Operating Systems > Linux and UNIX
another newbie question 8-) [re:compiling nvidia drivers]
voidmain:
There's no need, there are RPMs for it.
DC:
quote:Originally posted by void main:
There's no need, there are RPMs for it.
--- End quote ---
Y'know, some things (like drivers specially tuned for YOUR kernel) are best compiled yourself, and sometimes even unavailable as binaries.
voidmain:
Sometimes, but not in this case. In fact in this case you don't even have to recompile your kernel if you don't have the drivers for the exact kernel you are running. You just need the kernel source installed in order to compile the module.
DC:
quote:Originally posted by void main:
Sometimes, but not in this case. In fact in this case you don't even have to recompile your kernel if you don't have the drivers for the exact kernel you are running. You just need the kernel source installed in order to compile the module.
--- End quote ---
Somehow I get the distinct feeling that you and me are talking about different things.
Anyway, the best thing to do is indeed to go ahead and recompile the kernel, then the drivers. Or fetch the same GCC version the kernel was compiled with, that's pretty much the same thing.
The entire idea is that a kernel and the drivers won't work properly together (or, better, might not work properly together) if compiled with different GCC versions. That's why that warning is given.
voidmain:
quote:Originally posted by DC:
Somehow I get the distinct feeling that you and me are talking about different things.
Anyway, the best thing to do is indeed to go ahead and recompile the kernel, then the drivers. Or fetch the same GCC version the kernel was compiled with, that's pretty much the same thing.
The entire idea is that a kernel and the drivers won't work properly together (or, better, might not work properly together) if compiled with different GCC versions. That's why that warning is given.
--- End quote ---
No, that is not the best thing to do. Have you ever compiled and installed the nVidia kernel drivers? They are not part of the kernel source tree. All that is needed to compile the nVidia kernel module is the source installed of the exact same version of the running kernel. And that's not even necessary if you download the precompiled modules that match exactly the currently running kernel version which in this persons case were available.
If you compiled the kernel, then downloaded the source and compiled the nVidia kernel module you would end up with *exactly* the same binary module. Nothing gained. Much of the nVidia driver that is called "source" is not really source. It's a binary with a tiny wrapper. It is not an open source driver. But then it's better to get the binary modules on Mandrake because Mandrake is screwed and includes more than one version of the kernel and only one version of the kernel headers which is insane and one of the reasons I don't use Mandrake. Now, I wouldn't argue that downloading and installing the stock source for 2.4.20 and compiling/installing it is a good thing, but for completely different reasons, and it is way beyond the scope of what this person wanted to accomplish.
And I don't know why you are continuing on with this because as far as I can tell the simple instructions I gave him worked.
[ December 22, 2002: Message edited by: void main ]
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