Nvidia-kernel conflicts with rivafb driver??

LeftyAce · 10-13-2005, 11:55 AM

Hi all!

I'm in the process of converting from windows and fedora to debian, and have gotten everything set up except drivers for my nvidia GeForce 6600GT. I found a tutorial online instructing me in how to download an nvidia-kernel package and build the apropriate modules, and followed its instructions regarding which packages I needed to download to build the driver successfully. I get as far as the command

Code:

m-a a-i -i -t -f nvidia-kernel

to (I think it's using module-assistant). lines of messages scroll by hapily, and then I get

Code:

Your kernel was configured to include rivafb support!

The rivafb driver conflicts with the NVIDIA driver, please
reconfigure your kernel and *disable* rivafb support, then
try installing the NVIDIA kernel module again.

*** Failed rivafb sanity check. Bailing out! ***

make[2]: *** [rivafb-sanity-check] Error 1
make[2]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/modules/nvidia-kernel/nv'
make[1]: *** [build-stamp] Error 2
make[1]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/modules/nvidia-kernel'
make: *** [kdist_image] Error 2

I'm using the kernel image for 2.6.8-2-686-smp ('cause I've got a hyperthreading p4) and have the headers installed. I did not configure anything in the kernel; whatever's there is the default I downloaded through synaptic.
How do I disable the rivafb support? Any suggestions are much appreciated.

ssfrstlstnm · 10-13-2005, 12:09 PM

You will have to compile your kernel without the rivafb support/module before you can install the nvidia driver.

LeftyAce · 10-14-2005, 08:23 PM

Ok I found a tutorial on which packages and commands I need to recompile the kernel. I got the packages, but when I cd into the kernel-source directory and type make menuconfig and get this error:

Code:

# make menuconfig
  HOSTCC  scripts/kconfig/mconf.o
scripts/kconfig/mconf.c:91: error: static declaration of 'current_menu' follows non-static declaration
scripts/kconfig/lkc.h:63: error: previous declaration of 'current_menu' was here
make[1]: *** [scripts/kconfig/mconf.o] Error 1
make: *** [menuconfig] Error 2

I tried xconfig as well and got the same error. What am I doing wrong?

LeftyAce · 10-15-2005, 07:20 PM

I appologize for posting the above post so quickly. I googled around and found that kernels below 2.12.x gcc-4.0 does not work. I got gcc 3.3 and did the menuconfig just fine. Now when I run

Code:

fakeroot make-kpkg kernel_image

(as root) as per a how-to I found, I get this error:

Code:

echo done >  stamp-configure
test -f stamp-configure || /usr/bin/make -f /usr/share/kernel-package/rules configure
/usr/bin/make    ARCH=i386 \
                     bzImage
make[1]: Entering directory `/usr/src/kernel-headers-2.6.8-2-686-smp'
make[2]: *** No rule to make target `init/main.o', needed by `init/built-in.o'.  Stop.
make[1]: *** [init] Error 2
make[1]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/kernel-headers-2.6.8-2-686-smp'
make: *** [stamp-build] Error 2

Google's coming up blank :-(
Any ideas are much appreciated!

ssfrstlstnm · 10-16-2005, 04:48 PM

Not sure. The first thing I would suspect would be not the right version of gcc, libc-dev/libc6-dev, but since it sounds like you have the right version of gcc... Maybe check libc-dev and make to make sure you have the correct version for your kernel.

Also it seems you are compiling in the kernel-headers directory. I always use the kernel source for compiling the kernel, not sure if you can use the kernel headers. I could be wrong. I know it has much of the same code but... Maybe try using the kernel-source from apt. You can probably just import the config file that you used in the kernel-headers directory. Should be named .config I think.

LeftyAce · 10-26-2005, 08:40 PM

Well I got it working! Rather than mess with downgrading all the other stuff related to gcc and a kernel re-compile, I downloaded the 2.6.13 kernel from kernel.org so I could use gcc-4.0. After a little trial and error I've got it working. All I had to do is compile with rivafb support disabled, and then I ran the nvidia driver installer (which I found much easier than the tutorial mentioned above which compiles some nvidia kernel etc). All worked fine, and now I'm in the process of disabling all the junk that's built in by default but I don't need :-)

Thanks for your help ssfrstlstnm, and I appologize for leaving it so long to post.

AcidSouL · 11-08-2005, 01:12 PM

hey i have the same problem...but how u disable rivafb ???
i dont find it it in menuconfig?

LeftyAce · 11-08-2005, 02:41 PM

When you type 'make menuconfig' you're presented with a menu (yay). Go into 'device drivers', then into 'Graphics Support' then deselect 'nVidia Riva support'

I left nvidia frambuffer support enabled and it worked fine (BUT NO RIVA ! :-)))

Btw, I'm using the 2.6.13.4 kernel; not sure if different versions do things differently.