nVidia Installation 10.10

[cascade9]

@cascade

thanks for your comments. it is suggested at nVidia.com(I believe), that the 71.xx driver has been updated to work, but not sure about this. The driver is suggested based on the nVIDIA input options at their website, ie, Legacy, TNT and TNT2 series, Linux 32bit. I am hoping for some additional comments/wisdom.

Nope, it hasnt.

X doesn't start when configured to use nvidia using nvidia-glx-legacy-71xx
71.86.14-1 due to the current X.Org server video driver API not being
supported by the 71xx series

==-+-=nvidia-glx-legacy-71xx | 71.86.14-1
nvidia-kernel-legacy-71xx-dkms | 71.86.14-1
nvidia-kernel-legacy-71xx-source | 71.86.14-1
nvidia-kernel-common | 20100522+1
xserver-xorg | 1:7.5+6
xserver-xorg-core | 2:1.7.7-4

http://us.generation-nt.com/bug-5964...200337291.html

Thats from a debian sid/squeeze bug report, but it doesnt really matter- 10.10 is using a much later version of xserver-xorg-core (2:1.9.0) and the same basic version of xsever-xorg (1:7.5+6).

I'd have to dig around a lot to find it, but I know that of the nvforums one of the staff has said that 71.xx (and 96.xx IIRC) will not be updated to use the newer xserver versions. That was quite some time ago as well.....

[mark bower]

@cascade 9

well, thank you ever so much for your additional comments. based on your post, i will waste no more time trying to get the older Jaton PCI video cards to work and will either shelve the cards (possible XP use) or off to e-waste. For the record should someone else access this post, we are talking about the Jaton Control "Video-88PCI-16 card".

mark bower

[cascade9]

Just because the nvidia drivers wont work with that card (at least with newer xorg versions) doesnt mean they are useless. There is still the .nv driver, at least for the time being, and there is also nouveau.

That wont help with the problem you are having with whatever computer you are using not booting properly with the card in (intel 8XX chipset by any chance?). I wouldnt waste any more time there, I'd also hang onto the cards just in case. Mind you, I have about 8 cards in my spare parts box, so maybe I'm not the best person to listen to

[mark bower]

you are correct. the M/B video chipset is Intel 82865G. i have 3 of the industrial M/Bs which I paid about $600 ea for, so i could get M/Bs with ISA slots as well as PCI.

mark bower

[cascade9]

Therewas possibly more than 1 manufacturer who made those 'industrial' P4 motherboards with ISA slots, so maybe my experience with them is not typical......but the one I used I found very picky, and had pretty limited BIOS options. In particular, it was very choosy about RAM.

They were harder to work with that any 'standard' P4 motherboard I've ever used.

[mark bower]

in my case, the M/B (Advantech AIMB-742) has served all my needs except for the video limitation. The limitation shows when my menu routine written in FreeBASIC does not function properly when going to screen resolutions lower than the native screen resolution. This is proved when I use a video card that 10.10 (actually starting with 9.04) does accept, and that video card works well for all but very low resolutions, below 640 by 480 - and of course this is not really a limitation since practically no one would go to that low of a resolution anymore.

i have ordered another AGP video card like the one i have that works, and another card with ATI Radeon chipset to see if native 10.10 drivers will operate that card as well. i am sort of stocking up when AGP (and maybe later a PCI video card) no longer are made for these legacy slots. Best Buy now only sells PCI-express video cards, same for Fry's Electronics. i am expecting to use the AIMB-742 boards for maybe the rest of my life - that gives me almost 35 years to go!

mark bower

[cascade9]

i have ordered another AGP video card like the one i have that works, and another card with ATI Radeon chipset to see if native 10.10 drivers will operate that card as well. i am sort of stocking up when AGP (and maybe later a PCI video card) no longer are made for these legacy slots. Best Buy now only sells PCI-express video cards, same for Fry's Electronics. i am expecting to use the AIMB-742 boards for maybe the rest of my life - that gives me almost 35 years to go!

mark bower

A noble quest. I doubt you will get 35 years out of the setup, but I wish you good luck

BTW, the 6XXX or 7XXX nvidia cards are going to be easier to run into the future then 5XXX/FX, or earlier cards (which are already a pain with ubuntu). ATI/AMD AGP doesnt have any offical linux support, but may well work out to be easier to keep going the long run.

[mark bower]

interesting, while i never mentioned the AGP card that works for me, in fact, it is an nVidia FX5500(you refer to this series). Ubuntu appears to detect and load the correct nVidia libraries for the FX5500. I only use the card for 2D. but now I am warned that i may anticipate downstream support problems for FX55xx - oh boy. i'll report back re the ATI card. if Ubu does not auto detect and set it up like the FX5500, i will probably return it.

and to make a correction, my M/Bs with CPU cost (including tax) close to $350 each, not $600 as i said previously.

and to 35 years, well, sort of joking, but i am not one to race to the latest and best when it comes to computers.

mark bower

[cascade9]

interesting, while i never mentioned the AGP card that works for me, in fact, it is an nVidia FX5500(you refer to this series). Ubuntu appears to detect and load the correct nVidia libraries for the FX5500. I only use the card for 2D. but now I am warned that i may anticipate downstream support problems for FX55xx - oh boy.

and to 35 years, well, sort of joking, but i am not one to race to the latest and best when it comes to computers.

So far there have been no issues with the FX seires and ubuntu. The main way you could get trouble is if/when the FX series starts to 'lag' behind the newer xorg versions (the way that the 96.xx drivers have done lately), or get support for newer xorgs totally dropped (the way that the 71.xx seires drivers have). Or if/when wayland hits.

Hopefully the drivers/xorg issue doesnt become a problem (I wouldnt expect that to start happening for a while yet). Wayland....well, if canonical is thinking, wayland wont be around till the drivers issue with that is sorted as well . IIRC wayland will need KMS (kernel mode switching), and from what I've seen nvidia will NOT be supporting KMS with the proprietary drivers, and the open soruce nouveau drivers has very poor KMS support currently.

Sorry if I worried you, and hopefuly that clear things up a little. If you want to know more or stil have concerns I'm more than happy to give you more information

I'm not one to race to the newest platform either...I prefer to let some other schmuck deal with the 'new hardware' issues that always crop up.

[mark bower]

o.k. i received my HIS Radeon 9250 AGP card and it seems to work o.k. for my FreeBasic graphics. Actually, Tiger Direct sent me a 9000 vs the 9250, but again, no apparent problem for me.

Wayland, Unity, X windows is a bit over my head, althoh I read Wikipedia re Wayland to get the flavor. Yes, it appears that one has to wait until things shake out. in the meantime, i have converted to Ubuntu for all except doing taxes, and ACAD.

mark bower