Immersed Linux X11 Virtual Monitors Guide
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Caution
The instructions provided in this guide for setting up a virtual monitor on a Linux system is offered as-is, without any warranties or guarantees. Users should possess the necessary technical skills, back up their data, and understand that system configurations can vary. The guide may involve third-party software and potential security risks. Users are responsible for legal compliance and should use this guide at their own risk. The guide provider disclaims liability for any damages or issues resulting from its use. If you have doubts, consider seeking professional assistance or community advice.
If you're reading this, you're likely in the same boat as me. You've discovered that Immersed can create virtual monitors for Windows and Mac, but on Linux, this feature is marked as "unsupported" on X11. This means you can't create virtual monitors directly through the Immersed agent. For now, the known workaround is to manually set up virtual monitors. If you use Wayland, now immersed offer support for native virtual displays on the Immersed agent on gnome Wayland. You can access this options in Immersed client menu -> Setting -> Configure virtual displays. Other Wayland DE/Compositors are not supported, but there are ways to create virtual monitors manually as we do on X11, please check the linux-help channel in the Discord server for more info.
The workaround varies depending on your computer's video card. In this guide, we'll cover four methods to create a virtual display on Linux and suggest which method best suits each type of video card. Here's an overview of the methods:
- Intel card: Intel driver, EVDI module, Headless ghost adapter;
- Nvidia card: Nvidia driver, EVDI module, Headless ghost adapter;
- AMD card: EVDI module, Headless ghost adapter.
It's important to note that while there's a "Dummy driver" option, I couldn't use it.
You can fint the first setup scripts on the script folder.
Warning
Modifying the xorg.conf or related X11 settings can lead to video issues, and, in some specific cases (such as encrypted disks with PopOS), it can break the boot process. Before making any modifications, it's crucial to know how to reverse any changes that affect your video. We recommend the following options:
- Always create a backup file before making modifications, making it easy to revert changes. For example:
sudo cp /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf.bkp. - If you can boot successfully but have no video, switch to a different TTY. Use the keyboard shortcut
Ctrl + Alt + [2–6]to switch to a shell, login, and use a terminal text editor of your choice(nano, vi, vim, emacs) to edit /etc/X11/xorg.conf or restore the backup file:sudo cp /etc/X11/xorg.conf.bkp /etc/X11/xorg.conf. - Use recovery options to operate the system in failsafe video mode and modify or recover
/etc/X11/xorg.conf. - If none of the above options work, the last resort is to boot from a Linux distro live CD to modify or recover
/etc/X11/xorg.conf. If you're using PopOS with an encrypted disk, follow this guide to mount your disk.
For those with an Intel video card or an integrated Intel video card alongside dedicated GPUs, you can use virtual monitors generated by the Intel driver. Start by creating and editing the file /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-intel.conf with the following lines:
Section "Device"
Identifier "intelGpu"
Driver "intel"
Option "VirtualHeads" "1"
EndSectionIn some configurations, like Intel + Nvidia video cards, the above configuration might not be sufficient to keep both cards working. In such cases, you'll also need to create and edit the file /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d/19-nvidia.conf with the following lines:
Section "Device"
Identifier "nvidiaGpu"
Driver "nvidia"
EndSectionAfter rebooting or logging out, the xrandr output should list a monitor called VIRTUAL1:
VIRTUAL1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
1920x1080 (0x1ef) 173.000MHz -HSync +VSync
h: width 1920 start 2048 end 2248 total 2576 skew 0 clock 67.16KHz
v: height 1080 start 1083 end 1088 total 1120 clock 59.96HzTo configure resolutions for your virtual display, use xrandr and cvt. For example, let's add a 3840x1600 4k resolution:
cvt 3840 1600
output:
# 3840x1600 59.96 Hz (CVT) hsync: 99.42 kHz; pclk: 521.75 MHz
Modeline "3840x1600_60.00" 521.75 3840 4128 4544 5248 1600 1603 1613 1658 -hsync +vsyncWith the cvt output use xrandr to create and set the new resolution:
xrandr --newmode "3840x1600" 521.75 3840 4128 4544 5248 1600 1603 1613 1658 -hsync +vsync
xrandr --addmode VIRTUAL1 "3840x1600"
xrandr --output VIRTUAL1 --mode "3840x1600"
xrandrThe output of the previous commands should show the virtual monitor VIRTUAL1 as connected. Now, you can adjust monitor position and rotation in the system video setting. Note that in the same output, there is a VIRTUAL2 disconnected monitor. You can repeat the following steps to add more virtual monitors, changing x by their virtual display number:
xrandr --addmode VIRTUALx "3840x1600"
xrandr --output VIRTUALx --mode "3840x1600"
xrandrYou can also get some scripts of these steps shared on the script folder.
