kmack Posted June 13, 2003 Report Share Posted June 13, 2003 This sort of relates to a previous post but decided to start new thread as it is different: Nvidia driver update needed for 2.4.21-0.18 kernel update? http://www.mandrakeusers.org/viewtopic.php?t=5779 According to Nvidia readme FAQ section: Q: I just upgraded my kernel, and now the NVIDIA kernel module won't load. What's wrong? A: The kernel interface layer of the NVIDIA kernel module must be compiled specifically for the configuration and version of your kernel. If you upgrade your kernel, then the simplest solution is to reinstall the driver. ADVANCED: You can install the NVIDIA kernel module for a non running kernel (for example: in the situation where you just built and installed a new kernel, but haven't rebooted yet) with a command line such as this: sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-4363.run --kernel-name='KERNEL_NAME' Where 'KERNEL_NAME' is what `uname -r` would report if the target kernel were running. Has anyone tried this method yet? Do you have to uninstall the old Nvidia first? I want to download the new kernel and kernel-source tomorrow and give it a spin. Would appreciate any comments or experience you have had using the Nvidia method above. Concerns I have: 1) The Mdk urpmi method installs the new kernel parallel to the old. Is the Nvidia installer smart enough to only deal with the active kernel? --Looks like the command tells it to install/compile to the named non-running kernel so that is pretty slick. 2) If you use the recommended Mdk urpmi method to install the new kernel, does the new kernel become active upon completion of install? ...Or does it only activate after the lilo command is given? Hmmm... I'll be sleeping on this one. Bedtime here!!! :wink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyme Posted June 13, 2003 Report Share Posted June 13, 2003 I can answer #2) urpmi will (usually) add the new kernel to lilo, under a different name than the previous kernel. you can check this either in MCC->Boot->Boot Options or by taking a gander at your /etc/lilo.conf file. you will have to reboot and choose to boot that kernel for the new kernel to become active. the old kernel will stay, also. /usr/src/linux is a link to the true directory of your kernel (usually /usr/src/nameofkernelandversion) which I believe gets updated depending on what kernel you booted. personally. i don't trust NVIDIA enough to know which kernel to compile for when given a command line option specifying it. i would reboot into the new kernel and then compile the driver that way. but that's just me :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ixthusdan Posted June 13, 2003 Report Share Posted June 13, 2003 I have found that, upon recompiling an nvidia driver for a new kernal, while the old one does not work, the new driver works with both kernels. I have kept a driver around by renaming it, but by the time you modprobe and edit the libglx.so symlink, it is just as easy to recompile on first boot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmack Posted June 14, 2003 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2003 Thanks for the input! Think I'm going to give NVIDIA method a spin just so I can learn from it. I can always go backwards if needed. :wink: If I don't crash things, I'll write up what I did. Might take some time to download things depending on connect speed and interruptions here too. :) p.s. / update: Too slow to download today... standing by for early Sun AM when traffic is lighter to try again. Downloading 150+MB at 2.2kbps is not an option. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmack Posted June 14, 2003 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2003 Got the new kernel installed and running. Too early to tell if all is well, but so far so good despite a bonehead mistake. I urpmi'ed the kernel and decided to get the kernel source too since I would need it. I was in Konsole. Not thinking, I shutdown my GUI while downloading. Amazing thing was urpmi kept right on running but of course I lost my Konsole so could not see what the download status was... could only watch the lights blink on my router and wait to see the HD spin up when it installed. i used #ps -A to see if urpmi was still going too. :) After all that fun, I decided I better try to edit /etc/lilo.cfg and to not try to do the NVIDIA reinstall at the same time. I figured it would be easier to troubleshoot if I dealt with one install item at a time. On reboot, no X available... it crashed. Not to worry... :wink: Then I ran the NVIDIA driver that I downloaded last night and had to compile the kernel mod since the NVIDIA installer didn't recognize such a new kernel. But all went well and after I rebooted, I have NVIDIA working and X starts just fine! So I learned a bit more and was sure glad it worked. :lol: p.s. btw I used the new 4363 Nvidia installer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmack Posted June 14, 2003 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2003 Glad I got good advice from this board and boot to level 3. I rebooted to the OLD kernel just to make sure all was well in case I needed it later for access if problems arise. Boots fine to level 3 but when I did startx it crashed the Xserver so no GUI yet under my old kernel. When you run the Nvidia installer, it removes any previous versions it detects and I guess it removed the version(4349) that was associated with the old kernel. Haven't studied it out yet, but wonder if I can run the NVIDIA installer with options as noted above for the OLD kernel... Hmmm... I will sleep on that. I can live without GUI but am curious if it will work. I'm going to bed first though. :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyme Posted June 14, 2003 Report Share Posted June 14, 2003 when you switch kernels, the nvidia drivers have to be recompiled again. they are kernel-specific. some drivers are like this... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bvc Posted June 14, 2003 Report Share Posted June 14, 2003 when you switch kernels, the nvidia drivers have to be recompiled again. they are kernel-specific. some drivers are like this...I think kmack understands this....what he's wondering is if he can usesh NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-4363.run --kernel-name='KERNEL_NAME'to install the nvidia driver for a different kernel than the one running so that if you choose a diff kernel from the bootloader X still starts. I'm curious myself, and will try it when I find the time to compile my RH9 kernel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyme Posted June 14, 2003 Report Share Posted June 14, 2003 when you switch kernels, the nvidia drivers have to be recompiled again. they are kernel-specific. some drivers are like this...I think kmack understands this....what he's wondering is if he can use oh....nevermind that post, i wasn't awake yet.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmack Posted June 15, 2003 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2003 yes, bvc is correct. The Nvidia installer removed all the old driver connections to all kernels so I will have to reinstall specifically for the old/non-running kernel if I want to be able to boot to GUI using that kernel. I don't think it is necessary, but am curious to test it to see if my understanding is correct. :wink: Right now am doing Mdk update on my wife's desktop and that takes about all my bandwidth. So maybe after the housework is done, Ill get back to this. It is Father's Day, you know? 8) bvc, if you try it I'll be interested in the results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bvc Posted June 18, 2003 Report Share Posted June 18, 2003 Well, I just compiled the kernel and whether using ./NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-4363.run --kernel-name=2.4.20-8.1 or ./NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-4363.run -ane --kernel-name=2.4.20-8.1 it still required the removal of the current nvidia driver on the current running kernel. However it did successfully compile the new driver for a non-running kernel....I'm using it now. What's the point? I was hoping for 2 nvidias/2 kernels....oh well.... :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmack Posted June 18, 2003 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2003 Yes, same results here! I also hoped that I could apply Nvidia to both kernels in case I wanted to run the old kernel under GUI. So far, have not found a way to do that as the installer removes the driver from the other kernel. There must be a way to do it, just not obvious. Oh well.... not essential. I can always install again if I need to run old kernel. The good news is the kernel update seems to work fine! :wink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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