Dell display manager linux

Linux on your 2 in 1 Touchscreen Convertible Laptop

New users get swamped when attempting to select a Linux Distribution as there is a large number of Linux Distributions and Linux Desktop Environments and each distribution may be developed using a different version of a Linux Kernel. An outline of the distributions will be given in a section below. The detailed installation guides below focus on beginner friendly distros that use a modern Linux Kernel on a relatively modern computer (manufactured post 2015).

Linux Installation Guides

This guide will look at installation at the leading edge Linux Distributions on a Dell XPS 13 2 in 1 Touchscreen Convertible Device:

Minimum System Requirements

These guides cover installation of Linux on a Modern Computer that is subject to the following minimum requirements:

• Manufactured Date: Late 2015
• BIOS: UEFI BIOS with Secure Boot*
• Processor: Intel 6th Generation (i3, i5 or i7) Processor or AMD Ryzen Processor
• 8 GB RAM
• NVMe SSD or SATA SSD
• Touchscreen Convertible (Optional)

* The system requirements for a modern Linux distribution are much lower than those stated above however there was a recent discussion on depreciating the legacy BIOS. i.e. developers are less likely to be testing older systems and these may not run very well.

Linux Distributions

Linux distributions differ in the following areas:

• Linux Kernel
• Display Manager
• Project
• Package Manager(s)
• Desktop Environment

Modern Kernel

Use Distros only with a modern Linux Kernel (6.2 or later). Having an up to date Linux Kernel generally means improved driver support and improved reliability on a modern computer.

Display Manager

Linux has two display managers, the modern display manager Wayland and XOrg. For a modern computer defined above, use a distro that uses the Wayland display manager as it will work best with your graphics card. XOrg is no longer being actively developed and has many issues. It only works on legacy devices which use matching screen sizes with 100 DPI scaling.

Projects

Although Linux is Open Source, there are a handful of companies that drive its development with the following projects:

The company Canonical develop Ubuntu which is based on the open-source project Debian. An analogy is Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge which both base both of their products on the open source project Chromium. Unlike Google Chrome and Microsoft edge, Ubuntu remains open source so many other distributions are in turn Ubuntu-based.

The company RedHat develop Fedora from the grounds up.

Desktop Environments

The Desktop Environment is essentially the Operating System User Interface and is the main difference between Linux distributions. Canonical for example release «Ubuntu Flavours» which are variations of Ubuntu that use different desktop environments. The main desktop environments are:

Fedora uses an unmodified GNOME Desktop Environment and Ubuntu uses a modified GNOME Desktop Environment. The company System76 modifies the GNOME Desktop in Ubuntu further in their distribution called POP!_OS. System76 are an OEM and bundle Pop!_OS on their own hardware but also make their distribution available to others keeping it Open Source. The company Zorin Group modifies the GNOME Desktop in Ubuntu further to make it visually similar to Microsoft Windows. Both companies base their distros on Long Term Support (LTS) releases of Ubuntu. Unfortunately POP_OS! is behind a year using a legacy kernel and Zorin is behind 3 years using a legacy kernel and display manager.

KDE is a Desktop Environment made by KDE Webmasters. KDE Webmasters base KDE on a LTS release of Ubuntu and work on elements of the the Desktop Environment in their distribution KDE Neon. Canonical also have a flavour called Kubuntu. KDE Neon and Kubuntu are therefore very similar, KDE Neon has the latest changes in the Desktop environment while KDE Neon has the latest changes elsewhere in the Operating System.

GNOME3 was a massive change from GNOME2 and Linux Mint was a community fork that continued to work on GNOME2 to create the Desktop Environment MATE and the closely related Desktop Environment Cinnamon; the Cinnamon is generally the flagship desktop environment associated with Linux Mint. Recently the Linux Mint community have made some major changes away from Ubuntu defaults, particularly by sticking to the legacy display driver model XOrg and using an alternative package manager. Canonical already had the Ubuntu flavour called Ubuntu MATE but recently made the additional flavour Ubuntu Cinnamon, in response to the Linux Mints team drift away from its use of package manager. Hopefully this new flavour will also help develop the desktop environment for the newe display driver mdoel Wayland.

At current GNOME and GNOME modified desktop environments have the best support for a 2 in 1 touchscreen convertible device as GNOME includes an onscreen keyboard and supports device auto-rotation. It has still some limitations in these areas which will be addressed but it better than the other Desktop Environments which don’t have these features.

Package Mangers

In the past Linux was relatively difficult to install and software in Linux was in turn difficult to install. Software generally required installation of multiple dependencies and used the command line.

The Debian project uses Debian Packages, the company RedHat behind Fedora have their own package format Redhat Package Manager (RPM) and the company Canonical have their own package format Snap. There has also been a move towards an Open Source standard called Flatpak.

Ubuntu flavours which are Debian based use Debian Packages; Canonical have configured Ubuntu and Ubuntu flavours to favour Snap for software but still use Debian Packages behind the scenes for Operating System components.

