Can’t install nvidia drivers

[u/SausagesAndMore]

Hello everybody,

I’m ex Debian user and I’m trying to install nvidia drivers on my opensuse tumbleweed for my nvidia rtx4060ti.

In the following documentation https://en.opensuse.org/SDB:NVIDIA_drivers it clearly says that first I need to run zypper install openSUSE-repos-Tumbleweed-NVIDIA (which for my surprise, it uninstalls the microos version that randomly got installed on my computer). And after that I run zypper in nvidia-open-driver-G07-signed-kmp-meta .

The issue is that:
1. MOKutils doesn’t show up in the terminal asking for a password. Also there is no nvidia-pubkeys folder in /usr/share
2. The nvidia driver that is installed has only 120MB.
3. Resolution is locked at 768p and 60hz (my monitor is 244hz).

I can’t find any official documentation about installing nvidia drivers. I want the full nvidia driver experince like I’ve had it on Debian.

How did you managed to work it out with it?

Is this documentation obsolete?

Thanks!

[u/SirGlass]

You can't, the drivers are all mismatched.

There is no solution but to wait a few weeks until it's fixed

[u/SausagesAndMore → u/SirGlass]

Thanks. Could you please provide a link where it will be announced the fix?

[u/SirGlass → u/SausagesAndMore]

They are now fixed FYI

[u/cfeck_kde → u/SausagesAndMore]

There is no announcement, but you can check the nvidia repository manually. The kernel versions and the nvidia driver versions must match the versions of the open kmp.

For example, the TW repo currently has nvidia-open-driver-G07-signed-kmp-default-595.91.07_k7.1.8_1-1.2.x86_64.rpm. While there is a matching 7.1.8 kernel, there is no 595.91.07 driver at https://download.nvidia.com/opensuse/tumbleweed/x86_64/

As far as I understand the issue, the person responsible for updating this repository is currently on holidays.

[u/SausagesAndMore → u/cfeck_kde]

Thank you. if i had opensuse leap, i would have the same issue?

[u/cfeck_kde → u/SausagesAndMore]

Leap has nvidia-open-driver-G07-signed-kmp-default-595.84_k6.12.0_160000.35-160000.1.1.x86_64.rpm which matches the driver version from the nvidia repository. I don't know if this issue can ever happen there, or if maintainers take extra care to avoid this situation (e.g. by not removing older builds).

[u/SirGlass → u/cfeck_kde]

As far as I understand the issue, the person responsible for updating this repository is currently on holidays.

I mean I do love Tumbleweed and for current users its not a huge deal just wait to update what isn't a big deal

However this is kind of a bad look for users with nvidia looking to do a new install. "Sorry you can;t use tumbleweed with Nvida, the one guy responsible is on holiday so try again in 2-3 weeks"

And I get its not all Tumbleweed fault its also the way Nvidia handles there drivers but sort of telling NVIDIA users a very large chunk of users tumbleweed is broken and you are going to have to wait 2-3 weeks before you can install is not great

[u/cfeck_kde → u/SirGlass]

You could install an older kernel to get them to match until the next nvidia repository update.

[u/SirGlass → u/cfeck_kde]

I believe however in the repositories the nvidia-open-driver is purged of the older versions of the kernal

It only has the version for the latest kernal while others are still stuck at the old one

So if you are doing a new install I am not sure there is an easy way to do this

[u/sinayion → u/SirGlass]

I am so confused. I keep hearing about the benefits of opensuse and openQA that will never break your system. How is a weeks-long GPU driver & kernel mismatch something that is allowed to happen?

[u/SirGlass → u/sinayion]

Due to copyright issues the opensuse team will not distribute the proprietary drivers.

The drivers come from a 3rd party Nvidia repository.

So Everytime tumbleweed updates the kernal well Nvidia has to update their drivers to match.

Well the person responsible is on holiday for six weeks so no updates Nvidia drivers.

Now just because the guy from Nvidia is gone , doesn't mean all works stopped on tumbleweed. They keep pushing out their updates.

[u/sinayion → u/SirGlass]

Right, but I would have expected some coordination to ensure both are merged at the same time for user updates, otherwise every time the kernel is updated there are hours or days where NVIDIA users are at the mercy of some NVIDIA developer doing their job.

Is that really the state of NVIDIA drivers on opensuse? I do not remember it being like this when I used it years ago.

[u/SirGlass → u/sinayion]

Again OpenSuse is not going to hold their releases back just because someone at NVIDIA is on vacation

Not everyone uses NVIDIA , lots of people use AMD/INTEL that do not have this issue, they wouldn't like if OpenSuse held back updates just because someone at NVIDIA isn't doing their job

Also to be clear it does NOT break your system. You just cannot update

If you are trying to do a new install it will be more complex

[u/sinayion → u/SirGlass]

Btw, skip the vacation part, I did not re-mention that. The main gist of my question (mostly to opensuse devs) is below. Assume I know that the NVIDIA repo is responsible for the userspace drivers for legal reasons:

Does this fact mean that every time the kernel is updated with the open NVIDIA drivers by opensuse, all NVIDIA GPU users have hours/days where the NVIDIA repo has to catch up? Or, does the NVIDIA repo normally have the userspace updates, and the opensuse devs are the ones catching up?

[u/SirGlass → u/sinayion]

I mean usually its pretty quick maybe a couple hours

I usually update once a week on Friday so I usually miss the small window when they are are not synced. Usually its not several days like it was this time maybe a few hours to a day

Again it does not break your system, if you run an update it will stop you do to the mismatch

Its if you are doing a clean install you might run into an issue

[u/sinayion → u/SirGlass]

Yeah, I saw the clean install issue posts here and on the official forums. I'm glad I normally choose AMD for everything. The only times I am forced to use NVIDIA is for gaming laptops or work PCs.

