Configuring an nVidia Card and Kernel Modules
There are now nVidia driver RPMs provided by livna.org that are designed especially for Fedora. If you're using yum, and you're using our suggested yum configuration, you should be able to install the drivers easily. If you need support for the nVidia drivers, check out the nV News "Linux and nVidia Graphics" forum. If you have packaging issues (not driver issues) you can file a bug report at http://bugzilla.livna.org.
Requirements
- Your yum configuration must be configured per this HOWTO.
- Check the HCL to see if your card is supported.
- Your system should be fully updated via "yum update".
Doing the work
Preparation
1. Before attempting this howto please run "yum update" (no quotes) as root to completely update your system. If the kernel is updated you *will* require a reboot after this howto is completed. If the kernel is not updated you will need to run the following command: "chkconfig nvidia on && service nvidia start" (no quotes) as root and restart your current X session (not reboot the system) for the driver to be fully implemented.2. You can find the current running version of your kernel from the command prompt by running the following command: "uname -r" (no quotes), or query the rpm database for a list of all kernel related packages that are currently installed on your system by running the following command: "rpm -qa | grep -i kernel" (no quotes). A history of yum package installs, removals and updates can be found on your system here: /var/log/yum.log*
Standard Kernel Module Installation
-
For Standard kernel type:
su -c 'yum install kmod-nvidia'
For PAE kernel types:
su -c 'yum install kmod-nvidia-PAE'
For XEN kernel types:
su -c 'yum install kmod-nvidia-xen'
-
Log out of your current session.
-
Once the X-server restarts, log back in.
96xx Kernel Module Installation
The new 1.0-97xx series from nVidia drops support for any card with a chipset below NV30, such as all GeForce2 and GeForce4 cards. However don't worry! Livna has forked the original xorg-x11-drv-nvidia and kmod-nvidia packages to create ones named xorg-x11-drv-nvidia-96xx and kmod-nvidia-96xx. These will be kept at the 96xx series of drivers and the original driver will be updated to the 97xx series. If you are using one of the cards named above, you can install 96xx like this:
-
For Standard kernel type:
su -c 'yum install kmod-nvidia-96xx'
For PAE kernel types:
su -c 'yum install kmod-nvidia-96xx-PAE'
For XEN kernel types:
su -c 'yum install kmod-nvidia-96xx-xen'
-
That installs the nVidia driver and kernel module for your current kernel.
-
Log out of your current session.
-
Once the X-server restarts, log back in.
Legacy Kernel Module Installation
If you are using one of these cards, you can install the Legacy Module like this:
-
For Standard kernel type:
su -c 'yum install kmod-nvidia-legacy'
For PAE kernel types:
su -c 'yum install kmod-nvidia-legacy-PAE'
For XEN kernel types:
su -c 'yum install kmod-nvidia-legacy-xen'
-
That installs the nVidia driver and kernel module for your current kernel.
-
Log out of your current session.
-
Once the X-server restarts, log back in.
Troubleshooting
How to test
su -c 'glxinfo | grep direct'If the response is "direct rendering: Yes" you are good to go if not check here --> http://rpm.livna.org/livna-switcher.html, also a reboot may be required for the full effect of the module to be realized on some machines.
Common problems and fixes
An anaconda bug in FC6 may have caused you to end up with an i586 kernel on your system. You can check this with one of the following two commands:su -c "yum -d 0 list kernel"if you see "kernel.i586 Installed" you know you have an i586 kernel. Use the following command to install the nVidia graphics drivers from livna
rpm -qa --qf '%{NAME}-%{VERSION}-%{RELEASE}.%{ARCH}\n' 'kernel*'
su -c 'yum install kmod-nvidia.i586'
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