Installing nvidia proprietary driver for dom0

[solene]

Hi,

I pushed an update for the community guide explaining how to install the nvidia driver on dom0, Update install-nvidia-driver.md by rapenne-s · Pull Request #262 · Qubes-Community/Contents · GitHub

However, I was curious to know if people are using the kmod solution with success, it recommends using Fedora 18 which make me thing it may not be used regularly…

(that’s also the opportunity for me to make a thread about a successful nvidia driver installation and help future users, because the forum didn’t have any from my search )

[renehoj]

Is there any reason to install the nvidia driver in dom0?

I tried installing it for the 1060, and the card doesn’t work with Xen. Don’t know if it’s only an issue with the old cards, but at some point nvidia changed the driver in a way that made it stop working with Xen.

You can’t really use the GPU in dom0, and in terms of just basic video output I don’t know if the nvidia driver is better than the nouveau driver.

[solene]

I use a 1060 and it’s fine with the driver. I have a 144 Hz screen and that doesn’t work with the nouveau driver, + it feels sluggish with nouveau in general.

[renehoj]

Maybe they fixed it.

I was getting the same error from the driver as reported here, https://groups.google.com/g/qubes-users/c/v26zXkiNElg

The official nvidia response to the issue is that Xen isn’t supported.

GeForce driver problem on Centos 6.4 with XEN installed

[solene]

Oops, it’s there Contents/docs/configuration/install-nvidia-driver.md at master · Qubes-Community/Contents · GitHub

[tempmail]

I don’t see a reason to use NVIDIA in dom0 at all, unless it’s the only GPU?
For testing purposes, I installed both nouveau and proprietary drivers several months ago without problems. I just remember that on of them gave only a single resolution in dom0.

[renehoj]

I just tried using the guide for 4.2

I couldn’t blacklist the nouveau driver without making a modprobe.d config file, and running dracut --force. This completely disabled video output until xorg was started, to restore graphics during boot I had to add nosplash nomodeset to grub.

[solene]

I didn’t try with 4.2, I replaced my card by something that doesn’t require proprietary drivers in the meantime

Thanks for reporting this, is this ok with the nosplash now?

[renehoj]

Yes, it works. It technically also works without, but you can’t see anything until the driver loads, and you need to enter the LUKS password blind.

[stephenljk]

Hi all, I am hitting the following errors when running the command given in this guide:
https://forum.qubes-os.org/t/nvidia-driver-installation/2136

sudo rpmbuild --nodeps -D “kernels uname -r” --rebuild nvidia-kmod-545.29.06-1.fc38.src.rpm

Installing nvidia-kmod-545.29.06-1.fc38.src.rpm
warning: nvidia-kmod-545.29.06-1.fc38.src.rpm: Header V4 RSA/SHA256 Signature, key ID 94843c65: NOKEY
warning: user mockbuild does not exist - using root
warning: group mock does not exist - using root
warning: user mockbuild does not exist - using root
warning: group mock does not exist - using root
warning: user mockbuild does not exist - using root
warning: group mock does not exist - using root
setting SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH=1700611200
Executing(%prep): /bin/sh -e /var/tmp/rpm-tmp.qNohFO

• umask 022
• cd /root/rpmbuild/BUILD
• echo ‘kmodtool error: Kernel uname from /lib/modules/6.1.62-1.qubes.fc37.x86_64/source/Makefile doesn’'‘t match 6.1.62-1.qubes.fc37.x86_64 from --for-kernels argument.’
  kmodtool error: Kernel uname from /lib/modules/6.1.62-1.qubes.fc37.x86_64/source/Makefile doesn’t match 6.1.62-1.qubes.fc37.x86_64 from --for-kernels argument.
• exit 2
  error: Bad exit status from /var/tmp/rpm-tmp.qNohFO (%prep)

RPM build warnings:
nvidia-kmod-545.29.06-1.fc38.src.rpm: Header V4 RSA/SHA256 Signature, key ID 94843c65: NOKEY
user mockbuild does not exist - using root
group mock does not exist - using root
user mockbuild does not exist - using root
group mock does not exist - using root
user mockbuild does not exist - using root
group mock does not exist - using root

RPM build errors:
Bad exit status from /var/tmp/rpm-tmp.qNohFO (%prep)

I don’t get it, it seems to indicate the kernel is mismatch while it matched perfectly when I try uname -r in dom0. Any advise? Thanks!

