I have just installed openSUSE 10.3 distro. During installation procedure, sistem recognised my graphics card, but I didn’t have 3D support. I was reading a book “openSUSE LINUX Unleashed”, and followed instructions on how to download and install new NVIDIA drivers using YaST. This is the proceedure I followed:
Go to YaST Installation Sources on the Software page. Click Add, and the Media
Type screen appears.
Choose Specify URL and click Next. Enter the URL for your card in the next screen
Nvidia: ftp://download.nvidia.com/opensuse/10.3
When you click Next, YaST probes the source to confirm it has the installation packages
and creates the package database on your system. This can take some time,
especially if you have a slow connection.
When the installation source is configured, you’ll be asked to Agree to the
openSUSE license agreement. Do that, and click Next.
You should see the mirror site added as an additional installation source. Ensure the
Status of the mirror site is set to On. Set the Refresh Status to On, so that you get
new drivers as they appear. This should be the default, but if it is not, select the
source and click Source Settings. Choose Refresh On or Off to toggle this setting.
Click Finish to confirm.
Configuring Hardware with YaST 53
4
Open Software Management and get the relevant packages for your card:
Nvidia: x11-video-nvidia and nvidia-gfx-kmp-default.
Exit out of your desktop and restart X. Your new drivers should be installed.
When I selected packages x11-video-nvidia and nvidia-gfx-kmp-default YaST informed me about conflicting packages and dependencies.
When I did reboot, my X didnt start. I did little more reading (unfortunately late) on NVIDIA and openSUSE forums, and found out that I was not supposed to download these packages, because they don’t support my GeForce FX go5200 32/64. I was supposed to download x11-video-nvidiaG01 package. Now I don’t know how to return my sistem to previous state.
My nvidia bug report up to this point is given in the attached file nvidia-bug-report-prvi.log.
Then I tried to follow install steps on NVIDIA driver download page. I downloaded NVIDIA-Linux-x86-173.14.05-pkg1.run and launched NVIDIA installer. I was also unable to finnish new installation, and my nvidia-installer.log is attached here too. I also attached Nvidia bug report generated after try to launch NVIDIA installer (nvidia-bug-report-drugi.log).
I have no more ideas how to make this baby running, so I politely ask you all for help.
Very lucky that I found this Forum.
The nvidia drivers from the YaST nvidia repository (i.e., x11-video-nvidia and x11-video-nvidiaG01) use a different installation method than the NVIDIA*-pkg.run script. The latter compiles a new kernel module (and consequently requires the kernel sources and the compiler to be already installed), and must be repeated every time the kernel is updated. The former installs itself and is automatically kept up to date with the kernel (i.e., a kernel update also updates the nvidia module). The only real advantage of the *.run compilation script is that occasionally there is a newer version of the driver available with this method, that is not yet available via YaST. But most users don’t need that. It is usually best to not mix the two methods.
You said that you got dependency conflicts when installing with YaST. What did you do at that point? Was anything actually installed?
You may be able to install the correct driver using zypper from the command line, and that may fix whatever the problem with X is. When you boot into SuSE, type 3 in the parameters box at the bottom of the boot menu. That will take you to a > prompt, without running X. At the prompt, type >su and then the root password. Then at the # prompt type: zypper in x11-video-nvidiaG01
That should install the driver you want. Reboot. X may now load for you. If it does not, once again boot to the command line and switch to root, and at the # prompt type: sax2
That will run the program which configures the graphics card, and which re-writes the X configuration file.
…
> When you
> boot into SuSE, type 3 in the parameters box at the bottom of the boot
> menu. That will take you to a > prompt, without running X. At the
> prompt, type >su and then the root password.
This will not work. If you request run level 3 with said parameter, you will
have text mode login prompt and you can type in only valid user name, and
than give password for that user. The ‘root’ is treated as any other user
in this context, so:
Login: root
Password:
type in password for root.
There will be no visual feedback, like stars in graphical mode.
> Then as root do: #zypper
> in x11-video-nvidiaG01
> and reboot.
Command
init 5
will do the same without 2-3 minutes waiting for reboot to accomplish.
> X may now load for you. If it does not, once again boot to
> the command line and switch to root, and at the prompt do: #sax2
As help to those that feel better with GUI, when logged as root user, use
this:
cd /etc/X11
cp xorg.conf xorg.conf-backup
cp xorg.conf.install xorg.conf
init 3
init 5
It will start GUI that was used during installation, which is nothing
special, but it is GUI. The ‘init 3’ command is just to make sure that we
start from runlevel 3, otherwise command ‘init 5’ will do nothing.
Well, OK. I left out entering the user logon/password before switching to root. IMHO still better to use init 3.
As far as the driver versions, it is good to know that the version on the nvidia site (downloaded as the nvidia*-pkg.run script) is sometimes newer than what is in the repository, including Factory. On occasion the newer driver has been required for a bug fix, a desired enhancement, or to support the newest hardware. But other than such exceptions, it’s easiest to stick with the repository version.
>
> Well, OK. I left out entering the user logon/password before switching
> to root.
No need to log in as user and then switch to root user.
That is necessary in GUI if terminal emulation doesn’t provide root login.
In text mode you log directly as wanted user, in this case root.
> IMHO still better to use init 3.
Agree, it is not only better, using runlevel 3 is the only way to fix
graphic problems.
> As far as the driver versions, it is good to know that the version on
> the nvidia site (downloaded as the nvidia*-pkg.run script) is sometimes
> newer than what is in the repository, including Factory.
It is always newer, as openSUSE guys need some time to check and put driver
in package.
> On occasion the
> newer driver has been required for a bug fix, a desired enhancement, or
> to support the newest hardware. But other than such exceptions, it’s
> easiest to stick with the repository version.
