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This document will guide you through the process of installing and configuring MediaCenter for Linux. You are advised to read through the document before installing MediaCenter. It assumes some basic knowledge of Linux in general and familiarity working from a terminal. It also assumes an installation on 64-bit distribution as that will most likely be the target system. Installation on a 32-bit system will be very similar and, where applicable, notes will clarify the differences.
This is InflatableMouse' scratch page.

----
Throughout this document you are required to run certain commands in a terminal, sometimes with root permissions. Whether you do that as root itself or using temporarily elevated permissions through sudo is up to you. This document will precede each command with a # or $ sign, signifying whether the command needs to run as root (#) or as a regular user ($). Unless you changed your terminal prompt, it will show this same symbol for root (#) or user ($) on its prompt. You should not include this symbol in your command, it only signifies how the command should be run.
Note: this page is not done yet!


[[Category:Graphics]]
[[Category:X Server]]
[[cs:NVIDIA]]
[[de:Nvidia]]
[[es:NVIDIA]]
[[fa:اِن‌ویدیا]]
[[fr:Nvidia]]
[[it:NVIDIA]]
[[ja:NVIDIA]]
[[nl:NVIDIA]]
[[ru:NVIDIA]]
[[tr:Nvidia]]
[[zh-CN:NVIDIA]]
{{Related articles start}}
{{Related articles start}}
{{Related|Nouveau}}
{{Related|Installation & Removal}}
{{Related|Bumblebee}}
{{Related|Getting Started}}
{{Related|NVIDIA Optimus}}
{{Related|Trial Information}}
{{Related|http://www.jriver.com/purchase.html Purchase and License Information}}
{{Related|Xorg}}
{{Related articles end}}
{{Related articles end}}


== Before you begin ==
This article covers installing and configuring [http://www.nvidia.com NVIDIA]'s ''proprietary'' graphic card driver. For information about the open-source drivers, see [[Nouveau]]. See instead [[NVIDIA Optimus]] if you have a laptop based on such technology.
MediaCenter is in beta and is under heavy development. As such, it may not work as expected. Although it is considered to be stable enough for regular use it may still show unexpected behavior such as crashes or random refusals to play a track. Please make sure you read through the list of [http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=85770.0 Outstanding issues].


It is strongly advised to make regular backups of your media. There have been no reports of MediaCenter for Linux messing up tags or otherwise corrupting files, but it is still in beta - consider yourself warned. You can configure MediaCenter to not update tags at all, it will only read from your files but that does not negate the fact that you should always have backups.
== Installing ==


It is also a good idea to read through the [http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?board=35.0 sticky threads on the forums], too.
These instructions are for those using the stock {{Pkg|linux}} or {{Pkg|linux-lts}} packages. For custom kernel setup, skip to the [[#Alternate install: custom kernel|next]] subsection.


=== System requirements ===
{{Tip|It is usually beneficial to install the NVIDIA driver through [[pacman]] rather than through the package provided by the NVIDIA site, this allows the driver to be updated when upgrading the system.}}
MediaCenter is being developed on Debian Wheezy 32-bit, x86 architecture. It will run on multiarch distributions (64-bit with 32-bit libraries) once the proper 32-bit dependencies are satisfied. See DEPENDENCIES for more information.


MediaCenter requires a CPU that supports SSE2. This means the CPU needs to be from around 2002 or later.
1. If you do not know what graphics card you have, find out by issuing:
:{{bc|<nowiki># lspci -k | grep -A 2 -i "VGA"</nowiki>}}


==== Hardware Requirements (Minimum) ====
2. Determine the necessary driver version for your card by visiting NVIDIA's [http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx driver download site], looking up the name in NVIDIA's [http://www.nvidia.com/object/IO_32667.html legacy card list], or finding the code name on [http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/CodeNames nouveau wiki's code names page].
* Intel or AMD x86 Compatible CPU with SSE2
* 2GB RAM
* 300MB free hard drive space for installation (excluding space for digital media)
* Sound device supported by ALSA
* Internet connection (recommended)


==== Software Requirements ====
3. Install the appropriate driver for your card:
Official Support:
:* For GeForce 8 series and newer [NV50, NV84 and newer] cards, install the {{Pkg|nvidia}} or {{Pkg|nvidia-lts}} packages, available in the [[official repositories]].
* Debian Wheezy or a similar distribution based on Debian
:* For GeForce 6/7 series cards [NV40-NV4E, NV63-NV68], install the {{Pkg|nvidia-304xx}} or {{Pkg|nvidia-304xx-lts}} packages, available in the [[official repositories]].
* Working Xorg - see [[#Headless|Running MC Headless]] for a minimal installation. GUIfied - MediaCenter should work on any desktop. Its confirmed to work on XFCE, Unity, KDE, Gnome and Cinnamon. MATE and others are untested (try searching [http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?board=35.0 Interact]). If you know one that works or how to get it working, you are invited to share this on [http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?board=35.0 Interact].
:* For GeForce 5 FX series cards [NV30-NV36], install the {{AUR|nvidia-173xx}} package, available in the [[Arch User Repository|AUR]].
* Working ALSA sound stack
:* For GeForce 2/3/4 MX/Ti series cards [NV11, NV17-NV28], install the {{AUR|nvidia-96xx}} package, available in the [[Arch User Repository|AUR]].


MediaCenter requires:
:For the very latest GPU models, it may be required to install {{AUR|nvidia-beta}} from the [[Arch User Repository]], since the stable drivers may not support the newly introduced features.
* X86 (32-bit)
* SSE2
* libc6 >= 2.13
* libX11-6 >= 2.1.5
* libcurl3 >= 7.26
* lame >= 3.99
* xfonts-75dpi
* xfonts-100dpi
* An ALSA device that supports S32_LE
* On multiarch/multilib systems, all libraries MediaCenter depend on need to be 32-bit.


MediaCenter is known to work on recent versions of Mint, Ubuntu, OpenSuse, Fedora and Arch Linux. However, this is considered experimental and is not guaranteed to work. If you intent to run MediaCenter on such a distribution, you are strongly encouraged to share your experience on [http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?board=35.0 Interact].
:If you are on 64-bit and also need 32-bit OpenGL support, you must also install the equivalent ''lib32'' package from the [[multilib]] repository (e.g. {{Pkg|lib32-nvidia-libgl}} or ''lib32-nvidia-{304xx,173xx,96xx}-utils'').


=== Limitations ===
:{{Tip|The legacy nvidia-96xx and nvidia-173xx drivers can also be installed from the unofficial [http://pkgbuild.com/~bgyorgy/city.html <nowiki>[city] repository</nowiki>].}}
* Although Linux can run on architectures other than x86 (like ARM or PowerPC for instance), MediaCenter does not run on architectures other than i386 or x86_64.
* OSS and Pulse are currently not supported by MediaCenter. It may work with Pulse, but it is currently unsupported.
* MediaCenter can run in server mode on a headless server, but it requires an Xserver running. See [[#Headless|Running MC Headless]] for more information.
* MediaCenter can run on bleeding edge distributions like Arch Linux. However it is built on Debian Wheezy, so some of the libraries it depends on are older versions not included or compatible with the versions used on bleeding edge distributions. The [[#Troubleshooting|Troubleshooting]] section may contain some tips to get it working.


=== Dependencies ===
4. Reboot. The {{Pkg|nvidia}} package contains a file which blacklists the ''nouveau'' module, so rebooting is necessary.
To successfully install MediaCenter, you need to make sure that the following depencies are installed. Installation on a 64-bit system requires multiarch to be enabled for 32-bit compatibility.


To enable multiarch on a 64-bit system, type the following in a terminal:
Once the driver has been installed, continue to [[#Configuring|configure]].


<pre>
=== Alternate install: custom kernel ===
# dpkg --add-architecture i386
</pre>


This command require you update. Type:
First of all, it's good to know how the ABS works by reading some of the other articles about it:


<pre>
* Main article for [[Arch Build System|ABS]]
# apt-get update && apt-get upgrade
* Article on [[makepkg]]
</pre>
* Article on [[Creating Packages]]


If you had not updated in a while, you may get a lot of new packages. Read the output carefully. If it says certain packages are held-back, cancel using CTRL-C and issue the following command instead:
{{Note|You can also find the {{AUR|nvidia-all}} package in [[Arch User Repository|AUR]] which makes it easier to use with custom kernels and multiple kernels.}}


<pre>
The following is a short tutorial for making a custom NVIDIA driver package using [[ABS]]:
# apt-get update && apt-get dist-upgrade
</pre>


You should reboot your system when it is done, unless it didn't update anything of course.
[[Pacman|Install]] {{Pkg|abs}} from the [[official repositories]] and generate the tree with:
# abs
As a standard user, make a temporary directory for creating the new package:
$ mkdir -p ~/abs
Make a copy of the {{ic|nvidia}} package directory:
$ cp -r /var/abs/extra/nvidia/ ~/abs/
Go into the temporary {{ic|nvidia}} build directory:
$ cd ~/abs/nvidia
It is required to edit the files {{ic|nvidia.install}} and {{ic|PKGBUILD}} so that they contain the right kernel version variables.


