I followed the instructions on https://access.redhat.com/site/solutions/64300 and now my computer won't boot. I think the following line did the damage.

echo -e "\nblacklist nouveau" >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
dracut -f /boot/initramfs-`rpm -qa kernel --queryformat "%{PROVIDEVERSION}.%{ARCH}\n" | tail -1`.img `rpm -qa kernel --queryformat "%{PROVIDEVERSION}.%{ARCH}\n" | tail -1`

I can't comment on the page with the instructions and I don't know how to undo the damage.

And really; all I want to do is use the GPU for computational purposes. I really don't want to change the graphics - it was just fine. Why do I have to install graphics drivers?

Roger

While I understand the question, you should think of the Nvidia driver as the Nvidia driver, not as a graphics driver. Your card, you did not specify which one, let us say, Quadro, does graphics and CUDA, with the appropriate driver. If it were a Tesla card, it would only do CUDA, but it would still need the Nvidia driver.

OK, now that's out of the way, I presume your problem occurred the step where you "Reboot the Server" but before you downloaded the Nvidia driver? And presumably you are using RHEL 6.x, and have an Nvidia card? Assuming yes to all that, what error messages do you see when the computer doesn't boot? Can you boot the system with a rescue disk?

I was able to log in by selecting the previous kernel at boot up. The Graphical interface fails on the console, but I can log on remotely using xterm and kde. This is the error message from xorg.

[ 707.475]
X.Org X Server 1.14.4
Release Date: 2013-10-31
[ 707.475] X Protocol Version 11, Revision 0
[ 707.475] Build Operating System: 3.12.8-300.fc20.x86_64
[ 707.475] Current Operating System: Linux jordan 3.13.3-201.fc20.x86_64 #1 SMP Fri Feb 14 19:08:32 UTC 2014 x86_64
[ 707.476] Kernel command line: BOOT_IMAGE=/vmlinuz-3.13.3-201.fc20.x86_64 root=/dev/mapper/fedora_jordan-root ro rd.md=0 rd.dm=0 vconsole.keymap=us rd.lvm.lv=fedora_jordan/swap rd.luks=0 vconsole.font=latarcyrheb-sun16 rd.lvm.lv=fedora_jordan/root rhgb quiet nouveau.modeset=0 rd.driver.blacklist=nouveau video=vesaff LANG=en_GB.utf8
[ 707.477] Build Date: 04 February 2014 10:57:37PM
[ 707.477] Build ID: xorg-x11-server 1.14.4-6.fc20
[ 707.477] Current version of pixman: 0.30.0
[ 707.477] Before reporting problems, check http://wiki.x.org
to make sure that you have the latest version.
[ 707.478] Markers: (--) probed, (**) from config file, (==) default setting,
(++) from command line, (!!) notice, (II) informational,
(WW) warning, (EE) error, (NI) not implemented, (??) unknown.
[ 707.479] (==) Log file: "/var/log/Xorg.0.log", Time: Thu Mar 20 09:18:02 2014
[ 707.479] (==) Using config file: "/etc/X11/xorg.conf"
[ 707.479] (==) Using config directory: "/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d"
[ 707.479] (==) Using system config directory "/usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d"
[ 707.480] (==) ServerLayout "Default Layout"
[ 707.480] (**) |-->Screen "Default Screen" (0)
[ 707.480] (**) | |-->Monitor "Monitor0"
[ 707.480] (**) | |-->Device "Videocard0"
[ 707.480] (**) |-->Input Device "Keyboard0"
[ 707.480] (**) |-->Input Device "Mouse0"
[ 707.480] (==) Automatically adding devices
[ 707.480] (==) Automatically enabling devices
[ 707.480] (==) Automatically adding GPU devices
[ 707.480] (==) FontPath set to:
catalogue:/etc/X11/fontpath.d,
built-ins
[ 707.480] (**) ModulePath set to "/usr/lib64/nvidia/xorg,/usr/lib64/xorg/modules"
[ 707.480] (WW) Hotplugging is on, devices using drivers 'kbd', 'mouse' or 'vmmouse' will be disabled.
[ 707.480] (WW) Disabling Keyboard0
[ 707.480] (WW) Disabling Mouse0
[ 707.480] (II) Loader magic: 0x80dd00
[ 707.480] (II) Module ABI versions:
[ 707.480] X.Org ANSI C Emulation: 0.4
[ 707.480] X.Org Video Driver: 14.1
[ 707.480] X.Org XInput driver : 19.2
[ 707.480] X.Org Server Extension : 7.0
[ 707.481] (II) xfree86: Adding drm device (/dev/dri/card1)
[ 707.481] (II) xfree86: Adding drm device (/dev/dri/card2)
[ 707.481] (II) xfree86: Adding drm device (/dev/dri/card0)
[ 707.497] (--) PCI: (0:2:0:0) 10de:1021:10de:097d rev 161, Mem @ 0xdd000000/16777216, 0x3c0fe0000000/268435456, 0x3c0ff0000000/33554432, BIOS @ 0x????????/524288
[ 707.497] (--) PCI: (0:3:0:0) 10de:1021:10de:097d rev 161, Mem @ 0xdb000000/16777216, 0x3c0fc0000000/268435456, 0x3c0fd0000000/33554432, BIOS @ 0x????????/524288
[ 707.497] (--) PCI:*(0:10:0:0) 102b:0534:15d9:0665 rev 0, Mem @ 0xda000000/16777216, 0xdf000000/16384, 0xde800000/8388608, BIOS @ 0x????????/131072
[ 707.497] Initializing built-in extension Generic Event Extension
[ 707.497] Initializing built-in extension SHAPE
[ 707.497] Initializing built-in extension MIT-SHM
[ 707.497] Initializing built-in extension XInputExtension
[ 707.498] Initializing built-in extension XTEST
[ 707.498] Initializing built-in extension BIG-REQUESTS
[ 707.498] Initializing built-in extension SYNC
[ 707.498] Initializing built-in extension XKEYBOARD
[ 707.504] Initializing built-in extension XC-MISC
[ 707.510] Initializing built-in extension XINERAMA
[ 707.516] Initializing built-in extension XFIXES
[ 707.521] Initializing built-in extension RENDER
[ 707.527] Initializing built-in extension RANDR
[ 707.532] Initializing built-in extension COMPOSITE
[ 707.538] Initializing built-in extension DAMAGE
[ 707.543] Initializing built-in extension MIT-SCREEN-SAVER
[ 707.549] Initializing built-in extension DOUBLE-BUFFER
[ 707.554] Initializing built-in extension RECORD
[ 707.559] Initializing built-in extension DPMS
[ 707.565] Initializing built-in extension X-Resource
[ 707.570] Initializing built-in extension XVideo
[ 707.575] Initializing built-in extension XVideo-MotionCompensation
[ 707.581] Initializing built-in extension SELinux
[ 707.586] Initializing built-in extension XFree86-VidModeExtension
[ 707.591] Initializing built-in extension XFree86-DGA
[ 707.596] Initializing built-in extension XFree86-DRI
[ 707.601] Initializing built-in extension DRI2
[ 707.601] (WW) "glamoregl" will not be loaded unless you've specified it to be loaded elsewhere.
[ 707.601] (II) "glx" will be loaded by default.
[ 707.601] (WW) "xwayland" is not to be loaded by default. Skipping.
[ 707.601] (II) LoadModule: "glx"
[ 707.601] (II) Loading /usr/lib64/nvidia/xorg/libglx.so
[ 707.604] (II) Module glx: vendor="NVIDIA Corporation"
[ 707.604] compiled for 4.0.2, module version = 1.0.0
[ 707.604] Module class: X.Org Server Extension
[ 707.604] (II) NVIDIA GLX Module 331.49 Wed Feb 12 20:17:10 PST 2014
[ 707.609] Loading extension GLX
[ 707.610] (II) LoadModule: "nvidia"
[ 707.610] (II) Loading /usr/lib64/xorg/modules/drivers/nvidia_drv.so
[ 707.610] (II) Module nvidia: vendor="NVIDIA Corporation"
[ 707.610] compiled for 4.0.2, module version = 1.0.0
[ 707.610] Module class: X.Org Video Driver
[ 707.610] (II) NVIDIA dlloader X Driver 331.49 Wed Feb 12 19:57:36 PST 2014
[ 707.610] (II) NVIDIA Unified Driver for all Supported NVIDIA GPUs
[ 707.610] (++) using VT number 2

