Which Nvidia Driver and Ubuntu version to use without breaking my machine

Omniverse Isaac Sim
1

I’ve been struggling to get Isaac Sim running on my machine, and honestly, I’ve spent more time trying to fix it than playing any games. The main issue is that every time I install Nvidia drivers, my machine crashes or has other issues like freezing at the settings menu or hanging after suspending. Here’s what I’ve tried so far:

  1. Ubuntu 24.04: Crashes immediately after installing Nvidia drivers, whether through the terminal or software updates.
  2. Ubuntu 22.04: Crashes if I install drivers 545 or 555 through the terminal.
  3. Ubuntu 22.04: Crashes with driver 545 from software updates.
  4. Ubuntu 22.04: Crashes even with driver 535 after a terminal install.

The only thing that worked was Ubuntu 22.04 with 535 installed through software updates.

Then I tried upgrading the Linux kernel to 6.8.0.4, but it failed and crashed. Now, I have to boot into the 6.5.0.10 kernel through advanced options just to get my machine to work.

I’ve reimaged the machine multiple times, but nothing has helped. Recently, I had to install CUDA for mmdetection3d (PyTorch library), and that caused another crash. Honestly, I’m tired of dealing with this setup. I want to focus on solving the real problems instead of constantly troubleshooting Nvidia and Isaac Sim installations.

Do you know the best setup I should follow so I can finally get back to work?

Model: Dell G16-7360
Ram: 32 GB
CPU: i9-1380H
GPU: RTX 4070 8gb
Linux: Ubuntu 22.04

Required tools: Nvidia Isaac Sim and ROS, Omniverse, Cuda for pytorch, nvidia container toolkit.

It would really be helpful since I am stuck more on setup than the research work I am trying to do.

2

Thank you for providing detailed information about your setup and the issues you’ve encountered.

I recommend sticking with Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, as it seems to be the most stable option for your hardware. Additionally, continue using the version 535 NVIDIA driver installed through software updates, as this was the only configuration that worked for you. This combination also aligns with the Isaac Sim installation requirements.

Regarding the kernel version, please continue using the 6.5.0.10 kernel that is currently working successfully. Avoid upgrading to newer kernels for now, as they seem to cause instability on your system. Is there any specific reason you need to upgrade the kernel?

3

I upgraded since Ubuntu automatically recommends and auto upgrades after sudo apt update it suggests --upgrade.

Can you also point me what is the best cuda toolkit version that wouldn’t crash the machine?
nvidia-smi

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Should I try this cuda 12.2 tool kit or can I try any newer version?


wget https://developer.download.nvidia.com/compute/cuda/repos/ubuntu2204/x86_64/cuda-keyring_1.1-1_all.deb
sudo dpkg -i cuda-keyring_1.1-1_all.deb
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get -y install cuda


Edit: Don’t try the above - It auto upgrades Nvidia and cuda to latest.

4

Could you follow the note in Isaac Sim Requirements — Omniverse IsaacSim?

  • We recommend installing the Latest Production Branch Version drivers from the Unix Driver Archive using the .run installer on Linux, if you are on a new GPU or experiencing issues with the current drivers.
5

The box above says to use 535.129.03 (GameReady, Studio, RTX/Quadro, Grid/vGPU). I had tried the latest 550.x.x earlier which seemed to have crashed my ubuntu kernel 6.8.40.xx so currently I am at by downgrading kernel

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which seems to be working fine for the Isaac Sim.

I think there are linux kernel vs Nvidia Driver issues but not so sure.

And for cuda, I put it in a conda env for now. I ll update more if I am having any issues.

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