Next we are going to install the following packages and libraries:
While running the custom kernel, get the appropriate kernel and local version names:
$ uname -r
# In nvidia.install, replace the {{ic|EXTRAMODULES<nowiki>=</nowiki>'extramodules-3.4-ARCH'}} variable with the custom kernel version, such as {{ic|EXTRAMODULES<nowiki>=</nowiki>'extramodules-3.4.4'}} or {{ic|EXTRAMODULES<nowiki>=</nowiki>'extramodules-3.4.4-custom'}} depending on what the kernel's version is and the local version's text/numbers. Do this for all instances of the version number within this file.
# In PKGBUILD, change the {{ic|_extramodules<nowiki>=</nowiki>extramodules-3.4-ARCH}} variable to match the appropriate version, as above.
# If there are multiple kernels installed in parallel (such as a custom kernel alongside the default -ARCH kernel), change the {{ic|pkgname<nowiki>=</nowiki>nvidia}} variable in the PKGBUILD to a unique identifier, such as nvidia-344 or nvidia-custom. This will allow both kernels to use the nvidia module, since the custom nvidia module has a different package name and will not overwrite the original. You will also need to comment the line in {{ic|package()}} that blacklists the nouveau module in {{ic|/usr/lib/modprobe.d/nvidia.conf}} (no need to do it again).


Then do:
$ makepkg -ci
The {{ic|-c}} operand tells makepkg to clean left over files after building the package, whereas {{ic|-i}} specifies that makepkg should automatically run pacman to install the resulting package.


* lame
=== Automatic re-compilation of the NVIDIA module with every update of any kernel ===
* musepack-tools
* xfonts-75dpi
* xfonts-100dpi
* vorbis-tools


* libcurl3:i386
This is possible thanks to {{AUR|nvidia-hook}} from the [[AUR]]. You will need to install the module sources: {{AUR|nvidia-dkms}}. In '''nvidia-hook''', the 'automatic re-compilation' functionality is done by a '''nvidia hook''' on [[mkinitcpio]] after forcing to update the '''linux-headers''' package. You will need to add 'nvidia' to the HOOKS array in /etc/mkinitcpio.conf.
* libx11-6:i386
* lib32stdc++6
* libmpcdec6:i386
* libc6:i386
* libstdc++6:i386
* libcrypto++9:i386
* libasound2:i386
* libuuid1:i386
* libboost-regex1.49.0:i386
* libicu48:i386


Note: On a 32-bit system, you can install the same libraries by removing ':i386' part.
The hook will call the '''dkms''' command to update the NVIDIA module for the version of your new kernel.


Unless you're installing on a fresh system you probably have some of these installed already. This doesn't matter as Aptitude will simply skip packages that are already installed. You can install all of them at once by issuing the following command with root privileges from a terminal:
{{Note|
* If you are using this functionality it's '''important''' to look at the installation process of the linux (or any other kernel) package. nvidia hook will tell you if anything goes wrong.
* If you would like to do this manually please see this section [[Dynamic Kernel Module Support#Usage| in the dkms arch wiki.]]
}}


<pre>
== Configuring ==
# apt-get install lame musepack-tools xfonts-75dpi xfonts-100dpi vorbis-tools libcurl3:i386 libx11-6:i386 lib32stdc++6 libmpcdec6:i386 \
bc6:i386 libstdc++6:i386 libx11-6:i386 libcrypto++9:i386 libasound2:i386 libuuid1:i386 libboost-regex1.49.0:i386 libicu48:i386
</pre>


Or, on a 32-bit system (REQUIRES CONFIRMATION):
It is possible that after installing the driver it may not be needed to create an Xorg server configuration file. You can run [[Xorg#Running| a test]] to see if the Xorg server will function correctly without a configuration file. However, it may be required to create a configuration file (prefer {{ic|/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-nvidia.conf}} over {{ic|/etc/X11/xorg.conf}}) in order to adjust various settings. This configuration can be generated by the NVIDIA Xorg configuration tool, or it can be created manually. If created manually, it can be a minimal configuration (in the sense that it will only pass the basic options to the [[Xorg]] server), or it can include a number of settings that can bypass Xorg's auto-discovered or pre-configured options.
{{Note|Since 1.8.x Xorg uses separate configuration files in {{ic|/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/}} - check out [[NVIDIA#Advanced: 20-nvidia.conf|advanced configuration]] section.}}


<pre>
=== Minimal configuration ===
# apt-get install lame musepack-tools xfonts-75dpi xfonts-100dpi vorbis-tools libcurl3 libx11-6 libstdc++6 libmpcdec6 bc6 libstdc++6 \
libx11-6 libcrypto++9 libasound2 libuuid1 libboost-regex1.49.0 libicu48
</pre>


Carefully read the output and make sure no packages are being removed.
A basic configuration block in {{ic|20-nvidia.conf}} (or deprecated in {{ic|xorg.conf}}) would look like this:


Installing these packages and libraries do not require a reboot. Other packages these might pull in may require a reboot so to be sure, reboot your system afterwards.
{{hc|/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-nvidia.conf|
Section "Device"
Identifier "Nvidia Card"
Driver "nvidia"
VendorName "NVIDIA Corporation"
Option "NoLogo" "true"
#Option "UseEDID" "false"
#Option "ConnectedMonitor" "DFP"
# ...
EndSection
}}


On a fresh install the CD or DVD from which the system was installed might have been added to the sources.list as an available source for packages. It is advised you remove this and use online repositories instead. To do this, edit /etc/apt/sources.list and remove any lines starting with "deb cdrom:". First, make a backup of the current file:
{{Tip|If upgrading from nouveau make sure to remove "{{ic|nouveau}}" from {{ic|/etc/mkinitcpio.conf}}. See [[NVIDIA#Switching between NVIDIA and nouveau drivers|Switching between NVIDIA and nouveau drivers]], if switching between the open and proprietary drivers often.}}


<pre>
=== Automatic configuration ===
# cp /etc/apt/sources.list{,.bak}
</pre>


Open the file in nano:
The NVIDIA package includes an automatic configuration tool to create an Xorg server configuration file ({{ic|xorg.conf}}) and can be run by:
# nvidia-xconfig


<pre>
This command will auto-detect and create (or edit, if already present) the {{ic|/etc/X11/xorg.conf}} configuration according to present hardware.
# nano /etc/apt/sources.list
</pre>


Remove the lines, or comment them out, for example:
If there are instances of DRI, ensure they are commented out:
# Load "dri"
Double check your {{ic|/etc/X11/xorg.conf}} to make sure your default depth, horizontal sync, vertical refresh, and resolutions are acceptable.


<pre>
{{Warning|That may still not work properly with Xorg-server 1.8 }}
# deb cdrom:[Debian GNU/Linux 7 _Wheezy_ - Official Snapshot i386 LIVE/INSTALL Binary 20131014-03:33]/ wheezy main


deb cdrom:[Debian GNU/Linux 7 _Wheezy_ - Official Snapshot i386 LIVE/INSTALL Binary 20131014-03:33]/ wheezy main
=== Multiple monitors ===
</pre>


=== Downloading MediaCenter ===
:''See [[Multihead]] for more general information''
{{Warning|1=As of August 2013, Xinerama is broken when using the proprietary NVIDIA driver from 319 upwards. Users wishing to use Xinerama with the NVIDIA driver should use the NVIDIA 313 driver, which works only with Linux kernels earlier than 3.10. See [https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=163319 this thread] for more information.}}


The latest version of MediaCenter for Linux should be downloaded, this version can be found in one of the stickies on [http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?board=35.0 Interact]. You can download it from your browser to ~/Downloads, or use the terminal issuing the following command (replace the version/build number with the latest found on the Linux board above):
To activate dual screen support, you just need to edit the {{ic|/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/10-monitor.conf}} file which you made before.


<pre>
Per each physical monitor, add one Monitor, Device, and Screen Section entry, and then a ServerLayout section to manage it. Be advised that when Xinerama is enabled, the NVIDIA proprietary driver automatically disables compositing. If you desire compositing, you should comment out the {{ic|Xinerama}} line in "{{ic|ServerLayout}}" and use TwinView (see below) instead.
$ cd ~/Downloads && wget http://files.jriver.com/mediacenter/channels/v19/latest/MediaCenter-19.0.103.deb
</pre>


Obviously, the directory Downloads should exist under your home directory ;).
{{hc|/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/10-monitor.conf|
Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "DualSreen"
Screen 0 "Screen0"
Screen 1 "Screen1" RightOf "Screen0" #Screen1 at the right of Screen0
Option "Xinerama" "1" #To move windows between screens
EndSection


== Installing MediaCenter ==
Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Monitor0"
Option "Enable" "true"
EndSection


After having satisfied all MediaCenter's dependencies and having downloaded the package to your PC, you can continue with the installation. Change to the directory to which you downloaded, or add the full path on the commandline. Again, change the version/build number for the version you downloaded. Issue the following command from a terminal:
Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Monitor1"
Option "Enable" "true"
EndSection


<pre>
Section "Device"
# dpkg -i /location/of/MediaCenter-19.0.103.deb
Identifier "Device0"
</pre>
Driver "nvidia"
Screen 0
EndSection


If the output says it is missing dependencies, leaving unconfigured, you should take note of the packages mentioned. You can try to install them manually, or you can try issuing the following command:
Section "Device"
Identifier "Device1"
Driver "nvidia"
Screen 1
EndSection


<pre>
Section "Screen"
# apt-get install -f
Identifier "Screen0"
</pre>
Device "Device0"
Monitor "Monitor0"
DefaultDepth 24
Option "TwinView" "0"
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
Modes "1280x800_75.00"
EndSubSection
EndSection


Examine the output carefully, as it may remove packages to satisfy dependencies. This may not always lead to a happy ending - so be careful.
Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen1"
Device "Device1"
Monitor "Monitor1"
DefaultDepth 24
Option "TwinView" "0"
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
EndSubSection
EndSection
}}


If you run into unresolvable dependencies, have a look at the troubleshooting section, or post your problems on [http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?board=35.0 Interact] where someone will try to help you resolve the issue.
==== TwinView ====


=== First Run ===
You want only one big screen instead of two. Set the {{ic|TwinView}} argument to {{ic|1}}. This option should be used instead of Xinerama (see above), if you desire compositing.
When MediaCenter is first run, it will popup a Notification that it will timeout at a certain date. If it pops up a notification that it is has timed out already, you may have installed an older version. Visit [http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?board=35.0 Interact] and find the latest version in one of the sticky threads from the top of the board. You can simpy install it over the older version, see Upgrading.
Option "TwinView" "1"


=== Auto Import ===
TwinView only works on a per card basis: If you have multiple cards, you'll have to use xinerama or zaphod mode (multiple X screens). You can combine TwinView with zaphod mode, ending up, for example, with two X screens covering two monitors each. Most window managers fail miserably in zaphod mode. Awesome is the shining exception, and KDE almost works.
MediaCenter will automatically start an Import shortly after startup to scan your home directory for media files. This is fine if your media is located there and you can let it run. If your media is somewhere else, you can cancel this in the lower left hand corner, where there will be a countdown from 45 seconds. Click the X to close the Action Window and not import anything, or click the link to configure Media Import. This automatic import will keep coming back until there is something in its library. There is no way to turn off this behavior.


