Objective
The objective is to install the NVIDIA drivers on Ubuntu 18.04 Bionic Beaver Linux. This article will discuss three methods of Nvidia driver installation in the following order:
- Automatic Install using standard Ubuntu Repository
- Automatic Install using PPA repository to install Nvidia Beta drivers
- Manual Install using the Official nvidia.com driver
Operating System and Software Versions
- Operating System: - Ubuntu 18.04 Bionic Beaver Linux
Requirements
Privileged access to your Ubuntu 18.04 Bionic Beaver installation will be required.
Difficulty
EASY - MEDIUM
Conventions
- # - requires given linux commands to be executed with root privileges either directly as a root user or by use of
sudo
command - $ - requires given linux commands to be executed as a regular non-privileged user
Automatic Install using standard Ubuntu Repository
The first method is the easiest to perform and in most cases it is the recommended approach. First, detect the model of your nvidia graphic card and the recommended driver. To do so execute:
$ ubuntu-drivers devices == /sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:01.0/0000:01:00.0 == modalias : pci:v000010DEd00001180sv00001458sd0000353Cbc03sc00i00 vendor : NVIDIA Corporation model : GK104 [GeForce GTX 680] driver : nvidia-304 - distro non-free driver : nvidia-340 - distro non-free driver : nvidia-384 - distro non-free recommended driver : xserver-xorg-video-nouveau - distro free builtin == cpu-microcode.py == driver : intel-microcode - distro freeFrom the above output we can conclude that the current system has
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680
graphic card installed and the recommend driver to install is
nvidia-384
. If you agree with the recommendation feel free to use
ubuntu-drivers
command again to install all recommended drivers:
$ sudo ubuntu-drivers autoinstallAlternatively, install desired driver selectively using the
apt
command. For example:
$ sudo apt install nvidia-340Once the installation is concluded, reboot your system and you are done.
Automatic Install using PPA repository to install Nvidia Beta drivers
Using graphics-drivers
PPA repository allows us to install bleeding edge Nvidia beta drivers at the risk of unstable system. To proceed first add the ppa:graphics-drivers/ppa
repository into your system:
$ sudo add-apt-repository ppa:graphics-drivers/ppa $ sudo apt updateNext, identify your graphic card model and recommended driver:
$ ubuntu-drivers devices == /sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:01.0/0000:01:00.0 == modalias : pci:v000010DEd00001180sv00001458sd0000353Cbc03sc00i00 vendor : NVIDIA Corporation model : GK104 [GeForce GTX 680] driver : nvidia-340 - third-party free driver : nvidia-390 - third-party free recommended driver : nvidia-387 - third-party free driver : nvidia-304 - distro non-free driver : nvidia-384 - third-party free driver : xserver-xorg-video-nouveau - distro free builtin == cpu-microcode.py == driver : intel-microcode - distro freeSame as with the above standard Ubuntu repository example, either install all recommended drivers automatically:
$ sudo ubuntu-drivers autoinstallor selectively using the
apt
command. Example:
$ sudo apt install nvidia-390Once done, reboot your system.
Manual Install using the Official Nvidia.com driver
Identify your NVIDIA VGA card
The below commands will allow you to identify your Nvidia card model:
$ lshw -numeric -C display or $ lspci -vnn | grep VGA
Download the Official Nvidia Driver
Using your web browser navigate to the official Nvidia website and download an appropriate driver for your Nvidia graphic card. Save the file into your home directory. Example:
$ ls NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-384.111.bin
Install Prerequisites
The following prerequisites are required to compile and install Nvidia driver:
$ sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386 $ sudo apt update $ sudo apt install build-essential libc6:i386
Disable Nouveau Nvidia driver
Next step is to disable the default nouveau Nvidia driver. Follow this guide on how to disable the default Nouveau Nvidia driver. Make sure you reboot your system before you proceed to the next step.
Stop Desktop Manager
In order to install new Nvidia driver we need to stop the current display server. The easiest way to do this is to change into runlevel 3 using the telinit
command. After executing the following linux command the display server will stop, therefore make sure you save all your current work ( if any ) before you proceed:
$ sudo telinit 3Hit
CTRL+ALT+F1
and login with your username and password to open a new TTY1 session.
Install Nvidia Driver
To start installation of Nvidia driver execute the following linux command and follow the wizard:
$ bash NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-384.111.bin
- Accept License
- The distribution-provided pre-install script failed! Are you sure you want to continue? -> CONTINUE INSTALLATION
- Would you like to run the nvidia-xconfig utility? -> YES
$ sudo reboot
Configure NVIDIA X Server Settings
After reboot your should be able to start NVIDIA X Server Settings app from the Activities menu.
Appendix
Error message:
WARNING: Unable to find suitable destination to install 32-bit compatibility librariesDepending on your needs, this can be safely ignored. However, if you wish to install steam game platform this issue cannot be ignored. To resolve execute:
$ sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386 $ sudo apt update $ sudo apt install libc6:i386and re-run the nvidia driver installation.