Nvidia driver update on/off line
Hello list-readers, I want to upgrade my 9.1 video drivers to the nVidia supplied drivers (enable 3-d). However i want to do this at home where i've got a modem internet connection. The way to upgrade is via yast online update according to the doc's. Is there a way for me to download the nVidia drivers at work (fast internet) and then use yast online update on a file at home so i don't have to download the (6MB) driver at home ?? Thanks. . Dries Pruimboom -- 01110111 01110111 01110111 00101110 01110000 01110010 01110101 01101001 01101101 01100010 01101111 01101111 01101101 00101110 01110100 01101011 <End of message>
On Fri, 2004-05-14 at 10:47, dries wrote:
Is there a way for me to download the nVidia drivers at work (fast internet) and then use yast online update on a file at home so i don't have to download the (6MB) driver at home ??
I tried the online update thing to see how well it worked with 9.1, because it didn't work too well for me in 9.0. It didn't work well this time either. However, I don't think you'll have any trouble doing it the "hard" way. Just go to nVidia's site and download the driver for ia32, and run it as root. (Make sure that you have all the build tools installed, as it needs to relink to the current kernel.) After that, just use SaX2 as usual, but don't worry about checking off the "3D Acceleration" button. Just leave that alone. When you're done, edit /etc/X11/XF86Config, and change the driver that your card uses from "nv" to "nvidia". You should be all set. As to it not working well. Using the downloadable update does indeed pick the "right" driver (nvidia) for use during configurating with SaX2. At work, I have a dual-head config, and SaX2 could NOT see that. I could only have one monitor. At home, I do NOT have a dual-head config, and SaX2 refused to do anything but a dual-head config. On top of this, it started up and showed me screen TWO, where there was a nice message that the config was actually showing on screen ONE! I dug out my DVI-to-VGA converter, but THERE WAS NOTHING COMING OVER THE DVI PORT! Argh! The online update nvidia tool completely blew it on both of my nvidia-equipped machines. Is there any way to undo this install so that SaX2 no longer has any idea about the real "nvidia" driver, and simply uses the built-in "nv" driver? That way I could comfortably go back to the manual method I describe above. Thanks, dk
David Krider wrote :
On Fri, 2004-05-14 at 10:47, dries wrote:
Is there a way for me to download the nVidia drivers at work (fast internet) and then use yast online update on a file at home so i don't have to download the (6MB) driver at home ??
I tried the online update thing to see how well it worked with 9.1, because it didn't work too well for me in 9.0. It didn't work well this time either. However, I don't think you'll have any trouble doing it the "hard" way. Just go to nVidia's site and download the driver for ia32, and run it as root. (Make sure that you have all the build tools installed, as it needs to relink to the current kernel.) After that, just use SaX2 as usual, but don't worry about checking off the "3D Acceleration" button. Just leave that alone. When you're done, edit /etc/X11/XF86Config, and change the driver that your card uses from "nv" to "nvidia". You should be all set.
Thanks for the reply, but my main reason to try to use Yast2 anyway is that i don't wanna have my kernel sources installed. Besides, i think it's still a bit weird that kernel sources are needed to just install a graphics driver (and by the way why does that have to be X megabytes ?). So, your mail has changed my mind, i think i will not upgrade and leave the 3D stuff for what it is. . . . Isn't there a RPM that install's the nVidia driver without all the problems and complexeties ? Or is that illegal with this closed source driver ?? Grtz Dries -- 01110111 01110111 01110111 00101110 01110000 01110010 01110101 01101001 01101101 01100010 01101111 01101111 01101101 00101110 01110100 01101011 <End of message>
On Fri, 2004-05-14 at 18:39, dries wrote:
Thanks for the reply, but my main reason to try to use Yast2 anyway is that i don't wanna have my kernel sources installed. Besides, i think it's still a bit weird that kernel sources are needed to just install a graphics driver (and by the way why does that have to be X megabytes ?). So, your mail has changed my mind, i think i will not upgrade and leave the 3D stuff for what it is. . . .
Isn't there a RPM that install's the nVidia driver without all the problems and complexeties ? Or is that illegal with this closed source driver ??
Yes, this is a problem because of the closed source driver. I did some investigating. When you use the downloader script, it doesn't seem to relink the libraries against the 2.6 kernel sources. It takes the relevant module file (nv-kernel.o) and puts it in a special directory under /lib/modules/scripts. There's a script in there called nvidia.sh. The trick buried in there is this: ld $LD_OPTIONS /lib/modules/${kver}/kernel/drivers/video/nvidia.$ext \ /lib/modules/scripts/nvidia/${kver}/nv-linux.o-${nver} \ /lib/modules/scripts/nvidia/nv-kernel.o-${nver} Where $ext is "ko", the new extension for 2.6 kernel modules. I don't know how this script is kicked off, but it's obviously NOT relinking against source. This may be a change with the 2.6 kernels. I don't know; I'm just getting started with 2.6 now. The bottom line is that the NVidia installer may NOT need all the build environment and kernel sources installed. You may want to try it out that way. I've got my system working so I don't want to try it now. dk
David Krider wrote:
On Fri, 2004-05-14 at 18:39, dries wrote:
Thanks for the reply, but my main reason to try to use Yast2 anyway is that i don't wanna have my kernel sources installed. Besides, i think it's still a bit weird that kernel sources are needed to just install a graphics driver (and by the way why does that have to be X megabytes ?). So, your mail has changed my mind, i think i will not upgrade and leave the 3D stuff for what it is. . . .