Note that the option called "Auto-Import" is called "Configure Auto-Import" on Windows. This option allows you to configure how Auto-Import should run.
Example configuration:
{{hc|/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/10-monitor.conf|
Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "TwinLayout"
Screen 0 "metaScreen" 0 0
EndSection


At the time of writing the browse button does not work, you need to type in the path to the location of the media files you wish to import.
Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Monitor0"
Option "Enable" "true"
EndSection


=== Upgrading from an older version ===
Section "Monitor"
Download the latest version from [http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?board=35.0 Interact] and install it, for example:
Identifier "Monitor1"
Option "Enable" "true"
EndSection


<pre>
Section "Device"
$ sudo dpkg -i MediaCenter-19.0.xxx.deb
Identifier "Card0"
</pre>
Driver "nvidia"
VendorName "NVIDIA Corporation"


Replace xxx with the build number from the file you downloaded. There are currently no complications or different dependencies. All versions should be able to install the same way.
#refer to the link below for more information on each of the following options.
Option "HorizSync" "DFP-0: 28-33; DFP-1 28-33"
Option "VertRefresh" "DFP-0: 43-73; DFP-1 43-73"
Option "MetaModes" "1920x1080, 1920x1080"
Option "ConnectedMonitor" "DFP-0, DFP-1"
Option "MetaModeOrientation" "DFP-1 LeftOf DFP-0"
EndSection


=== Library Server Compatibility ===
Section "Screen"
MediaCenter for Linux can connect to a MediaCenter Library server running on Windows, Mac OS X or Linux. It will only play Audio however, even if the server is serving video as well. The Linux version currently supports only audio playback.
Identifier "metaScreen"
Device "Card0"
Monitor "Monitor0"
DefaultDepth 24
Option "TwinView" "True"
SubSection "Display"
Modes "1920x1080"
EndSubSection
EndSection
}}


== Configuring MediaCenter ==
[http://us.download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linux-x86/304.51/README/configtwinview.html Device option information].
Config Intro.


=== Sound ===
If you have multiple cards that are SLI capable, it is possible to run more than one monitor attached to separate cards (for example: two cards in SLI with one monitor attached to each). The "MetaModes" option in conjunction with SLI Mosaic mode enables this. Below is a configuration which works for the aforementioned example and runs [[GNOME]] flawlessly.
ALSA info.
{{hc|/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/10-monitor.conf|
Section "Device"
Identifier "Card A"
Driver "nvidia"
BusID "PCI:1:00:0"
EndSection


=== Output Mode ===
Section "Device"
Configuring Resampling with MC.
Identifier "Card B"
Driver "nvidia"
BusID "PCI:2:00:0"
EndSection


== Headless Configuration ==
Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Right Monitor"
EndSection


=== MC GUI via SSH ===
Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Left Monitor"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Right Screen"
Device "Card A"
Monitor "Right Monitor"
DefaultDepth 24
Option "SLI" "Mosaic"
Option "Stereo" "0"
Option "BaseMosaic" "True"
Option "MetaModes" "GPU-0.DFP-0: 1920x1200+4480+0, GPU-1.DFP-0:1920x1200+0+0"
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Left Screen"
Device "Card B"
Monitor "Left Monitor"
DefaultDepth 24
Option "SLI" "Mosaic"
Option "Stereo" "0"
Option "BaseMosaic" "True"
Option "MetaModes" "GPU-0.DFP-0: 1920x1200+4480+0, GPU-1.DFP-0:1920x1200+0+0"
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "Default"
Screen 0 "Right Screen" 0 0
Option "Xinerama" "0"
EndSection}}

===== Manual CLI configuration with xrandr =====

If the latest solutions doesn't works for you, you can use the ''autostart'' trick of your window manager to run a {{ic|xrandr}} command like this one :

xrandr --output DVI-I-0 --auto --primary --left-of DVI-I-1

or:

xrandr --output DVI-I-1 --pos 1440x0 --mode 1440x900 --rate 75.0

When:

* {{ic|--output}} is used to indicate to which "monitor" set the options.
* {{ic|DVI-I-1}} is the name of the second monitor.
* {{ic|--pos}} is the position of the second monitor respect to the first.
* {{ic|--mode}} is the resolution of the second monitor.
* {{ic|--rate}} is the Hz refresh rate.

You must adapt the {{ic|xrandr}} options with the help of the output of the command {{ic|xrandr}} run alone in a terminal.

==== Using NVIDIA Settings ====

You can also use the {{ic|nvidia-settings}} tool provided by {{Pkg|nvidia-utils}}. With this method, you will use the proprietary software NVIDIA provides with their drivers. Simply run {{ic|nvidia-settings}} as root, then configure as you wish, and then save the configuration to {{ic|/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/10-monitor.conf}}.

==== ConnectedMonitor ====

If the driver doesn't properly detect a second monitor, you can force it to do so with ConnectedMonitor.

{{hc|/etc/X11/xorg.conf|

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Monitor1"
VendorName "Panasonic"
ModelName "Panasonic MICRON 2100Ex"
HorizSync 30.0 - 121.0 # this monitor has incorrect EDID, hence Option "UseEDIDFreqs" "false"
VertRefresh 50.0 - 160.0
Option "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Monitor2"
VendorName "Gateway"
ModelName "GatewayVX1120"
HorizSync 30.0 - 121.0
VertRefresh 50.0 - 160.0
Option "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "Device1"
Driver "nvidia"
Option "NoLogo"
Option "UseEDIDFreqs" "false"
Option "ConnectedMonitor" "CRT,CRT"
VendorName "NVIDIA Corporation"
BoardName "GeForce 6200 LE"
BusID "PCI:3:0:0"
Screen 0
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "Device2"
Driver "nvidia"
Option "NoLogo"
Option "UseEDIDFreqs" "false"
Option "ConnectedMonitor" "CRT,CRT"
VendorName "NVIDIA Corporation"
BoardName "GeForce 6200 LE"
BusID "PCI:3:0:0"
Screen 1
EndSection

}}

The duplicated device with {{ic|Screen}} is how you get X to use two monitors on one card without {{ic|TwinView}}. Note that {{ic|nvidia-settings}} will strip out any {{ic|ConnectedMonitor}} options you have added.

==== Mosaic mode ====

Mosaic mode is the only way to use more than 2 monitors across multiple graphics cards with compositing. Your window manager may or may not recognize the distinction between each monitor.

===== Base mosaic =====

Base mosaic mode works on any set of Geforce 8000 series or higher GPUs. It cannot be enabled from withing the nvidia-setting GUI. You must either use the nvidia-xconfig command line program or edit xorg.conf by hand. Metamodes must be specified. The following is an example for four DFPs in a 2x2 configuration, each running at 1920x1024, with two DFPs connected to two cards:
$ nvidia-xconfig --base-mosaic --metamodes="GPU-0.DFP-0: 1920x1024+0+0, GPU-0.DFP-1: 1920x1024+1920+0, GPU-1.DFP-0: 1920x1024+0+1024, GPU-1.DFP-1: 1920x1024+1920+1024"

===== SLI Mosaic =====

If you have an SLI configuration and each GPU is a Quadro FX 5800, Quadro Fermi or newer then you can use SLI Mosaic mode. It can be enabled from within the nvidia-settings GUI or from the command line with:
$ nvidia-xconfig --sli=Mosaic --metamodes="GPU-0.DFP-0: 1920x1024+0+0, GPU-0.DFP-1: 1920x1024+1920+0, GPU-1.DFP-0: 1920x1024+0+1024, GPU-1.DFP-1: 1920x1024+1920+1024"

== Tweaking ==

=== GUI: nvidia-settings ===

The NVIDIA package includes the {{ic|nvidia-settings}} program that allows adjustment of several additional settings.

For the settings to be loaded on login, run this command from the terminal:
$ nvidia-settings --load-config-only

The desktop environment's auto-startup method 'may' not work for loading nvidia-settings properly (KDE). To be sure that settings are really loaded put the command in ~/.xinitrc file (create if not present).

For a dramatic 2D graphics performance increase in pixmap-intensive applications, e.g. Firefox, set the {{ic|InitialPixmapPlacement}} parameter to 2:

$ nvidia-settings -a InitialPixmapPlacement=2

This is documented in [http://cgit.freedesktop.org/~aplattner/nvidia-settings/tree/src/libXNVCtrl/NVCtrl.h?id=b27db3d10d58b821e87fbe3f46166e02dc589855#n2797 nvidia-settings source code]. For this setting to persist, this command needs to be run on every startup. You can add it to ~/.xinitrc file for auto-startup with X.