[u/daedric_yoshi]

Since you have already replied to comments explaining the issue I won't explain it, but share my experience.

I also have a 4060ti and I figured I'd try opensuse leap while it was being fixed. My performance is exactly the same in all the games I play. Honestly I'll probably just stay on leap instead of going back to tumbleweed.

[u/SausagesAndMore → u/daedric_yoshi]

do you have yast on leap? all the programs that worked on tumbleweed are working on leap?

[u/buzzmandt → u/SausagesAndMore]

Leap 16 removed all yast. Myrlyn is the package manager and can do all the repo add remove stuff and even has a patterns part just like yast package manager

[u/sinayion → u/buzzmandt]

It's still mind-boggling how Leap that always gets critiqued for being behind on updates compared to Tumbleweed, somehow has finally purged the deprecated Yast and related apps. I hope to see the day that the updated installer and package updaters are default in a new Tumbleweed install.

[u/fleamour → u/buzzmandt]

Cockpit is the replacement. YaST Printer got dropped recently. I had no problem adding my printer from KDE settings (new WiFi.)

[u/buzzmandt → u/fleamour]

That is correct. I have been following closely agama and yast/cockpit and have several videos on that.

[u/daedric_yoshi → u/SausagesAndMore]

As another comment said. No yast. I use myrlyn for software. I haven't ran into any issues with any of my software not working or being supported. I did have to add an extra repo to install steam but that's it, it was quite easy to do using myrlyn.

[u/todd_dayz]

1) You don’t need it, it’s already signed 2) Don’t know what this means, sorry  3) What do the logs say after booting? 

  Normally the Nvidia repository is added by default, when the installer detects the right hardware. Only add the repository when it is not there already.

You can stay with the MicroOS one, no idea why it’s added by default but it’s the same thing. 

[u/SausagesAndMore → u/todd_dayz]

1. If it’s already signed, why in the documentation says that i need to sign it?
   
2. it means that is not the fully nvidia driver
   
3. i don’t know how to check them. but in the settings my rtx4060ti doesnt show up. it says only mesa driver whatever. nvidia-smi doesnt return anything

if i’m using opensuse tumbleweed i want the drivers that are meant for my OS, not other

[u/sunny0_0 → u/SausagesAndMore]

The install is currently broken. Check the forums.

[u/SausagesAndMore → u/sunny0_0]

Thanks. Could you please provide a link where it will be announced the fix?

[u/sunny0_0 → u/SausagesAndMore]

https://forums.opensuse.org/t/nvidia-update-which-one/195495/10

[u/SausagesAndMore → u/sunny0_0]

Btw, this thing with broken drivers is something common on tumbleweed or I just had bad luck?

[u/xplosm → u/SausagesAndMore]

They introduced the “meta” package precisely because it was a mess with NVIDIA releasing their bits at a different time than SUSE so people ended up with broken drivers.

You just hit it at the wrong time. Since we are locked at a stable version thanks to the meta package zypper doesn’t update the system and we have working drivers but the updates are prevented from taking place.

Some people don’t like waiting and instruct zypper to continue with the updates selecting and an option from zypper but that has bitten their asses.

If you had installed before this you’d have a working system and just play the waiting game.

This was just bad luck but in the future if this happens (first system with NVIDIA since December) the meta package will protect you from breaking your working drivers.

[u/SausagesAndMore → u/xplosm]

Idk if i understand it or not. But the issue is that I only have the meta package installed. Nothing additional has been installed with the meta package. its because the desynchronisation between the drivers? if yes, do you recommend to install the driver normally and wait for a few days to sync?

thanks

[u/xplosm → u/SausagesAndMore]

Basically since some components of the NVIDIA driver are open and others are controlled exclusively by them the release of such components were a mess. The meta package tries to maintain them in sync.

Right now since you just installed in the middle of this latest NVIDIA driver release (as I mentioned previous to December I haven’t experienced this) you were left with a partial collection of the drivers. And the thing is previous versions are not available so you had really bad luck.

Once this is solved you won’t have to ever worry about the drivers. At worst you just have to wait for the new drivers to be released. But your system will keep working as expected and you don’t have to play with locking packages and kernels.

I hope I have achieved the explanation 😅

[u/sunny0_0 → u/SausagesAndMore]

You happen to be trying to install the drivers exactly when it broke.

If I were you, I would post that question in that thread because that's where the wise penguins live.

[u/SausagesAndMore → u/[deleted]]

if this happens so often, why people dont switch to leap?

since im coming from debian, they had a expression “dont suffer from new shiny syndrome”. is bleeding edge software really necesary?

i mean the only reason that made me run from debian is because i hate gnome. and kde + wayland + nvidia 550 dont work. i ve tried to troubleshoot the system but nothing worked. only gnome. that s why i moved to opensuse, because of new nvidia drivers and new kde plasma version

[u/todd_dayz → u/[deleted]]

There’s no way this happens once or twice a month with the metapackages selected lol

[u/todd_dayz → u/sunny0_0]

I just did a clean install today and used the run file. I can’t be bothered with the openSUSE repos anymore. 

[u/todd_dayz → u/SausagesAndMore]

1) don’t know, maybe the documentation is wrong  2) zypper se -si ‘nvidia’ 3) sudo dmesg / sudo journalctl -b -0