USB2VGA SIS or Displaylink DL-165

Wed Jan 1 15:46:01 UTC 2020

I'm trying to get some USB to VGA adapters working with Mint LMDE2 or 
pure Debian 9 (LXDE) units.

I have two that I believe are SIS based chips and one that is 
Displaylink DL-165 based.

When I plug one of the SIS into the unit I get a red border around a 
black screen, the other SIS one the same although it has alternating 
black and white horizontal stripes.
The displaylink one gets a green screen.

Most answers I can find say this is all fine and then make changes to 
the xorg.conf.d file ....
But I do not have such a file.
It looks like I am supposed to be excerpts of the changes into discrete 
separate files with a folder called xorg.conf.d though I'm not sure what 
content I should put in and where as there appears to be two locations.
/etc/X11/   or  /usr/share/X11
I have made some attempts but nothing made a noticeable difference.

MrMazda over at LinuxQuestions got me to try various things and has 
suggested this forum.

Below is some further information from one unit using one of the SIS 
based units.

Any suggestions on what I should attempt next or if more information is 
required in order to assist.

Or advise if there are reasons why these pieces of hardware may never 
work with newer distros?

K.
  - - - - - -

$ uname -a
Linux unit03 3.16.0-10-586 #1 Debian 3.16.76-1 (2019-11-12) i686 GNU/Linux

$ xrandr --listproviders
Providers: number : 1
Provider 0: id: 0x43 cap: 0xb, Source Output, Sink Output, Sink Offload 
crtcs: 2 outputs: 2 associated providers: 0 name:Intel

$ xrandr --listmonitors
Monitors: 2
  0: +*LVDS1 1366/340x768/190+0+0  LVDS1
  1: +HDMI1 1920/620x1080/340+0+0  HDMI1

$ lsusb
Bus 002 Device 007: ID 0711:0900 Magic Control Technology Corp. SVGA Adapter

$ sudo dmesg
[ 4057.600073] usb 2-1: new high-speed USB device number 7 using ehci-pci
[ 4057.732459] usb 2-1: New USB device found, idVendor=0711, idProduct=0900
[ 4057.732474] usb 2-1: New USB device strings: Mfr=0, Product=0, 
SerialNumber=0
[ 4059.166546] usb 2-1: USB2VGA dongle found at address 7
[ 4059.167412] usb 2-1: Allocated 8 output buffers
[ 4059.284084] usb 2-1: 8MB 1 ch/1 r SDR SDRAM, bus width 32
[ 4059.935648] usbcore: registered new interface driver sisusb

$ inxi -V
inxi 3.0.37-00 (2019-11-19)

$ inxi -Gxx
Graphics: Device-1: Intel 2nd Generation Core Processor Family 
Integrated Graphics vendor: Holco Enterprise Co /Shuttle
driver: i915 v: kernel bus ID: 00:02.0 chip ID: 8086:0106
Display: server: X.Org 1.19.2 driver: 
amdgpu,ati,fbdev,intel,modesetting,nouveau,radeon,sisusb,vesa,vmware
resolution: 1366x768~60Hz, 1920x1080~60Hz
OpenGL: renderer: Mesa DRI Intel Sandybridge Mobile v: 3.3 Mesa 13.0.6 
compat-v: 3.0 direct render: Yes

$ sudo lspci -nnk | grep -i -A4 VGA
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: Intel Corporation 2nd 
Generation Core Processor Family Integrated Graphics Controller 
[8086:0106] (rev 09)
Subsystem: Holco Enterprise Co, Ltd/Shuttle Computer 2nd Generation Core 
Processor Family Integrated Graphics Controller [1297:2027]
Kernel driver in use: i915
Kernel modules: i915
00:16.0 Communication controller [0780]: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C216 
Chipset Family MEI Controller #1 [8086:1e3a] (rev 04)

$ sudo lspci -nnk | grep -i -A4 graphics
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: Intel Corporation 2nd 
Generation Core Processor Family Integrated Graphics Controller 
[8086:0106] (rev 09)
Subsystem: Holco Enterprise Co, Ltd/Shuttle Computer 2nd Generation Core 
Processor Family Integrated Graphics Controller [1297:2027]
Kernel driver in use: i915
Kernel modules: i915
00:16.0 Communication controller [0780]: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C216 
Chipset Family MEI Controller #1 [8086:1e3a] (rev 04)
Subsystem: Holco Enterprise Co, Ltd/Shuttle Computer 7 Series/C216 
Chipset Family MEI Controller [1297:2027]

$ xrandr
Screen 0: minimum 8 x 8, current 1920 x 1080, maximum 32767 x 32767
LVDS1 connected primary (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
1366x768 60.01 +
1360x768 59.96
1024x768 60.00
1024x576 60.00
960x540 60.00
800x600 60.32 56.25
864x486 60.00
640x480 59.94
720x405 60.00
680x384 60.00
640x360 60.00
DP1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
HDMI1 connected 1920x1080+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 
620mm x 340mm
1920x1080 60.00* 50.00 50.00 59.94
1920x1080i 60.00 50.00 59.94
1680x1050 59.88
1280x1024 75.02 60.02
1440x900 74.98 59.90
1280x960 60.00
1280x720 60.00 50.00 59.94
1024x768 75.03 60.00
800x600 75.00 60.32
720x576 50.00
720x576i 50.00
720x480 60.00 59.94
720x480i 60.00 59.94
640x480 75.00 72.81 66.67 60.00 59.94
720x400 70.08
VGA1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
VIRTUAL1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)

