Re: Which nVidea driver to install
RW wrote: On Sun, 07 Jun 2009 20:13:30 -0400 Michael Powell nightre...@verizon.net wrote: The nv can easily be installed along with Xorg. The nvidia driver is more complex as it relies on the linuxolator to function, so there is a larger number of dependencies. This is incorrect: I think that's misleading, AFAIK it's more a case that it can optionally support OpenGL for Linux binaries, in which case it acquires some Linux dependencies. [snip] To install the nvidia-driver port a kernel module named nvidia.ko is compiled. This module requires linux.ko to be loaded first. The reason is the nvidia-driver itself is a linux binary blob, and consequently must utilize the linuxolator to run. Very simple concept. The OpenGL support is part of the install. It is not related to any so called 'optional support for Linux binaries'. Ask yourself this: when you run glxgears is glxgears a linux binary or was it compiled as a FreeBSD binary? For example, you will see much improved performance in KDE with the nvidia- driver installed. When you compiled and installed KDE it built FreeBSD binaries, not Linux ones. Enabling the use of the 3D hardware acceleration engineered into modern graphics cards works for things other than just linux binaries and/or OpenGL. But since the nvidia-driver is itself a Linux binary blob pre-compiled by Nvidia, you must have linuxolator support to use it. That does not mean that only Linux (e.g. - non FreeBSD) binaries will be able to take advantage. -Mike ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org
Re: Which nVidea driver to install
On Sun, 07 Jun 2009 20:13:30 -0400 Michael Powell nightre...@verizon.net wrote: [snip] The nv can easily be installed along with Xorg. The nvidia driver is more complex as it relies on the linuxolator to function, so there is a larger number of dependencies. But when it comes time to change from nv to nvidia it is just a line or two in the xorg.conf. Thanks for you assistance. BTW, what lines should I modify if I do decide to install the nVidia driver at some point? I will install the NV driver and get the desktop working. -- Carmel ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org
Re: Which nVidea driver to install
On Monday 08 June 2009, Michael Powell wrote: As to which of the ports you need - the regular nvidia-driver and not either of the 'legacy' versions should probably be used I found that I had to use the legacy nvidia-driver-96 port to get my GeForce 6150 to function, as described in my post a couple of days ago in the Driver for nVidia Geforce 6150LE thread http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-questions/2009-June/200251.html. I don't know if the problem will apply to other 6150 based systems or if it's just unique to my particular setup. -- Mike Clarke ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org
Re: Which nVidea driver to install
On Mon, 08 Jun 2009 02:26:34 -0400 Michael Powell nightre...@verizon.net wrote: To install the nvidia-driver port a kernel module named nvidia.ko is compiled. This module requires linux.ko to be loaded first. The reason is the nvidia-driver itself is a linux binary blob, and consequently must utilize the linuxolator to run. Very simple concept. Simple, but wrong. The driver is not a Linux driver, if you go to the nVidia site you will see that there are separate Linux and FreeBSD drivers. You don't need to load linux.ko at all if you built nvidia.ko without Linux support. The OpenGL support is part of the install. It is not related to any so called 'optional support for Linux binaries'. Ask yourself this: when you run glxgears is glxgears a linux binary or was it compiled as a FreeBSD binary? Clearly you don't need Linux support to run the native glxgears, but you would if you wanted to run a Linux glxgears binary. ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org
Re: Which nVidea driver to install
On Mon, 8 Jun 2009 11:15:16 +0100 Mike Clarke jmc-freeb...@milibyte.co.uk wrote: On Monday 08 June 2009, Michael Powell wrote: As to which of the ports you need - the regular nvidia-driver and not either of the 'legacy' versions should probably be used I found that I had to use the legacy nvidia-driver-96 port to get my GeForce 6150 to function, as described in my post a couple of days ago in the Driver for nVidia Geforce 6150LE thread http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-questions/2009-June/200251.html. I don't know if the problem will apply to other 6150 based systems or if it's just unique to my particular setup. One last question; if I install the AMD 64 bit version of FBSD, will the NV driver work? I know that the regular one won't since it doesn't support 64 bit systems. -- Carmel ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org
Re: Which nVidea driver to install
On Monday 08 June 2009, Carmel wrote: One last question; if I install the AMD 64 bit version of FBSD, will the NV driver work? I know that the regular one won't since it doesn't support 64 bit systems. I'm using i386 so have no direct experience of this but package versions of the xf86-video-nv port are available for both i386 and amd64 so you should have no problem. -- Mike Clarke ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org
Re: Which nVidea driver to install
I am not exactly sure which driver I am using between these two, however I have found that setting up the driver and display are great with these packages installed. I guess I would be using the most recent :) nvidia-driver-173.14.12 nvidia-driver-71.86.06 nvidia-settings-173.14.09 nvidia-xconfig-1.0_2 After you use the nvidia driver in your Xorg.conf file, I would suggest running, nvidia-xconfig, and then nvidia-settings while in X to configure the card. -Jason On Mon, Jun 08, 2009 at 05:05:42PM +0100, Mike Clarke thus spake: On Monday 08 June 2009, Carmel wrote: One last question; if I install the AMD 64 bit version of FBSD, will the NV driver work? I know that the regular one won't since it doesn't support 64 bit systems. I'm using i386 so have no direct experience of this but package versions of the xf86-video-nv port are available for both i386 and amd64 so you should have no problem. -- Mike Clarke ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org
Re: Which nVidea driver to install
RW wrote: [snip] Simple, but wrong. The driver is not a Linux driver, if you go to the nVidia site you will see that there are separate Linux and FreeBSD drivers. You don't need to load linux.ko at all if you built nvidia.ko without Linux support. [snip] Aha! You're right! Something has changed. I was describing how things used to be, not how they are now. Shows how long it's been since I was paying attention. Since I never even bothered to look at the Makefile in a long time I never noticed the WITHOUT_LINUX=yes, which is new and since the default is to build the Linux support it just passed by me. But I stand corrected. Hadn't noticed how it had changed. Thanks for waking me up :-) -Mike ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org
