../testing/2.6.10 kernel and compiling mvidia driver

justwantin · 02-13-2005, 01:38 PM

I've tried several times to compile a nvidia driver to work in slack-10 with the 2.6.10 kernel from testing on 10 current. I used both the 1.0-6106 and 1.0-6629 NVIDIA-Linux..... scripts with no joy. Kernel source for 2.6.10 is in place.

Can I expect a successful compile with an install of slack-10.1 and testing 2.6.10 kernel? and/or is there some trick required in slack-10 with the current 2.6.10.

Reason I want the 2.6.10 kernel is that it has the most up to date modules for linux dvb tv cards other wise I'd stay with 2.4.x until slack 11 is released.

jimdaworm · 02-13-2005, 02:13 PM

I tried it too without any luck... I think if I remember right you have to patch the kernel or somthing... you have to change somthing to get it to work anyway... I just gave up for now and installed 2.6.8 again.

Tino27 · 02-13-2005, 03:30 PM

Not that this solves your immediate problem, but for the 2.6.8.1 and 2.6.9 kernels, I ended up using patched nvidia source (version 6111). When 2.6.10 came out, the patched 6111 version wouldn't compile correctly. By going to the latest 6629 version, it compiled and installed correctly. Are there any relevant errors in your /var/log/nvidia-installer.log that might help you to narrow down the problem?

justwantin · 02-13-2005, 09:12 PM

no I didn't check log. I'll do that when I get home tonight. Is that patch available at the nvidia site/

justwantin · 02-14-2005, 05:00 AM

I'm OK now, I had logged in via lilo with "linux single" this morning when I had the failure.

Tonight I almost did the same but for the heck of it once I was logged in as root I did a "telinit 3" and was then successful at building the nvidia driver. I don't know why that worked but I thought I'd come back with how I did it in case someone else comes along this thread with the same problem.

When logged in at runlevel 1 this morning the log stopped at loading the TLS OpenGL libraries. Tonight it rolled through to the end I all I had to do was edit the xorg.conf file.

urka58 · 02-14-2005, 05:01 AM

You can stay with 2.4.x kernel using the latest DVB drivers. You can easuily dowload them @
http://www.linuxdvb.tv/download/
Hope this helps
Ciao

jimdaworm · 02-14-2005, 01:40 PM

I just compiled my 2.6.10 kernel I patched the nvidia graphics driver before installing it (not sure if necessary or not but it did say to do it in the forum) then that installed sweet.

I could not how ever get the nvidia network driver to compile/install it gave me an error. So I re-compiled the kernel with experimental drivers and forcedeth and it seems to work sweet!

BrianW · 02-14-2005, 02:03 PM

I'm running the 2.6.10 kernel as well as the 6629 nVidia driver, had no issues installing it, however I can't roll back to a previous driver. I don't see any major difference in performance and it still runs great without any issues for me beside my computer overheating and crashing since its so dirty.

justwantin · 02-15-2005, 01:22 AM

urka58,

Thanks for the tip on the 2.4.x dvb package, I didn't realise they were keeping it up to date rather than focus on 2.6.x kernel modules.

Probably drifting OT now but are you using a dvb-t card to watch tv in slack and if so what card. I've had a dvico fusion dvb-t plus for two months now but haven't really applied myself to seeing if I could get it going yet. around

steved123 · 02-26-2005, 09:36 AM

I installed Slack 10.1 a few weeks ago. I installed the plain-vanilla-2.6.10 kernel and ran it for a while. I tried to install the Nvidia driver but had no luck. I ended up removing the kernel-2.6.10 package along with the source package. Then I installed the kernel-2.6.10 source only and compiled a kernel with a few changes from the stock configuration. I didn't do a "mrproper". just changed the processor and removed a few drivers that were irrelevant to my system and added alsa sound.

The kernel compiled OK. I installed it with lilo. All was well. Then as root in a kde desktop I did this.

opened up a terminal an went to the directory where the Nvidia driver was and did this.

sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-6629-pkg1.run --add-this-kernel.

NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-6629-pkg1-custom.run was created.

after it was done, I did this.
exited the kde gui
went to the directory where the new file was made and typed.

sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-6629-pkg1-custom.run

It installed.
I edited the xorg.conf as recommended with pico. Actually I just changed the driver from "vesa" to "nvidia".
And that was it now it's working. You can add other options. Here's what mine looks like now.

# **********************************************************************
# Graphics device section
# **********************************************************************

# Any number of graphics device sections may be present

Section "Device"
Identifier "VESA Framebuffer"
# Driver "vesa"
Driver "nvidia"
Option "NvAGP" "1"
Option "DPMS"
VideoRam 32768
# Insert Clocks lines here if appropriate
EndSection

samac · 02-26-2005, 10:11 AM

I also has problems with /testing/2.6.10. So I downloaded the vanilla source, ran menuconfig on the config file from 2.4.29, added in a few bits and pieces, and then compiled.

