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Installing nvidia driver installs a new kernel [SOLVED, LOOK IN THE COMMENTS]

When installing the proprietary nvidia driver recommended by the the official debian page for Debian Bookwork, apt seems to want to install a new kernel. I actually did this before (since this is my second time installing debian on here) and this new kernel messes with the display server somehow, disabeling all monitors but one, limiting the resolution, removing all the UI animations and so on. So I don’t want to do that again. My current kernel is the Debain 12 default: linux-image-6.1.0-18-amd64. Am I doing something terribly wrong, is the website perhaps outdated, or what is going on here?

Smorty OP ,

SOLUTION:

This is a problem not with the operating system, but rather the nvidia DKMS. It can easily be fixed by replacing some lines in the apt sources located here: /etc/apt/sources.list. The line update-security has to be replaced by these two:


<span style="color:#323232;">deb http://deb.debian.org/debian/ bookworm-updates main non-free contrib non-free-firmware
</span><span style="color:#323232;">deb-src http://deb.debian.org/debian/ bookworm-updates main non-free contrib non-free-firmware
</span>

Here is a link to where this solution was found: forums.developer.nvidia.com/t/…/2

After updating the sources there, simple run sudo apt update and sudo apt upgrade. Then it should finally compile the drivers for your kernel, the extra kernel in the grub menu (if it appeared on your machine) should disappear, and your original kernel (in my case 6.1.0-18-amd64) will have the module in it. So your monitors and stuff should work as they did before.

Confetti_Camouflage ,
@Confetti_Camouflage@pawb.social avatar

The proprietary Nvidia driver has kernel modules that are specific to a single version of the Linux kernel. With pre-built packages that’s typically whatever the standard kernel is for your distro. If that kernel isn’t booted then you’ll have no graphics driver.

This is solved by DKMS, which will build those kernel modules for every kernel you have installed. You’ll need the kernel headers for the kernel you want to build for, as well as the nvidia-kernel-dkms package which the wiki you linked only offhandedly mentions. Whenever the kernel or driver updates it should build the required modules.

Smorty OP ,

Oh yeah, I completely missed the DKMS. I just installed the nvidia-kernel-dkms package, and it seemed to try to build the module, but then failed:


<span style="color:#323232;">Building for 6.1.0-18-amd64
</span><span style="color:#323232;">Building initial module for 6.1.0-18-amd64
</span><span style="color:#323232;">Error! Bad return status for module build on kernel: 6.1.0-18-amd64 (x86_64)
</span><span style="color:#323232;">Consult /var/lib/dkms/nvidia-current/525.147.05/build/make.log for more information.
</span><span style="color:#323232;">dpkg: error processing package nvidia-kernel-dkms (--configure):
</span><span style="color:#323232;"> installed nvidia-kernel-dkms package post-installation script subprocess returned error exit status 10
</span><span style="color:#323232;">dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of nvidia-driver:
</span><span style="color:#323232;"> nvidia-driver depends on nvidia-kernel-dkms (= 525.147.05-4~deb12u1) | nvidia-kernel-525.147.05 | nvidia-open-kernel-525.147.05 | nvidia-open-kernel-525.147.05; however:
</span><span style="color:#323232;">  Package nvidia-kernel-dkms is not configured yet.
</span><span style="color:#323232;">  Package nvidia-kernel-525.147.05 is not installed.
</span><span style="color:#323232;">  Package nvidia-kernel-dkms which provides nvidia-kernel-525.147.05 is not configured yet.
</span><span style="color:#323232;">  Package nvidia-open-kernel-525.147.05 is not installed.
</span><span style="color:#323232;">  Package nvidia-open-kernel-525.147.05 is not installed.
</span><span style="color:#323232;">
</span><span style="color:#323232;">dpkg: error processing package nvidia-driver (--configure):
</span><span style="color:#323232;"> dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
</span><span style="color:#323232;">Errors were encountered while processing:
</span><span style="color:#323232;"> nvidia-kernel-dkms
</span><span style="color:#323232;"> nvidia-driver
</span><span style="color:#323232;">E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
</span>

It says that something hasn’t been configured yet, even though I am just installing it…

aksdb ,

You’ll have to check the make.log as the error states. Details for what went wrong will be in there. But it might be, that your kernel version simply isn’t supported by the driver.

ShortN0te ,

Thats the bug report bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=1063675

Will be fixed in the next dot release

GenderNeutralBro ,

Which kernel is it trying to install?

Did you go through the steps required for Secure Boot?

Could be needed up dependencies in the apt repo. I’ve been this many times, in many distros, over the years.

In any case, I recommend getting the latest driver directly from Nvidia. It’s easier to keep it outside the apt ecosystem than to wrestle with overriding outdated dependencies. Plus you get the newer driver, and honestly, Nvidia’s installer is easier than Debian’s (particularly if you have Secure Boot enabled).

Smorty OP ,

So what you are saying is that it makes more sense to get the driver from nvidias webiste?

GenderNeutralBro ,

Yes, that is my recommendation. I’m sure plenty of people will disagree, but personally I have had too many headaches with other sources.

Get them from here: www.nvidia.com/en-us/drivers/unix/

For what it’s worth, I am running on Debian now, using the “new feature branch” driver, which is currently version 545. This is newer than what’s in Debian’s repos (and most other distros too, for that matter). I’ve also performed kernel updates since installing it, without issue.

If you have Secure Boot enabled in your motherboard firmware, be sure to follow the steps on signing the kernel module available here: us.download.nvidia.com/…/installdriver.html#modul… . Nvidia’s installer will prompt you about this (unlike Debian’s!) but can’t do all the steps for you.

If you’re not sure if you have secure boot enabled, you can run mokutil --sb-state in a terminal to see.

taladar ,

All the symptoms you are describing sound like graphics driver issues, not kernel issues.

just_another_person ,

If you want the latest Nvidia driver without apt conflicts, you have to use their installer which builds dkms live.

Smorty OP ,

Where would get that installer?

Revan343 ,

You or baby want this one www.nvidia.com/Download/…/en-us/

Installation instructions are under ‘additional information’

Smorty OP ,

Is there a way to download older driver versions? I’ve heard that output to VR displays tends to get blocked by the new drivers.

Revan343 ,

I’m not sure. This is their main driver archive page, but it looks like the other (non-beta) entries are the newest driver for older cards, not older versions of the same driver

nawordar ,

Don’t use the NVIDIA installer, as it conflicts with the package manager. Use the nvidia-kernel-dkms package from the official Debian repository

Smorty OP ,

Turns out that the repository one is broken. This is an issue with a specific version of the nights driver, which has just been fixed. If you want more info, have a look at the solved content I made on this post.

tok3n ,
@tok3n@lemmy.world avatar

I had the same issue updating yesterday, apparently it’s bugged. I’m using the previous kernel for now and it’s running fine.

Smorty OP ,

Oh really? That’s quite odd, I thought it’d be a me problem. Guess I’ll get the drivers from nvidias website…

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