nouveau for multiple kernels?

ngoonee · 2010-03-20 12:51:50

Hi all,

Am thinking of trying out the nouveau driver, since I've been gaming a LOT less lately. I understand I need xf86-video-nouveau (roughly analogous to the nvidia-utils package), nouveau-firmware, and nouveau-drm (roughly analogous to the nvidia package).

Thing is, I use 3 kernels and switch between them fairly regularly. Because of this I use (and maintain) the nvidia-beta-all package on the AUR. In order to get this same level of functionality with nouveau I'd need something like nouveau-drm-all.

There is an nouveau-drm-bfs PKGBUILD in the AUR, but all that does is copy the .ko files built for 2.6.33-ARCH to a new /lib/modules/* location. I'm pretty sure that wouldn't work for all kernels (especially the -rt kernel I'm fond of using), so I'd like to ask those who are already using nouveau, do you use custom kernels? Does re-running the nouveau-drm PKGBUILD on your custom kernel work?

eldragon · 2010-03-20 13:17:50

i dont know about kernels 2.6.33 and older. but there was a recent discussion concerning the nouveau API and its incompatibility with old kernels.

so, if you plan on using/testing 2.6.34, the nouveau userspace wont be compatible with 2.6.33.
bear this in mind when 2.6.34 is released.

AndyRTR · 2010-03-20 13:56:54

our testing nouveau-drm package is pulled from a late git snapshot. it's more recent than the code in kernel 2.6.34rc1. if you want to use nouveau-drm wit other kernels you need to build yourself corrsponding -drm-custom packages. Use our PKGBUILD as protoype. Just change the pkgname and install paths also in the install file.

ngoonee · 2010-03-20 23:20:43

AndyRTR wrote:

our testing nouveau-drm package is pulled from a late git snapshot. it's more recent than the code in kernel 2.6.34rc1. if you want to use nouveau-drm wit other kernels you need to build yourself corrsponding -drm-custom packages. Use our PKGBUILD as protoype. Just change the pkgname and install paths also in the install file.

Thanks a lot Andy! Exactly the information I was looking for. When I write up the PKGBUILDs (busy day, maybe later) I'll be sure to post them up here + AUR.

tavianator · 2010-03-21 00:31:08

I don't think there's much of a need to post them -- just changing _kernver in the abs PKGBUILD should be enough.

ngoonee · 2010-03-21 05:55:20

Actually, more needs to be done, since the PKGBUILD I have in mind will build N copies of nouveau-drm .ko files if you have N kernels installed. I've never understood, for example, why nvidia-beta is written in such a way that if I use it in my custom kernel and for some reason can't boot the custom kernel, I don't have nvidia.ko in my stock -ARCH kernel so I can't even get GUI on that.

In any case, I believe I would also have to modify the Makefile, which uses `uname -r` in several places. nouveao-drm-bfs doesn't, because that PKGBUILD writer assumed that you would run it while kernel26-bfs is already installed and running. My nvidia-beta-all PKGBUILD can be used whatever kernel happens to be booted at the time.

tavianator · 2010-03-22 22:49:47

ngoonee wrote:

In any case, I believe I would also have to modify the Makefile, which uses `uname -r` in several places.

Actually only in one place, and that's only if you don't set LINUXDIR. I like the idea though, I'm going to try to get it working for nouveau-drm-git.

Arch Linux

#1 2010-03-20 12:51:50

nouveau for multiple kernels?

#2 2010-03-20 13:17:50

Re: nouveau for multiple kernels?

#3 2010-03-20 13:56:54

Re: nouveau for multiple kernels?

#4 2010-03-20 23:20:43

Re: nouveau for multiple kernels?

#5 2010-03-21 00:31:08

Re: nouveau for multiple kernels?

#6 2010-03-21 05:55:20

Re: nouveau for multiple kernels?

#7 2010-03-22 22:49:47

Re: nouveau for multiple kernels?

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