nvidia-settings(1)                                                                                                                        nvidia-settings(1)

NAME
       nvidia-settings - configure the NVIDIA graphics driver

SYNOPSIS
       nvidia-settings [options]
       nvidia-settings [options] --no-config
       nvidia-settings [options] --load-config-only
       nvidia-settings [options] {--query=attr | --assign=attr=value} ...
       nvidia-settings [options] --glxinfo

       Options: [-vh] [--config=configfile] [-c ctrl-display]
                [--verbose={errors | warnings | all}]
                [--describe={all | list | attribute_name}]

       attr has the form:
            DISPLAY/attribute_name[display_devices]

DESCRIPTION
       The  nvidia-settings  utility  is a tool for configuring the NVIDIA graphics driver.  It operates by communicating with the NVIDIA X driver, querying
       and updating state as appropriate.  This communication is done via the NV-CONTROL, GLX, XVideo, and RandR X extensions.

       Values such as brightness and gamma, XVideo attributes, temperature, and OpenGL settings can be queried and configured via nvidia-settings.

       When nvidia-settings starts, it reads the current settings from its configuration file and sends those settings to the X server.  Then, it displays a
       graphical  user  interface (GUI) for configuring the current settings.  When nvidia-settings exits, it queries the current settings from the X server
       and saves them to the configuration file.

OPTIONS
       -v, --version
              Print the nvidia-settings version and exit.

       -h, --help
              Print usage information and exit.

       --config=CONFIG
              Use the configuration file CONFIG rather than the default ~/.nvidia-settings-rc

       -c, --ctrl-display=CTRL-DISPLAY
              Control the specified X display.  If this option is not given, then nvidia-settings will control the display specified  by  '--display'  ;  if
              that is not given, then the $DISPLAY environment variable is used.

       -l, --load-config-only
              Load  the  configuration file, send the values specified therein to the X server, and exit.  This mode of operation is useful to place in your
              xinitrc file, for example.

       -n, --no-config
              Do not load the configuration file.  This mode of operation is useful if nvidia-settings has difficulties starting due to problems with apply‐
              ing settings in the configuration file.

       -r, --rewrite-config-file
              Write the X server configuration to the configuration file, and exit, without starting the graphical user interface.  See EXAMPLES section.

       -V, --verbose=VERBOSE
              Controls  how  much information is printed.  By default, the verbosity is errors and only error messages are printed.  Valid values are 'none'
              (do not print messages), 'errors' (print error messages), 'warnings' (print error and warning messages), and 'all' (print error,  warning  and
              other informational messages).

       -a, --assign=ASSIGN
              The ASSIGN argument to the '--assign' command line option is of the form:

                {DISPLAY}/{attribute name}[{display devices}]={value}

              This  assigns  the  attribute  {attribute  name}  to  the  value {value} on the X Display {DISPLAY}.  {DISPLAY} follows the usual {host}:{dis‐
              play}.{screen} syntax of the DISPLAY environment variable and is optional; when it is not specified, then it is  implied  following  the  same
              rule as the --ctrl-display option.  If the X screen is not specified, then the assignment is made to all X screens.  Note that the '/' is only
              required when {DISPLAY} is present.

              {DISPLAY} can additionally include a target specification to direct an assignment to something other than an X screen.  A target specification
              is  contained within brackets and consists of a target type name, a colon, and the target id.  The target type name can be one of screen , gpu
              , framelock , vcs , gvi , or fan ; the target id is the index into the list of targets (for that target type).  The target  specification  can
              be used in {DISPLAY} wherever an X screen can be used, following the syntax {host}:{display}[{target_type}:{target_id}].  See the output of

                nvidia-settings -q all

              for information on which target types can be used with which attributes.  See the output of

                 nvidia-settings -q screens -q gpus -q framelocks -q vcs -q gvis -q fans

              for lists of targets for each target type.