If you have a system with a dedicated Nvidia graphics card, it doesn't inherently support virtual monitors as easily as the Intel driver. However, you can employ a clever workaround that involves configuring the Nvidia driver to force disconnected video outputs as if they were connected. This workaround only works for nvidia cards that controls the video output, you can check that with xrandr --listproviders or lspci -nnk | grep -i vga -A3. For the xrandr it should show in the nvidia line crtcs and outputs greater than 0, and the lspci should list the nvidia card. If this requerements are not meet, nvidia method will not work for your nvidia card.
First, you'll need to check if the Xorg configuration file exists. You can check the ouput of cat /etc/X11/xorg.conf, if there is output you can follow the Xorg.conf file exists section, if there is no output or no such file or directory error follow the Xorg.conf file don't exist section.
To get started, you'll need to edit the Xorg configuration file on /etc/X11/xorg.conf:
Warning
If you're using a laptop with an integrated Intel graphics card that controls the laptop monitor, you need to add the Intel device to the Xorg configuration to enable the use of your laptop monitor. To do this, open the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file with a text editor. In this file, add the following lines under the
"Device" section:
Section "Device"
Identifier "intelGpu"
Driver "intel"
VendorName "Intel Corporation"
BusID "PCI:0:2:0"
EndSectionThe BusID value should match the output of the lspci | grep VGA command, which will list the available graphics devices. Look for the entry that corresponds to your integrated Intel graphics card and use that value.
For example, the lspci | grep VGA command might yield an output like this:
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation CoffeeLake-H GT2 [UHD Graphics 630]
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: NVIDIA Corporation TU106M [GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile] (rev a1)In this case, you'd use "PCI:0:2:0" as the BusID.
You'll need to identify the available monitors and their names to force connect disconnect video monitors. You can use the xrandr command for this. Run xrandr | awk /connected/. The output will display the connected and disconnected monitors. Note that the name of the monitor related to the physical port (such as HDMI) usually works as expected, while other types, like DisplayPort (DP), might not work and create video issues. Finding the working combination is a process of trial and error.
For example, the output could look like this:
DP-0 connected 1080x1920+3640+0 right (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 477mm x 268mm
DP-1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DP-2 connected 2560x1600+1080+164 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 0mm x 0mm
DP-3 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
HDMI-0 connected 1080x1920+0+10 right (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 0mm x 0mm
eDP1 connected primary 1920x1080+1720+1764 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 340mm x 190mm
VIRTUAL1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)My laptop has just two physical video outputs, namely HDMI-0 and DP-0, with eDP1 as the laptop's built-in monitor. I successfully managed to establish a stable connection with DP-0, DP-2, and HDMI-0 without encountering any video-related issues.
To force-disconnect monitors as connected, you'll need to edit the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file. Locate the "Screen" section associated with the Nvidia device. It should resemble this:
Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen0"
Device "Nvidia0"
Monitor "Monitor0"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
EndSubSection
EndSectionEdit this section to add the necessary options. The key options to add are:
ConnectedMonitor: This option specifies the names of the monitors you want to treat as connected. Use the names you noted earlier. For example:
Option "ConnectedMonitor" "DP-0, HDMI-0, DP-2"ModeValidation: options to disable driver verifications on display resolution and refresh rate.
Here's an example of the updated "Screen" section:
Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen0"
Device "Nvidia0"
Monitor "Monitor0"
DefaultDepth 24
Option "ConnectedMonitor" "DP-0, HDMI-0, DP-2"
Option "ModeValidation" "NoDFPNativeResolutionCheck,NoVirtualSizeCheck,NoMaxPClkCheck,NoHorizSyncCheck,NoVertRefreshCheck,NoWidthAlignmentCheck"
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
EndSubSection
EndSectionThat's it. Now, you should reboot your computer or log out to apply the changes. Once you've done this, you'll be able to adjust the resolution, position, and rotation of your monitors in the system's video settings.
