The information herein is emerging from the herculean effort Wojciech
has made for several months to solve the problems described in the
post, “Installation of NVIDIAG02 drivers on Leap 15.6“.
As an ancillary investigation, a subject-related test was conducted to
check if the framebuffer driver fb.ko would work in lieu of nouveau or
nvidia drivers on the Compaq Presario test machine with the NVIDIA
C61 [GeForce 6150SE nForce 430] graphics card.
In my here-to-for ignorance, I did not know that the lsmod command shows
nothing about built-in kernel modules. Only the Xorg.0.log file shows if any such
modules have been utilized in a boot up. Examining various recent openSUSE
kernels showed that fbdev.ko and fb.ko are usually among the builtin modules.
The test procedure was as follows:
-A fresh copy of Leap 15.6 was installed with an extended string of parameters
as boot options:
rd.driver.blacklist=nouveau nouveau.modeset=0 modprobe.blacklist=nouveau
rd.driver.blacklist=vesa vesa.modeset=0 modprobe.blacklist=vesa vga=791
(The installed kernel was Kernel-6.4.0-150600.23.47.2).
-On the initial post-install boot up, there was a command-line login prompt. Logging in
and entering a sudo startx command started the graphics up in root user mode.
-Into /etc/modprode.d, a file blacklist-nouveau-vesa.conf was created, containing
2 statements, blacklist nouveau and blacklist vesa.
-The /etc/default/grub file was examined, and showed that the vga=791 parameter
in the GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT statement was missing, so it was
re-entered.
-The command sudo dracut --regenerate-all -f was entered, followed by a reboot.
-This reboot again had a command-line login prompt, and was followed by a sudo
startx command to bring up the graphics.
-inxi -Gxx showed that the vesa driver was in effect.
-after a sudo zypper rm xf86-video-vesa command removed the pre-installed
package, a reboot attempt aborted immediately.
The next step was to try an alternate kernel, a 5.n level kernel, influenced by the
fact that any previous success with NVIDIAG02 drivers was done with Leap-15.5
which uses 5.14 kernels.
The test kernel was Takashi’s Kernel-5.19.12-1.1, which involved installing the
following packages:
compat-usrmerge-tools-84.87-5.22.x86_64.rpm
filesystem-84.87-18.2.x86_64.rpm
kernel-default-5.19.12-1.1.g95fa5b8.x86_64.rpm
kernel-default-devel-5.19.12-1.1.g95fa5b8.x86_64.rpm
kernel-default-livepatch-devel-5.19.12-1.1.g95fa5b8.x86_64.rpm
kernel-devel-5.19.12-1.1.g95fa5b8.noarch.rpm
kernel-macros-5.19.12-1.1.g95fa5b8.noarch.rpm
kernel-syms-5.19.12-1.1.g95fa5b8.x86_64.rpm
suse-module-tools-16.0.59-1.1.x86_64.rpm
suse-module-tools-scriptlets-16.0.59-1.1.x86_64.rpmAfter installation, rebooting and selecting this kernel, the graphics came up immediately
in normal mode.
The Xorg.0.log file (abbreviated herein to show just the initial portion involving graphics
module selection) is as follows:
[ 49.840]
X.Org X Server 1.21.1.11
X Protocol Version 11, Revision 0
[ 49.840] Current Operating System: Linux localhost 5.19.12-1.g95fa5b8-default #1 SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Wed Sep 28 10:51:18 UTC 2022 (95fa5b8) x86_64
[ 49.840] Kernel command line: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-5.19.12-1.g95fa5b8-default root=UUID=d5d14af2-abbd-4b8d-a3a9-2a7ab4e9d77b splash=silent rd.driver.blacklist=nouveau nouveau.modeset=0 modprobe.blacklist=nouveau rd.driver.blacklist=vesa vesa.modeset=0 modprobe.blacklist=vesa vga=791 resume=/dev/disk/by-uuid/f50b5764-1fe9-49d5-b722-f246a5b7ebfe preempt=full mitigations=auto quiet security=apparmor
[ 49.840]
[ 49.840] Current version of pixman: 0.43.4
[ 49.840] Before reporting problems, check http://wiki.x.org
to make sure that you have the latest version.
[ 49.840] Markers: (--) probed, (**) from config file, (==) default setting,
(++) from command line, (!!) notice, (II) informational,
(WW) warning, (EE) error, (NI) not implemented, (??) unknown.
