how to have two desktop kernels and nvidia drivers in suse 11.4

English Install/Boot/Login
1

I would like to have 2 desktop kernels in my suse 11.4, I also would like to have nvidia drivers working on both, how can I get this?
situation:
dell latitude e6510
/windows partition
/data partition
/home and / separated partition with 11.3 (I dont want to touch this becouse it works:-))
/home and / separated partition with 11.4 and kde 4.6.2 and kernel 2.6.37.1-1.2-desktop and nvidia drivers 270.41.06 (installed in the hard way that is not hard)
as I’m interested to test new kernel becouse my touchpad scroll doesn’t works, but I don’t want to bork my 11.4, is it possible to have another entry in grub pointing to another kernel and install nvidia driver without borking the working kernel??
tnx alot:)

2

It’s possible. But what are you trying to do exactly:

  • experiment with different kernel versions (of the same openSUSE release)?
  • experiment with different installations of the same kernel version?
  • experiment with different versions of the nvidia driver?
3

Just install both kernels with YAST.
The boot manager should give you all the options automatically: 11.3, 11.4 default, 11.4 desktop, …

4

I think you missed the part about the NVIDIA drivers.

5

@Flux Capacitor Penguin-experiment with different kernel versions (of the same openSUSE release)
I have many doubts, one is if I have to install two kernel-source to be able to install and have the nvidia drivers working
@astrea-as hcvv said there is the problem with nvidia drivers,

6

Do you mean desktop and default of the same kernel version or different versions of the desktop (or default) kernel?
By default, openSUSE doesn’t keep multiple kernel versions. So if you want to be able to install different kernel versions, you have to uncomment the following line in /etc/zypp/zypp.conf

# multiversion = provides:multiversion(kernel)

Then you have to install the kernel sources for each kernel and modify the link /usr/src/linux to point to the sources of the kernel for which you want to compile the nvidia module. (I don’t do it, but it seems logical).

You might actually have to specify each package but I’m not sure. In that case, that would be:

multiversion = provides:multiversion(kernel,kernel-source,kernel-devel)

But someone would have to confirm this.

7

I mean different versions of the desktop (or default) kernel

do you mean by yast??

I’m waiting confirmation :slight_smile:

8

The entry in Grub is actually the easiest part. You can add as many entries as you like in Grub menu for as many kernels as you have. Whether they’ll survive a kernel update (as YaST is going to rewrite menu.lst) is another question, but you can always - and you should - make a copy of /boot/grub/menu.lst. You could also use updategrub to add these entries for you but only if you had the other kernel on a separate partition - as os-prober skips the boot/root partition of the system from where it is executed - but I wouldn’t use another partition just for the purpose of having other kernels.

If you want to compile newer kernels, you might want to take a look at this script:S.A.K.C. - SUSE Automated Kernel Compiler - Version 2.00.

9

The multiversion line in /etc/zypp/zypp.conf only affects the release’s kernel package which gets updated from time to time. It will prevent YaST from removing the older kernel after a kernel update. It has no effect of kernels you’ll compile and install yourself since they are not ‘packages’ - afaik.

10

I see the yast way more dangerous than the SAKC way, I’m going with the SAKC way, it’s compiling and it seems to works painlessly, :-)))
many thanks I’ll let you know the rest with the nvidia drivers, hopeing well and crossing fingers :slight_smile:

11

IT WORKS!!! MANY THANKS, it allows me to test new kernels easily, I installed the nvidia drivers with lnvhw, the hard way that is not hard, and it works too!!! may be crossing fingers and touching gave theyr contribute, you can introduce in the instructions :-))