If you find that you're missing a particular resolution option or want to set a custom resolution, you can create a new mode for your monitor. For example, to add a custom "3840x1600" display resolution for DP-2 monitor, use the cvt and xrandr commands:
xrandr --newmode "3840x1600" 521.75 3840 4128 4544 5248 1600 1603 1613 1658 -hsync +vsync
xrandr --addmode DP-2 "3840x1600"
xrandr --output DP-2 --mode "3840x1600"
xrandrYou can create custom resolutions with the cvt command:
cvt 3840 1600
output:
# 3840x1600 59.96 Hz (CVT) hsync: 99.42 kHz; pclk: 521.75 MHz
Modeline "3840x1600_60.00" 521.75 3840 4128 4544 5248 1600 1603 1613 1658 -hsync +vsyncTo get started, you'll need to edit the Xorg configuration file on /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d/10-nvidia.conf or /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d/nvidia.conf(not as common) with sudo and add to the end of the file the following lines:
Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Monitor0"
VendorName "Unknown"
ModelName "Unknown"
Option "DPMS"
EndSection
Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen0"
Device "nvidia"
Monitor "Monitor0"
DefaultDepth 24
Option "ConnectedMonitor" "CHANGE_HERE"
Option "ModeValidation" "NoDFPNativeResolutionCheck,NoVirtualSizeCheck,NoMaxPClkCheck,NoHorizSyncCheck,NoVertRefreshCheck,NoWidthAlignmentCheck"
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
EndSubSection
EndSectionNote that the CHANGE_HERE string on the Section Screen will need to be replace with the monitors that will be force connected. For that you'll need to identify the available monitors and their names. You can use the xrandr command for this. Run xrandr | awk /connected/. The output will display the connected and disconnected monitors. Note that the name of the monitor related to the physical port (such as HDMI) usually works as expected, while other types, like DisplayPort (DP), might not work and create video issues. Finding the working combination is a process of trial and error.
For example, the output could look like this:
DP-0 disconnected 1080x1920+3640+0 right (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 477mm x 268mm
DP-1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DP-2 disconnected 2560x1600+1080+164 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 0mm x 0mm
DP-3 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
HDMI-0 connected 1080x1920+0+10 right (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 0mm x 0mm
eDP1 connected primary 1920x1080+1720+1764 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 340mm x 190mmStart replacing CHANGE_HERE by the connected monitor excluding eDP monitors, so the line should look like:
Option "ConnectedMonitor" "HDMI-0"Reboot and the system should work as usual. The strategy is adding the monitor one by one and rebooting to get the combination that force connect all possible monitors. In my card, DP-1 and DP-3 breaks the X server and I end up with:
Option "ConnectedMonitor" "HDMI-0,DP-0,DP-2"This configuration result in force connect HDMI-0, DP-0, and DP-2 as noted in xrandr | awk /connected/ output:
DP-0 connected 1080x1920+3640+0 right (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 477mm x 268mm
DP-1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DP-2 connected 2560x1600+1080+164 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 0mm x 0mm
DP-3 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
HDMI-0 connected 1080x1920+0+10 right (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 0mm x 0mm
eDP1 connected primary 1920x1080+1720+1764 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 340mm x 190mmIf you find that you're missing a particular resolution option, or want to set a custom resolution, you can create a new mode for your monitor. For example, to add a custom "3840x1600" display resolution for DP-2 monitor, use the cvt and xrandr commands:
xrandr --newmode "3840x1600" 521.75 3840 4128 4544 5248 1600 1603 1613 1658 -hsync +vsync
xrandr --addmode DP-2 "3840x1600"
xrandr --output DP-2 --mode "3840x1600"
xrandrYou can create custom resolutions with the cvt command:
cvt 3840 1600
output:
# 3840x1600 59.96 Hz (CVT) hsync: 99.42 kHz; pclk: 521.75 MHz
Modeline "3840x1600_60.00" 521.75 3840 4128 4544 5248 1600 1603 1613 1658 -hsync +vsyncThe EVDI (External Virtual Device Interface) kernel module is an integral part of the DisplayLink solution and offers the ability to create virtual video outputs. However, it's worth noting that using the EVDI module involves a few more steps, and one of the most critical considerations is the impact of secure boot. Only signed kernel modules can be loaded when secure boot is active. Below are the steps to set up virtual monitors using the EVDI module on your Linux system.