[ 49.841] (==) Log file: "/var/log/Xorg.0.log", Time: Wed Apr 23 20:01:49 2025
[ 49.907] (==) Using config directory: "/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d"
[ 49.907] (==) Using system config directory "/usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d"
[ 49.948] (==) No Layout section. Using the first Screen section.
[ 49.948] (==) No screen section available. Using defaults.
[ 49.948] (**) |-->Screen "Default Screen Section" (0)
[ 49.948] (**) | |-->Monitor "<default monitor>"
[ 49.949] (==) No monitor specified for screen "Default Screen Section".
Using a default monitor configuration.
[ 49.949] (==) Automatically adding devices
[ 49.949] (==) Automatically enabling devices
[ 49.949] (==) Automatically adding GPU devices
[ 49.949] (==) Automatically binding GPU devices
[ 49.950] (==) Max clients allowed: 512, resource mask: 0xfffff
[ 50.074] (WW) The directory "/usr/share/fonts/misc/sgi" does not exist.
[ 50.074] Entry deleted from font path.
[ 50.092] (==) FontPath set to:
/usr/share/fonts/misc:unscaled,
/usr/share/fonts/Type1/,
/usr/share/fonts/100dpi:unscaled,
/usr/share/fonts/75dpi:unscaled,
/usr/share/fonts/ghostscript/,
/usr/share/fonts/cyrillic:unscaled,
/usr/share/fonts/truetype/,
built-ins
[ 50.092] (==) ModulePath set to "/usr/lib64/xorg/modules"
[ 50.092] (WW) Ignoring unrecognized extension "XFree86-DGA"
[ 50.092] (II) The server relies on udev to provide the list of input devices.
If no devices become available, reconfigure udev or disable AutoAddDevices.
[ 50.092] (II) Loader magic: 0x55823c91fde0
[ 50.092] (II) Module ABI versions:
[ 50.092] X.Org ANSI C Emulation: 0.4
[ 50.092] X.Org Video Driver: 25.2
[ 50.092] X.Org XInput driver : 24.4
[ 50.092] X.Org Server Extension : 10.0
[ 50.094] (++) using VT number 7
[ 50.094] (II) systemd-logind: logind integration requires -keeptty and -keeptty was not provided, disabling logind integration
[ 50.096] (II) xfree86: Adding drm device (/dev/dri/card0)
[ 50.097] (II) Platform probe for /sys/devices/platform/simple-framebuffer.0/drm/card0
[ 50.110] (--) PCI:*(0@0:13:0) 10de:03d0:103c:2a6c rev 162, Mem @ 0xfb000000/16777216, 0xe0000000/268435456, 0xfc000000/16777216, BIOS @ 0x????????/131072
[ 50.110] (II) LoadModule: "glx"
[ 50.155] (II) Loading /usr/lib64/xorg/modules/extensions/libglx.so
[ 50.256] (II) Module glx: vendor="X.Org Foundation"
[ 50.256] compiled for 1.21.1.11, module version = 1.0.0
[ 50.256] ABI class: X.Org Server Extension, version 10.0
[ 50.256] (II) Scanning /usr/share/X11/xorg_pci_ids directory for additional PCI ID's supported by the drivers
[ 50.266] (==) Matched nvidia as autoconfigured driver 0
[ 50.266] (==) Matched nouveau as autoconfigured driver 1
[ 50.266] (==) Matched modesetting as autoconfigured driver 2
[ 50.266] (==) Matched fbdev as autoconfigured driver 3
[ 50.266] (==) Matched vesa as autoconfigured driver 4
[ 50.266] (==) Assigned the driver to the xf86ConfigLayout
[ 50.266] (II) LoadModule: "nvidia"
[ 50.267] (WW) Warning, couldn't open module nvidia
[ 50.267] (EE) Failed to load module "nvidia" (module does not exist, 0)
[ 50.267] (II) LoadModule: "nouveau"
[ 50.267] (WW) Warning, couldn't open module nouveau
[ 50.267] (EE) Failed to load module "nouveau" (module does not exist, 0)
[ 50.267] (II) LoadModule: "modesetting"
[ 50.268] (II) Loading /usr/lib64/xorg/modules/drivers/modesetting_drv.so
[ 50.278] (II) Module modesetting: vendor="X.Org Foundation"
[ 50.278] compiled for 1.21.1.11, module version = 1.21.1
[ 50.278] Module class: X.Org Video Driver
