Hello Everyone,
My target audience is mostly intermediate to beginner computer users, who would not be comfortable updating their GPU drivers.
Is there a way I can simply ship my program with all the CUDA dlls, drivers, etc. bundled in it so the user does not have to install anything CUDA related themselves?
If that is not possible, what is the easiest I can make the install for my users?
p.s. I couldn’t support each one of them, our current user base is in the thousands.
Thanks,
Nick
Setting a baseline driver version is a good idea–180.xx if you’re using 2.1, 177.xx if you’re using 2.0, etc.
If you’re using CUDART, you need to redistribute cudart.dll. If you’re using CUBLAS/CUFFT, you need to redistribute those as well. If you’re using the driver API, they just need an appropriate driver version installed.
So, if I am using 2.0 I simply have to include cudart.dll and then users won’t need to install a different driver?
If you’re using 2.0 your users must have 177.xx or later driver AND you need to redistribute cudart.dll. CUDA won’t work if driver version is too old, so users will need to update drivers anyway.
I have seen a lot of people complaining online that their gpu supports cuda but when they try to install the new cuda driver it says that it can’t find comparable hardware so they have to use a hacked Inc file. Is that still a problem that a lot of people face? Also, some laptops like Sony laptops won’t let you install nvidia drivers from the nvidia site and say you need to download them from the Sony site, does this also happen with cuda drivers, or can I just have all nvidia users install the same dll?
Just so I have an idea, When did 177 come out? Basicaly, is it likely that if someone bought a computer with a ncidia card in the last 2 years they could use my program without having to upgrade drivers?
By the way, is there some IRC channel that CUDA people use?