Tentative fix for NVIDIA 470.256.02 driver for Linux 6.12-rc1

nvidia-470xx-fix-linux-6.12.patch

From 839b964bd5be20275a4d1add020e68e407380adb Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: =?UTF-8?q?Joan=20Bruguera=20Mic=C3=B3?= <[email protected]>
Date: Sat, 17 Aug 2024 14:26:04 +0000
Subject: [PATCH] Tentative fix for NVIDIA 470.256.02 driver for Linux 6.12-rc1

Note that the fix requires enabling DRM kernel mode setting
(add the `nvidia-drm.modeset=1` parameter to the kernel command line).

(Thanks xtexChooser for the memory management fixes!)
---
 nvidia-drm/nvidia-drm-drv.c | 47 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 1 file changed, 47 insertions(+)

diff --git a/nvidia-drm/nvidia-drm-drv.c b/nvidia-drm/nvidia-drm-drv.c
index f350134..d6233a5 100644
--- a/nvidia-drm/nvidia-drm-drv.c
+++ b/nvidia-drm/nvidia-drm-drv.c
@@ -84,6 +84,11 @@
 #include <drm/drm_atomic_helper.h>
 #endif
 
+#include <linux/version.h>
+#if LINUX_VERSION_CODE >= KERNEL_VERSION(6, 12, 0)
+#include <drm/drm_client.h>
+#endif
+
 static struct nv_drm_device *dev_list = NULL;
 
 #if defined(NV_DRM_ATOMIC_MODESET_AVAILABLE)
@@ -168,7 +173,12 @@ static const struct drm_mode_config_funcs nv_mode_config_funcs = {
     .atomic_check  = nv_drm_atomic_check,
     .atomic_commit = nv_drm_atomic_commit,
 
+#if LINUX_VERSION_CODE < KERNEL_VERSION(6, 12, 0)
+    // Rel. commit. "drm: Remove struct drm_mode_config_funcs.output_poll_changed" (Thomas Zimmermann, 12 Aug 2024)
+    // Replace this callback with a DRM client's hotplug callback.
+    // This is required for e.g. /sys/class/drm/card*/modes to work.
     .output_poll_changed = nv_drm_output_poll_changed,
+#endif
 };
 
 static void nv_drm_event_callback(const struct NvKmsKapiEvent *event)
@@ -739,6 +749,10 @@ static const struct file_operations nv_drm_fops = {
     .read           = drm_read,
 
     .llseek         = noop_llseek,
+#if LINUX_VERSION_CODE >= KERNEL_VERSION(6, 12, 0)
+    // Rel. commit. "fs: move FMODE_UNSIGNED_OFFSET to fop_flags" (Christian Brauner, 9 Aug 2024)
+    .fop_flags      = FOP_UNSIGNED_OFFSET,
+#endif
 };
 
 static const struct drm_ioctl_desc nv_drm_ioctls[] = {
@@ -906,7 +920,18 @@ static void nv_drm_update_drm_driver_features(void)
 #endif /* NV_DRM_ATOMIC_MODESET_AVAILABLE */
 }
 
+#if LINUX_VERSION_CODE >= KERNEL_VERSION(6, 12, 0)
+static int hotplug_helper_client_hotplug(struct drm_client_dev *client)
+{
+    nv_drm_output_poll_changed(client->dev);
+    return 0;
+}
 
+static const struct drm_client_funcs nv_hotplug_helper_client_funcs = {
+    .owner      = THIS_MODULE,
+    .hotplug    = hotplug_helper_client_hotplug,
+};
+#endif
 
 /*
  * Helper function for allocate/register DRM device for given NVIDIA GPU ID.
@@ -962,6 +987,20 @@ static void nv_drm_register_drm_device(const nv_gpu_info_t *gpu_info)
         goto failed_drm_register;
     }
 
+#if LINUX_VERSION_CODE >= KERNEL_VERSION(6, 12, 0)
+    /* Register a DRM client for receiving hotplug events */
+    struct drm_client_dev *client = kzalloc(sizeof(*client), GFP_KERNEL);
+    if (client == NULL || drm_client_init(dev, client,
+        "nv-hotplug-helper", &nv_hotplug_helper_client_funcs)) {
+        printk(KERN_WARNING "Failed to initialize the nv-hotplug-helper DRM client"
+            " (ensure DRM kernel mode setting is enabled via nvidia-drm.modeset=1).\n");
+        goto failed_drm_client_init;
+    }
+
+    drm_client_register(client);
+    pr_info("Registered the nv-hotplug-helper DRM client.\n");
+#endif
+
     /* Add NVIDIA-DRM device into list */
 
     nv_dev->next = dev_list;
@@ -969,6 +1008,14 @@ static void nv_drm_register_drm_device(const nv_gpu_info_t *gpu_info)
 
     return; /* Success */
 
+#if LINUX_VERSION_CODE >= KERNEL_VERSION(6, 12, 0)
+failed_drm_client_init:
+
+    kfree(client);
+    drm_dev_unregister(dev);
+
+#endif
+
 failed_drm_register:
 
     nv_drm_dev_free(dev);
-- 
2.47.0

Here all below works in Ubuntu 24.04.
First extract the nvidia driver and then patch it.

edit grub and add kernel command line

nvidia-drm.modeset=1

then in sequence

bash -c "echo blacklist nouveau > /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-nvidia-nouveau.conf"
bash -c "echo options nouveau modeset=0 >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-nvidia-nouveau.conf"
update-initramfs -u -v
update-grub

Restart the OS in recovery mode and go to the nvidia driver patched path.
Install the patched driver.
Now restart the OS.

