Bug 742741

Thanks for the bug report.  We have reviewed the information you have provided above, and there is some additional information we require that will be helpful in our diagnosis of this issue.

Please add drm.debug=0x04 to the kernel command line, restart computer, and attach

* your X server config file (/etc/X11/xorg.conf, if available),
* X server log file (/var/log/Xorg.*.log*; check with grep Backtrace /var/log/Xorg* which logs might be the most interesting ones, send us at least Xorg.0.log)
* output of the dmesg command, and
* system log (/var/log/messages)

to the bug report as individual uncompressed file attachments using the bugzilla file attachment link above.

We will review this issue again once you've had a chance to attach this information.

Thanks in advance.

Created attachment 526123 [details]
output from dmesg

Created attachment 526131 [details]
/var/log/messages

Created attachment 526132 [details]
xorg log

Created attachment 526133 [details]
xorg 1 log

Created attachment 526134 [details]
xorg 2 log

Created attachment 526135 [details]
xorg 3 log

Created attachment 526136 [details]
xorg 4 log

Created attachment 526137 [details]
xorg 5 log

Created attachment 526138 [details]
xorg 9 log

Unable to find anything by grepping for Backtrack so I attached all Xorg log files I could find.

This has gotten worse. Now it randomly crashes X even without me trying to use both displays at once.

xorg-x11-server-Xorg-1.11.1-1.fc16.x86_64
xorg-x11-drv-intel-2.16.0-2.fc16.x86_64
kernel-3.1.0-0.rc9.git0.0.fc16.x86_64

Created attachment 530121 [details]
Image of kernel output after crash

I had this problem until I fiddled around with /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d

What is happening is the driver rpm is not setting up a big enough Virtual Display. Setting it to 3415 1920 works for me and my monitors are nowhere near that resolution. That larger size should probably be the driver default as it will accomodate anything smaller. Then again, maybe it should be bigger, or auto-detected, if memory is not an issue. The reason I use the big setting, even though it is bigger than the size of both my monitors combined, is xrandr can then optionally use a virtual desktop that size and pan around on it, or zoom. The bigger Virtual Desktop doesn't hurt because it (xrandr) can also switch back to a normal size screen, without using all that extra space, and without having to modify xorg.conf every time. Just set it to the big size and forget it.

I ran `xrandr` to determine the names of the display devices and the maximum combined rectangle. VGA-0:1280x1024 next to LVDS:1366x768 = Virtual 2646x1024. That worked great for a few days, but I went further. I set up a huge virtual desktop, so I could experiment with xrandr. The lare size is more versatile, and it doesn't have any drawbacks, so I kept it. You can use a smaller size if you want to, I don't know, save memory or something.

# This file is provided by xorg-x11-drv-catalyst; do not edit.
Section "Device"
	Identifier  "Videocard0"
	Driver      "fglrx"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
	Identifier "Default Screen”
	Device "ATI Technologies Inc Radeon"
	Monitor "Generic Monitor”
	DefaultDepth 24
	SubSection "Display”
		Modes "1024×768"
		#Virtual 2646 1024
		Virtual 3415 1920
	EndSubSection
EndSection

Next, I made a script for xrandr and put it in the XFCE Session settings, so it starts with the desktop:
xrandr --output LVDS --scale 1x1 --output CRT1 --panning 0x0
xrandr --output CRT1 --mode 1280x1024 --pos 256x0 --output LVDS --mode 1366x768 --pos 1536x256

I also experimented with xrandr's large scrolling desktop. Requres Virtual 3415 1920 in /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d:
xrandr --fb 3415x1920 --output LVDS --pos 0x0 --scale 2.5x2.5 --output CRT1 --pos 0x0 --panning 3415x1920+0+0/3415x1920+0+0/64/64/64/64

Again, the larger Virtual desktop works with any configuration (also, you do not need to use xrandr as the normal desktop configuration tools should now work.)

Running this configuration the system would still occasionally get constipated and pack up, just like Wind*ws 98, requiring a hard shut-off with the power button, but no errors in the logs to report. After a couple weeks of that I finally noticed that the disk was full! Without any room in /tmp things get kind of hurky and jerky and then it all packs up.

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