update NVIDIA drivers for UNIX

[Chewy509]

Hi all,

This is just a for your information... I found out last night that NVIDIA no longer bundle the OpenGL and VDPAU header files with the 260.x (and 270.x) drivers for UNIX (Linux, Solaris and FreeBSD).

It means that you can't build OpenGL based software or software that uses VDPAU! (But existing binaries will run fine). VDPAU is important, as it's the conduit for hardware accelarated video decoding (mpeg, vc-1 and x264), and some linux distro's dont enable VDPAU support by default with their media players. (A lot of people have to build the software from scratch to get hardware acceleration).

To get the header files, you need to either:

1. Download and use the MESA OpenGL header files. 'libmesa-dev' on most Linux distros, but this is not an option for Solaris due to the packaging of mesa vs nVidia drivers. (they are considered mutually exclusive on that platform).

or

2. Install the latest 256.x driver, cp /usr/X11/include/NVIDIA to somewhere. Install the 270.x driver and cp those headers back in to that location. (This is the easist option for Solaris users).

As a side note, the headers are no longer downloadable from opengl.org, they point you to use the mesa header files instead, so that option is now ruled out as well.

For CUDA/OpenCL, again the headers are no longer bundled. Instead you need to download and install the complete CUDA SDK, which is easily done through the nVidia developer centre. (It's just a big download in order to get 160K of header files).

As I side, for you information only, as I know this will only effect those that build their own software on Linux, FreeBSD and Solaris.

 

[Mercutio]

That's a really ridiculous set of circumstances, but on the other hand I don't imagine that it impacts all that many users.

It would be nice to think that someone running OpenSolaris will sort the mess out and put together some kind of working package, but on a less popular platform I can definitely see the possibility that people just pack up and move to another *nix.

 

[timwhit]

I'm guessing I won't have any problems, since I use this driver for OpenSuse.

 

[Howell]

It would be nice to think that someone running OpenSolaris will sort the mess out and put together some kind of working package, but on a less popular platform I can definitely see the possibility that people just pack up and move to another *nix.

Which pretty much explains the lack of popularity for many platforms. Popularity in direct proportion to masochism.

 

[Chewy509]

I'm guessing I won't have any problems, since I use this driver for OpenSuse.

That's the thing, it won't effect those that use the packages provided by their distrobution, as most distro's have either added the headers back in, or make just the mesa headers a dependency.

But for those that run less popular OSs and install the drivers manually, it's something to know. Being (I believe) the only person on this forum that runs Solaris 10 as their default desktop, I knew it wasn't going to effect too many people. But if someone is going to try Solaris 11 Express (the new name for OpenSolaris), they are going to get caught by this as well.

 

[Adcadet]

Chewy, why do you run Solaris as your desktop? Why not a *nix that's still being developed? Why not Linux? Just curious.

 

[Chewy509]

Chewy, why do you run Solaris as your desktop? Why not a *nix that's still being developed? Why not Linux? Just curious.

I now this is getting a little off-topic, but anyway...

I moved to Solaris Express Developer Edn back on '07 after some discontent with FreeBSD and prior to that Linux (I was running Crux Linux at the time). It was mainly around the issues that would arise when you did a system update, something would always break. I did try Fedora Core (can't remember which version) and gentoo, but wasn't happy with either - there was something just didn't feel right to me. (At the time Crux dropped x64 support, so couldn't move back to that).

After using SXDE for a few months found it stable and all items that came with the system "just worked"; I didn't have teething issues, issues related to distro's doing custom back-ports, or when having a problem not being able to find information to resolve the issue that I was having as was often the case with the other BSD and Linux based OSes. I know I could have moved to back Windows, but that would be like a former addict returning to the dealer for more kool-aid. (I had seen the UNIX philosophy and was hooked). However, and I will admit I still don't know 100% why, but I downloaded and installed Solaris 10 U6 in '08. I did find it slightly faster than SXDE (at the time renamed to OpenSolaris), and it supported all the hardware I had and did everything I needed. Additionally at the time was I planning on studying the Sun Certified System Administrator (SCSA) certification. (Sun's equivalent to the MCSE). In that regard it only made sense to run it as my desktop. (I have since completed all the SCSA coursework).

And since then I've continued to run Solaris 10, more out of habit than anything else. I know how things work, have all the software I need to do what I need to do, and many some respects Solaris 10 is more advanced and easier to use/administer than *BSD or Linux.

I've found the logging facilities to far better, SMF is awesome compared to either SYSV or BSD startup scripts, dtrace has come in handy when debugging code (I've had to use it for developing control software for a toy USB missile launcher**, and for debugging/porting libmtp to Solaris), and having working Java and Flash support takes one less headache away. While I haven't used most of the features of ZFS, the snapshot system, active CRC (with active reporting) on all files to ensure read/write integrity, native filesystem compression and having native NFS support at the filesystem driver level all have been nice features to have. (Note, in addition to NFS support in the filesystem driver, Solaris 11 Express has a native CIFS support in the driver, which means Sol11 does not need SAMBA at all for file sharing duties).

I have nothing against Linux or any of the *BSDs, in fact my Asus netbook is running Arch Linux (and if I decided to ditch Solaris and go Linux, it would be with Arch Linux). I do often recommend to others to try Linux (be it Ubuntu, Suse or Fedora) or FreeBSD. Solaris is not for everyone, but it fills my requirements. The only downside to Solaris, is that more recently when someone says it's for UNIX or it'll work on any UNIX, they mean Linux, and some stuff will not compile/work on Solaris without some serious work.

** One of these: http://www.tesora.com.au/USB_Missile_Launcher_.htm

 

[Chewy509]

And Solaris AFAIK is still being developed?

Solaris 10 U9 was released in Sep-2010, and Solaris 11 Express in Nov-2010. (Both released by Oracle several months after the Sun acquisition).