Archives For November 30, 1999

Nvidia Linux driver

For Ubuntu 18.04 users plagued by screen tearing issue while using NVIDIA proprietary drivers, this quick tutorial may help you via enable PRIME Synchronization on Optimus.

Screen tearing usually happens on Ubuntu Linux laptop that uses Prime to switch between NVIDIA and Intel drivers.

1. Open terminal (either via Ctrl+Alt+T or by searching for ‘terminal’ from software launcher) and run command to create a new config file:

sudo gedit /etc/modprobe.d/nvidia-drm-nomodeset.conf

Type your password (no asterisks feedback) when it prompts and hit Enter.

2. When the file opens after running the previous command, add following line and save the file.

options nvidia-drm modeset=1

3. Finally update intramfs and reboot your machine.

sudo update-initramfs -u

To check if previous changes work after reboot, run command:

sudo cat /sys/module/nvidia_drm/parameters/modeset

It should output ‘Y’.

In addition, to get much SMOOTHER Nvidia window dragging experience, you can also do:

1. Set maximum performance in Nvidia X Server Settings -> PowerMizer.

2. If you have MORE than enough RAM, set swap tendency to a MUCH lower value by running command to edit sysctl.conf:

sudo gedit /etc/sysctl.conf

and add following 2 lines when the file opens:

via: ubuntuforums

Nvidia announced the 352.30 release of its Linux driver yesterday with GeForce 910M support and various important fixes.

Release highlights of Nvidia 352.30:

  • Fixed a bug that caused poor video post-processing performance in VDPAU when operating on a large number of video streams simultaneously.
  • Fixed a bug that could cause an Xid error when terminating a video playback application using the overlay presentation queue in VDPAU.
  • Updated nvidia-installer to avoid recursing too deeply into kernel source trees under /usr/lib/modules, mirroring an existing restriction on recursion under /lib/modules.
  • Fixed a rare deadlock condition when running applications that use OpenGL in multiple threads on a Quadro GPU.
  • Fixed a kernel memory leak that occurred when looping hardware – accelerated video decoding with VDPAU on Maxwell-based GPUs.
  • Fixed a bug that caused the X server to crash if a RandR 1.4 output provided by a Sink Output provider was selected as the primary output on X.Org xserver 1.17 and higher.
  • Fixed a bug that caused waiting on X Sync Fence objects in OpenGL to hang indefinitely in some cases.
  • Fixed a bug that prevented OpenGL from properly recovering from hardware errors or sync object waits that had timed out.

Install Nvidia 352.30 from PPA:

For Ubuntu 15.10, Ubuntu 15.04, Ubuntu 14.04 and derivatives (e.g., Linux Mint 17.x, and Elementary OS Freya), the new driver can be easily installed from an PPA repository:

1. To add the PPA, open terminal from the Dash/Launcher/Ctrl+Alt+T. When it opens, run command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:graphics-drivers/ppa

2. After adding the PPA, install nvidia-352 package via Synaptic Package Manager or upgrade from previous release through Software Updater. Or run below commands one by one in terminal:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install nvidia-352 nvidia-352-uvm nvidia-settings

For the official binaries, go to www.nvidia.com/object/unix.html

Nvidia Graphics Driver for Linux has just released version 340.58 with new GPUs support and a few bug fixes.

The latest long lived branch release Nvidia 340.58 was released this Wednesday with below changes:

  • Added support for the following GPUs:
    • GeForce GT820M
    • GeForce GTX 760A
    • GeForce GTX 850A
    • GeForce 810A
    • GeForce 820A
    • GeForce 840A
  • Fixed a bug that could cause VT-switching to fail following a suspend, resume, and driver reload sequence.
  • Fixed a bug that caused incorrect colors to be displayed on X screens running at depth 8 on some GPUs.
  • Fixed a bug that prevented GPUs from being correctly recognized in MetaMode strings when identified by UUID.
  • Implemented support for disabling indirect GLX context creation using the -iglx option available on X.Org server release 1.16 and newer.  Note that future X.Org server releases may make the -iglx option the default. To re-enable support for indirect GLX on such servers, use the +iglx option.
  • Added the “AllowIndirectGLXProtocol” X config option. This option can be used to disallow use of GLX protocol. See “Appendix B. X Config Options” in the README for more details.

