Every kernel update breaks the nvidia binary drivers.

[ubersoft]

Re: Every kernel update breaks the nvidia binary drivers.

Wipe / and re-install Lucid

Yeah, well that's another issue, and as yet unresolved bug -- can't boot or install from live or alternate cd's. It would be the ideal test to run.

I had a problem getting Lucid to boot from CD, so I burned it to a USB thumb drive... that worked for me, might work for you.

[claydoh]

Re: Every kernel update breaks the nvidia binary drivers.

Believe me, my next laptop will have an ati card in it... unless nouveau is ready for 3d by then. But I'm not going to spend 1.5K on a new laptop just to fix this problem.

You probably will be fine to use the Nvidia proprietary drivers once the final 10.04 release is out.

[dibl]

Re: Every kernel update breaks the nvidia binary drivers.

Speaking of Nvidia, this is all the buzz on Debian, for obvious reasons:

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?pag...kills_nv&num=1

[assettt]

Re: Every kernel update breaks the nvidia binary drivers.

Wipe / and re-install Lucid

Yeah, well that's another issue, and as yet unresolved bug -- can't boot or install from live or alternate cd's. It would be the ideal test to run.

I had a problem getting Lucid to boot from CD, so I burned it to a USB thumb drive... that worked for me, might work for you.

Same here. 64 bit alternate CD could not install but worked from the USB drive.

[doctordruidphd]

Re: Every kernel update breaks the nvidia binary drivers.

Same here. 64 bit alternate CD could not install but worked from the USB drive.

Been round and round with this one. No live or alternate images will boot, from CD or USB, beyond Intrepid. Filed a bug report, they say it's casper, and there it remains. This holds true for k/l/x/ubuntu, debian, and sidux. So it's some common problem with all of those. Also, the newest Debian Squeeze live cd won't boot either, from USB or CD. If this system and its backup drives ever do a real crash and burn, what this means is I won't be able to run any of these at all. Puts me in an awkward position, trying to recommend this to people, when I can't even run it myself.

Are there any updates available for your BIOS?

As far as I have been able to determine, no. I have checked all the settings, and they seem to be where they should be. There isn't really all that much to set (nothing for video, since there is no on board video), and as I said, the 195 driver is working on karmic. But not on lucid, or on sidux for that matter, and that was on the 2.6.32 kernel. 2.6.33 is a whole new convulsion, since I can't get the patch program to work with 195, I can't try it. So I think that, since it works with 2.6.31, and not 2.6.32 or later, it's either a problem with the driver, or with the kernel. What has me worried is that 190 works with all of them, so support for something may have been dropped somewhere.

[dibl]

Re: Every kernel update breaks the nvidia binary drivers.

That's all just kind of bizarre. I'm sitting here looking at the Kubuntu 10.04 64-bit daily build CD that I used to install it -- the 5 MAR build, Alternate Install. It was a totally non-eventful installation.

And, I also run sidux (now at 2.6.33-1 kernel) on the same hardware, from which I'm posting this, using the 195.36.15 driver, and whatever version of KDE 4 sidux is presently offering.

I dunno -- it's a head-scratcher. There must be something about that motherboard, or chipset, or BIOS, or IDE controller, or something that is not booting the CDs or letting the Nvidia driver install. Your observation that earlier versions worked may be relevant -- some kernel setting must have been changed.

[ubersoft]

Re: Every kernel update breaks the nvidia binary drivers.

Same here. 64 bit alternate CD could not install but worked from the USB drive.

Been round and round with this one. No live or alternate images will boot, from CD or USB, beyond Intrepid. Filed a bug report, they say it's casper, and there it remains. This holds true for k/l/x/ubuntu, debian, and sidux. So it's some common problem with all of those. Also, the newest Debian Squeeze live cd won't boot either, from USB or CD. If this system and its backup drives ever do a real crash and burn, what this means is I won't be able to run any of these at all. Puts me in an awkward position, trying to recommend this to people, when I can't even run it myself.

The only time I encountered this problem consistently was when my computer RAM was going bad. Which makes me wonder if maybe the RAM on one of your video cards is going bad -- I don't know video ram would affect the boot process but if so that might answer both your problems.

