Big update to the Nvidia driver repository (346.xx, 340.xx compat, CUDA)

My personal Nvidia repository has seen quite a few updates on versions, CUDA enablements, legacy drivers and Delta RPMS.

Long Lived branch

Version 346.35 is now the new Long Lived branch release, this, plus the fact that is the newest made it to all supported distributions (CentOS/RHEL 6/7, Fedora 20/21/rawhide).

Here is the table that lists the current versions:

Operating systemCentOS / RHELFedorarawhide
Driver branchLong LivedShort Lived
Long Lived
Short Lived
Long Lived
Beta
Video Codec SDKYesYesYes
Architectures:

x86_64
YesYesYes
Basic nvidia driver:

nvidia-driver
nvidia-driver-libs
nvidia-libXNVCtrl
nvidia-kmod-common
YesYesYes
CUDA libraries and tools:

nvidia-driver-cuda
nvidia-driver-cuda-libs
nvidia-driver-NVML
nvidia-persistenced
YesYesYes
OpenGL Framebuffer Capture:

nvidia-driver-NvFBCOpenGL
YesYesYes
Nvidia tools:

nvidia-modprobe
nvidia-settings
nvidia-xconfig

YesYesYes
Binary kernel
modules (kABI):

kmod-nvidia
YesNoNo
DKMS kernel
modules:

dkms-nvidia
YesYesYes
aKMOD kernel
modules:

akmod-nvidia
NoYesYes
32 bit compatibility on x86_64:

nvidia-libXNVCtrl
nvidia-driver-libs
nvidia-driver-cuda-libs
nvidia-driver-NVML
YesYesYes
Development

nvidia-driver-devel
nvenc
nvenc-samples
YesYesYes
GLVND librariesYesYesYes
VDPAU librariesYesYesYes
EGLStream-based Wayland external platformYesYesYes
GBM EGL external platform libraryYesYesYes

CUDA stack

A complete packaged CUDA stack has been added for all supported distributions. This now includes all CUDA libraries and tools at version 6.5.19 (includes NVML / GPU deployment kit). You can easily install CUDA 6.5 on CentOS/RHEL 6/7 and Fedora 20/21/rawhide!

All the packages provide/require/obsolete the relevant driver packages in the RPMFusion repository and all the CUDA packages in the Nvidia repository; so you can enable this repository along with the official Nvidia CUDA one and RPMFusion at the same time. Packages will get upgraded accordingly.

Nvidia is slowly fading out 32 bit support from CUDA, and you can see it reflected in the various packages. The Unified Video Memory kernel module (nvidia-uvm.ko has been removed in version 346.16, CUDA graphical programs are 64 bit only, many libraries and compilers are available in 64 bit only, etc.

Feedback from users has been integrated, where possible.

List of components by distribution:

Operating systemCentOS / RHELFedorarawhide
CUDA cuDNNYesYesYes
GCC compatibility
(if needed)
-cuda-gcccuda-gcc
Basic CUDA libraries/tools:

cuda
cuda-libs
cuda-cuda
cuda-cli-tools
cuda-cublas
cuda-cudart
cuda-cufft
cuda-cupti
cuda-curand
cuda-cusolver
cuda-cusparse
cuda-extra-libs
cuda-libs
cuda-npp
cuda-nvjpeg
cuda-nvrtc
cuda-nvtx
cuda-nvvp
cuda-samples
cuda-sanitizer
YesYesYes
CUDA development:

cuda-cccl-devel
cuda-cudart-devel
cuda-cudnn-devel
cuda-cupti-devel
cuda-cuxxfilt-devel
cuda-devel
cuda-nvml-devel
cuda-nvprof-devel
cuda-nvrtc-devel
cuda-nvtx-devel
cuda-profiler-devel
cuda-sanitizer-devel
YesYesYes
GUI programs:

cuda-nsight
cuda-nvvp
cuda-nsight-compute
cuda-nsight-systems
YesYesYes

Legacy drivers 340.xx

A compatibility repository for drivers on 340.x, the new legacy release for cards up to 9xxx chipsets has been introduced. It’s in the same place, just follow the instructions by appending -340 to the repository file. This repository does not include the CUDA packages, just the enablement on the drivers.

