HP xw3400 User Manual page 81

– XFree86/X.org-native drivers — Graphics software provided by open-source developers
included as part of the XFree86 and X.org distributions. Functionality and performance depend
upon code maturity and low-level access. Often these drivers have more basic functionality as
device manufacturers choose to keep their acceleration techniques and full functionality limited to
proprietary drivers.
– OEM-proprietary drivers — Graphics software that is developed and maintained by the
respective manufacturer. They generally provide the highest degree of card acceleration and
functionality.
NOTE: HP recommends OEM drivers when configuring multiple video ports on its supplied graphics
cards.
HP works with both XFree86/X.org providers and OEM graphics partners to provide robust graphics
driver solutions on its workstations. Version-matched drivers for ATI and NVIDIA graphics cards are
provided with the HP Linux Installer Kit CDs and HP Driver CDs for Red Hat Linux releases. The latest
HP Driver CDs and individual graphics driver updates are maintained and available on the HP
support website:
www.hp.com/support
• Multiple Graphics Cards: HP supports multiple, same-vendor graphics cards in a variety of
combinations. The xw9300, for example, offers 2 full speed x16 PCIe graphics slots which enable
high end graphics configurations with 2 full performance graphics cards. The xw8200 offers one
full speed x16 PCIe graphics slot as well as a x4 PCIe slot for expansion options. Multiple graphics
cards can also be supported by combining one PCIe-based graphics card with one or more PCI-
based graphics cards. Same-vendor card requirements come from the tested reliability of a single
universal graphics driver for all installed cards. Mixed-vendor combinations may require conflicting
drivers that are not guaranteed to work together and thus cannot be fully supported by HP.
Many workstation customers typically reserve the high-performance PCIe channels for accelerated 3D
graphics work. Additional PCI-based graphics cards provide complementary access to user interfaces
(menus, navigation, help screens) or other workspaces. For example, financial or EDA segments fill
multiple slots with economical Professional 2D cards (PCIe and PCI versions of the same card) to
increase visibility of their data.
• Multiple Display Monitors: XFree86 and X.org manage each display monitor as part of one or
more screens that are used by the user's window manager (e.g., GNOME, KDE, etc.). Regardless
of the number of graphics cards driving individual display monitors, a primary goal is more real
estate―expanding viewable workspace across all monitors. Two and three monitor configurations
typically define a horizontal setup (side by side). Four or more monitor configurations may define
square or rectangular presentations (2-high x 2-wide, 2-high x 3-wide, etc.). Users can control how
the mouse pointer moves from monitor to monitor. They can also control how desktop workspaces
appear in each display and how independently each display behaves relative to its neighbor. A
detailed discussion of these configuration issues follows in the next section.
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