Did I really install Kmod-Nvidia ?

There are all sorts of instructions as to how to install Kmod-Nvidia on
Fedora, but I thought yum would do a better job of guessing my
configuration (x86_64, 9400 GT) to get the most up-to-date correct package
and getting everything right. So, I just typed:

yum install kmod-nvidia

Now, /etc/X11/xorg.conf looks like this:

# Xorg configuration created by livna-config-display

Section "Files"
        ModulePath   "/usr/lib64/xorg/modules/extensions/nvidia"
        ModulePath   "/usr/lib64/xorg/modules"
EndSection

Section "ServerFlags"
        Option      "AIGLX" "on"
EndSection

Section "Device"
        Identifier  "Videocard0"
        Driver      "nvidia"
        Option      "AddARGBGLXVisuals" "True"
EndSection

Section "Extensions"
        Option      "Composite" "Enable"
EndSection

The file is only a few minutes old... So, I suppose it's a new config for
the Kmod driver. But the process was so transparent, I can't help but
wonder if all those modifications to the kernel that I read about in the
doc have been made.

If so, why not provide the documentation that all that is needed is to
type the yum command?

The Nouveau driver worked very well and, since I'm not too sure I'll
install 3D, maybe I could have kept it. But my screen kept blanking once
in a while for a few seconds. This happened with my previous computer too
-- it had an old ATI card, the same monitor and a very standard open
source driver for ATI -- but not so often and not for so long: it was just
a quick blank. I thought this might fix the problem.

Also, I intend to install a TV card and, it anything doesn't work, I'm sure
the first suggestion from Nvidia will be to install their driver. As the
material I buy is only on a one week money back guarantee, I prefer to
make sure everything works in advance.

Also, as it often happens when I download new packages, there was a socket
error and a long (~ 1-2 min) halt before another server took over. (I
forgot to save the console screen before I rebooted, but the name
"liberty" was part of it.)

After the installation finished, the rx/tx light of the modem began
flashing very fast as if there was a download occuring... or maybe an
upload if some information on the installation has to be sent back to
rpmfusion or nvidia.

No indication of what was going on appeared onscreen. Is this anything to
be concerned about? Any idea What this transfer was about?

[Bret Rusnak]

On 07/09/2009 10:13 PM, [e-mail] wrote:
> There are all sorts of instructions as to how to install Kmod-Nvidia on
> Fedora, but I thought yum would do a better job of guessing my
> configuration (x86_64, 9400 GT) to get the most up-to-date correct package
> and getting everything right. So, I just typed:
>
> yum install kmod-nvidia
>
> Now, /etc/X11/xorg.conf looks like this:
>
> # Xorg configuration created by livna-config-display
>
> Section "Files"
>          ModulePath   "/usr/lib64/xorg/modules/extensions/nvidia"
>          ModulePath   "/usr/lib64/xorg/modules"
> EndSection
>
> Section "ServerFlags"
>          Option      "AIGLX" "on"
> EndSection
>
> Section "Device"
>          Identifier  "Videocard0"
>          Driver      "nvidia"
>          Option      "AddARGBGLXVisuals" "True"
> EndSection
>
> Section "Extensions"
>          Option      "Composite" "Enable"
> EndSection
>
> The file is only a few minutes old... So, I suppose it's a new config for
> the Kmod driver. But the process was so transparent, I can't help but
> wonder if all those modifications to the kernel that I read about in the
> doc have been made.
>
> If so, why not provide the documentation that all that is needed is to
> type the yum command?
>
> The Nouveau driver worked very well and, since I'm not too sure I'll
> install 3D, maybe I could have kept it. But my screen kept blanking once
> in a while for a few seconds. This happened with my previous computer too
> -- it had an old ATI card, the same monitor and a very standard open
> source driver for ATI -- but not so often and not for so long: it was just
> a quick blank. I thought this might fix the problem.
>
> Also, I intend to install a TV card and, it anything doesn't work, I'm sure
> the first suggestion from Nvidia will be to install their driver. As the
> material I buy is only on a one week money back guarantee, I prefer to
> make sure everything works in advance.
>
> Also, as it often happens when I download new packages, there was a socket
> error and a long (~ 1-2 min) halt before another server took over. (I
> forgot to save the console screen before I rebooted, but the name
> "liberty" was part of it.)
>
> After the installation finished, the rx/tx light of the modem began
> flashing very fast as if there was a download occuring... or maybe an
> upload if some information on the installation has to be sent back to
> rpmfusion or nvidia.
>
> No indication of what was going on appeared onscreen. Is this anything to
> be concerned about? Any idea What this transfer was about?

I also have the same problem with the screen blanking out for a few 
seconds every few hours using a geforce 8400

[Tim]

On Thu, 2009-07-09 at 22:13 -0400, [e-mail] wrote:
> the process was so transparent, I can't help but wonder if all those
> modifications to the kernel that I read about in the doc have been
> made.

What modifications to the kernel are you expecting?

kmod's just another set of drivers and modules.  akmod's the one the
recompiles things to suit your current kernel, if it needs to.

