Nvidia driver package refuse to cooperate with kernel sources

Danzille · 08-03-2010, 03:47 AM

I'm using Slackware 13.0 on rather old PC with old Riva TNT2 video card.
Default driver is "nv". Everything work fine, but without hardware 2D acceleration under X.

After studying various manuals I
1. downloaded Nvidia binary package suitable for my video card.
2. Recompile kernel without Riva framebuffer support.
3. Start Nvidia script.

Script said: "Error: unable to find the kernel source tree for the currently running kernel. Please make sure you have installed the kernel source files for your kernel and that they are properly configured...""

Kernel sources are in /usr/src/linux-2.6.29.6
I have all kernel packages installed.

I was trying various switches for script in order to show the right path - nothing! 8(((

Some people say that Nvidia script don't like 4th digit in a kernel's name and get it from "uname -r" output. Can I change it somehow?

Any ideas?

ChrisAbela · 08-03-2010, 04:42 AM

There are a lot of nvidia drivers at http://slackbuilds.org for Slack13.0

nvidia-driver System 195.36.15 13.0
nvidia-kernel System 195.36.15 13.0
nvidia-legacy173-driver System 173.14.25 13.0
nvidia-legacy173-kernel System 173.14.25 13.0
nvidia-legacy96-driver System 96.43.16 13.0
nvidia-legacy96-kernel System 96.43.16 13.0

Try them

GrapefruiTgirl · 08-03-2010, 04:56 AM

As for the 4th digit in kernel's name -- I have never found this to be a problem. However, to circumvent this problem if it is occurring, why not symlink your kernel sources folder to "linux" like in the old days?

Code:

ln -s /usr/src/linux-2.6.29.6 /usr/src/linux

That should eliminate any problems with the digits.

Yours is not the first thread about a problem with the nvidia drivers and the latest Slackware(s) - I don't know if everyone is having the exact same troubles, and I myself have not had these troubles using recent drivers with Slackware, but if my suggestion doesn't help, and you've tried ChrisAbela's suggestion(s) above to no avail, please search LQ a little bit for threads very similar to yours, and see if resolutions can be found there.

It might be that nvidia's older drivers of certain vintage, have not all been updated/patched for the newest kernels, and will continue to cause problems with certain versions..

Also, for the record: I have an old machine here containing a Riva TNT card, and from what I remember about messing with drivers for it, there wasn't really much to gain by installing the binary driver. I think I just ended up using the vesa driver for that. Your case may be different; by all means try it out - but don't expect awesome video performance

Best of luck.

Danzille · 08-03-2010, 05:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChrisAbela

There are a lot of nvidia drivers at http://slackbuilds.org for Slack13.0

nvidia-driver System 195.36.15 13.0
nvidia-kernel System 195.36.15 13.0
nvidia-legacy173-driver System 173.14.25 13.0
nvidia-legacy173-kernel System 173.14.25 13.0
nvidia-legacy96-driver System 96.43.16 13.0
nvidia-legacy96-kernel System 96.43.16 13.0

Try them

Yes, I know about this site, but there is no info about supported video cards on this page. Nevertheless, I'll try. Thank you!

GrapefruiTgirl · 08-03-2010, 05:38 AM

According to the nvidia driver portal here: http://www.nvidia.com/object/linux_d..._71.86.13.html

you want the 71.86.13 driver, which is allegedly the latest version to support your TNT2 card. Unfortunately the list shown by ChrisAbela does not show this version, so there may or may not be a SlackBuild for it at SBo.

However I would think it not too complex to modify a SlackBuild for a different version of driver, with a little work (I've never used a SlackBuild to install the binary driver, so please don't quote me on this!

)

Danzille · 08-03-2010, 05:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrapefruiTgirl

As for the 4th digit in kernel's name -- I have never found this to be a problem. However, to circumvent this problem if it is occurring, why not symlink your kernel sources folder to "linux" like in the old days?

Code:

ln -s /usr/src/linux-2.6.29.6 /usr/src/linux

That should eliminate any problems with the digits.

Thanks a lot!

Of course I tried this variant already. And renaming of folder too.
Nothing!

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrapefruiTgirl

please search LQ a little bit for threads very similar to yours, and see if resolutions can be found there.

All threads with this error ended with "At last I did it!" but without any helpful info. 8((

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrapefruiTgirl

by all means try it out - but don't expect awesome video performance

Best of luck.

OK
I don't expect awesome video performance from a 10 year old card with 16Mb of RAM on board. I need some 2D performance under X. (I'm using fluxbox) Software renderer is tooooooo sloooooow for some software 8))))

adamk75 · 08-03-2010, 06:14 AM

I'm not all that familiar with the nvidia drivers, but perhaps you need to make sure that /usr/src/linux-2.6.29.6/.config matches your running kernel and then do a 'make prepare' on the kernel to get the headers to match your current kernel?

Adam

linus72 · 08-03-2010, 06:15 AM

I feel you bro
mine is a old K7 with GeForce4 MX 4000 card
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...4/#post4045655

and only Ubuntu can actually get it done using jockey-gtk app....every other distro (debian/arch/slackware) cannot get the driver installed 'cause it "can't" find the kernel source,etc

you could try the "sgfxi" script from smxi; it works for debian/arch systems but I have heard it may work for slackware too
though I have yet to try it...
http://code.google.com/p/sgfxi/

http://smxi.org/

http://smxi.org/docs/sgfxi-manual.htm

GazL · 08-03-2010, 06:24 AM

If I remember correctly, the nvidia installer uses the /lib/modules/2.6.x.y/source (or possibly build) symlink to find the appropriate version of the kernel source.

