NVIDIA kernel module

NVIDIA kernel module

[Erik Elmore]

Have I lost my mind?

I've always thought that NVIDIA's linux kernel support was incredibly 
closed source, but I swear I just saw a download link for the kernel 
module sources at http://www.nvidia.com/view.asp?PAGE=linux

was I mistaken or is this something new?

Erik

Re: NVIDIA kernel module

[Jeffrey H. Ingber]

On Wed, 2001-12-05 at 18:22, Erik Elmore wrote:
> Have I lost my mind?
> 
> I've always thought that NVIDIA's linux kernel support was incredibly 
> closed source, but I swear I just saw a download link for the kernel 
> module sources at http://www.nvidia.com/view.asp?PAGE=linux
> 
> was I mistaken or is this something new?

The former.

Jeffrey H. Ingber (jhingber _at_ ix.netcom.com)

> 
> Erik
> 
> 
> 
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Re: NVIDIA kernel module

[Erik Elmore]

> > Have I lost my mind?
> > 
> > I've always thought that NVIDIA's linux kernel support was incredibly 
> > closed source, but I swear I just saw a download link for the kernel 
> > module sources at http://www.nvidia.com/view.asp?PAGE=linux
> > 
> > was I mistaken or is this something new?
> 
> The former.

heh, the part about me bing mistaken or the part about me losing my mind?

Erik

Re: NVIDIA kernel module

[Miles Lane]

On Wed, 2001-12-05 at 15:22, Erik Elmore wrote:
> Have I lost my mind?
> 
> I've always thought that NVIDIA's linux kernel support was incredibly 
> closed source, but I swear I just saw a download link for the kernel 
> module sources at http://www.nvidia.com/view.asp?PAGE=linux
> 
> was I mistaken or is this something new?

I think the kernel stuff is mostly just hooks into the kernel.
There isn't any significant proprietary information in the
kernel patch, unless I'm much mistaken.  The proprietary gold 
is hidden in the driver.

	Miles

Re: NVIDIA kernel module

[Chris Wedgwood]

On Wed, Dec 05, 2001 at 05:22:24PM -0600, Erik Elmore wrote:

    I've always thought that NVIDIA's linux kernel support was incredibly 
    closed source, but I swear I just saw a download link for the kernel 
    module sources at http://www.nvidia.com/view.asp?PAGE=linux

It is a hybrid... .a + .c files


  --cw

Re: NVIDIA kernel module

[Stefan Smietanowski]

Erik Elmore wrote:

> Have I lost my mind?
> 
> I've always thought that NVIDIA's linux kernel support was incredibly 
> closed source, but I swear I just saw a download link for the kernel 
> module sources at http://www.nvidia.com/view.asp?PAGE=linux
> 
> was I mistaken or is this something new?

You're mistaken.

NVidia releases a binary module with open-source glue-code. You can 
recompile the glue but not the binary part. Same as always

// Stefan

Re: NVIDIA kernel module

[Michael Kummer]

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any1 got the NVIDIA module working when eg. the nvidia framebuffer code is
enabled?

best regards

Michael Kummer

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Re: NVIDIA kernel module

[Stuart Young]

At 04:19 PM 6/12/01 +0100, Michael Kummer wrote:
>any1 got the NVIDIA module working when eg. the nvidia framebuffer code is
>enabled?

The RivaFB code and the Nvidia module stamp all over each other afaik. Have 
you tried this with their latest binary module (1.0-2313)? Least that now 
plays nicely with devfs. Only real way (afaik) is unload the RivaFB module 
when the Nvidia module is loaded, and vice versa.

Of course, this means that while X is running the consoles won't have 
FrameBuffer, but hey, them's the trade-offs. You can do this in 
modules.conf (modutils stuff) using the pre-install option.

eg:
  pre-install NVdriver rmmod rivafb

If the NVdriver module is unloaded when you quit X (depends if it was 
dynamically loaded by X, which "should" work if modutils isn't broken [not 
usual] and the appropriate stuff is placed there by the Nvidia install), 
you could use a modutils post-remove option.

eg:
  post-remove NVdriver modprobe rivafb

Of course, there is no guarantee that it will unload immediately (if at 
all), so you may lose the FrameBuffer till NVdriver is purged/removed. I 
have no idea if this would work, as I don't use the RivaFB module at all.

If I got this wrong, I'm sure Keith Owens will enlighten me (probably with 
a large clue stick - since it's in relation to one of his pet hates, 
Nvidia). *grin*

Stuart Young - sgy@amc.com.au
(aka Cefiar) - cefiar1@optushome.com.au

[All opinions expressed in the above message are my]
[own and not necessarily the views of my employer..]

Re: NVIDIA kernel module

[Stuart Young]

At 05:22 PM 5/12/01 -0600, Erik Elmore wrote:
>Have I lost my mind?
>
>I've always thought that NVIDIA's linux kernel support was incredibly
>closed source, but I swear I just saw a download link for the kernel
>module sources at http://www.nvidia.com/view.asp?PAGE=linux
>
>was I mistaken or is this something new?

The "sources" you see there are the following:

- A Makefile
- The Nvidia binary module
- Some source code that wraps around the binary module and interfaces to 
the kernel functions, agp, etc.

This gives some flexibility when it comes to using it with different 
kernels, The "kernel layer" compiles against and uses information from the 
kernel at /usr/src/linux (or the one you specify through parameters). This 
also means they don't have to release a new binary for every kernel release 
(can you imagine how horrible that would be?), or track a huge number of 
kernel changes.

Most of the guts are still a closed binary module (for x86 only) that 
hasn't had any peer review.

Stuart Young - sgy@amc.com.au
(aka Cefiar) - cefiar1@optushome.com.au

[All opinions expressed in the above message are my]
[own and not necessarily the views of my employer..]