Installing NVIDIA Driver requieres exiting the x server - how?

English Install/Boot/Login
1

Installing the current NVIDIA Driver requieres exiting the x server.

How can that be done?

# sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-340.106.runVerifying archive integrity... OK
Uncompressing NVIDIA Accelerated Graphics Driver for Linux-x86_64 340.106..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................


Welcome to the NVIDIA Software Installer for Unix/Linux


The file '/tmp/.X0-lock' exists and appears to contain the process ID '32209' of a
runnning X server.


ERROR: You appear to be running an X server; please exit X before installing.  For further
       details, please see the section INSTALLING THE NVIDIA DRIVER in the README
       available on the Linux driver download page at www.nvidia.com.




ERROR: Installation has failed.  Please see the file '/var/log/nvidia-installer.log' for
       details.  You may find suggestions on fixing installation problems in the README
       available on the Linux driver download page at www.nvidia.com.

Thanks in advance for your answer.

2

As root:

systemctl set-default multi-user.target

You set your Boot to the old Init3, Network without Graphical System
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Init

Reboot your System and you will start in the Text-Mode.
log in with

root

and Password for root

Install the Nvidia Driver, after Installatiion switch back to Graphical System:

systemctl set-default graphical.target

reboot

If Nvidia works, you will see your Desktop.

PS:
Please do not run nvidia-xconfig as said in the Nvidia Installation, mostly that will not work.

3

Thank you Sauerland for your detailed explanation.

I will follow those instructions, which should resolve the problem.

(Warnings given when attempting to update state that the noveau driver currently installed is not recommended with the pending upgrades and I am already using the nvidia driver with good results on other systems - i.e. Leap 42.3).

4

Unfortunately, I lost the system.

Everything went as it should except:

First I was told the noveau driver had to be blocked and I was asked if I to allow the installation to attempt that.

Apparently that worked and the nvidia driver installation proceeded but failed because either gcc was not installed or cc was not in the path.

After that the system wouldn’t load, in rebooting.

I may have to do a fresh installation.

(The instructions work fine. Maybe I had the installation file in the wrong place (/home/user/downloads).

5

Yes, you need to have gcc installed (and kernel-default-devel), as the installation needs to compile a kernel module.

In your first post I notice that you tried to install version 340.106 of the nvidia driver though.
That’s old and will NOT work on current Tumbleweed!
Download and install the latest version, 340.111 instead.

After that the system wouldn’t load, in rebooting.

And what exactly happens?

(The instructions work fine. Maybe I had the installation file in the wrong place (/home/user/downloads).

That shouldn’t matter.

6

That’s important information. But I’m not sure whether gcc was installed or not.

Do you have a url for that?

The nviida website referred me to the 340.106 driver (the date of which is this month), based the GPU installed on the motherboard, a GeoForce GTS 250.

Leap 42.3 (which I am using now) is using the 340.104 and nvidia’s rpm specific version shown at

https://download.nvidia.com/opensuse/leap/42.3/x86_64/

while the Tumbleweed version you mention isn’t shown at

https://download.nvidia.com/opensuse/tumbleweed/x86_64/

They are all 384.111, not 340

OK.

What happens is after a start job finishes I get a blank screen with a

_
and nothing else.

I could try it again. Meanwhile, I’m using Leap 42.3 but previous to this problem Tumbleweed was working better for me.

One thing that did happen is that I was unable to active the nvidia repository for Tumbleweed using YAST though

7

Yes, sorry, I mixed up the version numbers. There were too many threads about the 384.xx driver not working recently…
340.106 should be new enough of course. :wink:

FYI, a 340.xx driver is not available in the repo for Tumbleweed, because that version doesn’t support libnvglnd.

What happens is after a start job finishes I get a blank screen with a and nothing else.

Hm, I’m not at all sure what “after a start job finishes” means.

