# Nouveau + Nvidia

## narrenkoenig

Hi,

I setup Gentoo linux on my Thinkpad W510. The nouveau driver for my Nvidia Quadro FX880M gives me a nice framebuffer support but I can't use nouveau + compiz-fusion in my X (3D accel. is highly unstable for nouveau). 

This is why I'm wondering about whether I can use both, nouveau for console framebuffer and nvidia binary für X + compiz-fusion? I guess there might be problems but maybe anybody has already experience in that topic?

Thanks,

Daniel

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## DawgG

i've played around a little bit (on my t410) with both options some time ago and i think it is not possible because both options (nouveau OR nvidia binary X-driver) require mutually exclusive options in the kernel. i'd really LOVE to see that being possible in the same kernel (since the nouveau-framebuffer looks about a million times better), but for now i use the (shabby&work-intensive) workaround of booting one different kernel for each and maintaining an additional -kms extvers of the gentoo-sources  :(

if you get it to work in ONE kernel let me know.

GOOD LUCK!

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## Gusar

It is possible, but you need to unload nouveau before starting X with the nvidia driver: http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/KernelModeSetting <- the "Deactivating KMS and unloading Nouveau" part.

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## narrenkoenig

 *Quote:*   

> It is possible, but you need to unload nouveau before starting X

 

That sounds like a workaround. I'll going to try that, but that's not the solution I'm looking for - if I unload nouveau, my console framebuffer is gone and I would have an ugly huge-text console if I switch from X to a console window  :Sad: 

Thanks so far!

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## dmpogo

 *narrenkoenig wrote:*   

>  *Quote:*   It is possible, but you need to unload nouveau before starting X 
> 
> That sounds like a workaround. I'll going to try that, but that's not the solution I'm looking for - if I unload nouveau, my console framebuffer is gone and I would have an ugly huge-text console if I switch from X to a console window 
> 
> Thanks so far!

 

As some help with huge-text console you can use vesafb together with nvidia-drivers.  It is not fast, but get's resolutions right

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## Gusar

 *narrenkoenig wrote:*   

> That sounds like a workaround.

 

Of course it's a workaround. A not very elegant one at that. But it only makes sense that you won't be able to drive one card with two completely different drivers.

 *dmpogo wrote:*   

> As some help with huge-text console you can use vesafb together with nvidia-drivers. It is not fast, but get's resolutions right

 

Maybe, maybe not. Some cards do have widescreen resolutions in their vbios (and so you can use them with vesafb or uvesafb), some don't.

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## narrenkoenig

 *Gusar wrote:*   

> But it only makes sense that you won't be able to drive one card with two completely different drivers.

 

That's what I guess, too!

Fortunately, uvesafb is working with my Nvidia Quadro FX880M and resolution 1024x768. I didn't try my native resolution (1920x1080) so far, I'll do that later...

The question is why can I use both, uvesafb and nvidia driver? They are different drivers and they are both accessing the same nvidia card!

Clean solution would be an nvidia-driver managing both, framebuffer and the x server! 

Thanks,

Daniel

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## Gusar

 *narrenkoenig wrote:*   

> Fortunately, uvesafb is working with my Nvidia Quadro FX880M and resolution 1024x768. I didn't try my native resolution (1920x1080) so far, I'll do that later...

 If you have uvesafb running, check /sys/bus/platform/drivers/uvesafb/uvesafb.0/vbe_modes, that will list supported resolutions.

 *narrenkoenig wrote:*   

> The question is why can I use both, uvesafb and nvidia driver? They are different drivers and they are both accessing the same nvidia card!

 Yes, but uvesafb is a generic driver, it does not program the graphic card in anyway. And because it doesn't, it can't do any sort of acceleration and can't use resolutions that are not in the vbios. Nouveau does program the card and that's why you can't use it with nvidia, they'd stomp over each others programming.

 *narrenkoenig wrote:*   

> Clean solution would be an nvidia-driver managing both, framebuffer and the x server!

 Hell, yes! But nvidia is not interested. They only care about X.

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## dmpogo

 *Gusar wrote:*   

>  *narrenkoenig wrote:*   That sounds like a workaround. 
> 
> Of course it's a workaround. A not very elegant one at that. But it only makes sense that you won't be able to drive one card with two completely different drivers.
> 
>  *dmpogo wrote:*   As some help with huge-text console you can use vesafb together with nvidia-drivers. It is not fast, but get's resolutions right 
> ...

 

Most do.     I have Geforce 8500, GT240 and earlier Quadro, and they all have widescreen modes, although the latest, GT240, has the skimpiest selection.  But you need to run diagnostics to see the codes for these modes. They are not standard between manufacturers (although seem the same between different NVIDIA cards)

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