              The [{display devices}] portion is also optional; if it is not specified, then the attribute is assigned to all display devices.

              Some examples:

                -a FSAA=5
                -a localhost:0.0/DigitalVibrance[CRT-0]=0
                --assign="SyncToVBlank=1"
                -a [gpu:0]/DigitalVibrance[DFP-1]=63

       -q, --query=QUERY
              The QUERY argument to the '--query' command line option is of the form:

                {DISPLAY}/{attribute name}[{display devices}]

              This  queries  the  current  value  of  the  attribute  {attribute  name}  on the X Display {DISPLAY}.  The syntax is the same as that for the
              '--assign' option, without '= {value}' ; specify '-q screens', '-q gpus', '-q framelocks', '-q vcs', '-q gvis', or '-q fans' to query  a  list
              of  X screens, GPUs, Frame Lock devices, Visual Computing Systems, SDI Input Devices, or Fans, respectively, that are present on the X Display
              {DISPLAY}.  Specify '-q all' to query all attributes.

       -t, --terse
              When querying attribute values with the '--query' command line option, only print the current value, rather than the more verbose  description
              of the attribute, its valid values, and its current value.

       -d, --display-device-string
              When printing attribute values in response to the '--query' option, if the attribute value is a display device mask, print the value as a list
              of display devices (e.g., "CRT-0, DFP-0"), rather than a hexadecimal bit mask (e.g., 0x00010001).

       -g, --glxinfo
              Print GLX Information for the X display and exit.

       -e, --describe=DESCRIBE
              Prints information about a particular attribute.  Specify 'all' to list the descriptions of  all  attributes.   Specify  'list'  to  list  the
              attribute names without a descriptions.

       -p, --page=PAGE
              The  PAGE argument to the '--page' commandline option selects a particular page in the nvidia-settings user interface to display upon starting
              nvidia-settings.  Valid values are the page names in the tree view on the left side of the nvidia-settings user interface; e.g.,

                --page="X Screen 0"

              Because some page names are not unique (e.g., a "PowerMizer" page is present under each GPU), the page name can optionally be  prepended  with
              the name of the parent X Screen or GPU page, followed by a comma.  E.g.,

                --page="GPU 0 - (Quadro 6000), PowerMizer"

              The first page with a name matching the PAGE argument will be used.  By default, the "X Server Information" page is displayed.

USER GUIDE
   Contents
       1.   Layout of the nvidia-settings GUI
       2.   How OpenGL Interacts with nvidia-settings
       3.   Loading Settings Automatically
       4.   Command Line Interface
       5.   X Display Names in the Config File
       6.   Connecting to Remote X Servers
       7.   Licensing
       8.   TODO

   1. Layout of the nvidia-settings GUI
       The  nvidia-settings  GUI is organized with a list of different categories on the left side.  Only one entry in the list can be selected at once, and
       the selected category controls which "page" is displayed on the right side of the nvidia-settings GUI.

       The category list is organized in a tree: each X screen contains the relevant subcategories beneath it.  Similarly, the Display Devices category  for
       a  screen  contains  all  the enabled display devices beneath it.  Besides each X screen, the other top level category is "nvidia-settings Configura‐
       tion", which configures behavior of the nvidia-settings application itself.

       Along the bottom of the nvidia-settings GUI, from left to right, is:

       1)     a status bar which indicates the most recently altered option;

       2)     a Help button that toggles the display of a help window which provides a detailed explanation of the available options in  the  current  page;
              and

       3)     a Quit button to exit nvidia-settings.

       Most  options throughout nvidia-settings are applied immediately.  Notable exceptions are OpenGL options which are only read by OpenGL when an OpenGL
       application starts.

       Details about the options on each page of nvidia-settings are available in the help window.

   2. How OpenGL Interacts with nvidia-settings
       When an OpenGL application starts, it downloads the current values from the X driver, and then reads the environment (see APPENDIX E: OPENGL ENVIRON‐
       MENT  VARIABLE SETTINGS in the README).  Settings from the X server override OpenGL's default values, and settings from the environment override val‐
       ues from the X server.

