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From: rthomson@mesa.dsd.es.com (Rich Thomson)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: Re: Multi-screen XServer: Where can I find one?
Keywords: multi-screen xserver available
Message-ID: <1991Jun28.034016.9875@dsd.es.com>
Date: 28 Jun 91 03:40:16 GMT
References: <906@pdxvme.pdx.csd.mot.com>
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Reply-To: rthomson@dsd.es.com (Rich Thomson)
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In article <906@pdxvme.pdx.csd.mot.com>
	cah@pdx.csd.mot.com (Chris Huey) writes:
>Does anybody, anywhere know of an X server capable of supporting multiple
>screens?  Each screen should be able to support 1280x1024 resolution.

I'm not sure if your asking about a server capable of supporting
several screens, or several physical displays.  The two are distinct,
because one can support multiple video interfaces to a single frame
buffer (e.g. monoscopic or stereo) via screens, while multiple
physical monitors are usually implemented through multiple displays.

In other words:

    host:0.0		Display 0, Screen 0
    host:0.1		Display 0, Screen 1

    host:1.0		Display 1, Screen 0
    host:1.1		Display 1, Screen 1

    etc.

We use multiple screens in our server implementation to provide a
stereo screen (for PEX rendering with full 3D effect via LCD shutter
glasses activated by an infrared unit on top of the monitor), as well
as different root window visual classes (8-bit PseudoColor, 24-bit
TrueColor, 24-bit DirectColor).  In fact, the number of screens is
configurable as an MxN array at server startup time.  The server I'm
running at the moment is using a 2x3 array of screens, with 3 of them
having TrueColor roots, 1 with a DirectColor root, 1 with a
PseudoColor root, and 1 stereo screen [TrueColor root].  We even
support two stereo modes -- one with square pixels and the other with
"skinny" pixels.

I haven't seen any servers in operation that support multiple physical
displays, but I remember reading something about Intergraph's
workstation supporting two physical displays for CAD applications.  I
am pretty sure Intergraph runs X, but they might be running it on top
of a proprietary window system since they've been in the market longer
than X has been.  Perhaps someone from Intergraph can comment on
this.
							-- Rich
-- 
  ``Read my MIPS -- no new VAXes!!'' -- George Bush after sniffing freon
	    Disclaimer: I speak for myself, except as noted.
UUCP: ...!uunet!dsd.es.com!rthomson		Rich Thomson
Internet: rthomson@dsd.es.com			PEXt Programmer