The repository itself it’s not guaranteed to stay online forever; the GTX 9xxx series are from 2008 and I don’t guarantee I will maintain it for long.

Delta RPMS

Delta RPMS have been introduced, to reduce the time and data required for upgrades. Driver packages can reach 90 mb and CUDA packages can span even 650 mb. This would save you a lot of time into upgrading them. For now, delta RPMS have been generated for the new 346.35 drivers, and this reduced nearly 80% the download size on Fedora 21.

We’ll see some real gain when updating the CUDA packages.

Ending words

Along this, there is the usual assortment of packages refinement (syntax, RPMLint, optimizations, etc.). For additional details, please see the Nvidia driver page.

As time permits, new CUDA enabled packages will be added to the repository, namely Blender, ccMiner, NVENC enabled ffmpeg, etc.

As usual, any feedback is much appreciated!

7 thoughts to “Big update to the Nvidia driver repository (346.xx, 340.xx compat, CUDA)”

  1. Hi ! I’m currently trying to use your fedora 20 nvidia repo (really great, by the way) along with Cuda, but I can’t get it to work with Blender (I’m using the standalone app, not the fedora package). It worked well before with rpmfusion, but not anymore.
    Here’s the list of what I have currently installed :
    nvidia-driver-libs-346.47-1.fc20.i686
    nvidia-driver-cuda-346.47-1.fc20.x86_64
    nvidia-driver-libs-346.47-1.fc20.x86_64
    nvidia-libXNVCtrl-346.47-2.fc20.x86_64
    nvidia-settings-346.47-2.fc20.x86_64
    nvidia-driver-NVML-346.47-1.fc20.x86_64
    nvidia-driver-cuda-libs-346.47-1.fc20.x86_64
    nvidia-driver-346.47-1.fc20.x86_64
    nvidia-xconfig-346.47-1.fc20.x86_64
    nvidia-driver-cuda-libs-346.47-1.fc20.i686
    nvidia-driver-NvFBCOpenGL-346.47-1.fc20.x86_64
    nvidia-persistenced-346.47-1.fc20.x86_64
    nvidia-driver-devel-346.47-1.fc20.x86_64
    cuda-6.5.19-4.fc20.x86_64
    cuda-extra-libs-6.5.19-4.fc20.x86_64
    cuda-extra-libs-6.5.19-4.fc20.i686
    cuda-libs-6.5.19-4.fc20.x86_64
    cuda-libs-6.5.19-4.fc20.i686

    Did I miss something ? Any help ? Thank you !

    1. Hello, sorry for the late reply, will look into it. I’m a bit busy at the moment, but the standalone official Blender was one of the things I tried when making the package and I remember it was working.

    2. Hello, sorry for the late reply. The issue is due to the fact that Blender (from blender.org) checks for libcuda.so at runtime for enabling CUDA support. By default -devel packages do not run ldconfig in scriptlets, so the shared object libcuda.so is nowhere to be found.

      Just make sure you have the package nvidia-driver-devel installed and run from a root command line: ldconfig

      This will make Blender detect the CUDA support.

  2. Thanks for all of this.

    Legacy 340.xx drivers are also used in laptops like on my HP Elitebook 8740w (Quatro FX 2800M) that was realeased on 2011. For some reason Nouveau did not work on HP docking station and external displays I have so this driver was lifesaver for me.

    1. Same situation with my Dell Latitude E6510, which is also from 2011. The NVS3100 card it has needs the legacy driver as well, and this repo is a godsend!

  3. This is awesome news, thank you so much for such great support with nvidia drivers packaging for Fedora! Keep up the great work! 🙂

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