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Differences between revisions 5 and 6
Revision 5 as of 2009-02-13 02:37:00
Size: 3730
Editor: sunset06
Comment: added a faq item, spelling, add a config part. (needs review - not on my nvidia machine at the moment)
Revision 6 as of 2009-02-13 04:41:05
Size: 4462
Editor: StewartAdam
Comment: Formatting consistency, fix 2 typos, add new section and fix xxx-need-result-xxx
Deletions are marked like this. Additions are marked like this.
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=== After initial install ===
The NVidia driver will be activated after a log out / log in cycle.
=== After initial driver installation or upon driver upgrades ===
The nVidia driver will be activated after a login / logout cycle, however it is highly recommended that you reboot immediately after initially installing or updating the nVidia drivers. Please note that you '''do not''' need to run ''nvidia-xconfig'' or ''nvidia-settings'' to configure your system's xorg.conf after driver installation. xorg.conf and any other applicable files will be edited for you.
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Run '''livna-config-display''' via the menu or command line. Run '''livna-config-display''' via the system menu or command line.
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=== Why should I use this package rather than the ones from nvidia.com ? === === Why should I use this package rather than the ones from nvidia.com? ===
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=== How can I tell if I am actually running the RPM Fusion packaged NVidia driver ? ===
 * To be sure you are running the NVidia graphics driver:
{{{ lsmod | grep nv }}}
You should see xxx-need-result-xxx in the result.

 * To check if OpenGL 3D acceleration is working:
{{{ glgears }}}
A small window will open up showing a rotating cogs animation. Meanwhile, after every 5 seconds, the program displays the number of frames per second, eg:
=== How can I tell if I am actually running the RPM Fusion packaged nVidia driver ? ===
 * Be sure you are using the 'nvidia' Xorg driver and that the kernel module is loaded:
{{{
cat /etc/X11/xorg.conf | grep Driver
lsmod | grep nvidia
}}}
You should see something similar to this (num
bers will vary):
{{{
Driver "nvidia"
nvidia 3923388 14
}}}

 * Check if OpenGL 3D acceleration is working:
{{{
glxinfo | grep direct
}}}
You should see:
{{{
direct rendering: Yes
}}}
 * Check using glxgears:
{{{
glxgears
}}}
A small window will open up showing a rotating cogs animation. Meanwhile, after every 5 seconds, the program displays the number of frames per second, for example:
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[esc] <ctrl+c>
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If the value is less than 800 FPS, then 3D rendering is possibly being done in software.

=== How do I...? ===
An answer
If the animation is choppy or if FPS values are less than 800 FPS, 3D rendering is possibly being done in software. Please remember that glxgears ''is not a benchmark'', and should not be used to evaluate GPU performance.

What is xorg-x11-drv-nvidia?

xorg-x11-drv-nvidia is the package which provides the common files required by the nVidia driver. Its subpackage, xorg-x11-drv-nvidia-libs, provides the binary libraries used by the driver.

Installation Instructions

yum install xorg-x11-drv-nvidia

x86_64 users

If you are running x86_64 and want to have 3D acceleration with 32bit applications, you'll need to install the 32bit version of xorg-x11-drv-nvidia-libs:

yum install xorg-x11-drv-nvidia-libs.i386

Configuration

After initial driver installation or upon driver upgrades

The nVidia driver will be activated after a login / logout cycle, however it is highly recommended that you reboot immediately after initially installing or updating the nVidia drivers. Please note that you do not need to run nvidia-xconfig or nvidia-settings to configure your system's xorg.conf after driver installation. xorg.conf and any other applicable files will be edited for you.

Adjusting driver settings

Run livna-config-display via the system menu or command line.

Common Problems

Scrolling in Firefox is slow (no 3D)

This often happens when you use nvidia-settings or nvidia-xconfig to configure your xorg.conf without letting livna-config-display do it's autoconfiguration first. To fix this, run these two commands:

nvidia-config-display disable
nvidia-config-display enable

Yum gives me a dependency errors about kmods and won't let me update.

This happens when a new kernel has been released and a matching kmod from RPM Fusion hasn't synced across all the mirrors, or vice-versa. Try giving it a few hours and if the problems persist, you can also try refreshing yum's cache:

yum clean metadata

If after this you still experience problems, please report a bug.

FAQ

Why should I use this package rather than the ones from nvidia.com?

The packages from nvidia.com have been known to replace libGL, which isn't a problem until you decide to use another X driver or uninstall the nvidia driver. The RPM Fusion packages will never overwrite files like this. As well, the drivers packaged at RPM Fusion will make your life a bit easier by letting you grab new kmods through Yum or the Software Update tool. A few extra utilities, to ensure that the drivers 'just work' with minimal user interaction (the initscripts, livna-config-display), are also included.

How come my xorg.conf is always getting edited for me ?

This is a known problem, it will be fixed with the introduction of rpmfusion-config-display. In the mean time, if you'd really like to stop the drivers from making changes to your xorg.conf, run the livna-config-display GUI interface and you'll find a checkbutton to disable editing. Alternatively, you can run this command in a terminal:

livna-config-display --active off

How can I tell if I am actually running the RPM Fusion packaged nVidia driver ?

  • Be sure you are using the 'nvidia' Xorg driver and that the kernel module is loaded:

cat /etc/X11/xorg.conf | grep Driver
lsmod | grep nvidia

You should see something similar to this (numbers will vary):

Driver     "nvidia"
nvidia 3923388 14
  • Check if OpenGL 3D acceleration is working:

glxinfo | grep direct

You should see:

direct rendering: Yes
  • Check using glxgears:

glxgears

A small window will open up showing a rotating cogs animation. Meanwhile, after every 5 seconds, the program displays the number of frames per second, for example:

6171 frames in 5.0 seconds = 1234.026 FPS
6085 frames in 5.0 seconds = 1216.950 FPS
6151 frames in 5.0 seconds = 1230.076 FPS
<ctrl+c>

If the animation is choppy or if FPS values are less than 800 FPS, 3D rendering is possibly being done in software. Please remember that glxgears is not a benchmark, and should not be used to evaluate GPU performance.

Reporting bugs

If you think you've found a problem and would like to report it, include the following information along with the description of the bug:

  • Attach your /var/log/Xorg.0.log file
  • Attach your /etc/X11/xorg.conf file, if it exists
  • Run dmesg > ~/dmesg.txt and attach the "dmesg.txt" found in your home folder


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