{{Tip|On rare occasions the {{ic|~/.nvidia-settings-rc}} may become corrupt. If this happens, the Xorg server may crash and the file will have to be deleted to fix the problem.}}


=== Advanced: 20-nvidia.conf ===

Edit {{ic|/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-nvidia.conf}}, and add the option to the correct section. The Xorg server will need to be restarted before any changes are applied.

See [http://http.download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linux-x86/304.51/README/ NVIDIA Accelerated Linux Graphics Driver README and Installation Guide] for additional details and options.

==== Enabling desktop composition ====

As of NVIDIA driver version 180.44, support for GLX with the Damage and Composite X extensions is enabled by default. Refer to [[Xorg#Composite|Xorg page]] for detailed instructions.

==== Disabling the logo on startup ====

Add the {{ic|"NoLogo"}} option under section {{ic|Device}}:
Option "NoLogo" "1"

==== Enabling hardware acceleration ====

{{Note|RenderAccel is enabled by default since drivers version 97.46.xx}}
Add the {{ic|"RenderAccel"}} option under section {{ic|Device}}:
Option "RenderAccel" "1"

==== Overriding monitor detection ====

The {{ic|"ConnectedMonitor"}} option under section {{ic|Device}} allows to override monitor detection when X server starts, which may save a significant amount of time at start up. The available options are: {{ic|"CRT"}} for analog connections, {{ic|"DFP"}} for digital monitors and {{ic|"TV"}} for televisions.

The following statement forces the NVIDIA driver to bypass startup checks and recognize the monitor as DFP:
Option "ConnectedMonitor" "DFP"
{{Note| Use "CRT" for all analog 15 pin VGA connections, even if the display is a flat panel. "DFP" is intended for DVI digital connections only.}}

==== Enabling triple buffering ====

Enable the use of triple buffering by adding the {{ic|"TripleBuffer"}} Option under section {{ic|Device}}:
Option "TripleBuffer" "1"

Use this option if the graphics card has plenty of ram (equal or greater than 128MB). The setting only takes effect when syncing to vblank is enabled, one of the options featured in nvidia-settings.

{{Note|This option may introduce full-screen tearing and reduce performance. As of the R300 drivers, vblank is enabled by default.}}

==== Using OS-level events ====

Taken from the NVIDIA driver's [http://http.download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linux-x86/304.51/README/xconfigoptions.html README] file: ''"[...] Use OS-level events to efficiently notify X when a client has performed direct rendering to a window that needs to be composited."'' It may help improving performance, but it is currently incompatible with SLI and Multi-GPU modes.

Add under section {{ic|Device}}:
Option "DamageEvents" "1"
{{Note|This option is enabled by default in newer driver versions.}}

==== Enabling power saving ====

Add under section {{ic|Monitor}}:
Option "DPMS" "1"

==== Enabling brightness control ====

Add under section {{ic|Device}}:
Option "RegistryDwords" "EnableBrightnessControl=1"

{{Note|If you already have this enabled
and your brightness control doesn't work try to comment it out.}}

==== Enabling SLI ====

{{Warning|As of May 7, 2011, you may experience sluggish video performance in GNOME 3 after enabling SLI.}}

Taken from the NVIDIA driver's [http://http.download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linux-x86/304.51/README/xconfigoptions.html README] appendix: ''This option controls the configuration of SLI rendering in supported configurations.'' A "supported configuration" is a computer equipped with an SLI-Certified Motherboard and 2 or 3 SLI-Certified GeForce GPUs. See NVIDIA's [http://www.slizone.com/page/home.html SLI Zone] for more information.

Find the first GPU's PCI Bus ID using {{ic|lspci}}:
{{hc|<nowiki>$ lspci | grep VGA</nowiki>|
03:00.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation G92 [GeForce 8800 GTS 512] (rev a2)
05:00.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation G92 [GeForce 8800 GTS 512] (rev a2)
}}

Add the BusID (3 in the previous example) under section {{ic|Device}}:
BusID "PCI:3:0:0"

{{Note|The format is important. The BusID value must be specified as {{ic|"PCI:<BusID>:0:0"}}}}

Add the desired SLI rendering mode value under section {{ic|Screen}}:
Option "SLI" "AA"

The following table presents the available rendering modes.

{| class="wikitable"
! Value !! Behavior
|-
| 0, no, off, false, Single || Use only a single GPU when rendering.
|-
| 1, yes, on, true, Auto || Enable SLI and allow the driver to automatically select the appropriate rendering mode.
|-
| AFR || Enable SLI and use the alternate frame rendering mode.
|-
| SFR || Enable SLI and use the split frame rendering mode.
|-
| AA || Enable SLI and use SLI antialiasing. Use this in conjunction with full scene antialiasing to improve visual quality.
|}

Alternatively, you can use the {{ic|nvidia-xconfig}} utility to insert these changes into {{ic|xorg.conf}} with a single command:
# nvidia-xconfig --busid=PCI:3:0:0 --sli=AA

To verify that SLI mode is enabled from a shell:
{{hc|<nowiki>$ nvidia-settings -q all | grep SLIMode</nowiki>|
Attribute 'SLIMode' (arch:0.0): AA
'SLIMode' is a string attribute.
'SLIMode' is a read-only attribute.
'SLIMode' can use the following target types: X Screen.
}}

{{Warning| After enabling SLI, your system may become frozen/non-responsive upon starting xorg. It is advisable that you disable your display manager before restarting.}}

==== Forcing Powermizer performance level (for laptops) ====

Add under section {{ic|Device}}:
# Force Powermizer to a certain level at all times
# level 0x0=adaptiv (Driver Default)
# level 0x1=highest
# level 0x2=med
# level 0x3=lowest
# AC settings:
Option "RegistryDwords" "PowerMizerLevelAC=0x3"
# Battery settings:
Option "RegistryDwords" "PowerMizerLevel=0x3"

# (Optional) AC Power adaptiv Mode and Battery Power forced to lowest Mode:
Option "RegistryDwords" "PowerMizerLevelAC=0x0; PowerMizerLevel=0x3"

===== Letting the GPU set its own performance level based on temperature =====

Add under section {{ic|Device}}:
Option "RegistryDwords" "PerfLevelSrc=0x3333"

==== Disable vblank interrupts (for laptops) ====

When running the interrupt detection utility [[powertop]], it can be observed that the Nvidia driver will generate an interrupt for every vblank. To disable, place in the {{ic|Device}} section:
Option "OnDemandVBlankInterrupts" "1"
This will reduce interrupts to about one or two per second.

==== Enabling overclocking ====

{{Warning|Please note that overclocking may damage hardware and that no responsibility may be placed on the authors of this page due to any damage to any information technology equipment from operating products out of specifications set by the manufacturer.}}
To enable GPU and memory overclocking, place the following line in the {{ic|Device}} section:
Option "Coolbits" "1"

This will enable on-the-fly overclocking within an X session by running:
$ nvidia-settings
{{Note|GeForce 400/500/600/700 series Fermi/Kepler cores cannot currently be overclocked using
the Coolbits method. The alternative is to edit and reflash the GPU BIOS either under DOS (preferred), or within a Win32 environment by way of [http://www.mvktech.net/component/option,com_remository/Itemid,26/func,select/id,127/orderby,2/page,1/ nvflash]{{Dead link|2013|05|25}} and [http://www.mvktech.net/component/option,com_remository/Itemid,26/func,select/id,135/orderby,2/page,1/ NiBiTor 6.0]{{Dead link|2013|05|25}}. The advantage of BIOS flashing is that not only can voltage limits be raised, but stability is generally improved over software overclocking methods such as Coolbits.}}

===== Setting static 2D/3D clocks =====

Set the following string in the {{ic|Device}} section to enable PowerMizer at its maximum performance level:
Option "RegistryDwords" "PerfLevelSrc=0x2222"
Set one of the following two strings in the {{ic|Device}} section to enable manual GPU fan control within {{ic|nvidia-settings}}:
Option "Coolbits" "4"

Option "Coolbits" "5"

== Tips and tricks ==

=== Fixing terminal resolution ===

Transitioning from nouveau may cause your startup terminal to display at a lower resolution. A possible solution (if you are using GRUB) is to edit the {{ic|GRUB_GFXMODE}} line of {{ic|/etc/default/grub}} with desired display resolutions. Multiple resolutions can be specified, including the default {{ic|auto}}, so it is recommended that you edit the line to resemble {{ic|GRUB_GFXMODE&#61;<desired resolution>,<fallback such as 1024x768>,auto}}. See http://www.gnu.org/software/grub/manual/html_node/gfxmode.html#gfxmode for more information.

=== Enabling Pure Video HD (VDPAU/VAAPI) ===

'''Hardware Required:'''

At least a video card with second generation PureVideo HD [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nvidia_PureVideo#Table_of_PureVideo_.28HD.29_GPUs].

'''Software Required:'''

Nvidia video cards with the proprietary driver installed will provide video decoding capabilities with the VDPAU interface at different levels according to PureVideo generation.

You can also add support for the VA-API interface with {{Pkg|libva-vdpau-driver}}.

Check VA-API support with:
$ vainfo

To take full advantage of the hardware decoding capability of your video card you will need a media player that supports VDPAU or VA-API.

