         "MultiGPU" "Off"
    Option         "BaseMosaic" "on"
    SubSection     "Display"
        Depth       24
    EndSubSection
EndSection

I tried the Base mosaic too.. Nothing it purely doesn't work! Please help me. Linux monitors settings ( xorg ) drive me nuts!!!

Solution

I found the solution, namely the Ubuntu default desktop environment doesn't support 4 monitors. Once, I have installed XFCE, my 4 monitors worked perfectly!!!

I have found this explanation from this guy's tutorial http://collaboradev.com/2016/09/30/arch-linux-hydra-build/

Comments

[LinuxFan22]

hi @Paulo. I have read this unix.stackexchange.com/questions/123862/… but still with no luck. Probably I am missing something - but I don't get it. I have tried Xinerama before by clicking the Xinerama option in the NVIDIA X Servers, but because the video cards are different that uses different NVIDIA drivers I get an error messages when I reboot the system