[pkg-nvidia-devel] Bug#533163: Bug#533163: nvidia-glx: fails to start

[Lennart Sorensen]

On Tue, Aug 18, 2009 at 01:59:11PM +0200, Jakub Lucký wrote:
> Well, this seems to be interesting stuff... I recently met this problem few
> times, always it was problem of kernel, or at least seemed to me because it
> happened this way:
> 
> * upgrade of kernel (only minor Debian version, always 2.6.30-1-686) -> GDM
> fails to start, X starts by user with "startx" command
> * new minor version of kernel -> GDM starts normally
> * another minor version of kernel -> GDM fails to start, startx not tested
> * current Debian version of 2.6.30-1-686 (Version: 2.6.30-6) -> GDM
> starts...
> 
> No module building made during this situation

Whenever a new nvidia driver version is released, you have to rebuild the modules.

Whenever a new major kernel is released, you have to rebuild the modules.

Whenver a new ABI change happens to the kernel, you have to rebuild.

If there is no new version of anything and no ABI change, then you are OK.

An ABI change is then the -#- in the kernel changes.  So 2.6.30-1-686 is
ABI 1, 2.6.30-2-686 is ABI version 2 and would require a module rebuild.
As long as the -1- doesn't change there should not be a need for a rebuild
(unless a new nvidia driver version comes out of course).

Now mistakes could happen and perhaps an ABI change could be missed in
the kernel release, but that is very very rare.

-- 
Len Sorensen