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From: Michael Mauch on 18 Jan 2008 12:50
Lasse Jensen wrote:
> Michael Mauch wrote:
>
>> Does it do 2 x DVI at 1280x1024 with the X.org mga driver or do you need
>> the Matrox "open-source" driver with the closed source binary HAL?
>
> I cannot see why it shouldn't. The mga driver supports use of dual monitors
> and 1280x1024 isn't that much. The 16 mb available for each head is more
> than enough for 2D.

1280x1024 is the card's maximum resolution with DVI, so I think it is
much (for that card).

> <http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/finent/news/features/g550_pcie.php#Linux>
>>
>> The open-source driver includes a closed-source binary HAL (Hardware
>> Abstraction Layer) file provided by Matrox to enable certain advanced
>> features.
>>
>> "certain advanced features" and no reference what these could be, they
>> really must be kidding.
>
> I think they are. I've never used the HAL module from Matrox and i have no
> idea what it does.

Ok, I dug a bit further and found the readme for their latest driver
(which supports up to Xorg 7.0):

<ftp://ftp.matrox.com/pub/mga/archive/linux/2006/readme-mga-4.4.0.txt>

The Matrox HAL ("Hardware Abstraction Layer") is a special library
to enable features not supported by the standard XFree86 driver.
It's required for DualHead, TV output, and DVI support with G400-
based graphics hardware, for multi-display support with G200/G450 MMS
products, and for DVI support. The HAL library is not required for
basic DualHead support (without a DVI monitor) with G450- and G550-based
graphics hardware. Also please take not that TV output is not supported
with G450- and G550- based graphics hardware in Linux.

From Xorg's current mga man page:

Support for the second head on G400 cards requires a binary-only
"mga_hal" module that is available from Matrox
<http://www.matrox.com>, and may be on the CD supplied with the card.
That module also provides various other enhancements, and may be
necessary to use the DVI (digital) output on the G550 (and other
cards).

So until somebody speaks up and says he has this card running with dual
1280x1024 DVI and without the evil HAL module, I'd be a bit wary.

Regards...
Michael
From: Lasse Jensen on 18 Jan 2008 19:09
Michael Mauch wrote:

> So until somebody speaks up and says he has this card running with dual
> 1280x1024 DVI and without the evil HAL module, I'd be a bit wary.

You might ask on the Marvel Linux mailing list. Those guys know quite a lot
about Matrox hardware.

https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/marvel-linux

--
Lasse Jensen [fafler at g mail dot com]
Linux, the choice of a GNU generation.
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