To enable hardware acceleration in [[MPlayer]] edit {{ic|~/.mplayer/config}}

vo=vdpau
vc=ffmpeg12vdpau,ffwmv3vdpau,ffvc1vdpau,ffh264vdpau,ffodivxvdpau,

{{Warning|The {{ic|ffodivxvdpau}} codec is only supported by the most recent series of NVIDIA hardware. Consider omitting it based on your specific hardware.}}

To enable hardware acceleration in [[VLC media player|VLC]] go:

{{ic|Tools > Preferences > Input & Codecs}}, then check '''Use GPU accelerated decoding'''.

To enable hardware acceleration in '''smplayer''' go:

{{ic|Options > Preferences > General > Video Tab}}, then select {{ic|vdpau}} as {{ic|'''output driver'''}}

To enable hardware acceleration in '''gnome-mplayer''' go:

{{ic|Edit > Preference}}, then set {{ic|'''video output'''}} to {{ic|vdpau}}

'''Playing HD movies on cards with low memory:'''

If your graphic card does not have a lot of memory (>512MB?), you can experience glitches when watching 1080p or even 720p movies.
To avoid that start simple window manager like TWM or MWM.

Additionally increasing the MPlayer's cache size in {{ic|~/.mplayer/config}} can help, when your hard drive is spinning down when watching HD movies.

=== Avoid screen tearing in KDE (KWin) ===

{{hc|/etc/profile.d/kwin.sh|<nowiki>
export __GL_YIELD="USLEEP"
</nowiki>}}

Also if the above doesn't help, then try this:
{{hc|/etc/profile.d/kwin.sh|<nowiki>
export KWIN_TRIPLE_BUFFER=1
</nowiki>}}

Do not have both of the above enabled at the same time.
Also if you enable Tripple buffering make sure to enable TrippleBuffering for the driver itself.
Source: https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=322060

=== Hardware accelerated video decoding with XvMC ===

Accelerated decoding of MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 videos via [[XvMC]] are supported on GeForce4, GeForce 5 FX, GeForce 6 and GeForce 7 series cards. To use it, create a new file {{ic|/etc/X11/XvMCConfig}} with the following content:
libXvMCNVIDIA_dynamic.so.1

See how to configure [[XvMC#Supported software|supported software]].

=== Using TV-out ===

A good article on the subject can be found [http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/NVidia/TV-OUT here].

=== X with a TV (DFP) as the only display ===

The X server falls back to CRT-0 if no monitor is automatically detected. This can be a problem when using a DVI connected TV as the main display, and X is started while the TV is turned off or otherwise disconnected.
To force NVIDIA to use DFP, store a copy of the EDID somewhere in the filesystem so that X can parse the file instead of reading EDID from the TV/DFP.

To acquire the EDID, start nvidia-settings. It will show some information in tree format, ignore the rest of the settings for now and select the GPU (the corresponding entry should be titled "GPU-0" or similar), click the {{ic|DFP}} section (again, {{ic|DFP-0}} or similar), click on the {{ic|Acquire Edid}} Button and store it somewhere, for example, {{ic|/etc/X11/dfp0.edid}}.

Edit {{ic|xorg.conf}} by adding to the {{ic|Device}} section:
Option "ConnectedMonitor" "DFP"
Option "CustomEDID" "DFP-0:/etc/X11/dfp0.edid"
The {{ic|ConnectedMonitor}} option forces the driver to recognize the DFP as if it were connected. The {{ic|CustomEDID}} provides EDID data for the device, meaning that it will start up just as if the TV/DFP was connected during X the process.

This way, one can automatically start a display manager at boot time and still have a working and properly configured X screen by the time the TV gets powered on.

=== Check the power source ===

The NVIDIA X.org driver can also be used to detect the GPU's current source of power. To see the current power source, check the 'GPUPowerSource' read-only parameter (0 - AC, 1 - battery):

{{hc|$ nvidia-settings -q GPUPowerSource -t|1}}

If you're seeing an error message similiar to the one below, then you either need to install [[acpid]] or start the systemd service via {{ic|systemctl start acpid.service}}
ACPI: failed to connect to the ACPI event daemon; the daemon
may not be running or the "AcpidSocketPath" X
configuration option may not be set correctly. When the
ACPI event daemon is available, the NVIDIA X driver will
try to use it to receive ACPI event notifications. For
details, please see the "ConnectToAcpid" and
"AcpidSocketPath" X configuration options in Appendix B: X
Config Options in the README.
(If you are not seeing this error, it is not necessary to install/run acpid soley for this purpose. My current power source is correctly reported without acpid even installed.)

=== Displaying GPU temperature in the shell ===

==== Method 1 - nvidia-settings ====

{{Note|This method requires that you are using X. Use Method 2 or Method 3 if you are not. Also note that Method 3 currently does not not work with newer NVIDIA cards such as the G210/220 as well as embedded GPUs such as the Zotac IONITX's 8800GS.}}

To display the GPU temp in the shell, use {{ic|nvidia-settings}} as follows:
$ nvidia-settings -q gpucoretemp

This will output something similar to the following:
Attribute 'GPUCoreTemp' (hostname:0.0): 41.
'GPUCoreTemp' is an integer attribute.
'GPUCoreTemp' is a read-only attribute.
'GPUCoreTemp' can use the following target types: X Screen, GPU.

The GPU temps of this board is 41 C.

In order to get just the temperature for use in utils such as {{ic|rrdtool}} or {{ic|conky}}, among others:
{{hc|$ nvidia-settings -q gpucoretemp -t|41}}

==== Method 2 - nvidia-smi ====

Use nvidia-smi which can read temps directly from the GPU without the need to use X at all. This is important for a small group of users who do not have X running on their boxes, perhaps because the box is headless running server apps.
To display the GPU temperature in the shell, use nvidia-smi as follows:

$ nvidia-smi

This should output something similar to the following:
{{hc|$ nvidia-smi|<nowiki>
Fri Jan 6 18:53:54 2012
+------------------------------------------------------+
| NVIDIA-SMI 2.290.10 Driver Version: 290.10 |
|-------------------------------+----------------------+----------------------+
| Nb. Name | Bus Id Disp. | Volatile ECC SB / DB |
| Fan Temp Power Usage /Cap | Memory Usage | GPU Util. Compute M. |
|===============================+======================+======================|
| 0. GeForce 8500 GT | 0000:01:00.0 N/A | N/A N/A |
| 30% 62 C N/A N/A / N/A | 17% 42MB / 255MB | N/A Default |
|-------------------------------+----------------------+----------------------|
| Compute processes: GPU Memory |
| GPU PID Process name Usage |
|=============================================================================|
| 0. ERROR: Not Supported |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
</nowiki>
}}

Only for temperature:
{{hc|$ nvidia-smi -q -d TEMPERATURE|<nowiki>

==============NVSMI LOG==============

Timestamp : Fri Jan 6 18:50:57 2012

Driver Version : 290.10

Attached GPUs : 1

GPU 0000:01:00.0
Temperature
Gpu : 62 C

</nowiki>
}}

In order to get just the temperature for use in utils such as rrdtool or conky, among others:

{{hc|<nowiki>$ nvidia-smi -q -d TEMPERATURE | grep Gpu | cut -c35-36</nowiki>|62}}

Reference: http://www.question-defense.com/2010/03/22/gpu-linux-shell-temp-get-nvidia-gpu-temperatures-via-linux-cli.

==== Method 3 - nvclock ====

Use {{AUR|nvclock}} which is available from the [[AUR]].
{{Note|{{ic|nvclock}} cannot access thermal sensors on newer NVIDIA cards such as the G210/220.}}

There can be significant differences between the temperatures reported by nvclock and nvidia-settings/nv-control. According to [http://sourceforge.net/projects/nvclock/forums/forum/67426/topic/1906899 this post] by the author (thunderbird) of nvclock, the nvclock values should be more accurate.

=== Set fan speed at login ===

You can adjust the fan speed on your graphics card with '''nvidia-settings'''&#39s console interface. First ensure that your Xorg configuration sets the Coolbits option to {{ic|4}} or {{ic|5}} in your {{ic|Device}} section to enable fan control.

Option "Coolbits" "4"

{{Note|GTX 4xx/5xx series cards cannot currently set fan speeds at login using this method. This method only allows for the setting of fan speeds within the current X session by way of nvidia-settings.}}

Place the following line in your [[xinitrc|{{ic|~/.xinitrc}}]] file to adjust the fan when you launch Xorg. Replace {{ic|''n''}} with the fan speed percentage you want to set.

nvidia-settings -a "[gpu:0]/GPUFanControlState=1" -a "[fan:0]/GPUCurrentFanSpeed=''n''"

You can also configure a second GPU by incrementing the GPU and fan number.

nvidia-settings -a "[gpu:0]/GPUFanControlState=1" \
-a "[gpu:1]/GPUFanControlState=1" \
-a "[fan:0]/GPUCurrentFanSpeed=''n''" \
-a [fan:1]/GPUCurrentFanSpeed=''n''" &

If you use a login manager such as GDM or KDM, you can create a desktop entry file to process this setting. Create {{ic|~/.config/autostart/nvidia-fan-speed.desktop}} and place this text inside it. Again, change {{ic|''n''}} to the speed percentage you want.