When ram goes bad on my machines, CD's won't boot and drivers and applications return all sorts of errors when they try to install.

[doctordruidphd]

Re: Every kernel update breaks the nvidia binary drivers.

That's all just kind of bizarre.

That's about where I am with it. It just doesn't make sense. The cds, by the way, will install in virtualbox, so I know the cds, cd drives, cd drivers, etc are working.

When ram goes bad on my machines

I've run all the memtest stuff. I don't know if that's perfect at detecting faults, but the system does pass its tests.

Which makes me wonder if maybe the RAM on one of your video cards is going bad

That is of course a possibility. But I would think if it were true, then it would fail in Karmic as well as the other OS's. And I have tried using one or the other video card, so it would be failing in both. A possibility, but I don't think so. I'll have to look and see if there is an NVIDIA diagnostic program for them.

I really think it's some sort of kernel regression. I hope it's not a 'new feature'. But since it seems to be happening with both -32 and -33, it may be here to stay.

[ubersoft]

Re: Every kernel update breaks the nvidia binary drivers.

Which makes me wonder if maybe the RAM on one of your video cards is going bad

That is of course a possibility. But I would think if it were true, then it would fail in Karmic as well as the other OS's. And I have tried using one or the other video card, so it would be failing in both. A possibility, but I don't think so. I'll have to look and see if there is an NVIDIA diagnostic program for them.

Well, I didn't think it was terribly likely. However I will say the last time RAM failed on me I noticed it in LInux before I noticed it on my Windows partition.

[ubersoft]

Re: Every kernel update breaks the nvidia binary drivers.

Oh, for crying out loud.

I have the nvidia binary drivers working on my laptop. This morning I'm notified that there are five new updates:

liblircclient0
kubuntu-default-settings
dkms
kubuntu-docs
kubuntu-desktop

Which will in turn require the following packages be installed:

freespacenotifier
plymouth
plymouth-theme-kubuntu-logo
libdrm-nouveau1
policykit-desktop-privileges


... so just yesterday I manage to get nouveau and plymouth removed from my laptop, and today the Kubuntu developers, in their infinite wisdom, have decided to make them pre-requisites for something where it previously wasn't.

Now I need to figure out which of these packages it is -- I'm *guessing* it's either kubuntu-default-settings or kubuntu-desktop... but if it is, how will it affect my system if I remove either? And if I do, what's the point of running Kubuntu at all?

I'm not trying to pick a fight or start a flame war or anything, but this genuinely aggravating. It seems like they're doing everything in their power to discourage people from using the nvidia binary drivers, and I can understand that up to a point. Nvidia is not a particularly free software-friendly company. But the plain and simple fact of the matter is that right now nouveau is not ready to take the place of the binary drivers. It simply isn't. When it is I will embrace it whole-heartedly. Until then I don't want to settle for a crippled display.

[ubersoft]

Re: Every kernel update breaks the nvidia binary drivers.

It's tied to kubuntu-desktop.

[ubersoft]

Re: Every kernel update breaks the nvidia binary drivers.

OK, I removed kubuntu-desktop without any ill affects (so far). The updater is no longer trying to install nouveau or plymouth.

[dibl]

Re: Every kernel update breaks the nvidia binary drivers.

Others (Rog131, Snowhog) are better students of the apt system than me, but FWIW I always use apt-get, and ignore the silly little "notifier". So, this morning, after

sudo apt-get update

in a Konsole window, here is what I am seeing:

dibl@lucid:~$ sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree    
Reading state information... Done
Calculating upgrade... Done
The following NEW packages will be installed:
 freespacenotifier plymouth-theme-kubuntu-logo policykit-desktop-privileges
The following packages have been kept back:
 parted udisks
The following packages will be upgraded:
 kubuntu-default-settings kubuntu-desktop kubuntu-docs linux-libc-dev linux-source-2.6.32
5 upgraded, 3 newly installed, 0 to remove and 2 not upgraded.
Need to get 69.6MB of archives.
After this operation, 340kB of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue [Y/n]?