re log, there was one in ~/.local/share/xorg/

X.Org X Server 1.19.2
Release Date: 2017-03-02
[ 19.959] X Protocol Version 11, Revision 0
[ 19.959] Build Operating System: Linux 4.9.0-8-amd64 x86_64 Debian
[ 19.959] Current Operating System: Linux unit190427A 4.9.0-11-amd64 #1 
SMP Debian 4.9.189-3+deb9u2 (2019-11-11) x86_64
[ 19.959] Kernel command line: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-4.9.0-11-amd64 
root=UUID=02d1f8ff-bc83-4c09-86a5-ca154f5330d9 ro quiet
[ 19.959] Build Date: 03 November 2018 03:09:11AM
[ 19.959] xorg-server 2:1.19.2-1+deb9u5 (https://www.debian.org/support)
[ 19.959] Current version of pixman: 0.34.0

[ 19.980] (==) Using config file: "/etc/X11/xorg.conf"
[ 19.980] (==) Using config directory: "/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d"
[ 19.981] (==) Using system config directory "/usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d"
[ 19.987] (==) ServerLayout "X.org Configured"
[ 19.987] (**) |-->Screen "Screen0" (0)
[ 19.987] (**) | |-->Monitor "Monitor0"
[ 19.987] (**) | |-->Device "Card0"
[ 19.987] (**) |-->Screen "Screen1" (1)
[ 19.987] (**) | |-->Monitor "Monitor1"
[ 19.987] (**) | |-->Device "Device1"
[ 19.987] (**) |-->Input Device "Mouse0"
[ 19.987] (**) |-->Input Device "Keyboard0"

[ 20.047] (II) LoadModule: "sisusb"
[ 20.047] (II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/drivers/sisusb_drv.so
[ 20.048] (II) Module sisusb: vendor="X.Org Foundation"
[ 20.048] compiled for 1.19.1, module version = 0.9.7
[ 20.048] Module class: X.Org Video Driver
[ 20.048] ABI class: X.Org Video Driver, version 23.0
[ 20.048] (II) intel: Driver for Intel(R) Integrated Graphics Chipsets:
i810, i810-dc100, i810e, i815, i830M, 845G, 854, 852GM/855GM, 865G,
915G, E7221 (i915), 915GM, 945G, 945GM, 945GME, Pineview GM,
Pineview G, 965G, G35, 965Q, 946GZ, 965GM, 965GME/GLE, G33, Q35, Q33,
GM45, 4 Series, G45/G43, Q45/Q43, G41, B43
[ 20.048] (II) intel: Driver for Intel(R) HD Graphics
[ 20.048] (II) intel: Driver for Intel(R) Iris(TM) Graphics
[ 20.048] (II) intel: Driver for Intel(R) Iris(TM) Pro Graphics
[ 20.048] (II) SISUSB: driver for SiSUSB chipsets: SIS315E/PRO USB
[ 20.049] xf86EnableIOPorts: failed to set IOPL for I/O (Operation not 
permitted)

[ 20.051] (WW) Falling back to old probe method for sisusb
[ 20.051] (WW) VGA arbiter: cannot open kernel arbiter, no multi-card 
support
[ 20.052] (--) intel(0): Integrated Graphics Chipset: Intel(R) HD 
Graphics 2000
[ 20.052] (--) intel(0): CPU: x86-64, sse2, sse3, ssse3, sse4.1, sse4.2; 
using a maximum of 2 threads
[ 20.052] (==) intel(0): Depth 24, (--) framebuffer bpp 32
[ 20.052] (==) intel(0): RGB weight 888
[ 20.052] (==) intel(0): Default visual is TrueColor
[ 20.053] (II) intel(0): Output LVDS1 using monitor section Monitor0
[ 20.064] (**) intel(0): Found backlight control interface 
intel_backlight (type 'raw') for output LVDS1
[ 20.064] (II) intel(0): Enabled output LVDS1
[ 20.064] (II) intel(0): Output VGA1 has no monitor section
[ 20.065] (II) intel(0): Enabled output VGA1
[ 20.065] (II) intel(0): Output HDMI1 has no monitor section
[ 20.065] (II) intel(0): Enabled output HDMI1
[ 20.065] (II) intel(0): Output DP1 has no monitor section
[ 20.065] (II) intel(0): Enabled output DP1
[ 20.065] (--) intel(0): Using a maximum size of 256x256 for hardware 
cursors
[ 20.065] (II) intel(0): Output VIRTUAL1 has no monitor section
[ 20.065] (II) intel(0): Enabled output VIRTUAL1
[ 20.065] (--) intel(0): Output LVDS1 using initial mode 1366x768 on pipe 0
[ 20.065] (--) intel(0): Output HDMI1 using initial mode 1920x1080 on pipe 1
[ 20.066] (==) intel(0): TearFree disabled
[ 20.066] (==) intel(0): Using gamma correction (1.0, 1.0, 1.0)
[ 20.066] (==) intel(0): DPI set to (96, 96)

[ 20.100] (II) UnloadModule: "sisusb"
[ 20.100] (II) Unloading sisusb