manually change symlinks for headers/custom kernel

[darksky]

I'm running Debian and I compiled my own kernel. I noticed that if I delete the ~/linux-2.6.29 dir where I built my kernel-image and kernel-headers, the nvidia installer fails to run complaining that it can't find the source directory. I think noticed that there are two symlinks in my /lib/modules/2.6.29-em64t:

build -> /home/stuff/linux-2.6.29-em64t

I changed them both to point to the headers in /usr/src but the nvidia installer still complained that it can't find the source. What am I doing wrong?

build -> /usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.29-em64t

[loomsen]

The nvidia driver isn't build as a kernel module driver like any other driver due to its closed source. Actually a layer is created to make the linux kernel (non binary modules) and the nvidia (binary) driver interact.

Thats basically why...

cat /usr/src/nvidia-180.37/README

...
...
...
If you build your own kernel, please
make sure it remains configured (do not run `make mrproper`).

[darksky]

So that means I must have the kernel source on the file system??? I know that's not true because if I boot into the distro's kernel which only has the kernel headers installed, I am able to build an nvidia module for it just fine.

[xbobmx]

Have you tried this:

Originally Posted by `nvidia-installer -A`

--kernel-source-path=KERNEL-SOURCE-PATH
The directory containing the kernel source files that
should be used when compiling the NVIDIA kernel module.
When not specified, the installer will use
'/lib/modules/`uname -r`/build', if that directory exists.
Otherwise, it will use '/usr/src/linux'.

[zander]

You need to have a subset of a configured Linux kernel source tree matching the running kernel installed on your system. This subset needs to include more files than just the kernel header files, but is much smaller than the complete source tree. Take a look at what your distribution's linux-headers package provides. You won't need to specify --kernel-source-path unless the symlinks under /lib/modules are broken or point to an incomplete set of kernel development files.