RedHat 8.0(2.4.18-24.8.0) X Windows configuration problem.

[Charles Steinkuehler]

joecho at everestkc.net wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> I have checked lsmod,
> I don't see any nvidia or NVdriver, whatsoever.
> I have updated the Redhat to 2.4.18-24.8.0.
> 
> but there is no improvement yet.
> 
> How can I load nvidia module since there is no driver in the system?
> I can see other drivers like riva, sis, matrox, aty under
> /lib/modules/2.4.18-24.8.0/kernel/drivers/video/
> 
> I have downloaded 
> NVIDIA_kernel-1.0-4191.src.rpm
> NVIDIA_GLX-1.0-4191.i386.rpm
> 
> It seems like those files do nothing for video driver.
> 
> Could you give me more specific advices instead of
> a bunch of possibilities I may have like that.
> 
> I have video card:
> "GeForce 2 GO" from NVIDIO
> with 16MB video RAM on Dell Laptop Inspiron 2650.
> 
> I also tried some people suggested like:
> modprobe NVdriver
> modprobe nvidia
> 
> None of them work.
> It simply give message like this:
> modprobe: Can't locate module nvidia
> 
> Jason commented to check the directory
> /lib/moduels/2.4.18-24.8.0/kernel/drivers/char/drm/
> 
> There is no such a module at all.
> in my system I have these:
> i810.o
> i830.o
> mga.o
> r128.o
> radeon.o
> sis.o
> tdfx.o
> 
> That's all.
> 
> Could you give me an yelling?

SURE THING!  WE'D ALL BE HAPPY TO YELL AT YOU!

/me turns down volume...

As previously mentioned, everything you need to know is in the NVIDIA 
installation instructions.  For reference, my RH8 system (which includes 
  a custom kernel, rather than a RedHat pre-packaged one, so it won't 
exactly match your system) includes the following:

[root at localhost root]# rpm -qa | grep NVIDIA
NVIDIA_kernel-1.0-4191
NVIDIA_GLX-1.0-4191

[root at localhost root]# rpm -ql NVIDIA_kernel
/lib/modules/2.4.21-pre4-ac4-a7n8x/kernel/drivers/video/nvidia.o

Installing the NVIDIA_kernel rpm put an nvidia.o module in my kernel 
tree at the location above (note I'm running a custom 
"2.4.21-pre4-ac-a7n8x" kernel I built, rather than the default RH 
kernel, so this part of your path will be different).  It also created 
an entry in /etc/modules.conf:

[root at localhost root]# grep nvidia /etc/modules.conf
alias char-major-195 nvidia

With the module in the proper location, and your modules.conf file 
updated properly (both of which should happen automatically if you're 
using an RPM that matches your kernel), you should not have to load the 
module manually.

Once the kernel module is properly installed, you can install the 
NVIDIA_GLX rpm (which is the actual video driver), edit your X config 
file, and start using the new drivers.  Details on the X configuration 
are covered in the NVIDIA instructions.

The GLX driver simply needs to match the kernel module version (build 
4191 is the current version), but the kernel module needs to match 
*EXACTLY* what you're running for a kernel (check with "uname -a").  If 
there isn't a pre-built NVIDIA_kernel rpm for you particular kernel, 
you'll have to build it from the source rpm, then install the resulting 
binary rpm...just like it says in the instructions.

-- 
Charles Steinkuehler
charles at steinkuehler.net