Re: Which nVidea driver to install
Carmel wrote: On Sun, 07 Jun 2009 20:13:30 -0400 Michael Powell nightre...@verizon.net wrote: [snip] The nv can easily be installed along with Xorg. The nvidia driver is more complex as it relies on the linuxolator to function, so there is a larger number of dependencies. But when it comes time to change from nv to nvidia it is just a line or two in the xorg.conf. Thanks for you assistance. BTW, what lines should I modify if I do decide to install the nVidia driver at some point? I will install the NV driver and get the desktop working. Section Device #Driver nv Driver nvidia Just change nv to nvidia, and perhaps in Section Module Load glx if you need to. Also notice what RW said; I am behind the times wrt to how things have changed. -Mike ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org
Re: Which nVidea driver to install
Michael Powell wrote: Section Device #Driver nv Driver nvidia Just change nv to nvidia, and perhaps in Section Module Load glx if you need to. Also notice what RW said; I am behind the times wrt to how things have changed. -Mike What I have found to work is to make the nvidia-driver port, but not install it (to get the dependencies). Then I would download the recent driver from nVidia's website (as of this email, 185.18.14), untar it and install that instead. If nvidia-xconfig doesn't work immediately, you can install it from ports w/o a problem (or do the configuration by hand). It's a little involved, but it gets the job done. nVidia's README for FreeBSD drivers: http://us.download.nvidia.com/freebsd/185.18.14/README/index.html -Joseph ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org
Re: Which nVidea driver to install
LoH wrote: [snip] What I have found to work is to make the nvidia-driver port, but not install it (to get the dependencies). Then I would download the recent driver from nVidia's website (as of this email, 185.18.14), untar it and install that instead. If nvidia-xconfig doesn't work immediately, you can install it from ports w/o a problem (or do the configuration by hand). It's a little involved, but it gets the job done. nVidia's README for FreeBSD drivers: http://us.download.nvidia.com/freebsd/185.18.14/README/index.html Yes - I agree that these utilities should be considered the more proper approach. Editing the xorg.conf by hand should be where one ends up after everything else hasn't worked. Generally speaking, most of these get it either right or so very close to right that only a minor tweak or two is needed. My config is somewhat non standard in that I use two monitors, one LCD flatscreen and the other an old 17 CRT. There are two methods for dual monitors, either multiple X screens or utilize the TwinView feature of the nvidia driver. Since the TwinView approach allows to drag windows from one monitor to the other with a mouse (what I wanted) I went that way. Ultimately in the end it took manual hackery to get it to work. But yes - use the utilities first, that's what they're made for. Only resort to hackery as a last resort. -Mike ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org
Which nVidea driver to install
I have an nVidia Geforce 6150LE chip on the motherboard. Should I install the x11/nvidia-driver or the NV driver in x11-drivers/xorg-drivers? Would it cause a conflict if I tried to install both and do I even need both of them? -- Carmel ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org
Re: Which nVidea driver to install
Carmel wrote: I have an nVidia Geforce 6150LE chip on the motherboard. Should I install the x11/nvidia-driver or the NV driver in x11-drivers/xorg-drivers? Would it cause a conflict if I tried to install both and do I even need both of them? Install the nvidia driver if your install is i386 and not 64 bit. The nvidia driver doesn't work yet for 64 bit installs. The main reason to really want the nvidia driver is for desktop software such as KDE or Gnome. My experience with KDE is I wouldn't want to run it without the nvidia driver. You can install the nv driver as well. The two don't really interact with one another. You may install the nv first if you wish, then work on getting Xorg going, as this sometimes entails manually editing xorg.conf the hard way. I know Xorg is supposedly automagic these days, but for some reason or another I always seem to end up editing xorg.conf myself to get it to do what I want. The nv can easily be installed along with Xorg. The nvidia driver is more complex as it relies on the linuxolator to function, so there is a larger number of dependencies. But when it comes time to change from nv to nvidia it is just a line or two in the xorg.conf. Sometimes with laptop built-in chips it can be difficult to get things going because of a non-standard resolution requiring a non-standard modeline. In such situations the nv xorg driver will probably be easier to get going. The ultimate fallback is VESA mode, but nobody wants that if it can be avoided. As to which of the ports you need - the regular nvidia-driver and not either of the 'legacy' versions should probably be used as per: http://us.download.nvidia.com/freebsd/180.60/README/appendix-e.html Bottom line is you can start with the nv first and change up to the nvidia- driver later. The two are not mutually exclusive, meaning even though you only utilize one, or the other, they can both coexist on the same system without difficulty. -Mike ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org
Re: Which nVidea driver to install
On Sun, 07 Jun 2009 20:13:30 -0400 Michael Powell nightre...@verizon.net wrote: The nv can easily be installed along with Xorg. The nvidia driver is more complex as it relies on the linuxolator to function, so there is a larger number of dependencies. I think that's misleading, AFAIK it's more a case that it can optionally support OpenGL for Linux binaries, in which case it acquires some Linux dependencies. Sometimes with laptop built-in chips it can be difficult to get things going because of a non-standard resolution requiring a non-standard modeline. In such situations the nv xorg driver will probably be easier to get going. The ultimate fallback is VESA mode, but nobody wants that if it can be avoided. I've never had a problem with either, they both have their own configuration program to generate xorg.conf ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org
