Title: Manually install the proprietary Nvidia GeForce video drivers on openSUSE 13.1.
Date: Dec. 08, 2013
URL: https://monsterb.github.io/notes/notes005.txt
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Author: monsterb


Manually install the proprietary Nvidia GeForce video drivers on openSUSE 13.1.

Use this hard to follow how-to at your own risk. This worked for me on openSUSE 13.1 64bit with kernel 3.11 and Nvidia driver 331.20.

1.) Download Nvidia GeForce drivers:

Go to http://www.geforce.com/drivers and download the proper binary drivers for your Nvidia GeForce model.

Make the binary executable:

  $ chmod +x NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-331.20.run




2.) Install the dependencies for the NVIDIA driver:

gcc, make, and kernel-devel

  $ sudo zypper install gcc make kernel-devel



3.) Exit out of X to install drivers:

The easiest way is to select "Console login" from gui login screen (kdm) or use key combo Ctrl-Alt-F1.



4.) Disable Kernel Mode Setting (KMS):

Step 1: Edit /etc/sysconfig/kernel and set "NO-KMS-IN-INITRD = yes".

Run mkinitrd to re-create the necessary initrd file:

  # mkinitrd

Step 2: Edit the file /etc/default/grub and add nomodeset to GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT=. Run the command "grub2-mkconfig" to re-create the /boot/grub2/grub.cfg file.

  # grub2-mkconfig



5.) Blacklist nouveau to prevent the proprietary NVIDIA driver from conflicting with the default nouveau driver.

Add "blacklist nouveau" to /etc/modprobe.d/50-blacklist.conf



6.) Install the binary driver:

  # ./NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-331.20.run



Finally! Reboot.

  # reboot