How to Install / Upgrade to Nvidia 340.58:

The Xorg-Edgers PPA provides the binary packages of the driver for Ubuntu 14.10, and Ubuntu 14.04.

Press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. When it opens, run the commands below one by one:

sudo add-apt-repository -y ppa:xorg-edgers/ppa

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install nvidia-340

Above commands will add the PPA and install the new driver. After that, restart your computer to take effect.

If for some reason, the new driver does not work properly. Open terminal or log into command console (Ctrl+Alt+F2), run below commands to install ppa-purge and purge the PPA:

sudo apt-get install ppa-purge

sudo ppa-purge ppa:xorg-edgers/ppa

Above commands should remove Nvidia Driver 340.58 and revert your graphics driver to original.

The latest proprietary driver Nvidia 331.79 for Linux has been announced. According to the changlog, the new release only fixed below bugs:

  • Fixed a bug that caused nvidia-installer to crash in environments where /proc is not mounted.
  • Fixed a bug that prevented module signing from working correctly for the NVIDIA Unified Memory kernel module when using module signing keys generated by nvidia-installer.
  • Fixed a bug that caused blank screens and flickering when rotating displays in a Base Mosaic layout.
  • Fixed a bug that caused BadRRCrtc or BadRROutput errors for big-endian X11 clients making certain XRandR requests.
  • Fixed a bug that corrupted certain software rendering, notably the stippled text used to represent disabled entries in xterm’s pop-up menus.

Below is how to install this driver in Ubuntu 14.04 or Ubuntu 12.04:

1. It’s recommended to remove previous installed proprietary driver and install the latest updates-dev package before getting started.

To do that, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. When it opens, run the commands below one by one:

sudo apt-get purge nvidia*

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install nvidia-331-updates-dev

2. Restart your computer.

3. Download the official Nvidia packages: 32 bit Linux | 64 bit Linux | 32 bit ARM

4. Press Ctrl+Alt+F1 (or F2 ~ F6) on keyboard to switch to command console and login.

5. Stop the graphical session:

sudo service lightdm stop

For Gnome GDM or Linux Mint MDM, you may replace lightdm with gdm or mdm in the command.

6. Now give executable permission and run the official package to start installing Nvidia 331.79:

chmod +x ~/Downloads/NVIDIA-Linux-*-331.79.run && sudo sh ~/Downloads/NVIDIA-Linux-*-331.79.run

Tips:You may keep the installer file so that you can remove this driver via below command if for some reason it does not work properly:

sudo sh ~/Downloads/NVIDIA-Linux-*-331.79.run --uninstall

The Latest Long Lived Nvidia Driver 319.60 has been released with bug fixes and GeForce GTX 760 Ti OEM supported. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 13.10 Saucy, Ubuntu 13.04 Raring, Ubuntu 12.04 Precise, and Linux Mint.

What’s new in Nvidia 319.60:

  • Added support for the GPU GeForce GTX 760 Ti OEM
  • Fixed a bug that could cause OpenGL applications to crash during the initialization of new threads.
  • Fixed a bug that caused the GPU and Memory clock frequencies for some PowerMizer performance levels on Kepler boards to be reported incorrectly in the nvidia-settings control panel.
  • Fixed a bug that caused the X server to fail to start on certain laptops when the boot display was on an external DisplayPort monitor, for example if the laptop was booted while the lid was closed.

Download & Install Nvidia 319.60:

NOTE: If you’ve already installed an old version of NVIDIA proprietary driver on your machine, remove it before getting started (see step 5).

1. Download the driver:

Nvidia driver 319.60 for Linux 32-bit

Nvidia driver 319.60 for Linux 64-bit

2. Once downloaded, open your file browser and navigate to the downloads page. Right-click on the package and go to its Properties window. Under Permissions tab, check the box where is says “allow executing file as program”

3. Press Ctrl+Alt+F1 to switch to TTY1 command console. Log in with your username and password. When you’re in, you need to run command to stop the graphic session (For Linux Mint or Gnome, change lighdm to mdm or gdm):

sudo stop lightdm

4. Start the installer and follow the on screen prompts:

sudo sh ~/Downloads/NVIDIA-Linux-*-319.60.run

When done, restart your computer by command sudo reboot.

5. (Optional) If for some reason the new drivers do not work properly, re-do step 3. and then uninstall the driver via:

sudo ~/Downloads/NVIDIA-Linux-*-319.60.run --uninstall

Enjoy!