Installing NVIDIA Drivers on AnduinOS

This guide provides a comprehensive approach to installing proprietary NVIDIA drivers on AnduinOS. By using NVIDIA's proprietary drivers, you can achieve better performance and gain access to features not available through the open-source Nouveau driver.

Prerequisites

1. Internet Connection: Ensure you have a stable internet connection for downloading packages and drivers.
2. Kernel Headers and Build Tools: For building modules (especially for manual installation), you need:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install gcc make build-essential dkms linux-headers-$(uname -r)

This ensures you have the required tools and kernel headers to compile the NVIDIA kernel module.

Automatic Installation (Recommended for Most Users)

For most users, letting Ubuntu (and thus AnduinOS) automatically detect and install the recommended NVIDIA drivers is the simplest and quickest method:

sudo apt update
sudo ubuntu-drivers install

1. Update repositories: This ensures you have the latest package lists.
2. Install drivers: The ubuntu-drivers install command automatically detects your NVIDIA GPU and installs the recommended driver.
3. Reboot your system to apply the changes.

Manual Installation

The manual installation method allows you to install specific (often newer) NVIDIA drivers, especially if you need features not yet packaged in the default AnduinOS/Ubuntu repositories.

Step 1: Clean the System of Existing Drivers

Before proceeding, remove any existing or partially installed NVIDIA drivers to avoid conflicts:

sudo apt remove --purge nvidia-*
sudo apt remove --purge libnvidia-*
sudo apt remove --purge xserver-xorg-video-nvidia-*
sudo apt remove --purge nvidia-settings
sudo apt remove --purge nvidia-prime
sudo apt autoremove --purge
sudo apt autoclean

This ensures no leftover packages interfere with the new installation.

Step 2: Download the NVIDIA Driver

1. Visit the NVIDIA Drivers Website.
2. Locate the correct driver:
3. Select your GPU model (e.g., GeForce RTX 4090, GTX 1080, etc.).
4. Select the appropriate operating system (Linux 64-bit).
5. Click "Search" and download the appropriate .run file.
6. Make the file executable. Suppose your file is named NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-565.77.run:

chmod +x NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-565.77.run

Step 3: (Optional) Signing Keys for Secure Boot

Secure Boot ensures your system only loads drivers or kernel modules signed by a trusted key. If Secure Boot is enabled in your BIOS/UEFI, you must sign the NVIDIA driver module. If Secure Boot is disabled, you can skip this step—but it is strongly recommended to keep Secure Boot enabled.

1. Generate a private key and a self-signed certificate:

mkdir ~/my-keys
cd ~/my-keys
openssl req -new -newkey rsa:2048 -days 36500 -nodes -keyout MOK.key -out MOK.csr
openssl x509 -req -in MOK.csr -signkey MOK.key -out MOK.crt
openssl x509 -in MOK.crt -outform DER -out MOK.der

• MOK.key is your private key.
• MOK.crt is your public certificate.

• MOK.der is your certificate in DER format for enrollment.

• Enroll your key using mokutil:

sudo mokutil --import MOK.der

You will be prompted to create a password. Remember this password, as you will use it after the reboot.

1. Reboot and enroll your key:

sudo reboot

• During the boot, MokManager appears.
• Select "Enroll MOK", then "Continue".
• Enter the password you set previously.

• Confirm to enroll the key and reboot again.

• Verify your key is enrolled:

sudo mokutil --list-enrolled

The output should list your certificate. If it is listed, Secure Boot should now trust modules signed with your private key.

Step 4: Prepare to Install the NVIDIA Driver

1. Install necessary build dependencies:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install gcc make build-essential dkms linux-headers-$(uname -r)

This ensures that you can compile the NVIDIA kernel module correctly.

1. Switch to a multi-user (text) target:
   Before installing the driver, you must stop the display server (Xorg or Wayland). You can do this by changing the system’s runlevel/target:

sudo systemctl set-default multi-user.target
sudo systemctl isolate multi-user.target

Your screen will switch to a TTY console. Log in with your username and password. (Nothing appears as you type the password—this is normal.)