But you should still be able to boot to text mode and get to a login prompt then, by pressing ‘e’ in the boot menu and appending ‘3’ to the line starting with “linux” or “linuxefi” to do that.

But I suppose the problem just was that nvidia couldn’t be used because of the missing kernel module, and OpenGL support wasn’t working because the nvidia installer replaced the Mesa libraries by its own incompatible versions that only work with the nvidia driver.

One thing that did happen is that I was unable to active the nvidia repository for Tumbleweed using YAST though

Just enter the URL in YaST.
But that won’t help you as the repo for Tumbleweed only contains the G04 driver (384.xxx) which doesn’t support your card.

Although, using Leap (and the nvidia repo) is definitely less problematic if you rely on the nvidia driver.
If you install it via nvidia’s .run installer, you’d need to reinstall it after every kernel update (and it may happen that it doesn’t support the latest kernel yet), and after some other updates too.

8

Hi
I’m using the 340.104 driver with a 8800GT on Tumbleweed…just needs a patch.

Here is the patch;
http://paste.opensuse.org/b42d3dae

Here is the process to use;


cd <NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-340.104.run location>
wget http://paste.opensuse.org/view/raw/b42d3dae -O NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-340.104.patch
chmod 0755 NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-340.104.run
./NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-340.104.run --apply-patch NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-340.104.patch

Verifying archive integrity... OK
Uncompressing NVIDIA Accelerated Graphics Driver for Linux-x86_64 340.104..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
patching file kernel/nv.c
patching file kernel/nv-drm.c
patching file kernel/uvm/nvidia_uvm_lite.c
Adding files to archive named "NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-340.104-custom.run"...
.....
.....
Self-extractible archive "NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-340.104-custom.run" successfully created.

su -
systemctl set-default multi-user.target
systemctl reboot

Login as root user from console

cd <NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-340.104-custom.run location>
./NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-340.104-custom.run -aq

If all OK

systemctl set-default graphical.target
systemctl reboot
9

That patch should work for a Gigabyte NVidia GeForce GTS250 GPU?

(I suppose if the 340.104 controller runs with it on Tumbleweed the answer is yes).

My principle problem was being unable to update since doing so triggered a warning that part of the update was incompatible with Qt (this is LXQt) and the noveau driver.

Thanks for the tip, Malcolm.

10

I’m not sure either but it it happens frequently with some systems and usually requires a 1 and a half minute wait.

I’ll try that.

Yes.

I tried several times, unsuccessfully

Correct.

My principle problem was being unable to update since doing so triggered a warning that part of the update was incompatible with Qt (this is LXQt) and the noveau driver.

Not being able to update motivated making the change. (Also it’s working well on some other systems).

Good point.

Thanks for the support.

11

That patch is unrelated to the exact kind of GPU.
It’s purpose is to make the nvidia driver work with the latest kernel.

It might be that it’s no longer necessary with 340.106, I don’t know.

My principle problem was being unable to update since doing so triggered a warning that part of the update was incompatible with Qt (this is LXQt) and the noveau driver.

You mean the warning when installing/updating Mesa-dri-nouveau?
You will get the same with Tumbleweed.
If you want to get rid of the warning, uninstall and lock Mesa-dri-nouveau, irrelevant whether you use Leap or Tumbleweed.

Btw, it’s not specifically incompatible with Qt per se, it just has problems in general. This was particularly a problem with QtWebEngine, but this go patched to use software rendering if nouveau is in use.

But that’s irrelevant anyway if you use the nvidia driver.

12

These are just remnants of the boot messages in text mode, and don’t indicate a problem.

Apparently it’s just that the login screen takes that long to start and/or fails completely. (which is to be expected if nvidia is installed but not working)

13

Hi
Here is the updated patch for 340.106, tested and working with my 8800GT on Tumbleweed 4.14.14-1-default kernel.


wget http://paste.opensuse.org/view/raw/48662763 -O NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-340.106.patch

You need to change the 104 to 106 in previous instructions.