GT440 + GF210 nvidia driver issue (legacy + regular)

fornax · 02-12-2016, 09:28 AM

I run 2 different graphics cards in my host (GT440, GF210) w/ debian testing. Until now, everything worked fine, I could configure them both with the nvidia-settings utility.

After the last update, it seems that the GT210 was moved to the legacy driver package (got some warnings and the message I should install this package):

Code:

Checking card:  NVIDIA Corporation GF108 [GeForce GT 440] (rev a1)
Your card is supported by all driver versions.
It is recommended to install the
    nvidia-driver
package.

Checking card:  NVIDIA Corporation GT218 [GeForce 210] (rev a2)
Your card is only supported up to the 340 legacy drivers series.
It is recommended to install the
    nvidia-legacy-340xx-driver
package.

The GF210 does not work any longer. When kernel module of the nvidia-driver package is loaded, it tells me:

Code:

[  267.550268] NVRM: The NVIDIA GeForce 210 GPU installed in this system is
               NVRM:  supported through the NVIDIA 340.xx Legacy drivers. Please
               NVRM:  visit http://www.nvidia.com/object/unix.html for more
               NVRM:  information.  The 352.79 NVIDIA driver will ignore
               NVRM:  this GPU.  Continuing probe...

I tried to manually modprobe the legacy kernel module *additionally*, which is not possible (as expected).

What I'd like to do is:
1) use both cards as before
2) w/o downgrading to a premature driver for the GT440.

Can anyone help me with this issue? Thank you!

seasons · 02-12-2016, 03:36 PM

I wouldn't say that the 340.xx driver is premature for a GT440.
The 346.xx (and subsequent) series mainly added features for Kepler and Maxwell cards. If you're not interested in overclocking/volting or the few odd EGL extensions 346 brought, I doubt you'll miss anything with the 340 "legacy" driver.

ondoho · 02-13-2016, 03:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fornax

Code:

Checking card:  NVIDIA Corporation GT218 [GeForce 210] (rev a2)
Your card is only supported up to the 340 legacy drivers series.
It is recommended to install the
    nvidia-legacy-340xx-driver
package.

is it installed?

fornax · 02-13-2016, 04:09 AM

@seasons: Alright, might just be my bad experience with the last legacy nvidia drivers which was years ago. I had huge problems with anything related to 3D, VMs etc.
I just tried using the 340xx for both cards and so far it seems to work.

@ondoho: Yes, of course, I forgot to mention that. I had installed both of the suggested packages. What I still can't figure out is how to use the 2 different nvidia drivers at the same time (if that is possible). The driver name for the xorg.conf.d files is just 'nvidia' in both cases.

ondoho · 02-13-2016, 05:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fornax

What I still can't figure out is how to use the 2 different nvidia drivers at the same time (if that is possible).

i could think of ways of recompiling the driver with a different name, or running 2 Xorg servers, but for all intents and purposes: it is not possible.
whichever driver you installed last is the one that will be used (if the install went alright), and it seems it chooses the newer card.

maybe, just maybe, you can use bumblebee.

maybe you can choose which card to disable in the bios.