Before you can begin with the EVDI module, ensure you have the necessary dependencies installed based on your Linux distribution:
- For Debian-based systems (such as Ubuntu):
sudo apt install dkms libdrm-dev linux-headers-$(uname -r)- For Fedora/RHEL-based systems:
sudo dnf install dkms libdrm-devel kernel-headers-$(uname -r)- For Steam Deck(if sudo password isn't set yet run
passwdin a terminal):
sudo steamos-readonly disable
sudo pacman-key --init
sudo pacman-key --populate archlinux holo
sudo pacman -Syy base-devel holo-3.5/linux-headers holo-3.5/linux-lts-headers git glibc gcc gcc-libs linux-api-headers libarchive libdrm dkms linux-neptune-61-headersIf you have problems with fakeroot during the installation step, just rename the fakeroot config file with sudo mv /etc/ld.so.conf.d/fakeroot.conf /etc/ld.so.conf.d/fakeroot.conf.bkp
- For Arch-based systems: You can use the AUR (Arch User Repository) to simplify the compilation and installation process. You can use an AUR helper like yay to compile and install the EVDI module:
yay -S evdi-gitNow, you'll need to compile and install the EVDI kernel module:
git clone https://github.com/DisplayLink/evdi.git
cd evdi/module
make
sudo make install_dkmsAfter you've successfully installed the EVDI module, you'll need to load it into the kernel. However, an important consideration related to secure boot is that only signed kernel modules can be loaded. To check if secure boot is active on your system, run the following command:
mokutil --sb-stateIf secure boot is active and you want to use the EVDI module, you may need to disable secure boot in your BIOS settings. Be aware that this decision has security implications, so proceed with caution. Another option is to sign the module, but I will not cover it in this guide.
Assuming you've addressed secure boot as needed, you can now load the EVDI module:
sudo modprobe evdi initial_device_count=4After successfully loading the EVDI module, you'll notice that new virtual monitors have been detected by your system when you run xrandr | awk /connected/:
DP-0 connected 1080x1920+3640+0 right (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 477mm x 268mm
DP-1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DP-2 connected 2560x1600+1080+164 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 0mm x 0mm
DP-3 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
HDMI-0 connected 1080x1920+0+10 right (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 0mm x 0mm
DVI-I-5-2 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DVI-I-4-1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DVI-I-3-4 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DVI-I-2-3 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
eDP1 connected primary 1920x1080+1720+1764 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 340mm x 190mm
VIRTUAL1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)You can see that there are virtual monitors labeled as DVI-I-X-Y, which are currently disconnected.
The next step is to force-connect these virtual monitors. This can be achieved through two methods: using a Python wrapper provided in the EVDI repository or using the xrandr command and setting a kernel variable. The xrandr method is explored here, as it doesn't require additional dependencies.
The following steps provide information to set up one virtual DVI-I-X-Y monitor, but you can repeat these steps for each additional virtual monitor you want to create.
