Issues with how Xubuntu 20.04.2 deals with vendor binary drivers - nvidia and VirtualBox

[Michael Lueck]

Greetings,

I have run into issues with how Xubuntu 20.04.2 deals with vendor binary drivers - nvidia and VirtualBox.

When installing Xubuntu 20.04.2, I check the box to have the installer add additional software / proprietary drivers. I believe for version 20.04.2 that ends up automatically installing the nvidia-465 
drivers.

Installation completes, then I yank the LAN cord so that it does not start automatically applying updates once I IPL the system.

I log in, then go to Settings \ Software and Updates, to make the following changes:
Updates tab:
For other packages, subscribe to: All Updates
Automatically check for updates: Daily
When there are security updates: Display immediately
When there are other updates:  Display immediately
Notify me of new Ubuntu version: For long-term support versions

Then I apply, close the window, plug the LAN cord back in.

Next I install the language pack it offers.

Once that is done I install synaptic.
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install synaptic

Then I start Synaptic
Refresh the package list in there
Select all updates
Mark all Mozilla Thunderbird packages for purge
Download and apply the rest of the updates

IPL

Then I set to purging off the prior kernel. First just with the one grep to find the old version, then with both greps to filter for just the packages I need to purge off.

dpkg -l | grep linux- | grep "5.8"

Now the tangle....

Like I said, I am fairly confident that I recall the version correctly... Xubuntu 20.04.2 installs nvidia-465 drivers for the Nvidia boards / chips in my machines. Somewhere along the way, nvidia-465 
drivers were retired and replaced with nvidia-470 drivers. This transition makes a horrid mess of my systems!

Going to the Settings \ Additional Drivers, it states that an unrecognized version of the video drivers are installed, and it will not mess with what is installed. All nvidia driver options are greyed 
out.

So I need to purge off everything nvidia related. Then IPL. Thus...

dpkg -l | grep nvidia

sudo dpkg -P linux-headers-5.8.0-41-generic linux-hwe-5.8-headers-5.8.0-41 linux-image-5.8.0-41-generic linux-modules-5.8.0-41-generic linux-modules-extra-5.8.0-41-generic libnvidia-cfg1-470:amd64 
libnvidia-common-470 libnvidia-compute-470:amd64 libnvidia-decode-470:amd64  libnvidia-encode-470:amd64  libnvidia-extra-470:amd64 libnvidia-fbc1-470:amd64 libnvidia-gl-470:amd64 
libnvidia-ifr1-470:amd64 linux-modules-nvidia-470-5.11.0-36-generic linux-modules-nvidia-470-generic-hwe-20.04 linux-objects-nvidia-470-5.11.0-36-generic linux-signatures-nvidia-5.11.0-36-generic 
nvidia-compute-utils-470  nvidia-kernel-common-470 nvidia-kernel-source-470 nvidia-prime nvidia-settings nvidia-utils-470 screen-resolution-extra xserver-xorg-video-nvidia-470

Once that is done, I may go back into Settings \ Additional Drivers, select to install the "nvidia-driver-470 (proprietary, tested)" drivers, IPL again.

Now returning to Settings \ Additional Drivers shows said drivers are the ones that applet thinks are active.

Also with VirtualBox 6.1 PUEL, with the various kernel and/or nvidia updates, I have needed to purge off, IPL, and reinstall VirtualBox 6.1 MANY times. After either kernel or nvidia binary package 
updates, VirtualBox will not be able to start VM sessions.

So I am concluding that Xubuntu and binary drivers are not playing nice together. PLEASE... get that working better for Xubuntu 22.04 LTS. This is not friendly... I still hope to be overseeing 
thousands of Xubuntu machines. This would be a nightmare in such a scale!

I inquired about the problems on this thread:

"20.04.2 system upgraded working Nvidia drivers 465 to 470 that get package errors"
https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2465399

I am thankful,

-- 
Michael Lueck
Lueck Data Systems
http://www.lueckdatasystems.com/