[ 50.278] ABI class: X.Org Video Driver, version 25.2
[ 50.278] (II) LoadModule: "fbdev"
[ 50.278] (II) Loading /usr/lib64/xorg/modules/drivers/fbdev_drv.so
[ 50.284] (II) Module fbdev: vendor="X.Org Foundation"
[ 50.284] compiled for 1.21.1.4, module version = 0.5.0
[ 50.284] Module class: X.Org Video Driver
[ 50.284] ABI class: X.Org Video Driver, version 25.2
[ 50.284] (II) LoadModule: "vesa"
[ 50.284] (WW) Warning, couldn't open module vesa
[ 50.284] (EE) Failed to load module "vesa" (module does not exist, 0)
[ 50.284] (II) modesetting: Driver for Modesetting Kernel Drivers: kms
[ 50.284] (II) FBDEV: driver for framebuffer: fbdev
[ 50.303] (II) modeset(0): using drv /dev/dri/card0
[ 50.303] (II) Loading sub module "fbdevhw"
[ 50.304] (II) LoadModule: "fbdevhw"
[ 50.304] (II) Loading /usr/lib64/xorg/modules/libfbdevhw.so
[ 50.304] (II) Module fbdevhw: vendor="X.Org Foundation"
[ 50.305] compiled for 1.21.1.11, module version = 0.0.2
[ 50.305] ABI class: X.Org Video Driver, version 25.2
[ 50.305] (EE) Unable to find a valid framebuffer device
[ 50.305] (WW) Falling back to old probe method for fbdev
[ 50.305] (II) Loading sub module "fbdevhw"
[ 50.305] (II) LoadModule: "fbdevhw"
[ 50.305] (II) Loading /usr/lib64/xorg/modules/libfbdevhw.so
[ 50.305] (II) Module fbdevhw: vendor="X.Org Foundation"
[ 50.305] compiled for 1.21.1.11, module version = 0.0.2
[ 50.305] ABI class: X.Org Video Driver, version 25.2
[ 50.306] (EE) Screen 1 deleted because of no matching config section.
[ 50.306] (II) UnloadModule: "fbdev"
[ 50.306] (II) UnloadSubModule: "fbdevhw"
[ 50.306] (II) modeset(0): Creating default Display subsection in Screen section
"Default Screen Section" for depth/fbbpp 16/16
[ 50.306] (==) modeset(0): Depth 16, (==) framebuffer bpp 16
[ 50.306] (==) modeset(0): RGB weight 565
[ 50.306] (==) modeset(0): Default visual is TrueColor
[ 50.306] (II) Loading sub module "glamoregl"
[ 50.306] (II) LoadModule: "glamoregl"
[ 50.306] (II) Loading /usr/lib64/xorg/modules/libglamoregl.so
[ 50.404] (II) Module glamoregl: vendor="X.Org Foundation"
[ 50.405] compiled for 1.21.1.11, module version = 1.0.1
[ 50.405] ABI class: X.Org ANSI C Emulation, version 0.4
[ 52.348] (II) modeset(0): Refusing to try glamor on llvmpipe
[ 52.351] (II) modeset(0): glamor initialization failed
[ 52.351] (II) modeset(0): ShadowFB: preferred NO, enabled NO
[ 52.352] (II) modeset(0): Output None-1 has no monitor section
[ 52.352] (II) modeset(0): EDID for output None-1
[ 52.352] (II) modeset(0): Printing probed modes for output None-1
[ 52.352] (II) modeset(0): Modeline "1024x768"x60.0 47.19 1024 1024 1024 1024 768 768 768 768 (46.1 kHz eP)
[ 52.352] (II) modeset(0): Output None-1 connected
[ 52.352] (II) modeset(0): Using exact sizes for initial modes
[ 52.352] (II) modeset(0): Output None-1 using initial mode 1024x768 +0+0
[ 52.352] (==) modeset(0): Using gamma correction (1.0, 1.0, 1.0)
[ 52.352] (==) modeset(0): DPI set to (96, 96)
[ 52.352] (II) Loading sub module "fb"
[ 52.352] (II) LoadModule: "fb"
[ 52.352] (II) Module "fb" already built-in
[ 52.352] (==) modeset(0): Backing store enabled
[ 52.352] (==) modeset(0): Silken mouse enabled
[ 52.353] (II) modeset(0): Initializing kms color map for depth 16, 6 bpc.
[ 52.354] (==) modeset(0): DPMS enabled
I don’t understand why there should be any difference in behaviour between
the original 6.4 kernel and Takashi’s 5.19 kernel in this situation.
The suspicion is that such a difference may be a factor in the NVIDIAG02
driver installations as well.
Len E.
