Download the drivers
You can get the drivers from nVIDIA. Drivers are listed below depending on your architecture and OS. Latest drivers are the first link on the page.
- Linux IA32 Device Drivers
- Linux IA64 Device Drivers
- Linux AMD64 Device Drivers
- FreeBSD Device Drivers
Install the drivers
For Linux:
First, make any necessary kernel updates for your system. The nVIDIA driver install process will need to be done after every kernel upgrade. You can get the version of your current kernel with the command:
nVIDIA has provided an automated install and upgrade program. Make sure the driver package you've downloaded is executable.
Make sure your system is not currently running X. You may need root privileges to do this. This command will drop you to a text console.
Run the driver installation program with root privileges. You will be asked to accept a license agreement. The default options for the rest of the installer should be sufficient.
The installer will leave binaries in /usr/bin for future updates. For a more detailed installation overview, please see nVIDIA's instructions on the driver download page. The README for the current driver can be found here.
For FreeBSD:
The best source for installing the FreeBSD drivers is nVIDIA's README, linked from the driver download page. The README for the current driver can be found here.
Managed Services can do this installation for you if your system is under our support. Please contact IT Service Center for details.
Update X configuration
For Linux and FreeBSD:
You will need to edit either /etc/X11/XF86Config or /etc/X11/xorg.conf depending on which X distribution you are running. The easiest way to tell is to look in your /etc/X11 directory and edit whichever one is present. There should be only one. You will likely need root privileges to edit this file.
or
In your X config file, find the driver section and comment out the old driver. It will likely be either "nv" or "vesa".
or
Add the new nVIDIA driver underneath the old one you just commented out:
In the Module section, make sure you have:
You should also comment out the following lines from the Module section (put a # at the beginning of the line). Change:
to
Restart X
For Linux and FreeBSD:
Restart X on your system with the new drivers. If you see the nVIDIA logo briefly as the session starts, you'll know it worked. You'll need root privileges for this step as well.
Future updates
For Linux and FreeBSD: Next time you upgrade your kernel, you will need to update the nVIDIA drivers. The process is similar but shorter to the installation step above.
Make sure your system is not currently running X. You may need root privileges to do this. This will drop you to a text console.
Run the driver installation program with root privileges. You will be asked to accept a license agreement. The default options for the rest of the installer should be sufficient.
Restart X on your system with the new drivers. If you see the nVIDIA logo briefly as the session starts, you'll know it worked. You'll need root privileges for this step as well.
Managed Service & Consulting offers support services for both FreeBSD and Linux that include nVIDIA driver installation.
