totally far out graphics driver question

Leigh · 2007-12-18 07:46:28

This might be a really dumb question, but the wheels in my brain won't stop spinning.

OK, I'm running arch64 and I have three graphic cards in my system. A pci-E Geforce 7900gtx, pci-E Geforce 6800ultra, and a old pci Geforce4mmx. Right now I have 3 monitors, one per card set up as independent x screens. The Geforce4 runs a 21 inch nec multisync crt next to two dell fpw dvi's. I plan on adding two more dell fpw's, one to the 6800 and one to the 7900 card as they're twinviews. I do a lot of cad work using pro-E and the setup would be very very cool and helpfull. I don't want to ditch my geforce4mmx. It's a workhorse card that runs great despite it's age, and likewise the crt monitor. The geforc4 requires the legacy driver. I was thinking, wouldn't it be great to be able to run the nvidia unified driver and legacy driver at the same time. At first it sounded impossible, but then I thought, what if I created a 64bit chroot containg the neccessary pkgs with the nvidia legacy driver installed. Then install the unified driver in the normal 64bit system. Then create some kind of bash startup script, perhaps with an if statement, pointing to the 64bit chroot , not to use it as a chroot, but like to fake linux out pointing to that directory path so only the gforce4 would see and utilize the legacy driver while the other two use the unified driver in the normal system.

I know this sounds really far fetched, or even silly, but I can't help but ask if it might be feesable?

Cerebral · 2007-12-18 12:09:56

I'm not sure, but you might get thwarted if the nvidia kernel modules are different between the new and legacy drivers - afaik you won't be able to insert both into the kernel at the same time

Leigh · 2007-12-19 07:08:17

I'm sure your right, but I was just thinking of a way to fake the kernel out to some how run both by havine the exact same kernel, one installed in a fake dir set up with nvidia legacy. Then somehow fool the system so that only the busId corresponding to the Geforce4 points to that fake dir. Now that I had more time to think about it, if by some slim chance It could work, I think I would almost need a complete duplicate system (base) installed next to the valid one, which is definately not practical.

Cerebral · 2007-12-19 11:59:20

Well, the problem lies in the fact that, unless you go crazy with virtualization software, even if you have two kernels installed, you'll only have one kernel _running_, and that's the kernel that matters - you'll only be able to insert one nvidia module into that kernel, I think.

Leigh · 2007-12-20 18:15:48

I wish I knew more about creating and manipulating kernel modules! my feeble effort created a big mess and almost fried my install. I shouldn't complain since the legacy driver seems to work ok with the newer cards.

Arch Linux

#1 2007-12-18 07:46:28

totally far out graphics driver question

#2 2007-12-18 12:09:56

Re: totally far out graphics driver question

#3 2007-12-19 07:08:17

Re: totally far out graphics driver question

#4 2007-12-19 11:59:20

Re: totally far out graphics driver question

#5 2007-12-20 18:15:48

Re: totally far out graphics driver question

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