[Desktop Entry]
Type=Application
Exec=nvidia-settings -a "[gpu:0]/GPUFanControlState=1" -a "[fan:0]/GPUCurrentFanSpeed=''n''"
X-GNOME-Autostart-enabled=true
Name=nvidia-fan-speed

=== Order of install/deinstall for changing drivers ===

Where the old driver is nvidiaO and the new driver is nvidiaN.
remove nvidiaO
install nvidia-libglN
install nvidiaN
install lib32-nvidia-libgl-N (if required)

=== Switching between NVIDIA and nouveau drivers ===

{{Out of date|Fresh installs do not contain {{ic|/etc/modprobe.d/modprobe.conf}} by default. The {{ic|sed}} lines may not be needed.}}
If you are switching between the NVIDIA and nouveau driver often, you can use these two scripts to make it easier (both need to be ran as root):

#!/bin/bash
# nouveau -> nvidia
set -e
# check if root
if <nowiki>[[</nowiki> $EUID -ne 0 <nowiki>]]</nowiki>; then
echo "You must be root to run this script. Aborting...";
exit 1;
fi
sed -i 's/MODULES="nouveau"/#MODULES="nouveau"/' /etc/mkinitcpio.conf
pacman -Rdds --noconfirm nouveau-dri xf86-video-nouveau mesa-libgl #lib32-nouveau-dri lib32-mesa-libgl
pacman -S --noconfirm nvidia #lib32-nvidia-libgl
mkinitcpio -p linux

#!/bin/bash
# nvidia -> nouveau
set -e
# check if root
if <nowiki>[[</nowiki> $EUID -ne 0 <nowiki>]]</nowiki>; then
echo "You must be root to run this script. Aborting...";
exit 1;
fi
sed -i 's/#*MODULES="nouveau"/MODULES="nouveau"/' /etc/mkinitcpio.conf
pacman -Rdds --noconfirm nvidia #lib32-nvidia-libgl
pacman -S --noconfirm nouveau-dri xf86-video-nouveau #lib32-nouveau-dri
mkinitcpio -p linux


A reboot is needed to complete the switch.

Adjust the scripts accordingly, if using other NVIDIA drivers (e.g. nvidia-173xx).

Uncomment the lib32 packages if you run a 64-bit system and require the 32-bit libraries (e.g. 32-bit games/Steam).


== Troubleshooting ==
== Troubleshooting ==

=== Bad performance, e.g. slow repaints when switching tabs in Chrome ===

{{Out of date|This bug is most likely resolved. See the [https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id&#61;49534 this bug report]}}

On some machines, recent NVIDIA drivers introduce a bug(?) that causes X11 to redraw pixmaps really slow. Switching tabs in Chrome/Chromium (while having more than 2 tabs opened) takes 1-2 seconds, instead of a few milliseconds.

It seems that setting the variable '''InitialPixmapPlacement''' to '''0''' solves that problem, although (like described some paragraphs above) '''InitialPixmapPlacement=2''' should actually be the faster method.

The variable can be (temporarily) set with the command

$ nvidia-settings -a InitialPixmapPlacement=0

To make this permanent, this call can be placed in a startup script.

=== Gaming using Twinview ===

In case you want to play fullscreen games when using Twinview, you will notice that games recognize the two screens as being one big screen. While this is technically correct (the virtual X screen really is the size of your screens combined), you probably do not want to play on both screens at the same time.

To correct this behavior for SDL, try:
export SDL_VIDEO_FULLSCREEN_HEAD=1

For OpenGL, add the appropiate Metamodes to your xorg.conf in section {{ic|Device}} and restart X:
Option "Metamodes" "1680x1050,1680x1050; 1280x1024,1280x1024; 1680x1050,NULL; 1280x1024,NULL;"

Another method that may either work alone or in conjunction with those mentioned above is [[Gaming#Starting_games_in_a_separate_X_server|starting games in a separate X server]].

=== Vertical sync using TwinView ===

If you're using TwinView and vertical sync (the "Sync to VBlank" option in '''nvidia-settings'''), you will notice that only one screen is being properly synced, unless you have two identical monitors. Although '''nvidia-settings''' does offer an option to change which screen is being synced (the "Sync to this display device" option), this does not always work. A solution is to add the following environment variables at startup, for example append in {{ic|/etc/profile}}:

export __GL_SYNC_TO_VBLANK=1
export __GL_SYNC_DISPLAY_DEVICE=DFP-0
export __VDPAU_NVIDIA_SYNC_DISPLAY_DEVICE=DFP-0

You can change {{ic|DFP-0}} with your preferred screen ({{ic|DFP-0}} is the DVI port and {{ic|CRT-0}} is the VGA port). You can find the identifier for your display from '''nvidia-settings''' in the "X Server XVideoSettings" section.

=== Old Xorg settings ===

If upgrading from an old installation, please remove old {{ic|/usr/X11R6/}} paths as it can cause trouble during installation.

=== Corrupted screen: "Six screens" Problem ===

For some users using Geforce GT 100M's, the screen turns out corrupted after X starts; divided into 6 sections with a resolution limited to 640x480.
The same problem has been recently reported with Quadro 2000 and hi-res displays.

To solve this problem, enable the Validation Mode {{ic|NoTotalSizeCheck}} in section {{ic|Device}}:
Section "Device"
...
Option "ModeValidation" "NoTotalSizeCheck"
...
EndSection

=== '/dev/nvidia0' input/output error ===

{{Accuracy|Verify that the BIOS related suggestions work and are not coincidentally set while troubleshooting.|section='/dev/nvidia0' Input/Output error... suggested fixes}}
This error can occur for several different reasons, and the most common solution given for this error is to check for group/file permissions, which in almost every case is ''not'' the problem. The NVIDIA documentation does not talk in detail on what you should
do to correct this problem but there are a few things that have worked for some people. The problem can be a IRQ conflict with another device or bad routing by either the kernel or your BIOS.

First thing to try is to remove other video devices such as video capture cards and see if the problem goes away. If there are too many video processors on the same system it can lead into the kernel being unable to start them because of memory allocation problems with the video controller. In particular on systems with low video memory this can occur even if there is only one video processor. In such case you should find out the amount of your system's video memory (e.g. with {{ic|lspci -v}}) and pass allocation parameters to the kernel, e.g.:
vmalloc=64M
or
vmalloc=256M

If running a 64bit kernel, a driver defect can cause the NVIDIA module to fail initializing when IOMMU is on. Turning it off in the BIOS has been confirmed to work for some users. [http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=68bb2fabadcb53b10b286aa42d13c5bc&t=159335][[User:Clickthem#nvidia module]]

Another thing to try is to change your BIOS IRQ routing from {{ic|Operating system controlled}} to {{ic|BIOS controlled}} or the other way around. The first one can be passed as a kernel parameter:
PCI=biosirq

The {{ic|noacpi}} kernel parameter has also been suggested as a solution but since it disables ACPI completely it should be used with caution. Some hardware are easily damaged by overheating.

{{Note|The kernel parameters can be passed either through the kernel command line or the bootloader configuration file. See your bootloader Wiki page for more information.}}

=== '/dev/nvidiactl' errors ===

Trying to start an opengl application might result in errors such as:
Error: Could not open /dev/nvidiactl because the permissions are too
restrictive. Please see the {{ic|FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS}}
section of {{ic|/usr/share/doc/NVIDIA_GLX-1.0/README}}
for steps to correct.

Solve by adding the appropiate user to the {{ic|video}} group and relogin:
# gpasswd -a username video

=== 32 bit applications do not start ===

Under 64 bit systems, installing {{ic|lib32-nvidia-libgl}} that corresponds to the same version installed for the 64 bit driver fixes the problem.

=== Errors after updating the kernel ===

If a custom build of NVIDIA's module is used instead of the package from [extra], a recompile is required every time the kernel is updated. Rebooting is generally recommended after updating kernel and graphic drivers.

=== Crashing in general ===

* Try disabling {{ic|RenderAccel}} in xorg.conf.
* If Xorg outputs an error about "conflicting memory type" or "failed to allocate primary buffer: out of memory", add {{ic|nopat}} at the end of the {{ic|kernel}} line in {{ic|/boot/grub/menu.lst}}.
* If the NVIDIA compiler complains about different versions of GCC between the current one and the one used for compiling the kernel, add in {{ic|/etc/profile}}:
export IGNORE_CC_MISMATCH=1
* If Xorg is crashing with a "Signal 11" while using nvidia-96xx drivers, try disabling PAT. Pass the argument {{ic|nopat}} to [[kernel parameters]].
More information about troubleshooting the driver can be found in the [http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=14 NVIDIA forums.]

=== Bad performance after installing a new driver version ===

If FPS have dropped in comparison with older drivers, first check if direct rendering is turned on (glxinfo is included in {{Pkg|mesa-demos}}):
$ glxinfo | grep direct
If the command prints:
direct rendering: No
then that could be an indication for the sudden FPS drop.

A possible solution could be to regress to the previously installed driver version and rebooting afterwards.

=== CPU spikes with 400 series cards ===

If you are experiencing intermittent CPU spikes with a 400 series card, it may be caused by PowerMizer constantly changing the GPU's clock frequency. Switching PowerMizer's setting from Adaptive to Performance, add the following to the {{ic|Device}} section of your Xorg configuration:

Option "RegistryDwords" "PowerMizerEnable=0x1; PerfLevelSrc=0x3322; PowerMizerDefaultAC=0x1"

=== Laptops: X hangs on login/out, worked around with Ctrl+Alt+Backspace ===

If while using the legacy NVIDIA drivers Xorg hangs on login and logout (particularly with an odd screen split into two black and white/gray pieces), but logging in is still possible via Ctrl-Alt-Backspace (or whatever the new "kill X" keybind is), try adding this in {{ic|/etc/modprobe.d/modprobe.conf}}:
options nvidia NVreg_Mobile=1

One user had luck with this instead, but it makes performance drop significantly for others:
options nvidia NVreg_DeviceFileUID=0 NVreg_DeviceFileGID=33 NVreg_DeviceFileMode=0660 NVreg_SoftEDIDs=0 NVreg_Mobile=1

Note that {{ic|NVreg_Mobile}} needs to be changed according to the laptop:
* 1 for Dell laptops.
* 2 for non-Compal Toshiba laptops.
* 3 for other laptops.
* 4 for Compal Toshiba laptops.
* 5 for Gateway laptops.