Danzille · 08-03-2010, 06:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by linus72

I feel you bro
mine is a old K7 with GeForce4 MX 4000 card
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...4/#post4045655

MX 4000 is GOOOD!!!
I'll try sgfxi after reading the manual.

Thank you very much!
Dan

linus72 · 08-03-2010, 06:42 AM

Quote:

MX 4000 is GOOOD!!!

yeah well I think cause it's a "no-name" PC is the problem...
it has no maker's name anywhere and is just enclosed in a white cabinet
I found it in trash...lol and there was nothin wrong with it

Danzille · 08-03-2010, 06:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GazL

If I remember correctly, the nvidia installer uses the /lib/modules/2.6.x.y/source (or possibly build) symlink to find the appropriate version of the kernel source.

Are you talking about smth like this:

ln -s /lib/modules/<kernel name>/source <link name> ?

What <link name> I have to type?

GazL · 08-03-2010, 07:15 AM

They should already be there. Just creating the symlink really isn't going to get you very far.

To make use of the nvidia drivers you're going to have to switch to a modular kernel (such as the shipped 'generic' one).

Make sure you have kernel-generic and kernel-modules packages installed. Then read /boot/README.initrd for instructions on how to switch to using the generic kernel. You'll also find plenty of help on this forum for building an initrd as it's a topic that's come up in the past quite a bit.

If you've installed the modules correctly you should have something like:

Code:

gazl@nix:/boot$ ls -l /lib/modules/2.6.34.2/
total 3456
lrwxrwxrwx  1 root root     23 2010-08-03 13:42 build -> /usr/src/linux-2.6.34.2/
drwxr-xr-x 10 root root   4096 2010-08-03 13:38 kernel/
-rw-r--r--  1 root root 548977 2010-08-03 13:44 modules.alias
-rw-r--r--  1 root root 533048 2010-08-03 13:44 modules.alias.bin
-rw-r--r--  1 root root   6198 2010-08-03 13:37 modules.builtin
-rw-r--r--  1 root root   9035 2010-08-03 13:44 modules.builtin.bin
-rw-r--r--  1 root root     69 2010-08-03 13:44 modules.ccwmap
-rw-r--r--  1 root root 250731 2010-08-03 13:44 modules.dep
-rw-r--r--  1 root root 353318 2010-08-03 13:44 modules.dep.bin
-rw-r--r--  1 root root   1257 2010-08-03 13:44 modules.ieee1394map
-rw-r--r--  1 root root    218 2010-08-03 13:44 modules.inputmap
-rw-r--r--  1 root root   3084 2010-08-03 13:44 modules.isapnpmap
-rw-r--r--  1 root root     74 2010-08-03 13:44 modules.ofmap
-rw-r--r--  1 root root  84562 2010-08-03 13:37 modules.order
-rw-r--r--  1 root root 324605 2010-08-03 13:44 modules.pcimap
-rw-r--r--  1 root root   1219 2010-08-03 13:44 modules.seriomap
-rw-r--r--  1 root root 206451 2010-08-03 13:44 modules.symbols
-rw-r--r--  1 root root 266894 2010-08-03 13:44 modules.symbols.bin
-rw-r--r--  1 root root 895596 2010-08-03 13:44 modules.usbmap
lrwxrwxrwx  1 root root     23 2010-08-03 13:42 source -> /usr/src/linux-2.6.34.2/

croxen · 08-03-2010, 08:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrapefruiTgirl

As for the 4th digit in kernel's name -- I have never found this to be a problem. However, to circumvent this problem if it is occurring, why not symlink your kernel sources folder to "linux" like in the old days?

Code:

ln -s /usr/src/linux-2.6.29.6 /usr/src/linux

That should eliminate any problems with the digits.

Yours is not the first thread about a problem with the nvidia drivers and the latest Slackware(s) - I don't know if everyone is having the exact same troubles, and I myself have not had these troubles using recent drivers with Slackware, but if my suggestion doesn't help, and you've tried ChrisAbela's suggestion(s) above to no avail, please search LQ a little bit for threads very similar to yours, and see if resolutions can be found there.

It might be that nvidia's older drivers of certain vintage, have not all been updated/patched for the newest kernels, and will continue to cause problems with certain versions..

Also, for the record: I have an old machine here containing a Riva TNT card, and from what I remember about messing with drivers for it, there wasn't really much to gain by installing the binary driver. I think I just ended up using the vesa driver for that. Your case may be different; by all means try it out - but don't expect awesome video performance

Best of luck.

Another potential problem might be what I discovered when I was upgrading from 12.2 to 13.0: the NVidia installer would not install 177 and earlier series drivers if it found Xorg-server-1.6.3 installed. I found that I had to either backlevel Xorg to 12.2's 1.4.2 (which I did for a while), or move to 185 or later series NVidia drivers with Slack's 13.0's version of Xorg (which I did eventually).

I don't know how NVidia's legacy driver installer will play with Slack 13's Xorg 1.6.3.

GrapefruiTgirl · 08-03-2010, 09:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by croxen

...the NVidia installer would not install 177 and earlier series drivers if it found Xorg-server-1.6.3 installed ... I don't know how NVidia's legacy driver installer will play with Slack 13's Xorg 1.6.3.

That is interesting - I didn't know that there might be difficulties related to particular Xorg versions.

But, I don't believe it to be the OP's particular problem, as their issue seems to be revolving around an apparent inability of the installer to find kernel sources.

Nonetheless, thank you for sharing that info! All possibilities should be considered.