Frank
f1e0b6583d
Frank's call: no per-host graveyard. The four /system/dankware/ pages carried two pieces of knowledge that outlive the box, and one that does not. Distilled: - omp-docs/system/network.md (new) — LAN topology plus the multi-link resolver law: a client with two +DefaultRoute links flaps its DNS, and the fix is a static per-connection resolver, not resolved.conf. Keeps the flush-caches-loop verification, because one successful dig proves nothing. - omp-docs/tools/niri/displays.md (new) — the multi-monitor rig: portrait transforms, absolute positions, auto-placed third panel, the iGPU render-node pin, and the three failure modes (duplicate output blocks, positions that do not reflow, a mode the panel cannot drive). Dropped: the machine's own spec sheet (CPU/GPU/PCI/NVMe inventory for a box Frank sold) and its quick-facts table. The OS and userspace facts it repeated already live in tools/cachyos.md. omp-docs/system/dankware/ moved to .AGENTTRASH/20260928-retired-workstation/ (not deleted; git history holds it too). system/index.md and the niri index repoint; niri's [[displays]] wikilink now resolves to the new page instead of the trashed one. kb-lint: 0 violations.
127 lines
4.2 KiB
Markdown
127 lines
4.2 KiB
Markdown
---
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type: reference
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title: Display Configuration
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description: Niri output configuration for a multi-monitor desk rig — portrait transforms, position pinning, scale, and iGPU display ownership.
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tags:
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- niri
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- display
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- monitors
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- rotation
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verified: 2026-08-28
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---
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# Display Configuration
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How a multi-monitor desk rig is configured in niri: portrait external panels
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flanking a laptop panel, positions pinned by hand, and the integrated GPU kept
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as the display owner.
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**Config:** `~/.config/niri/cfg/display.kdl`
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**Probe:** `wlr-randr` (installed by CachyOS) reports what the compositor
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actually committed — connectors, preferred modes, transforms, scale, positions.
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---
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## The rig
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Three outputs in a row: two external monitors rotated to portrait, one
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internal laptop panel in landscape at the right.
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```
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┌──────────────┬──────────────┬──────────────┐
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│ │ │ │
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│ DP-1 │ DP-3 │ eDP-1 │
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│ external │ external │ internal │
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│ 1920x1200 │ 1920x1200 │ 2560x1600 │
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│ Portrait │ Portrait │ Landscape │
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│ 90° rotate │ 270° rotate │ 1.5x scale │
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│ │ │ │
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└──────────────┴──────────────┴──────────────┘
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x=0,0 x=1200,0 auto-placed
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```
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| Output | Role | Transform | Position | Scale |
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|--------|------|-----------|----------|-------|
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| `DP-1` | External, left | `90` (portrait) | `x=0 y=0` | 1.0 |
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| `DP-3` | External, center | `270` (portrait) | `x=1200 y=0` | 1.0 |
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| `eDP-1` | Internal panel | none (landscape) | auto-placed | 1.5 |
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The two portrait panels are 1200 px wide after rotation, which is why the
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second one starts at `x=1200`. The internal panel declares no position at
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all — niri auto-places it to the right of the explicitly positioned outputs.
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That is the only reliable way to keep a third panel from landing on top of
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the rig when a cable is re-seated.
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---
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## The config pattern
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```kdl
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output "DP-1" {
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transform "90"
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position x=0 y=0
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}
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output "DP-3" {
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transform "270"
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position x=1200 y=0
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}
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output "eDP-1" {
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// no position — auto-placed to the right of the DP-* outputs
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scale 1.5
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}
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```
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Three rules learned the hard way:
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1. **One output, one block.** A second block keyed by the make/model string
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(`output "Samsung Electric Company …"`) that also sets `transform` fights
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the connector-keyed block. Use the make/model form only to pin a `mode`
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for an output whose connector name is unstable across boots, and never
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set a transform in both places.
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2. **Positions are absolute, not relational.** Niri does not reflow the rig
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when one panel is disconnected — a missing output leaves a hole at its
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coordinates. Verify with `wlr-randr` after any cable or dock change.
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3. **Re-assert rotation after a config reload, then confirm.** A transform
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silently reverting to landscape is the usual symptom of a duplicate
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output block, not of a failed reload.
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Modes must match what the panel reports. Check `wlr-randr` for the preferred
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mode before writing a `mode` line; a `mode` the panel cannot drive leaves the
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output dark or drops it.
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---
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## GPU assignment
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The integrated GPU drives all display output; the discrete GPU is available
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for compute but must not take the outputs. Pin the render node explicitly in
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`~/.config/niri/cfg/misc.kdl`:
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```kdl
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environment {
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render-node "/dev/dri/renderD129"
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}
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```
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Without the pin, the session's render node follows probe order and can land
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on the discrete GPU — which costs display-linked copies and, on hybrid
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graphics laptops, is a common trigger of the suspend/resume deadlock covered
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in the sleep-wake investigation report.
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---
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## Reload
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`niri msg action load-config-file` reloads live. Never `SIGHUP` the process
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— see [[tips]].
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---
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## See Also
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- [Niri](/tools/niri/index.md) — compositor overview and config layout
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- [[tips|tips]] — reload path and other gotchas
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- [[cachyos|cachyos]] — operating system, including `wlr-randr`
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