       For example, by default OpenGL uses the FSAA setting requested by the application (normally, applications do not request any FSAA).  An FSAA  setting
       specified  in  nvidia-settings would override the OpenGL application's request.  Similarly, the __GL_FSAA_MODE environment variable will override the
       application's FSAA setting, as well as any FSAA setting specified in nvidia-settings.

       Note that an OpenGL application only retrieves settings from the X server when it starts, so if you make a change to an OpenGL value  in  nvidia-set‐
       tings, it will only apply to OpenGL applications which are started after that point in time.

   3. Loading Settings Automatically
       The  NVIDIA X driver does not preserve values set with nvidia-settings between runs of the X server (or even between logging in and logging out of X,
       with xdm(1), gdm, or kdm ).  This is intentional, because different users may have different preferences, thus these settings are stored  on  a  per-
       user basis in a configuration file stored in the user's home directory.

       The configuration file is named ~/.nvidia-settings-rc.  You can specify a different configuration file name with the --config command line option.

       After you have run nvidia-settings once and have generated a configuration file, you can then run:

            nvidia-settings --load-config-only

       at  any time in the future to upload these settings to the X server again.  For example, you might place the above command in your ~/.xinitrc file so
       that your settings are applied automatically when you log in to X.

       Your .xinitrc file, which controls what X applications should be started when you log into X (or startx), might look something like this:

            nvidia-settings --load-config-only &
            xterm &
            evilwm

       or:

            nvidia-settings --load-config-only &
            gnome-session

       If you do not already have an ~/.xinitrc file, then chances are that xinit(1) is using a system-wide xinitrc file.  This system wide  file  is  typi‐
       cally here:

            /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc

       To use it, but also have nvidia-settings upload your settings, you could create an ~/.xinitrc with the contents:

            nvidia-settings --load-config-only &
            . /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc

       System administrators may choose to place the nvidia-settings load command directly in the system xinitrc script.

       Please see the xinit(1) man page for further details of configuring your ~/.xinitrc file.

   4. Command Line Interface
       nvidia-settings  has  a rich command line interface: all attributes that can be manipulated with the GUI can also be queried and set from the command
       line.  The command line syntax for querying and assigning attributes matches that of the .nvidia-settings-rc configuration file.

       The --query option can be used to query the current value of attributes.  This will also report the valid values for  the  attribute.   You  can  run
       nvidia-settings  --query  all  for  a  complete list of available attributes, what the current value is, what values are valid for the attribute, and
       through which target types (e.g., X screens, GPUs) the attributes can be addressed.  Additionally, individual attributes may be specified like this:

               nvidia-settings --query CursorShadow

       Attributes that may differ per display device (for example, DigitalVibrance can be set independently on each display device when in TwinView) can  be
       appended with a "display device name" within brackets; e.g.:

               nvidia-settings --query DigitalVibrance[CRT-0]

       If an attribute is display device specific, but the query does not specify a display device, then the attribute value for all display devices will be
       queried.

       An attribute name may be prepended with an X Display name and a forward slash to indicate a different X Display; e.g.:

               nvidia-settings --query localhost:0.0/DigitalVibrance[DFP-1]

       An attribute name may also just be prepended with the screen number and a forward slash:

               nvidia-settings --query 0/DigitalVibrance[DFP-1]

       in which case the default X Display will be used, but you can indicate to which X screen to direct the  query  (if  your  X  server  has  multiple  X
       screens).  If no X screen is specified, then the attribute value will be queried for all X screens.

       Attributes  can  be  addressed  through "target types".  A target type indicates the object that is queried when you query an attribute.  The default
       target type is an X screen, but other possible target types are GPUs, Frame Lock devices, Visual Computing Systems, SDI Input Devices, and fans.

