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nvidia-driver-updates.md

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Updating Custom NVIDIA Drivers in NixOS

This guide explains how to update the NVIDIA driver version using the mkDriver override, which is currently configured for the ninja host to use the open kernel modules for the RTX 50-series.

1. Where to Look for Updates

To find new driver versions, you can check the following sources:

Note: Ensure that the version you select has matching tags in the nvidia-settings and nvidia-persistenced GitHub repositories, as well as an available .run file on the NVIDIA CDN.

2. Locating the Configuration

The custom driver configuration is located in the NVIDIA specific module for the host (e.g., hosts/ninja/nvidia.nix). Look for the package definition under hardware.nvidia:

hardware.nvidia = {
  package = config.boot.kernelPackages.nvidiaPackages.mkDriver {
    version = "590.44.01";
    sha256_64bit = "sha256-VbkVaKwElaazojfxkHnz/nN/5olk13ezkw/EQjhKPms=";
    sha256_aarch64 = "sha256-gpqz07aFx+lBBOGPMCkbl5X8KBMPwDqsS+knPHpL/5g=";
    openSha256 = "sha256-ft8FEnBotC9Bl+o4vQA1rWFuRe7gviD/j1B8t0MRL/o=";
    settingsSha256 = "sha256-wVf1hku1l5OACiBeIePUMeZTWDQ4ueNvIk6BsW/RmF4=";
    persistencedSha256 = "sha256-nHzD32EN77PG75hH9W8ArjKNY/7KY6kPKSAhxAWcuS4=";
  };
};

3. How to Update and Generate Hashes

Nix strictly enforces checksums (SHA256) for all downloaded packages. When you bump the version string, the URLs change, meaning the hashes will no longer match the new files.

There are two primary methods to generate the new hashes.

Method A: The "Trust on First Use" (Fail & Copy) Method - Recommended

The easiest way to update is to intentionally fail the build and let Nix tell you the correct hashes.

  1. Update the Version: Change the version string in nvidia.nix to the new version (e.g., "595.xx.xx").

  2. Clear the Hashes: Set all the hash fields to an empty string ("" or lib.fakeHash).

    version = "595.xx.xx";
sha256_64bit = "";
sha256_aarch64 = "";
openSha256 = "";
settingsSha256 = "";
persistencedSha256 = "";

  3. Rebuild the System: Run your normal rebuild command.

    sudo nixos-rebuild switch --flake .#ninja

  4. Copy the Hashes: The build will fail with a "hash mismatch" error for the first package it tries to download. It will show you an output like:

    error: hash mismatch in fixed-output derivation '/nix/store/...':
  specified: sha256-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA=
  got:       sha256-ActualCorrectHashGoesHere1234567890abcdefg=

  5. Paste and Repeat: Paste the got: hash into the corresponding field in nvidia.nix. Run the rebuild command again. It will fail on the next missing hash. Repeat this process until all 5 hashes are filled in and the build succeeds.

Method B: Pre-fetching the Hashes via CLI (Advanced)

If you prefer to get all the hashes up front without failing the rebuild multiple times, you can use nix-prefetch-url.

Replace VERSION in the commands below with your target version (e.g., 590.44.01). Note: We pass --type sha256 to ensure it outputs a standard Nix hash.

1. sha256_64bit (The main driver .run file):

nix-prefetch-url https://download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linux-x86_64/VERSION/NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-VERSION.run

2. sha256_aarch64 (The ARM driver .run file):

nix-prefetch-url https://download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linux-aarch64/VERSION/NVIDIA-Linux-aarch64-VERSION.run

3. openSha256 (The Open Kernel Modules source):

nix-prefetch-url --unpack https://github.com/NVIDIA/open-gpu-kernel-modules/archive/refs/tags/VERSION.tar.gz

4. settingsSha256 (The nvidia-settings utility source):

nix-prefetch-url --unpack https://github.com/NVIDIA/nvidia-settings/archive/refs/tags/VERSION.tar.gz

5. persistencedSha256 (The nvidia-persistenced utility source):

nix-prefetch-url --unpack https://github.com/NVIDIA/nvidia-persistenced/archive/refs/tags/VERSION.tar.gz

Note: For the GitHub archives (openSha256, settingsSha256, persistencedSha256), we use --unpack because Nix unpacks these repositories during the build process, and the hash represents the unpacked contents.

4. Applying the Update

Once you have filled in the version and all 5 hashes, run your rebuild command:

sudo nixos-rebuild switch --flake .#ninja

If the screen goes black or you experience issues, you can always reboot and select the previous NixOS generation from the boot menu.

Troubleshooting

  • 404 Errors on GitHub Packages: Occasionally, NVIDIA might not publish an open-kernel-modules, settings, or persistenced tag at the exact same time as a beta/developer driver release. If nix-prefetch-url returns a 404, the version is not fully available across all necessary repos yet. You will have to wait, or use the last stable version.
  • aarch64 missing: If the ARM64 driver is missing but you only use x86_64, you can usually leave the sha256_aarch64 hash as a fakeHash (or the previous working hash), as Nix will only attempt to download and verify the x86_64 driver on your x86_64 machine.