[Guide] How to install Nvidia propietary drivers

Maybe all people knows (or maybe not), but here I post a guide written by me to install Nvidia propietary drivers.

**
TIP**: Read everything before doing anything even if you see a lot of handwriting. The process is very simple.

There are 2 ways to do this. By repositories or manually (I prefer the second way).

Preparations (for both ways to install)

  1. Have the kernel development packages installed. In total, these packages must be installed:

kernel-default, kernel-default-devel, kernel-devel y kernel-macros.

  1. Uninstall and mark Taboo the package:

Mesa-dri-nouveau

  1. Ignore the nouveau driver. To do this, type the following command:
echo "blacklist nouveau" >> /etc/modprobe.d/50-blacklist.conf

Install the driver by repositories

  1. Add the Nvidia repository using Yast2. For it:

Open Yast2 → Software repositories. Click Add → Community repositories (2nd option on the list).
Click on nVidia Graphics Drivers and click OK.

  1. Install the Nvidia driver using Yast2. For it:

Open Yast2 → Install / Uninstall Software and search for nvidia. Install the nvidia-gfxG05-kmp-default package (it will mark other dependency packages for you).

NOTE: In the package name, G05 is for GeForce 600 series cards and above while G04 is for Geforce 400 series cards and above.

Before was used G03 for GeForce 8000 to 600 cards but it is gone. Now you have to go to the Nvidia drivers website in this case and download the 340 driver.

  1. Restart the computer to apply the changes.

Install the driver manually

  1. Install the libglvnd, libglvnd-32bit, libglvnd-devel and libglvnd-devel-32bit packages. These packages will help you with the installation interface in ncurses that we will use.

  2. Download the drivers from the Nvidia website.

1.1. To do this go to the address:

https://www.nvidia.es/Download/index.aspx?lang=en

and choose all the data of your graphics card with linux-64bit system or linux-32bit (leave Download type by default).

Click Search, Download Now, Download Now and click Save File. The driver is already down.

1.2. Another option of drivers to download is the Beta drivers for vulkan (for GeForce GTX 745 and above) that you can download from here:

https://developer.nvidia.com/vulkan-driver

WARNING: This driver is only for linux-64bit and it may not install if you have the latest kernel.

  1. Install the Nvidia driver.

2.1. Reboot

First restart the computer and on the Grub screen press the down arrow key so that it does not continue to boot.

Select (without pressing enter) the first line that is openSUSE and hit the “e” key on the Grub screen. Scroll down with the down arrow key until the cursor is at the beginning of the line that starts with linux.

Hit the “End” key to get to the end of the line (one or more lines below) and write a space and a 3.
It would be something like “quiet 3” at the end of the line (it can end with a different parameter instead of quiet).

Hit the F10 key and the computer will boot into a mode where the desktop manager does not load.

2.2. Installation process

You will first have to log in with the root user.

Change to the directory where you downloaded the driver and then type:

sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-470.94.00.run

NOTE: 470.94.00 is the latest driver available. If you have downloaded a different version you will have to type another number.

A text interface will open for you. If you have done all the steps of the Preparations and have installed the libraries of point 0 of this section, everything will be limited to hitting Enter all the time.

There will be a time when you see raise a bar while you are compiling the kernel module of the driver. When it fills up it’s not over yet. It will be over when you see “done.” at the top of the bar.

Everything continues to hit the Enter key, without more.

  1. Ending

When everything is finished and you are back in the black terminal you will have to type the following command so that the kernel you are using is written:

dracut --force

After that you can type:

init 5

to run the graphical system.

2.4. Changing the kernel

Sometimes there are security patches that update the kernel version. When that happens, you have to repeat the entire process described above but with the advantage that you already have done the preparations, drivers downloaded and the optional package (described in the next section) as well (if you decided to install it).

NOTE: Point 0 does not have to be done again.

As soon as you do it a couple of times, the process is very mechanical and short to do.

  1. Optional package

You can install the nvdock package from Yast2 to have the Nvidia icon in the taskbar and from there access with the right click to the driver version, the graphic temperature and by clicking on NVIDIA Settings… open an extensive control panel for the graphics card.

Post your guides here: https://forums.opensuse.org/forumdisplay.php/783-Unreviewed-How-To-and-FAQ

YaST will add them automatically.

After uninstalling nouveau drivers there is no need for blacklisting them.

Doing so will add Nvidia repo without slash in the latest position, which may cause troubles.

Read this page before choosing appropriate driver. Some GeForce 600s are GF, some are GK. For GeForce 700 series there are 3 chip families in use: GF, GK, GM (Fermi , Kepler, Maxwell).

There is no need for separate installation of vulkan driver in present time.

Newer 495.x drivers are available for GM and newer chips with selecting “New feature branch” instead of “Production branch”.

As this is NOT a question for help, but clearly ment to be a HowTO, it will be moved to the appropriate sub-forum.

Hi
Just some other observations. The latest driver about to pop is G06 at 510.39.01, this is the latest driver also included with cuda 11.6. When using the run file, I always add -aq to accept the licence and be quiet.

As I do install manually, I prefer to grab direct from: <Index of /XFree86/Linux-x86_64>

I don’t see this driver in the release list here: Unix Drivers | NVIDIA
Is this (G06) some kind of alpha/beta driver?

Nevermind. It is listed here: Linux AMD64 Display Driver Archive | NVIDIA
And it is a beta driver: Linux x64 (AMD64/EM64T) Display Driver | 510.39.01 | Linux 64-bit | NVIDIA

So I guess that’s kind of new! I have never seen anything but production branch releases in the nvidia repo.