Step 5: Install the NVIDIA Driver

1. Navigate to the directory containing the downloaded driver:

cd ~/Downloads

1. Run the installer (example filename below):

sudo ./NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-565.77.run

1. Follow the on-screen prompts:
2. License Agreement: Accept the license.
3. Installation Path: The default path is usually fine.
4. 32-bit Compatibility Libraries:
   • Recommended to install if you run software such as Steam, Wine, or certain games requiring 32-bit libraries.
   • Not necessary if you only run 64-bit applications.
5. Signing the module (if Secure Boot is enabled):
   • Provide the absolute path to your private key: e.g., /home/anduin/my-keys/MOK.key.
   • Do not use ~/my-keys/MOK.key (relative paths may cause errors).
   • You must also have your corresponding .crt in the same directory for verification.

Step 6: Blacklist the Nouveau Driver

The open-source Nouveau driver can conflict with NVIDIA’s proprietary driver. To ensure it doesn’t load:

1. Blacklist Nouveau:

sudo vim /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-nouveau.conf

Insert the following lines:

blacklist amd76x_edac
blacklist vga16fb
blacklist nouveau
blacklist rivafb
blacklist nvidiafb
blacklist rivatv

(Note: The line blacklist amd76x_edac is sometimes recommended on certain systems. If you do not have AMD hardware, it might be unnecessary. However, it’s often included in sample blacklist files.)

1. Regenerate initramfs:

sudo update-initramfs -u -k all

Step 7: Reboot and Validate Installation

1. Reboot your system:

sudo reboot

1. Check driver status:

nvidia-smi

If the driver is installed correctly, you should see a table showing your GPU, driver version, and other details.

1. Secure Boot Verification (if applicable):

sudo mokutil --sb-state

• If it shows SecureBoot enabled, your driver should be signed and recognized by the system.

Step 8: Adjust Display Server and Resolution

Depending on your system, you may be running Xorg or Wayland. In many cases, Xorg provides better compatibility with NVIDIA’s proprietary drivers.

1. Check your current session type:

echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE

• Returns x11 (Xorg) or wayland.

• Switching display servers:

• You can select between Xorg and Wayland at the login screen (Gear icon or session dropdown).

• Some distributions default to Wayland; if you experience issues, try switching to Xorg.

• Adjust your resolution (example using xrandr):

xrandr

This lists available modes. To set a specific resolution and refresh rate:

xrandr --output HDMI-0 --mode 3840x2160 --rate 144

Replace HDMI-0 with the correct output device name (it can be DP-0, DVI-D-0, etc.).

Step 9: (Optional) Install NVIDIA Docker Toolkit

If you use Docker and want to take advantage of your NVIDIA GPU inside containers (for machine learning, AI workloads, or GPU-accelerated applications), install the NVIDIA Container Toolkit. Please refer to the Docker NVIDIA Container Toolkit documentation for detailed steps.

Troubleshooting

1. Black screen or system freeze after reboot:
2. Boot into a recovery mode or use a Live USB to revert or remove the NVIDIA driver.
3. Check that Nouveau was properly blacklisted and the initramfs was updated.

4. Ensure your kernel version matches the installed kernel headers.

5. Driver mismatch:

6. If nvidia-smi says NVIDIA-SMI has failed because it couldn't communicate with the NVIDIA driver, then your driver or kernel module may not be correctly installed or signed.

7. Secure Boot issues:

8. Make sure the MOK (Machine Owner Key) is enrolled.

9. Confirm your private key and certificate paths are correct when prompted during the .run installer.

10. Updates break the driver:

11. Using the .run file approach means you might need to re-run the installer after a kernel update. Consider using DKMS or the official Ubuntu packaging for automatic module rebuilding.

Conclusion

You have now installed the NVIDIA driver on AnduinOS (Ubuntu-based) either by using the automatic method (recommended for most users) or via the manual method (for more specific or newer versions of the driver). Properly installed and configured drivers can significantly improve graphics performance and unlock advanced GPU features. Always remember to keep your drivers and system updated, and ensure that you have a backup or snapshot strategy when making significant changes to the system (like updating drivers or switching kernels).

Enjoy your enhanced GPU performance!