[solene]

@stephenljk

nvidia-kmod-545.29.06-1.fc38.src.rpm

dom0 is using fedora37, the package seems to tell you are trying a kmod for fedora 38

[stephenljk]

Thanks for responding. Ah I see, I am using the template VM which is on fedora 38, I automatically assumed I need to download the rpm for 38… Thanks for clearing this up, will go test it out. Have a happy new year!

[sodomak]

Did you succeeded?
I’m getting same error from fedora 37 VM:

rpmbuild --nodeps -D "kernels `uname -r`" --rebuild nvidia-kmod-545.29.06-1.fc37.src.rpm 
Installing nvidia-kmod-545.29.06-1.fc37.src.rpm
warning: nvidia-kmod-545.29.06-1.fc37.src.rpm: Header V4 RSA/SHA256 Signature, key ID 94843c65: NOKEY
warning: user mockbuild does not exist - using root
warning: group mock does not exist - using root
warning: user mockbuild does not exist - using root
warning: group mock does not exist - using root
warning: user mockbuild does not exist - using root
warning: group mock does not exist - using root
setting SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH=1700611200
Executing(%prep): /bin/sh -e /var/tmp/rpm-tmp.FxXgzu
+ umask 022
+ cd /home/user/rpmbuild/BUILD
+ echo 'kmodtool error: Kernel uname from /lib/modules/6.7.7-1.qubes.fc37.x86_64/source/Makefile doesn'\''t match 6.7.7-1.qubes.fc37.x86_64 from --for-kernels argument.'
kmodtool error: Kernel uname from /lib/modules/6.7.7-1.qubes.fc37.x86_64/source/Makefile doesn't match 6.7.7-1.qubes.fc37.x86_64 from --for-kernels argument.
+ exit 2
error: Bad exit status from /var/tmp/rpm-tmp.FxXgzu (%prep)

RPM build warnings:
    nvidia-kmod-545.29.06-1.fc37.src.rpm: Header V4 RSA/SHA256 Signature, key ID 94843c65: NOKEY
    user mockbuild does not exist - using root
    group mock does not exist - using root
    user mockbuild does not exist - using root
    group mock does not exist - using root
    user mockbuild does not exist - using root
    group mock does not exist - using root

RPM build errors:
    Bad exit status from /var/tmp/rpm-tmp.FxXgzu (%prep)

[solene]

I updated this guide for NVIDIA driver on dom0 last summer, it worked well for me on 4.1 and 4.2

Nvidia proprietary driver installation

You can use rpm packages from rpmfusion, or you can build the driver yourself. Word of Caution Proprietary (NVIDIA/AMD) drivers are known to be sometimes highly problematic, or completely unsupported. Radeon driver support is prebaked in the Qubes kernel (v4.4.14-11) but only versions 4000-9000 give or take. Support for newer cards is limited until AMDGPU support in the 4.5+ kernel, which isn’t released yet for Qubes. Built in Intel graphics, Radeon graphics (between that 4000-9000 range), an…

Make sure to follow the “Manual installation” section

[Quben]

@renehoj

Is there any reason to install the nvidia driver in dom0?

It increases security by giving nVidia’s entire security team easy and lubricated access to your system. This security team often involves international law enforcement, so you know you’re 100% secure when using their software. It’s like having a nice police officer inside your computer who can help you stay out of trouble and keep all the 1337 h@xx0rz away! You just can’t go wrong with the nVidia driver. It’s closed source, which exponentiates security by ensuring bad actors can’t read the source code of the driver. Oh, lord bless nVidia and lord bless our shepherds what would we do without them aye