See [http://http.download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linux-x86/1.0-7182/README/readme.txt NVIDIA Driver's Readme:Appendix K] for more information.

=== Refresh rate not detected properly by XRandR dependant utilities ===

The XRandR X extension is not presently aware of multiple display devices on a single X screen; it only sees the {{ic|MetaMode}} bounding box, which may contain one or more actual modes. This means that if multiple MetaModes have the same bounding box, XRandR will not be able to distinguish between them.

In order to support {{ic|DynamicTwinView}}, the NVIDIA driver must make each MetaMode appear to be unique to XRandR. Presently, the NVIDIA driver accomplishes this by using the refresh rate as a unique identifier.

Use {{ic|$ nvidia-settings -q RefreshRate}} to query the actual refresh rate on each display device.

The XRandR extension is currently being redesigned by the X.Org community, so the refresh rate workaround may be removed at some point in the future.

This workaround can also be disabled by setting the {{ic|DynamicTwinView}} X configuration option to {{ic|false}}, which will disable NV-CONTROL support for manipulating MetaModes, but will cause the XRandR and XF86VidMode visible refresh rate to be accurate.

=== No screens found on a laptop/NVIDIA Optimus ===

On a laptop, if the NVIDIA driver cannot find any screens, you may have an NVIDIA Optimus setup : an Intel chipset connected to the screen and the video outputs, and a NVIDIA card that does all the hard work and writes to the chipset's video memory.

Check if {{ic|<nowiki>$ lspci | grep VGA</nowiki>}}
outputs something similar to:
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Core Processor Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 02)
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation Device 0df4 (rev a1)

NVIDIA drivers now offer Optimus support since 319.12 Beta [[http://www.nvidia.com/object/linux-display-amd64-319.12-driver.html]] with kernels above and including 3.9.

Another solution is to install the [[Intel]] driver to handle the screens, then if you want 3D software you should run them through [[Bumblebee]] to tell them to use the NVIDIA card.

==== Possible Workaround ====

Enter the BIOS and changed the default graphics setting from 'Optimus' to 'Discrete' and the install NVIDIA drivers (295.20-1 at time of writing) recognized the screens.

Steps:
# Enter BIOS.
# Find Graphics Settings (should be in tab ''Config > Display'').
# Change 'Graphics Device' to 'Discrete Graphics' (Disables Intel integrated graphics).
# Change OS Detection for Nvidia Optimus to "Disabled".
# Save and exit.

Tested on a Lenovo W520 with a Quadro 1000M and Nvidia Optimus

=== Screen(s) found, but none have a usable configuration ===

On a laptop, sometimes NVIDIA driver cannot find the active screen.
It may be caused because you own a graphic card with vga/tv outs.
You should examine Xorg.0.log to see what is wrong.

Another thing to try is adding invalid {{ic|"ConnectedMonitor" Option}} to {{ic|Section "Device"}}
to force Xorg throws error and shows you how correct it.
[http://http.download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linux-x86/304.51/README/xconfigoptions.html Here]
more about ConnectedMonitor setting.

After re-run X see Xorg.0.log to get valid CRT-x,DFP-x,TV-x values.

{{ic|nvidia-xconfig --query-gpu-info}} could be helpful.

=== No brightness control on laptops ===

Try to add the following line on '''20-nvidia.conf''':
Option "RegistryDwords" "EnableBrightnessControl=1"
If it still not working, you can try install [https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=25467 nvidia-bl] or [https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=50749 nvidiabl].

=== Black Bars while watching full screen flash videos with TwinView ===

Follow the instructions presented here:
[http://al.robotfuzz.com/content/workaround-fullscreen-flash-linux-multiheaded-desktops link].

=== Backlight is not turning off in some occasions ===

By default, DPMS should turn off backlight with the timeouts set or by running xset. However, probably due to a bug in the proprietary Nvidia drivers the result is a blank screen with no powersaving whatsoever. To workaround it, until the bug has been fixed you can use the {{ic|vbetool}} as root.

Install the {{Pkg|vbetool}} package.

Turn off your screen on demand and then by pressing a random key backlight turns on again:

vbetool dpms off && read -n1; vbetool dpms on

Alternatively, xrandr is able to disable and re-enable monitor outputs without requiring root.

xrandr --output DP-1 --off; read -n1; xrandr --output DP-1 --auto

=== Blue tint on videos with Flash ===

A problem with {{Pkg|flashplugin}} versions 11.2.202.228-1 and 11.2.202.233-1 causes it to send the U/V panes in the incorrect order resulting in a blue tint on certain videos. There are a few potential fixes for this bug:

# Install the latest {{Pkg|libvdpau}}.
# Patch {{ic|vdpau_trace.so}} with [https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?pid=1078368#p1078368 this makepkg].
# Right click on a video, select "Settings..." and uncheck "Enable hardware acceleration". Reload the page for it to take affect. Note that this disables GPU acceleration.
# [[Downgrading Packages|Downgrade]] the {{Pkg|flashplugin}} package to version 11.1.102.63-1 at most.
# Use {{AUR|google-chrome}} with the new Pepper API {{AUR|chromium-pepper-flash}}.
# Try one of the few Flash alternatives.

The merits of each are discussed in [https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=137877 this thread].

=== Bleeding overlay with Flash ===

This bug is due to the incorrect colour key being used by the {{Pkg|flashplugin}} version 11.2.202.228-1 and causes the flash content to "leak" into other pages or solid black backgrounds. To avoid this problem simply install the latest {{Pkg|libvdpau}} or export {{ic|1=VDPAU_NVIDIA_NO_OVERLAY=1}} within either your shell profile (E.g. {{ic|~/.bash_profile}} or {{ic|~/.zprofile}}) or {{ic|~/.xinitrc}}

=== Full system freeze using Flash ===

If you experience occasional full system freezes (only the mouse is moving) using flashplugin
and get:

{{hc|/var/log/errors.log|
NVRM: Xid (0000:01:00): 31, Ch 00000007, engmask 00000120, intr 10000000
}}

A possible workaround is to switch off Hardware Acceleration in Flash, setting

{{hc|/etc/adobe/mms.cfg|2=
EnableLinuxHWVideoDecode=0
}}

Or, if you want to keep Hardware acceleration enabled, you may try to::
export VDPAU_NVIDIA_NO_OVERLAY=1

...before starting the browser.
Note that this may introduce tearing.

=== XOrg fails to load or Red Screen of Death ===

If you get a red screen and use GRUB disable the GRUB framebuffer by editing {{ic|/etc/defaults/grub}} and uncomment GRUB_TERMINAL_OUTPUT. For more information see [[GRUB#Disable_framebuffer|GRUB]].

=== Black screen on systems with Intel integrated GPU ===

If you have an Intel CPU with an integrated GPU (e.g. Intel HD 4000) and get a black screen on boot after installing the {{Pkg|nvidia}} package, this may be caused by a conflict between the graphics modules. This is solved by blacklisting the Intel GPU modules. Create the file {{ic|/etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf}} and prevent the ''i915'' and ''intel_agp'' modules from loading on boot:

{{hc|/etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf|
install i915 /usr/bin/false
install intel_agp /usr/bin/false
}}

=== Black screen on systems with VIA integrated GPU ===

As above, blacklisting the ''viafb'' module may resolve conflicts with NVIDIA drivers:

{{hc|/etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf|
install viafb /usr/bin/false
}}

=== X fails with "no screens found" with Intel iGPU ===

Like above, if you have an Intel CPU with an integrated GPU and X fails to start with

[ 76.633] (EE) No devices detected.
[ 76.633] Fatal server error:
[ 76.633] no screens found

then you need to add your discrete card's BusID to your X configuration. Find it:

{{hc|<nowiki># lspci | grep VGA</nowiki>|
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Xeon E3-1200 v2/3rd Gen Core processor Graphics Controller (rev 09)
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: NVIDIA Corporation GK107 [GeForce GTX 650] (rev a1)
}}

then you fix it by adding it to the card's Device section in your X configuration. In my case:

{{hc|/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/10-nvidia.conf|
Section "Device"
Identifier "Device0"
Driver "nvidia"
VendorName "NVIDIA Corporation"
BusID "PCI:1:0:0"
EndSection
}}

Note how {{ic|01:00.0}} is written as {{ic|1:0:0}}.
=== Xorg fails during boot, but otherwise starts fine ===

On very fast booting systems, systemd may attempt to start the display manager before the NVIDIA driver has fully initialized. You will see a message like the following in your logs only when Xorg runs during boot.
{{hc|/var/log/Xorg.0.log|output=
[ 1.807] (EE) NVIDIA(0): Failed to initialize the NVIDIA kernel module. Please see the
[ 1.807] (EE) NVIDIA(0): system's kernel log for additional error messages and
[ 1.808] (EE) NVIDIA(0): consult the NVIDIA README for details.
[ 1.808] (EE) NVIDIA(0): *** Aborting ***
}}
In this case you will need to establish an ordering dependency from the display manager to the DRI device. First create device units for DRI devices by creating a new udev rules file.
{{hc|/etc/udev/rules.d/99-systemd-dri-devices.rules|output=
ACTION=="add", KERNEL=="card*", SUBSYSTEM=="drm", TAG+="systemd"
}}
Then create dependencies from the display manager to the device(s).
{{hc|/etc/systemd/system/display-manager.service.d/10-wait-for-dri-devices.conf|output=
[Unit]
Wants=dev-dri-card0.device
After=dev-dri-card0.device
}}
If you have additional cards needed for the desktop then list them in Wants and After seperated by spaces.
== See also ==

* [http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=14 NVIDIA forums]
* [http://http.download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linux-x86/1.0-7182/README/readme.txt Official readme for NVIDIA drivers]

Latest revision as of 01:53, 11 February 2018

This document will guide you through the process of installing and configuring MediaCenter for Linux. You are advised to read through the document before installing MediaCenter. It assumes some basic knowledge of Linux in general and familiarity working from a terminal. It also assumes an installation on 64-bit distribution as that will most likely be the target system. Installation on a 32-bit system will be very similar and, where applicable, notes will clarify the differences.

