Dynamically switch ServerLayout - is it possible ?

[Waldo Bastian]

On Monday 24 October 2005 06:13, Alex Deucher wrote:
> On 10/24/05, Joe Ammann <joe at pyx.ch> wrote:
> > Hi all
> >
> > after some long fighting with my new Laptop (Dell Latitude D610 with
> > Intel i915GM) I finally reached solutions for most of my problems. I want
> > to get the following 3 configurations running:
> >
> > 1) Laptop without external monitor in 1400x1050 (native resolution of
> > Laptop display) resolution with RANDR
> > 2) Laptop in Docking Station at home with external CRT which is able to
> > display 1400x1050 at 85 Hz
> > 3) Laptop in Docking Station at work with external DFP (via DVI) at
> > 1600x1200
> >
> > I have all 3 working ok (with the help of 915resolution and the newest
> > snapshot of i810 DRI driver), but only with different ServerLayout
> > sections pointing to differently configured devices. The varying
> > parameters include
> >
> > Option MonitorLayout of the i810 device
> > Option VertRefresh of the different monitors
> >
> > I have not been able to find one single configuration that work in all
> > configurations.
> >
> > The problem that remains is that I would like to be able to switch
> > between these different layouts without restarting the X server. Now, I
> > do it by passing the -layout option when starting. Is there a way to
> > switch without restarting X ? That would allow me to
> > suspend/hibernate/dock/undock without having to restart X?
>
> Unforunately, this is not possible at the moment.

So what would be required to make this possible?

I assume:
* The driver would need to support switching layout dynamically. Will this 
require a new driver hook, or can an existing one be reused for that?

* The X server must expose an API that can be used to tell the driver to 
switch... Should this API expose the driver specific options, or should it 
offer an abstract API that is the same for all drivers (e.g. as an extension 
to XRandR)? 

Cheers,
Waldo
-- 
Linux Client Architect - Channel Software Operation - Intel Corporation