[ 707.610] (EE) No devices detected.
[ 707.610] (EE)
Fatal server error:
[ 707.610] (EE) no screens found(EE)
[ 707.610] (EE)
Please consult the Fedora Project support
at http://wiki.x.org
for help.

PS. Gnome fails with a complaint about a composite extension.

you will have a MAJOR PROBLEM!!!!! if you are using RHEL6 CUDA guide for Fedora 20
rhel6 is very VERY VERY different than Fedora 20

as in
you can NOT use rhel6 guides for most fedora 20 things

PS fedora 20 is NOT SUPPORTED by CUDA5.5 !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fedora 18 IS
https://developer.nvidia.com/cuda-downloads
and that is the problem
fedora 18 is UNSUPPORTED!!!!!!
and the RC1 of cuda6
https://developer.nvidia.com/cuda-pre-production
only supports Fedora 19

use the Fedora 19 mjwired guide
and the fedoraforum nvidia guide

the fedora 19 mjmwired
http://www.mjmwired.net/resources/mjm-fedora-f19.html

the fedora sticky GUIDE for nvidia and fedora 20
http://www.forums.fedoraforum.org/sh...d.php?t=280750

1 members found this post helpful.

Thanks so much! Wow! Great site BTW.

I would be very grateful if you could tell me how to undo the dracut.

Thanks,
roger

-- -i am assuming you are doing the MANUAL "The Hard Way" install using the NVIDIA.run driver

and not using the recommended kmod-nvidia.rpm
as recommended


the set of commands that included "dracut"
are NEEDED for the one time when you moved from Nouveau to nvidia

the basic steps were
### install ALL!!!! the needed software to install the .run-- it is a lot
1) remove or blacklist nouveau
2) boot into TEXT ONLY mode and run the two different commands to rebiulkd the boot image
( this is a one time thing only the very first time )
-- text boot and log in as root in the text only boot
-- this you can do just not a GUI login as root

add a three ( 3 ) to the end of the boot line and hit <f 10 >
3) reboot
again into text only ( init3 )

cd to where you saved the nvidia.run
( i save the .run driver to " / " )

then install it
still as a root text only login
and fallow the on screen instructions
basically say "yes" to everything