- List the providers and get their numbers with
xrandr --listproviders:
Provider 0: id: 0x1b8 cap: 0x1, Source Output crtcs: 4 outputs: 5 associated providers: 5 name:NVIDIA-0
Provider 1: id: 0x4d5 cap: 0x2, Sink Output crtcs: 1 outputs: 1 associated providers: 1 name:modesetting
Provider 2: id: 0x4b3 cap: 0x2, Sink Output crtcs: 1 outputs: 1 associated providers: 1 name:modesetting
Provider 3: id: 0x491 cap: 0x2, Sink Output crtcs: 1 outputs: 1 associated providers: 1 name:modesetting
Provider 4: id: 0x46f cap: 0x2, Sink Output crtcs: 1 outputs: 1 associated providers: 1 name:modesetting
Provider 5: id: 0x295 cap: 0xb, Source Output, Sink Output, Sink Offload crtcs: 4 outputs: 2 associated providers: 1 name:Intel- Set the desired resolution for the virtual display using the
xrandrcommand. For example, to set a resolution of "1920x1080," runxrandr --addmode DVI-I-2–3 "1920x1080", whereDVI-I-2–3is one of myDVI-I-X-Ymonitors fromxrandroutput. You can create custom resolutions withcvtandxrandr, for example, create a custom "3840x1600" display resolution:
cvt 3840 1600
output:
# 3840x1600 59.96 Hz (CVT) hsync: 99.42 kHz; pclk: 521.75 MHz
Modeline "3840x1600_60.00" 521.75 3840 4128 4544 5248 1600 1603 1613 1658 -hsync +vsyncxrandr --newmode "3840x1600" 521.75 3840 4128 4544 5248 1600 1603 1613 1658 -hsync +vsync- Apply the resolution to the virtual monitor using the
xrandrcommand:xrandr --output DVI-I-2-3 --mode "1920x1080", whereDVI-I-2–3is one of myDVI-I-X-Ymonitors fromxrandroutput. - To complete the setup, you need to set the provider as "connected." First, you'll need to find the provider's path using the following command:
sudo ls /sys/kernel/debug/dri/
output:
0 1 128 129 2 3 4 5- This command will list the available providers. You'll find provider directories with numerical names. Next, you can choose one of the provider directories corresponding to your
DVI-I-Xprovider. For example:
sudo ls /sys/kernel/debug/dri/2
output:
clients crtc-0 DVI-I-1 framebuffer gem_names internal_clients name state- In this example,
DVI-I-2–3is connected to the provider2. To force theDVI-I-2–3provider as connected, run the following command, replacing the path with the appropriate provider path:
sudo sh -c "echo on > /sys/kernel/debug/dri/2/DVI-I-1/force"
xrandr | awk /connected/
output:
DP-0 connected 1080x1920+3640+0 right (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 477mm x 268mm
DP-1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DP-2 connected 2560x1600+1080+164 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 0mm x 0mm
DP-3 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
HDMI-0 connected 1080x1920+0+10 right (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 0mm x 0mm
DVI-I-5-2 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DVI-I-4-1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DVI-I-3-4 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DVI-I-2-3 connected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
eDP1 connected primary 1920x1080+1720+1764 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 340mm x 190mm
VIRTUAL1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)Repeat the step to the other desired virtual providers. To simplify the process you can use the following bash function in your .bashrc file:
force_connect() {
_display="${1}" # e.g. "DVI-I-2-1"
_res="${2}" # e.g. "1920x1080"
_pos="${3}" # left-of, right-of, below, above
_base="${4}" # e.g. "HDMI2"
xrandr --addmode "${_display}" "${_res}"
xrandr --output "${_display}" --mode "${_res}" "--${_pos}" "${_base}"
sysfs_id=$(echo "${_display}" | cut -d '-' -f 4)
sysfs_path=$(sudo find /sys/kernel/debug/dri -type d -name "DVI-I-${sysfs_id}")
echo on | sudo tee "${sysfs_path}/force" >/dev/null
}And execute the function in a new terminal, for example: force_connect DVI-I-3-4 1920x1080 right-of eDP1
You can also get some scripts of these steps shared on the script folder.
In my laptop with Intel + Nvidia video cards, I have some visual artifacts around the cursor, but some users have reported that they were able to use it with Nvidia video cards without problems.
The Headless Ghost Adapter is a hardware solution that allows you to simulate that unused video output ports are connected to high-resolution virtual displays, typically at 4K resolution, depending on the specific adapter. This option is an excellent choice for individuals who require multiple virtual monitors on their Linux system, don't want to change system files, and have available video outputs on their graphics card.
You can easily find this product online by searching for Headless ghost adapter or you can join Immersed discord server and ask for recommendations.
Please visit the script folder and checkout the available community scripts for immersed setup, virtual monitors configuration, and more!
- https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Extreme_Multihead
- https://unix.stackexchange.com/a/585078
- kbumsik/VirtScreen#16 (comment)
- dianariyanto/virtual-display-linux#9 (comment)
- https://www.reddit.com/r/Fedora/comments/yxkm3w/comment/iwpy5jv/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3
- https://github.com/DisplayLink/evdi
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