[Paul W. Frields]

On Thu, Jul 09, 2009 at 08:24:32PM -0400, Bret wrote:
> On 07/09/2009 10:13 PM, [e-mail] wrote:

[...SNIP...]
> > The Nouveau driver worked very well and, since I'm not too sure I'll
> > install 3D, maybe I could have kept it. But my screen kept blanking once
> > in a while for a few seconds. This happened with my previous computer too
> > -- it had an old ATI card, the same monitor and a very standard open
> > source driver for ATI -- but not so often and not for so long: it was just
> > a quick blank. I thought this might fix the problem.
> >
> > Also, I intend to install a TV card and, it anything doesn't work, I'm sure
> > the first suggestion from Nvidia will be to install their driver. As the
> > material I buy is only on a one week money back guarantee, I prefer to
> > make sure everything works in advance.
> >
> > Also, as it often happens when I download new packages, there was a socket
> > error and a long (~ 1-2 min) halt before another server took over. (I
> > forgot to save the console screen before I rebooted, but the name
> > "liberty" was part of it.)
> >
> > After the installation finished, the rx/tx light of the modem began
> > flashing very fast as if there was a download occuring... or maybe an
> > upload if some information on the installation has to be sent back to
> > rpmfusion or nvidia.
> >
> > No indication of what was going on appeared onscreen. Is this anything to
> > be concerned about? Any idea What this transfer was about?
>
> I also have the same problem with the screen blanking out for a few  
> seconds every few hours using a geforce 8400

I think this is a known problem; I filed:

https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=501601

> On Thu, 2009-07-09 at 22:13 -0400, [e-mail] wrote:
> > the process was so transparent, I can't help but wonder if all those
> > modifications to the kernel that I read about in the doc have been
> > made.
>
> What modifications to the kernel are you expecting?

Well, when I tried to install the driver on my system with the NVIDIA
instructions, I came to a step where you had to download a precompiled
version of the kernel or, since , my net connection was closed, it was
suggested to recompile on my system.
> From what you say here, I gather that this step is already done for

Fedora: whatever changes need to be made for the Nvidia kernel, they are
present in the default kernel. kmod install the driver, akmod is used only
in case you use a kernel other that the one provided by default by Fedora.
The Nvidia procedure doesn't seem aware that the Fedora kernel is ready to
use.

I just checked the instructions at rpmfusion. They provided the answer I
needed. Here goes:

Fedora 10 and 11

Please remember that once the drivers are installed, they will configure
your xorg.conf automatically and changes will take effect after a full
reboot. There is no need to run nvidia-xconfig or other tools.

GeForce 6 and higher (mine is a 9400 GT)

yum install kmod-nvidia

Fedora 11 and nouveau

As nouveau is enabled by default starting with Fedora 11, you may
experience problem which is caused by the nouveau kernel module being
present in the initrd image. To avoid such problem, after you have
installed the right series of the nvidia driver for your hardware, execute
the following commands:

su -
mv /boot/initrd-$(uname -r).img /boot/initrd-$(uname -r)-nouveau.img
mkinitrd /boot/initrd-$(uname -r).img $(uname -r)
reboot

http://rpmfusion.org/Howto/nVidia

----------------------------------

Before reboot, the following command:

lsmod | grep nouveau

has this output (for me):

nouveau               472800  0
drm                   208060  1 nouveau
i2c_algo_bit            6020  1 nouveau
i2c_core               22288  5 nvidia,i2c_piix4,nouveau,drm,i2c_algo_bit

After reboot, there is no output whereas:

lsmod | grep nvidia

gives:

nvidia              10260024  26
i2c_core               22240  2 i2c_piix4,nvidia

The Nvidia driver is installed!

I had read the instructions at fedorafaq.org, which are:

3. Become root:

su -

4. Install the driver:

yum install kmod-nvidia

5. Reboot your machine:

reboot

And now you should have working 3D with your nVidia card!

--------------------

As you can see there is no mention of changing the .img file in /boot.
Those instructions seem incomplete and shouldn't provide a working Nvidia
driver.

Should I write to Max Kanat-Alexander to suggest changes? Do we agree?

A search on:

"mv /boot/initrd-$(uname -r).img /boot/initrd-$(uname -r)-nouveau.img"

command at Google outputs 2 results: one for the page at rpmfusion and one
for this forum. It seems the instructions are nowhere complete except at
rpmfusion... unless some other places $(uname -r) is replaced by something
such as {your-kernel-version}, which would be rather ackward.

Paul W. Frields wrote:
> I think this is a known problem; I filed:
>
> https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=501601

This is not the problem I have. Mine has nothing to do with power
management. I never have to reboot. As I said, I had it before with an old
ATI card and very common GPLed drivers. I'll see if the change to Nvidia
driver will make any difference and comment on this later, but it might
well be a problem with the monitor.

(Solved) Did I really install Kmod-Nvidia ?

I got my Nvidia card installed correctly by following these instructions
at rpmfusion:
> Fedora 10 and 11
>
> Please remember that once the drivers are installed, they will configure
> your xorg.conf automatically and changes will take effect after a full
> reboot. There is no need to run nvidia-xconfig or other tools.
>
> GeForce 6 and higher (mine is a 9400 GT)
>
> yum install kmod-nvidia
>
> Fedora 11 and nouveau
>
> As nouveau is enabled by default starting with Fedora 11, you may
> experience problem which is caused by the nouveau kernel module being
> present in the initrd image. To avoid such problem, after you have
> installed the right series of the nvidia driver for your hardware, execute
> the following commands:
>
> su -
> mv /boot/initrd-$(uname -r).img /boot/initrd-$(uname -r)-nouveau.img
> mkinitrd /boot/initrd-$(uname -r).img $(uname -r)
> reboot
>
> http://rpmfusion.org/Howto/nVidia
>
> Before reboot, the following command:
>
> lsmod | grep nouveau
>
> has this output (at least for teh 9400 GT card):
>
> nouveau               472800  0
> drm                   208060  1 nouveau
> i2c_algo_bit            6020  1 nouveau
> i2c_core               22288  5 nvidia,i2c_piix4,nouveau,drm,i2c_algo_bit
>
> After reboot, there is no output whereas:
>
> lsmod | grep nvidia
>
> gives:
>
> nvidia              10260024  26
> i2c_core               22240  2 i2c_piix4,nvidia
>
> The Nvidia driver is installed!