Throughout this document you are required to run certain commands in a terminal, sometimes with root permissions. Whether you do that as root itself or using temporarily elevated permissions through sudo is up to you. This document will precede each command with a # or $ sign, signifying whether the command needs to run as root (#) or as a regular user ($). Unless you changed your terminal prompt, it will show this same symbol for root (#) or user ($) on its prompt. You should not include this symbol in your command, it only signifies how the command should be run.

Related articles

Before you begin

MediaCenter is in beta and is under heavy development. As such, it may not work as expected. Although it is considered to be stable enough for regular use it may still show unexpected behavior such as crashes or random refusals to play a track. Please make sure you read through the list of Outstanding issues.

It is strongly advised to make regular backups of your media. There have been no reports of MediaCenter for Linux messing up tags or otherwise corrupting files, but it is still in beta - consider yourself warned. You can configure MediaCenter to not update tags at all, it will only read from your files but that does not negate the fact that you should always have backups.

It is also a good idea to read through the sticky threads on the forums, too.

System requirements

MediaCenter is being developed on Debian Wheezy 32-bit, x86 architecture. It will run on multiarch distributions (64-bit with 32-bit libraries) once the proper 32-bit dependencies are satisfied. See DEPENDENCIES for more information.

MediaCenter requires a CPU that supports SSE2. This means the CPU needs to be from around 2002 or later.

Hardware Requirements (Minimum)

  • Intel or AMD x86 Compatible CPU with SSE2
  • 2GB RAM
  • 300MB free hard drive space for installation (excluding space for digital media)
  • Sound device supported by ALSA
  • Internet connection (recommended)

Software Requirements

Official Support:

  • Debian Wheezy or a similar distribution based on Debian
  • Working Xorg - see Running MC Headless for a minimal installation. GUIfied - MediaCenter should work on any desktop. Its confirmed to work on XFCE, Unity, KDE, Gnome and Cinnamon. MATE and others are untested (try searching Interact). If you know one that works or how to get it working, you are invited to share this on Interact.
  • Working ALSA sound stack

MediaCenter requires:

  • X86 (32-bit)
  • SSE2
  • libc6 >= 2.13
  • libX11-6 >= 2.1.5
  • libcurl3 >= 7.26
  • lame >= 3.99
  • xfonts-75dpi
  • xfonts-100dpi
  • An ALSA device that supports S32_LE
  • On multiarch/multilib systems, all libraries MediaCenter depend on need to be 32-bit.

MediaCenter is known to work on recent versions of Mint, Ubuntu, OpenSuse, Fedora and Arch Linux. However, this is considered experimental and is not guaranteed to work. If you intent to run MediaCenter on such a distribution, you are strongly encouraged to share your experience on Interact.

Limitations

  • Although Linux can run on architectures other than x86 (like ARM or PowerPC for instance), MediaCenter does not run on architectures other than i386 or x86_64.
  • OSS and Pulse are currently not supported by MediaCenter. It may work with Pulse, but it is currently unsupported.
  • MediaCenter can run in server mode on a headless server, but it requires an Xserver running. See Running MC Headless for more information.
  • MediaCenter can run on bleeding edge distributions like Arch Linux. However it is built on Debian Wheezy, so some of the libraries it depends on are older versions not included or compatible with the versions used on bleeding edge distributions. The Troubleshooting section may contain some tips to get it working.

Dependencies

To successfully install MediaCenter, you need to make sure that the following depencies are installed. Installation on a 64-bit system requires multiarch to be enabled for 32-bit compatibility.

To enable multiarch on a 64-bit system, type the following in a terminal:

# dpkg --add-architecture i386

This command require you update. Type:

# apt-get update && apt-get upgrade

If you had not updated in a while, you may get a lot of new packages. Read the output carefully. If it says certain packages are held-back, cancel using CTRL-C and issue the following command instead:

# apt-get update && apt-get dist-upgrade

You should reboot your system when it is done, unless it didn't update anything of course.

Next we are going to install the following packages and libraries:


  • lame
  • musepack-tools
  • xfonts-75dpi
  • xfonts-100dpi
  • vorbis-tools
  • libcurl3:i386
  • libx11-6:i386
  • lib32stdc++6
  • libmpcdec6:i386
  • libc6:i386
  • libstdc++6:i386
  • libcrypto++9:i386
  • libasound2:i386
  • libuuid1:i386
  • libboost-regex1.49.0:i386
  • libicu48:i386

Note: On a 32-bit system, you can install the same libraries by removing ':i386' part.

Unless you're installing on a fresh system you probably have some of these installed already. This doesn't matter as Aptitude will simply skip packages that are already installed. You can install all of them at once by issuing the following command with root privileges from a terminal:

# apt-get install lame musepack-tools xfonts-75dpi xfonts-100dpi vorbis-tools libcurl3:i386 libx11-6:i386 lib32stdc++6 libmpcdec6:i386 \
bc6:i386 libstdc++6:i386 libx11-6:i386 libcrypto++9:i386 libasound2:i386 libuuid1:i386 libboost-regex1.49.0:i386 libicu48:i386

Or, on a 32-bit system (REQUIRES CONFIRMATION):

# apt-get install lame musepack-tools xfonts-75dpi xfonts-100dpi vorbis-tools libcurl3 libx11-6 libstdc++6 libmpcdec6 bc6 libstdc++6 \
libx11-6 libcrypto++9 libasound2 libuuid1 libboost-regex1.49.0 libicu48

Carefully read the output and make sure no packages are being removed.

Installing these packages and libraries do not require a reboot. Other packages these might pull in may require a reboot so to be sure, reboot your system afterwards.

On a fresh install the CD or DVD from which the system was installed might have been added to the sources.list as an available source for packages. It is advised you remove this and use online repositories instead. To do this, edit /etc/apt/sources.list and remove any lines starting with "deb cdrom:". First, make a backup of the current file:

# cp /etc/apt/sources.list{,.bak}

Open the file in nano:

# nano /etc/apt/sources.list

Remove the lines, or comment them out, for example:

# deb cdrom:[Debian GNU/Linux 7 _Wheezy_ - Official Snapshot i386 LIVE/INSTALL Binary 20131014-03:33]/ wheezy main

deb cdrom:[Debian GNU/Linux 7 _Wheezy_ - Official Snapshot i386 LIVE/INSTALL Binary 20131014-03:33]/ wheezy main

Downloading MediaCenter

The latest version of MediaCenter for Linux should be downloaded, this version can be found in one of the stickies on Interact. You can download it from your browser to ~/Downloads, or use the terminal issuing the following command (replace the version/build number with the latest found on the Linux board above):

$ cd ~/Downloads && wget http://files.jriver.com/mediacenter/channels/v19/latest/MediaCenter-19.0.103.deb

Obviously, the directory Downloads should exist under your home directory ;).

Installing MediaCenter

After having satisfied all MediaCenter's dependencies and having downloaded the package to your PC, you can continue with the installation. Change to the directory to which you downloaded, or add the full path on the commandline. Again, change the version/build number for the version you downloaded. Issue the following command from a terminal:

# dpkg -i /location/of/MediaCenter-19.0.103.deb

If the output says it is missing dependencies, leaving unconfigured, you should take note of the packages mentioned. You can try to install them manually, or you can try issuing the following command:

# apt-get install -f

Examine the output carefully, as it may remove packages to satisfy dependencies. This may not always lead to a happy ending - so be careful.

If you run into unresolvable dependencies, have a look at the troubleshooting section, or post your problems on Interact where someone will try to help you resolve the issue.

First Run

When MediaCenter is first run, it will popup a Notification that it will timeout at a certain date. If it pops up a notification that it is has timed out already, you may have installed an older version. Visit Interact and find the latest version in one of the sticky threads from the top of the board. You can simpy install it over the older version, see Upgrading.

Auto Import

MediaCenter will automatically start an Import shortly after startup to scan your home directory for media files. This is fine if your media is located there and you can let it run. If your media is somewhere else, you can cancel this in the lower left hand corner, where there will be a countdown from 45 seconds. Click the X to close the Action Window and not import anything, or click the link to configure Media Import. This automatic import will keep coming back until there is something in its library. There is no way to turn off this behavior.

Note that the option called "Auto-Import" is called "Configure Auto-Import" on Windows. This option allows you to configure how Auto-Import should run.

At the time of writing the browse button does not work, you need to type in the path to the location of the media files you wish to import.

Upgrading from an older version

Download the latest version from Interact and install it, for example:

$ sudo dpkg -i MediaCenter-19.0.xxx.deb

Replace xxx with the build number from the file you downloaded. There are currently no complications or different dependencies. All versions should be able to install the same way.

Library Server Compatibility

MediaCenter for Linux can connect to a MediaCenter Library server running on Windows, Mac OS X or Linux. It will only play Audio however, even if the server is serving video as well. The Linux version currently supports only audio playback.

Configuring MediaCenter

Config Intro.

Sound

ALSA info.

Output Mode

Configuring Resampling with MC.

Headless Configuration

MC GUI via SSH

Troubleshooting