Custom kernel 2.6.25 and nvidia

Question

I have compiled a custom kernel the 'traditional' way, that is, make and make modules_install and now I am having trouble getting the nvidia driver to work
I usually just install it through pacman, but that doesn't work with the custom kernel.
So my next step was to follow the wiki.
I changed the kernel names in the PKGBUILD and nvidia.install that i got from my abs tree, and when I install with makepkg -i -c everything goes well.
However, when I try to start X again, it crashes and says it cannot find the NVIDIA kernel module. I don't fully understand everything in the PKGBUILD and it is quite possible there is some other line or path that needs to be changed. Please, I am at my wit's end.
Here are my PKGBUILD and nvidia.install
# $Id: PKGBUILD 356 2008-04-18 22:56:27Z aaron $
# Maintainer : Thomas Baechler <[email protected]>
pkgname=nvidia-DarkTower
pkgver=169.12
_kernver='2.6.25-DarkTower'
pkgrel=2
pkgdesc="NVIDIA drivers for kernel26."
arch=('i686' 'x86_64')
[ "$CARCH" = "i686" ] && ARCH=x86
[ "$CARCH" = "x86_64" ] && ARCH=x86_64
url="http://www.nvidia.com/"
depends=('kernel26>=2.6.24.3-4' 'kernel26<=2.6.25-0' 'nvidia-utils')
conflicts=('nvidia-96xx' 'nvidia-71xx' 'nvidia-legacy')
license=('custom')
install=nvidia.install
source=(http://us.download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linux-$ARCH/${pkgver}/NVIDIA-Linux-$ARCH-${pkgver}-pkg0.run)
md5sums=('e7aaca79c846e34cfe8111040bfee2d0')
[ "$CARCH" = "x86_64" ] && md5sums=('843a1e8bc1923ba2e4b60f6fab31ad3b')
build()
# Extract
cd $startdir/src/
sh NVIDIA-Linux-$ARCH-${pkgver}-pkg0.run --extract-only
cd NVIDIA-Linux-$ARCH-${pkgver}-pkg0
# Any extra patches are applied in here...
cd usr/src/nv/
ln -s Makefile.kbuild Makefile
make SYSSRC=/lib/modules/${_kernver}/build module
# install kernel module
mkdir -p $startdir/pkg/lib/modules/${_kernver}/kernel/drivers/video/
install -m644 nvidia.ko $startdir/pkg/lib/modules/${_kernver}/kernel/drivers/video/
sed -i -e "s/KERNEL_VERSION='.*'/KERNEL_VERSION='${_kernver}'/" $startdir/*.install
# arg 1: the new package version
post_install() {
KERNEL_VERSION='2.6.25-DarkTower'
depmod -v $KERNEL_VERSION > /dev/null 2>&1
# arg 1: the new package version
# arg 2: the old package version
post_upgrade() {
post_install $1
rmmod nvidia || echo 'In order to use the new nvidia module, exit Xserver and unload it manually.'
# arg 1: the old package version
post_remove() {
KERNEL_VERSION='2.6.25-DarkTower'
depmod -v $KERNEL_VERSION > /dev/null 2>&1
op=$1
shift
$op $*
Last edited by ManOnONeWheel (2008-05-07 00:41:50)

Answer 1

I don't use Arch package for nvidia as script is unable to install modules on several kernels at the same time and I want to boot to X irrelevant of kernel loaded. I never had any problems with custom kernels 2.6.25 and nvidia 169 or 173
current status:
$ find /lib/modules/ -name nvidia.ko
/lib/modules/2.6.25-zen0-GIGUE/kernel/drivers/video/nvidia.ko
/lib/modules/2.6.25-zen1-preview3-FADO/kernel/drivers/video/nvidia.ko
/lib/modules/2.6.25-zen1-SARABANDE/kernel/drivers/video/nvidia.ko
/lib/modules/2.6.25-zen1-GAVOTTE/kernel/drivers/video/nvidia.ko
all boots fine, none crash/freeze. Never patched 169 or 173
Well, it looks like the 169 installer would always put nvidia.ko in the /lib/modules/2.6.24 directory, no matter if i was currentlyusing a different kernel or not so im not sure what is going on there.
must be some quirk on your box. Have not seen this.
Last edited by broch (2008-05-08 01:43:13)