       Target types give you different granularities with which to perform queries and assignments.  Since X screens can span multiple GPUs (in the case  of
       Xinerama, or SLI), and multiple X screens can exist on the same GPU, it is sometimes useful to address attributes by GPU rather than X screen.

       A  target specification is contained within brackets and consists of a target type name, a colon, and the target id.  The target type name can be one
       of screen, gpu, framelock, vcs, gvi, or fan; the target id is the index into the list of targets (for that target type).  Target  specifications  can
       be  used wherever an X screen is used in query and assignment commands; the target specification can be used either by itself on the left side of the
       forward slash, or as part of an X Display name.

       For example, the following queries address X screen 0 on the localhost:

               nvidia-settings --query 0/VideoRam
               nvidia-settings --query localhost:0.0/VideoRam
               nvidia-settings --query [screen:0]/VideoRam
               nvidia-settings --query localhost:0[screen:0]/VideoRam

       To address GPU 0 instead, you can use either of:

               nvidia-settings --query [gpu:0]/VideoRam
               nvidia-settings --query localhost:0[gpu:0]/VideoRam

       See the output of

               nvidia-settings --query all

       for what targets types can be used with each attribute.  See the output of

               nvidia-settings --query screens --query gpus --query framelocks --query vcs --query gvis --query fans

       for lists of targets for each target type.

       The --assign option can be used to assign a new value to an attribute.  The valid values for an attribute are reported when the attribute is queried.
       The  syntax  for  --assign  is  the same as --query, with the additional requirement that assignments also have an equal sign and the new value.  For
       example:

               nvidia-settings --assign FSAA=2
               nvidia-settings --assign 0/DigitalVibrance[CRT-1]=9
               nvidia-settings --assign [gpu:0]/DigitalVibrance=0

       Multiple queries and assignments may be specified on the command line for a single invocation of nvidia-settings.

       If either the --query or --assign options are passed to nvidia-settings, the GUI will not be presented, and nvidia-settings will exit after  process‐
       ing  the  assignments and/or queries.  In this case, settings contained within the ~/.nvidia-settings-rc configuration file will not be automatically
       uploaded to the X server, nor will the ~/.nvidia-settings-rc configuration file be automatically updated to reflect attribute  assignments  made  via
       the --assign option.

   5. X Display Names in the Config File
       In  the  Command Line Interface section above, it was noted that you can specify an attribute without any X Display qualifiers, with only an X screen
       qualifier, or with a full X Display name.  For example:

               nvidia-settings --query FSAA
               nvidia-settings --query 0/FSAA
               nvidia-settings --query stravinsky.nvidia.com:0/FSAA

       In the first two cases, the default X Display will be used, in the second case, the screen from the default X Display can be overridden, and  in  the
       third case, the entire default X Display can be overridden.

       The same possibilities are available in the ~/.nvidia-settings-rc configuration file.

       For  example, in a computer lab environment, you might log into any of multiple workstations, and your home directory is NFS mounted to each worksta‐
       tion.  In such a situation, you might want your ~/.nvidia-settings-rc file to be applicable to all the workstations.  Therefore, you would  not  want
       your  config  file  to qualify each attribute with an X Display Name.  Leave the "Include X Display Names in the Config File" option unchecked on the
       nvidia-settings Configuration page (this is the default).

       There may be cases when you do want attributes in the config file to be qualified with the X Display name.  If you know what you are doing  and  want
       config  file  attributes to be qualified with an X Display, check the "Include X Display Names in the Config File" option on the nvidia-settings Con‐
       figuration page.

       In the typical home user environment where your home directory is local to one computer and you are only configuring one X Display, then it does  not
       matter whether each attribute setting is qualified with an X Display Name.

