kernel upgrade and nvidia driver, how does it work.

[Cef]

On Wed, 19 Jan 2005 09:01, Ubu Roi wrote:
> I have the packages 'nvidia-glx' and 'nvidia-kernel-common'
> installed and the 'linux-restricted-modules' package provides
> 'nvidia.ko'.
>
> What happens when there is a kernel upgrade?
>
> Does a new package 'linux-restricted-modules' get installed as a
> dependent package with the kernel?


It all depends on the status of the packages and how you upgrade:

For a normal upgrade:
 1. If there isn't a version of linux-restricted-modules available for the new 
kernel version, it should not install the new kernel, and the kernel will be 
held back (works but possibly insecure).
 2. If there is a version of linux-restricted-modules available for the new 
kernel version, it should install it too (good).

For a dist-upgrade (aka "Smart Upgrade" in Synaptic):
 1. If there isn't a version of linux-restricted-modules available for the new 
kernel version, it may remove it (bad).
 2. If there is a version of linux-restricted-modules available for the new 
kernel version, it should install it too (good).

It's possible that a new version of the kernel could be released and that it 
would get uploaded before the new version of linux-restricted-modules (which 
has to be compiled against the new kernel) is released. For home machines, it 
is probably not too much of an issue to hold back till the next version of 
linux-restricted-modules is released from a security perspective, 
particularly if you're behind some sort of firewall. For servers, it's 
probably better to have the latest up-to-date kernel, so releasing the latest 
kernel to the mirrors before it's matching linux-restricted-modules package 
gets uploaded makes sense, especially as servers are much less likely to be 
using restricted modules.

In the end, it's your call to make sure that you choose which is the better 
option for your setup.

> Do you also need new 'nvidia-glx' and 'nvidia-kernel-common'
> packages?

No. These do not need to be updated.

> Do you have to run "nvidia-glx-config enable" again?

No.

> Is it necessary to stop and start X?

If you replace the kernel, you should reboot (at some stage) anyway, otherwise 
you will still be using the old kernel. After a kernel upgrade, the system 
should continue to work fine, however the loading of new kernel modules will 
probably fail, so rebooting soon should be given serious consideration.

-- 
 Stuart Young - aka Cefiar - cef at optus.net