Fedora uses the RPM and have recently adoped Flatpak integration; RedHat have configured the preference for RPMs and allow use of Flatpaks for wider software installation.

Linux Mint, although Ubuntu based and therefore Debian based made the decision to block Snap and adopted Flatpak; therefore preferences Flatpaks for software installation but also use Debian Packages behind the scenes for Operating System components.

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Dell Display Manager (DDM)

Dell Display Manager is a comprehensive management tool giving you optimal front of screen experience, efficient display management, easy and effortless multitasking helping you increase everyday productivity. This software works only on Dell monitors produced from 2013 and beyond with exception of Dell D-Series and Nvidia G-SYNC based models. This software can support up to 16 monitors setups and is compatible with all major graphics vendors like Nvidia, AMD, and Intel.

With Easy Arrange feature you can organize multiple application windows on your screen and snap their positions and sizes into a template of your choice and then reuse it when needed. You can split screen horizontally or vertically or in various other patterns making it easier to use the full potential of your large Dell monitor when having the need to work in more than one window at the same time. In the case of dual monitor setup, Easy Arrange can also be used to expand desktop space across two monitors. The auto-restore feature remembers where you left off and restores application windows as they were.

Enables easy switching of inputs without a need to click on any Monitor hardware buttons and going trough it’s OSD screens. A great feature if you want to switch input video source from VGA to HDMI in a single click. In case you use the same monitor for your PC and for your laptop this feature allows you to switch easily between them. You can even assign names to each input and define a shortcut key making it even easier to switch between input screens. The DDM tool for PC is very useful for programmers or gamers.

Adjusting of monitor brightness, contrast or resolution can now be done directly through the Dell Display Monitor DDM software. These settings can then be saved as presets and used again when writing a document, playing games, or watching movies, all within the application. To make things even better Auto Mode allows you to assign presets to applications you use: so once you launch VLC Player a movie preset will get auto-applied and can enjoy the video without a need to switch the modes manually.

Efficient and Eco-friendly

Making an asset report document is a one-click process allowing IT managers to save monitor asset information documents with just one click. Saving energy is an important PowerNap function that allows power consumption management. Putting your monitor to sleep when you’re not using it saves energy.

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Dell Display Manager (DDM)

This article provides information about the Dell Display Manager utility for Dell monitors. Learn how to download the Dell Display Manager utility to help with general display needs.

Table of Contents

What is Dell Display Manager (DDM)

Dell Display Manager is a management tools that allow you to create a custom view layout for specific monitors. It will only work with Dell branded monitors, not Iiyama or Samsung. For a complete list of the supported models, please read the article «What is Dell Display Manager — sections «Dell Displays (Monitor) Models supported by Dell Display Manager».

• customize up to 48 zones on your screen
• assign your zones accordingly using the function “Easy arrange”
• save your zones as customs layout
• adjust brightness, contrast, and resolution directly through the software for an optimal front of screen experience.
• assign a pre-set model to a specific application using the “Automode” function.

Dell Display Manager can support up to 16 monitors.

Drivers and operating System supported

Find a driver for your Dell Display and Peripheral Manager for your computer from the page «Dell Display and Peripheral Manager».

How to download Dell Display Manager

You can install DDM on your laptop downloading it from the Software Center. If you are using a computer managed by iSolutions, you can open the Software Center selecting:

• the Additional software icon, clicking on the icon called «Additional Software» on your desktop
• the «Software Center» icon available in the start menu:

MacOS users need to download the software “Dell Display and Peripheral Manager” from the page «Dell.com/Support/DDPM».

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Dell Display Manager

How can I get my Dell Monitors software i.e. Dell Display Manager in my Ubuntu 18.04.3 LTS for controlling the monitor via software rather than the physical buttons on the screen ?

The answer is here. You can’t use that particular software, but Linux has it’s own way. askubuntu.com/questions/860761/…

As the previous comment hints, one can write a Gnome extension that uses ddcutil for controlling specific things in the screen. For example, there is one for controlling brightness: extensions.gnome.org/extension/2645/….

Dell also build their SDK for linux, e.g. dell.com/support/home/en-us/drivers/… But getting your hands on the latest binaries isn’t easy, and the lib is basically same as ddcutil but with all the dell specific enums and the dell specific apis.

1 Answer 1

The proprietary application called Dell Display Manager has not been provided for Ubuntu. However, most displays (including Dell’s) can be controlled from the PC over DDC communication which is available in Ubuntu.

Brightness

If you wish to control the display’s brightness, use the GNOME extension Brightness control using ddcutil. Setting it up, however, requires several steps. Apart from installing the extension (which requires a browser addon and a native application or manual installation), you must setup ddcutil which is used as a backend of this extension.

I’ve installed the extension together with ddcutil and it’s worth it from my perspective.

Other controls

If you wish to control other features of your display, you should follow the manual approach using ddcutil (or ddccontrol but it’s outdated) or create/find a wrapper appropriate to your needs.

Related questions

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