I am not sure why the libdrm-nouveau1 package is being suggested on your system, but I would not think it could cause problems, by itself. It is installed on my system (not 100% sure how, when, or why), but I'm running the proprietary Nvidia driver 195.36.15, and experiencing no video issues of any kind.

EDIT: A reboot to confirm everything is in good shape, and I did see a "cannot connect to plymouth" message pre-splash, followed by darkness until the greeter appeared. Login is normal, desktop comes up right, desktop effects are running, conky appears on schedule, and it's all fine. I don't give a fig about "connecting to plymouth", so .... color me a happy camper!

[doctordruidphd]

Re: Every kernel update breaks the nvidia binary drivers.

so just yesterday I manage to get nouveau and plymouth removed from my laptop

Your pain is felt all around...

My system is different than yours, but I have found that nouveau, and the nvidia binary driver from the website (190, NOT 195, which I can't get to install nohow) can co-exist on the system just fine. Booting with the 'nomodeset' kernel option prevents the nouveau driver from loading at all, and the nvidia driver works fine. Booting without the nomodeset option allows the nouveau driver to load, which happens earlier in the boot process than loading nvidia, and therefore prevents the nvidia driver from loading (which will crash if you try to load it with modesetting enabled).
So, assuming an update has not broken one or the other (bad assumtion as of right now -- nouveau is down the tubes) I can boot one or the other.
Only catch is this: the nvidia driver requires a properly set up xorg.conf, otherwise even if it loads, it won't run. That xorg.conf is not compatible with nouveau; nouveau seems to run best with no xorg.conf at all. So you have to set up the xorg.conf situation BEFORE you reboot, as to whether you want nvidia or nouveau.
That's how I have my 'using' system set up. The 'test' systems are purely nouveau (vesa at this point) or nvidia (problems already discussed).
It's about as straightforward as reading a EULA, and it's an absurd way of doing things, but that's how I got it to work. FYI only, this can't be considered a 'production' solution.

[claydoh]

Re: Every kernel update breaks the nvidia binary drivers.

Oh, for crying out loud.

I have the nvidia binary drivers working on my laptop. This morning I'm notified that there are five new updates:

liblircclient0
kubuntu-default-settings
dkms
kubuntu-docs
kubuntu-desktop

Which will in turn require the following packages be installed:

freespacenotifier
plymouth
plymouth-theme-kubuntu-logo
libdrm-nouveau1
policykit-desktop-privileges


... so just yesterday I manage to get nouveau and plymouth removed from my laptop, and today the Kubuntu developers, in their infinite wisdom, have decided to make them pre-requisites for something where it previously wasn't.

Now I need to figure out which of these packages it is -- I'm *guessing* it's either kubuntu-default-settings or kubuntu-desktop... but if it is, how will it affect my system if I remove either? And if I do, what's the point of running Kubuntu at all?

I'm not trying to pick a fight or start a flame war or anything, but this genuinely aggravating. It seems like they're doing everything in their power to discourage people from using the nvidia binary drivers, and I can understand that up to a point. Nvidia is not a particularly free software-friendly company. But the plain and simple fact of the matter is that right now nouveau is not ready to take the place of the binary drivers. It simply isn't. When it is I will embrace it whole-heartedly. Until then I don't want to settle for a crippled display.

Slightly wrong here. nouveau is replacing the open nv driver as the default for Nvidia cards in Lucid, not as a replacement for the closed, binary driver.

libdrm-nouveau1 is:

This library implements the userspace interface to the nouveau-specific kernel DRM services. DRM stands for "Direct Rendering Manager", which is the kernelspace portion of the "Direct Rendering Infrastructure" (DRI). The DRI is currently used on Linux to provide hardware-accelerated OpenGL drivers.

So this is just an extra library that nouveau uses (if it is loaded), so it won't interfere with the non-free diver

plymouth-theme-kubuntu-logo is the first version of the new Kubuntu splash-screen (finally!! ). The new version of kubuntu-default-settings is to pull in this new package.

remember, this is testing and development stuff we are using, and even at this point you will have to expect this sort of breakage, as many things are still in flux until everything is in feature-freeze, etc at the rc stage.