@Augusto7743 You need to patch the driver yourself before installing. The "quick and dirty" way to manually install the driver on Linux 6.12-rc's is as follows:

# Download and extract driver
curl "https://us.download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linux-x86_64/470.256.02/NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-470.256.02.run" > NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-470.256.02.run
sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-470.256.02.run --extract-only
cd NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-470.256.02
# Download and apply patches
curl "https://aur.archlinux.org/cgit/aur.git/plain/0001-Fix-conftest-to-ignore-implicit-function-declaration.patch?h=nvidia-470xx-utils&id=df0426ab325cb0ad8909a3058d66336ce1f872ce" | patch -Np1 -d kernel
curl "https://aur.archlinux.org/cgit/aur.git/plain/0002-Fix-conftest-to-use-a-short-wchar_t.patch?h=nvidia-470xx-utils&id=df0426ab325cb0ad8909a3058d66336ce1f872ce" | patch -Np1 -d kernel
curl "https://aur.archlinux.org/cgit/aur.git/plain/0003-Fix-conftest-to-use-nv_drm_gem_vmap-which-has-the-se.patch?h=nvidia-470xx-utils&id=df0426ab325cb0ad8909a3058d66336ce1f872ce" | patch -Np1 -d kernel
curl "https://aur.archlinux.org/cgit/aur.git/plain/kernel-6.10.patch?h=nvidia-470xx-utils&id=df0426ab325cb0ad8909a3058d66336ce1f872ce" | patch -Np1 -d kernel
curl "https://gist.githubusercontent.com/joanbm/a6d3f7f873a60dec0aa4a734c0f1d64e/raw/6bae5606c033b6c6c08233523091992370e357b7/nvidia-470xx-fix-linux-6.12.patch" | patch -Np1 -d kernel
# Run the installer
sudo ./nvidia-installer 

However, note that this installs the driver outside of the distribution's package manager so it has some potential for causing conflicts. What I personally do in Arch Linux is take the PKGBUILD for the AUR package, modify it to apply the patch and rebuild the package. Generally speaking if you don't want to spend some time tinkering, it's better to wait for the update to be shipped by your distro's package manager.

I'm on kali linux 2025.2 (6.12.38) Those five patches applied normaly and i think the one in top post is combined patches but still it give me error when try to install driver its the same as trying to install using .run file

failed to run /usr/sbin/dkms .....'
Building module(s)...(bad exit status: 2)

DKMS (dkms-3.2.0) make.log for nvidia/470.256.02 for kernel 6.12.38+kali-amd64 (x86_64)
Sat Aug 30 20:59:32 CET 2025

Building module(s)

command: 'make' -j2 NV_EXCLUDE_BUILD_MODULES='' KERNEL_UNAME=6.12.38+kali-amd64 IGNORE_CC_MISMATCH='' modules

make[1]: Entering directory '/usr/src/linux-headers-6.12.38+kali-common'
make[2]: Entering directory '/usr/src/linux-headers-6.12.38+kali-amd64'

Compiler version check failed:

The major and minor number of the compiler used to
compile the kernel:

x86_64-linux-gnu-gcc-14 (Debian 14.2.0-19) 14.2.0, GNU ld (GNU Binutils for Debian) 2.44

does not match the compiler used here:

x86_64-linux-gnu-gcc-14 (Debian 14.3.0-5) 14.3.0
Copyright (C) 2024 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
This is free software; see the source for copying conditions. There is NO
warranty; not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

It is recommended to set the CC environment variable
to the compiler that was used to compile the kernel.

The compiler version check can be disabled by setting
the IGNORE_CC_MISMATCH environment variable to "1".
However, mixing compiler versions between the kernel
and kernel modules can result in subtle bugs that are
difficult to diagnose.

*** Failed CC version check. Bailing out! ***

make[4]: *** [/var/lib/dkms/nvidia/470.256.02/build/Kbuild:281: cc_version_check] Error 1
make[4]: *** Waiting for unfinished jobs....
make[3]: *** [/usr/src/linux-headers-6.12.38+kali-common/Makefile:1970: /var/lib/dkms/nvidia/470.256.02/build] Error 2
make[2]: *** [/usr/src/linux-headers-6.12.38+kali-common/Makefile:236: __sub-make] Error 2
make[2]: Leaving directory '/usr/src/linux-headers-6.12.38+kali-amd64'
make[1]: *** [Makefile:236: __sub-make] Error 2
make[1]: Leaving directory '/usr/src/linux-headers-6.12.38+kali-common'
make: *** [Makefile:80: modules] Error 2

exit code: 2

elapsed time: 00:00:02

---

@MedHatchi As the error states, the problem is that the GCC version you have installed doesn't match the one that was used to build the kernel, this is something that depends exclusively on the software your distro provides rather than the patches for newer kernels.

The error also suggests a workaround via an environment variable, perhaps that will let you avoid hunting down how to match the GCC versions (14.2 and 14.3 may be 'close enough').

i had kali linux 2025.2 that is built with 14.3 and now i installed 2025.1a that is built with gcc 14.2 held them with apt-mark i've done full upgrade gcc version remain the same = 14.2.0 driver install dkms problem and display the box of x-config then boot to cli till i add nvidiadrm modeset so it boot to GUI ,i will reinstall kali 2025.2 and downgrade gcc on that version and try again (btw i guess the top post contains all 5 patches in one i think)

The top post only contains the patch for Linux 6.12, to apply all the patches up to 6.12 you can use the snippet from Augusto7743 you previously quoted, or I recently created a nvidia-470xx-linux-mainline repository with all the patches along with some helper scripts.

@ MedHatchi re: compiler version mismatch

the dirty workaround here is to run:

   cd NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-470.256.02
   nvidia-installer --no-cc-version-check

which may succeed in compiling but may lead to incompatibility problems after installation. But worth a try.