What is the required configuration for a working VT console with latest drivers and kernel?

Graphics / Linux Linux
1

The way you get a working VT console with the nvidia drivers has always been fragile because the driver doesn’t directly provide the FB device, but for a long time, having efifb configured on a UEFI system was enough.

But recently, I’ve found I don’t have an fb dev anymore. If I VT switch, I can see the splash screen or the kernel log (depending on whether splash is on or off) but there’s no working VT and there is no /dev/fb0 device.

I’ve read about simpledrm and simplefb creating an incompatible combination with nvidia + efifb but I’ve rebuilt my kernel with various combinations of simledrm and simplefb with no change in results. So what is the right configuration to get a working VT? I haven’t had any luck finding documentation or clear discussion around this.

Thanks.

1 Like
2

The only thing that helped me to get ttys back was to disable in kernel config nVidia Framebuffer Support.
“# CONFIG_FB_NVIDIA is not set”
But why I have to do this with blacklisted nouveau?

For some reason patch from:
Attachment 303457 Details for Bug 216303 – Fix for fbdev and Linux v6.1 doesn’t work for me with xanmod kernel.

3

ok… sooo…
Compiling kernel without that frame buffer is not necessary.
blacklist nvidiafb in /etc/modprobe.d/whatewerfilenameyouwant.conf
sudo update-initramfs -u after all and you should get ttys back
It works at least for me.

4

I hope this patch will be in the kernel soon:
https://patchwork.kernel.org/project/dri-devel/patch/20230111154112.90575-11-daniel.vetter@ffwll.ch/#25158395