   6. Connecting to Remote X Servers
       nvidia-settings  is  an  X  client,  but uses two separate X connections: one to display the GUI, and another to communicate the NV-CONTROL requests.
       These two X connections do not need to be to the same X server.  For example, you might run nvidia-settings on  the  computer  stravinsky.nvidia.com,
       export the display to the computer bartok.nvidia.com, but be configuring the X server on the computer schoenberg.nvidia.com:

               nvidia-settings --display=bartok.nvidia.com:0 \
                   --ctrl-display=schoenberg.nvidia.com:0

       If --ctrl-display is not specified, then the X Display to control is what --display indicates.  If --display is also not specified, then the $DISPLAY
       environment variable is used.

       Note, however, that you will need to have X permissions configured such that you can establish an X connection from the computer  on  which  you  are
       running nvidia-settings (stravinsky.nvidia.com) to the computer where you are displaying the GUI (bartok.nvidia.com) and the computer whose X Display
       you are configuring (schoenberg.nvidia.com).

       The simplest, most common, and least secure mechanism to do this is to use 'xhost' to allow access  from  the  computer  on  which  you  are  running
       nvidia-settings.

               (issued from bartok.nvidia.com)
               xhost +stravinsky.nvidia.com

               (issued from schoenberg.nvidia.com)
               xhost +stravinsky.nvidia.com

       This  will  allow  all  X  clients  run  on  stravinsky.nvidia.com  to  connect  and  display  on  bartok.nvidia.com's X server and configure schoen‐
       berg.nvidia.com's X server.

       Please see the xauth(1) and xhost(1) man pages, or refer to your system documentation on remote X applications and security.  You might  also  Google
       for terms such as "remote X security" or "remote X Windows", and see documents such as the Remote X Apps mini-HOWTO:

            ⟨http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Remote-X-Apps.html⟩

       Please also note that the remote X server to be controlled must be using the NVIDIA X driver.

   7. Licensing
       The source code to nvidia-settings is released as GPL.  The most recent official version of the source code is available here:

            ⟨ftp://download.nvidia.com/XFree86/nvidia-settings/⟩

       Note  that  nvidia-settings is simply an NV-CONTROL client.  It uses the NV-CONTROL X extension to communicate with the NVIDIA X server to query cur‐
       rent settings and make changes to settings.

       You can make additions directly to nvidia-settings, or write your own NV-CONTROL client, using nvidia-settings as an example.

       Documentation on the NV-CONTROL extension and additional sample clients are available in the nvidia-settings source tarball.  Patches can be  submit‐
       ted to [email protected].

   8. TODO
       There are many things still to be added to nvidia-settings, some of which include:

       -      different toolkits?  The GUI for nvidia-settings is cleanly abstracted from the back-end of nvidia-settings that parses the configuration file
              and command line, communicates with the X server, etc.  If someone were so inclined, a different front-end GUI could be implemented.

       -      write a design document explaining how nvidia-settings is designed; presumably this would make it easier for people to  become  familiar  with
              the code base.

       If there are other things you would like to see added (or better yet, would like to add yourself), please contact [email protected].

FILES
       ~/.nvidia-settings-rc

EXAMPLES
       nvidia-settings
              Starts the nvidia-settings graphical interface.

       nvidia-settings --load-config-only
              Loads the settings stored in ~/.nvidia-settings-rc and exits.

       nvidia-settings --rewrite-config-file
              Writes the current X server configuration to ~/.nvidia-settings-rc file and exits.

       nvidia-settings --query FSAA
              Query the value of the full-screen antialiasing setting.

       nvidia-settings --assign RedGamma=2.0 --assign BlueGamma=2.0 --assign GreenGamma=2.0
              Set the gamma of the screen to 2.0.

AUTHOR
       Aaron Plattner
       NVIDIA Corporation

SEE ALSO
       nvidia-xconfig(1), nvidia-installer(1)

COPYRIGHT
       Copyright © 2010 NVIDIA Corporation.

nvidia-settings 295.40                                                   2012-04-05                                                       nvidia-settings(1)