Once installed ran nvidia 6629 and all the problems were gone.

zeca_pedra · 03-01-2005, 06:28 PM

Ok, I went for the 2.6.10 kernel sources, extract it, compiled it, followed all the instructions on how to compile a new kernel!
I believe everything went well because I reboot and I even notice that it was a little bit faster until my linux OS was up and running (I instaled Kanotix to the HD and I'm very pleased with it because as I've read, it's much easier to maintain than Knoppix and other Knoppix based systems!).
Then I went for the NVidia drivers and folowed the tutorial:
1) #init 3
2) cd'ing to the folder where I put NVIDIA-blah-blah-blah.run file
3) sh NVIDIA-.....
and followed the instructions. Then I just received a message similar to this:
«You have enabled support for nRiva framebuffer. This is know to conflict with nVidia drivers [...] It's recomended that you re-compile your kernel...»

So I did it again! I removed the framebuffer support. But now I have a problem: my system reboots and works proprerly but I don't see anymore the verbose, the many messages that fill our monitors while the system is booting? Is it because I removed framebuffer support or could be something else?

I don't have a initrd.img line in my grub menu.lst file but as I read on another thread in these foruns I don't need it!

My actual menu.lst:

Code:

title           Debian GNU/Linux, kernel
root            (hd0,5)
kernel          /boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/hda6 ro silent=splash ramdisk_size=100000 lang=us
# initrd        /boot/initrd.img
savedefault
boot

title           Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.9-kanotix-8
root            (hd0,5)
kernel          /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.9-kanotix-8 root=/dev/hda6 ro silent=splash ramdisk_si
initrd          /boot/initrd.img-2.6.9-kanotix-8
savedefault
boot

Another problem is much more complicated for me to deal with:
- now every time I try to, as root,

Code:

init 3

I go to a totally black monitor where I'm not able to do nothing and I have to Ctrl+Alt+Del in order to get out of there.

Finally, I think that if I have to re-compile the kernel again I'll go crazy. I read that with a good machine recompiling can take only 5 to 15 minutes. I believe my machine it's ok and it took me more the 40 minutes to compile the new kernel. Am I adding to much stuff to it?

Thanks for your help.
And please, forgive a newbie that is making so much mistakes! By now I should have known more about linux :-(

BrianW · 03-01-2005, 06:44 PM

Check your .config file in your kernel source directory, and make sure these are included:

Code:

# Graphics support
#
CONFIG_FB=y
CONFIG_FB_VESA=y
CONFIG_VIDEO_SELECT=y
#
# Console display driver support
#
CONFIG_VGA_CONSOLE=y
CONFIG_DUMMY_CONSOLE=y
CONFIG_FRAMEBUFFER_CONSOLE=y
CONFIG_PCI_CONSOLE=y
CONFIG_FONT_8x8=y
CONFIG_FONT_8x16=y

#
# Logo configuration
#
CONFIG_LOGO=y
CONFIG_LOGO_LINUX_MONO=y
CONFIG_LOGO_LINUX_VGA16=y
CONFIG_LOGO_LINUX_CLUT224=y

That should eliminate your blank screen during boot up and in console mode.
On my desktop, P4 3.02ghz, adding options to the kernel for recompiles usually doesn't take long (depending on how much I add), the above changes probably would take under 30 seconds to recompile IIRC.

tormented_one · 03-01-2005, 06:59 PM

If you are in menuconfig, enable framebuffer console, vESA VGA frame buffer, bootlogo, and VESA frame buffer. The chances are you are not using the rivafb module and installing the nvidia driver will work. Do a lsmod and see if you are using the rivafb. I have a riva tnt2 64mb card and it doesn't use the rivafb. The nvidia driver will work fine as long as the riva module is not used.

zeca_pedra · 03-02-2005, 04:25 PM

Thank you both for your precious help!
I looked at my .config file and I didn't had that vesa framebuffer support neither console support - I made a lot of mistakes in compiling the 2.6.10 kernel. Now I had recompiled it and it's working so thank you guys very much (I'm learning, still learning, one step at a time and I'll go there

)

Now I still have a question for which I couldn't find an answer in every tutorial and How To I've read!
I know that compiling many stuff as modules will make the kernel smaller and that allow me to load the module only if I needed, isn't it? But for sure I will not need many modules at all! How can I know what modules should I compile and install?

Even with the help from menuconfig there are a lot of things that I leave untouched (many things are carried aways as modules because that choice is allready there and I'm too afraid of change it!).

And as a result - at least I believe is a consequence! - I see during the boot of the OS many messages saying:

FATAL: module NNNNN is deprecated
or
Couldn't load module acpi ...

There are 10 or 12 lines of errors like this. Any advice on what should I do? understand this can be the silliest question I could ask here but I don't know for what purposes many modules are!

Once again, thanks for your help.
Zeca