Isn't there a RPM that install's the nVidia driver without all the problems and complexeties ? Or is that illegal with this closed source driver ??
Yes, this is a problem because of the closed source driver.
I did some investigating. When you use the downloader script, it doesn't seem to relink the libraries against the 2.6 kernel sources. It takes the relevant module file (nv-kernel.o) and puts it in a special directory under /lib/modules/scripts. There's a script in there called nvidia.sh. The trick buried in there is this:
ld $LD_OPTIONS /lib/modules/${kver}/kernel/drivers/video/nvidia.$ext \ /lib/modules/scripts/nvidia/${kver}/nv-linux.o-${nver} \ /lib/modules/scripts/nvidia/nv-kernel.o-${nver}
Where $ext is "ko", the new extension for 2.6 kernel modules. I don't know how this script is kicked off, but it's obviously NOT relinking against source. This may be a change with the 2.6 kernels. I don't know; I'm just getting started with 2.6 now.
The bottom line is that the NVidia installer may NOT need all the build environment and kernel sources installed. You may want to try it out that way. I've got my system working so I don't want to try it now.
dk
I wondered where it was hiding. I'm not sure if it's the latest kernel.org 2.6.6-mm kernels or something in SuSE 9.1, 2.6.6-rc3-mm2 under 9.0 was the last succesful build here. Regards Sid. -- Sid Boyce .... Hamradio G3VBV and keen Flyer Linux Only Shop.
dries wrote:
Thanks for the reply, but my main reason to try to use Yast2 anyway is that i don't wanna have my kernel sources installed. Besides, i think it's still a bit weird that kernel sources are needed to just install a graphics driver (and by the way why does that have to be X megabytes ?). So, your mail has changed my mind, i think i will not upgrade and leave the 3D stuff for what it is. . . .
Isn't there a RPM that install's the nVidia driver without all the problems and complexeties ? Or is that illegal with this closed source driver ??
Grtz Dries
You need the kernel sources as the nvidia driver contains one precompiled proprietary module and a number of source files that reference kernel include files. For licensing reasons, SuSE cannot supply NVidia's driver in the distro, so each individual must build it, there are no RPM's, nvidia discontinued them. I'm having a problem building under kernel.org 2.6.6-mm kernels, 9.1 compile fails with errors, I haven't tried building it standalone under the SuSE kernel to see if it works. I can use 2.6.6-rc3-mm2 which I built on 9.0 together with the nvidia driver. I've also seen some posts on the kernel mailing list that says SuSE issued a mangled gcc-3.3.3 in 9.1 and recommending upgrade to gcc-3.4.0, no RPM's about at present and it's quite a while since I built a new gcc and associated stuff, working out the build options can be tiresome and I don't know if I can trust the SuSE gcc options to do the trick. Regards Sid. -- Sid Boyce .... Hamradio G3VBV and keen Flyer Linux Only Shop.
On Fri, 14 May 2004 08:47:35 -0700
dries
Hello list-readers,
I want to upgrade my 9.1 video drivers to the nVidia supplied drivers (enable 3-d). However i want to do this at home where i've got a modem internet connection.
The way to upgrade is via yast online update according to the doc's.
Is there a way for me to download the nVidia drivers at work (fast internet) and then use yast online update on a file at home so i don't have to download the (6MB) driver at home ??
Thanks. .
Dries Pruimboom
Yes..if you have similar systems work/home...this way you can update the home system to same standard as work system.. **If it is only the drivers you want to download and the systems is not similar..then still yes..but that is another story.** To make a Suse update cd is VERY easy once you get the hang of it.. Fire up k3b Blank RW cd if neccessary. select ..create data cd in directory listing go to../var/lib/YAST2/you/mnt...drag and drop i386 on cd. Select burn Select k3b defaults...to avoid any fancy stuff...otherwise yast will refuse it. Select burn. Completed...pop cd to the install cdrom. Fire up yast Select patch cd update....do all the required selections along. Then...NEXT...if all is well yast will read the cd. Have done this plenty times with success. I believe the same can be done in xcdroast. HTH -- Johan Registered Linux User #330034 May this be a good day for learning - Still learning.
participants (4)
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David Krider -
dries -
Johan -
Sid Boyce