# Dual monitors without xorg



## eujedi (Feb 4, 2009)

Hi!
Is there a way to utilize dual monitors without using x11? Like having tty1 output on one screen and tty0 on another.:r


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## eujedi (Feb 6, 2009)

anyone?


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## eujedi (Feb 13, 2009)

So, i suppose there is no way :e


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## Oko (Feb 13, 2009)

eujedi said:
			
		

> Hi!
> Is there a way to utilize dual monitors without using x11? Like having tty1 output on one screen and tty0 on another.:r


Of course. Unix is multi-user system. For instance you can attach as many terminals as the number of serial ports on your computer and having tty0 output on first serial console(first terminal), tty1 output on the second serial console (terminal) and so on.


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## Brandybuck (Feb 14, 2009)

I think he means two monitors attached to the same video system on a single computer. Dual-head, in other words. I don't know the magic formula, but I would start by looking at the syscons manpage.


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## Pushrod (Feb 14, 2009)

I doubt that it can be done.


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## Djn (Feb 15, 2009)

I can't prove this, but I have a feeling the code for settings up two monitors is somewhat too card-specific and hairy to put in the TTY output layer. I could be wrong, though - if it's a case of doing the usual VGA or VESA setup on something that looks like two separate normal cards, maybe it's doable. Not something I've looked into ...


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## Brandybuck (Feb 15, 2009)

The big hurdle is syscons, and its manpage says "There can be only one syscons device defined in the system." Consider a different tactic, however. Why not make display one a regular console and display two X11? This is something I *have* seen. Or even make both screens X11 displays. You don't need a window manager, just run fullscreen xterms on both.


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## amorphousone (Jan 11, 2010)

i haven't been able to find any information about rerouting a laptop's virtual console display to it's VGA output. i've gotten a few clues from some man pages, namely device.hints and syscons, but my little brain just can't make the leap from the keyboard example given in syscons to a similar entry for vga out. or am i going down the wrong path on this? btw, please forgive the lack of links to mans, i'm still learning how to do eveerything from elinks.


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## LateNiteTV (Jan 11, 2010)

sysutils/screen may be able to do this...


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## amorphousone (Jan 11, 2010)

???
as in Gnu Screen

??


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## LateNiteTV (Jan 11, 2010)

yeah. you can specify different monitors with it... i think. also look at tmux.


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## amorphousone (Jan 12, 2010)

despite initial skepticism about screen/tmux redirecting output, i googled all over the place, only to have my doubts confirmed. 

does anyone have the real answer to my question? i have Read all The F***ing Manual i can think of that apply, but they assume more knowledge of the system than i have. i'm sure this solution is no greater than 5 lines of code somewhere. anyone...anyone...


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