Fedora Rawhide tips

Fedora Rawhide is bleeding edge version of Fedora (in scope similar to openSUSE Tumbleweed).

• Docs are on: https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/releases/rawhide/
• Latest ISO can be downloaded from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Workstation/x86_64/iso/

I tested: https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Workstation/x86_64/iso/Fedora-Workstation-Live-x86_64-Rawhide-20250125.n.0.iso

NVIDIA GT 218 tips

I have following card on old PC (output fromlspci):

VGA compatible controller: NVIDIA Corporation GT218 [GeForce 210] (rev a2)

If you boot latest rawhide you will likely need this hack if Login screen will not appear:

• press Ctrl-Alt-F3 to get working text console

• login as root without password (there is also liveinst user but it has unknown password)

• append to your /etc/environment:

  MUTTER_DEBUG_USE_KMS_MODIFIERS=0
  

• restart GDM with systemctl restart gdm

• you may need to press Alt-F1 (you should see blinking text cursor) and then Alt-F2 (you should see blank screen and few seconds later Login screen)

• now you can try login as Live User (no password required on GDM).

Screen corruption after Login:

• in my case there was completely screwed screen after login - just random garbage on top, nothing else visible
• it somehow caused by some settings of user liveuser

To fix it

• again press Ctrl-Alt-F3 to get working console:

• to workaround that I have to create new user (aa) in example:

  /usr/sbin/useradd -G wheel aa
  passwd aa
  

• now again press Alt-F1 and later Alt-F2 to get GDM login screen

• login as user aa with your password

• GNOME should work normally

• press Win+A to get Application search

• type term - show show "Terminal" application

• click on Terminal to run terminal

• inside terminal simply run liveinst

• you will be asked for your password to proceed

• now liveinst should normally proceed

• after installation but before reboot remember to copy your working environment:

  cp /etc/environment /sysimage/etc/
  # confirm overwrite
  

• now you can safely reboot

Here is output from inxi -Gxxx on graphics:

Graphics:
  Device-1: NVIDIA GT218 [GeForce 210] vendor: ZOTAC driver: nouveau v: kernel
    arch: Tesla pcie: speed: 2.5 GT/s lanes: 16 ports: active: HDMI-A-1
    empty: DVI-I-1,VGA-1 bus-ID: 06:00.0 chip-ID: 10de:0a65 class-ID: 0300
    temp: 43.0 C
  Display: wayland server: Xwayland v: 24.1.4 compositor: gnome-shell
    v: 48.alpha driver: gpu: nouveau display-ID: 0
  Monitor-1: HDMI-A-1 model: VG249Q3A serial: R8LMTF128348 res: 1920x1080
    dpi: 93 size: 527x296mm (20.75x11.65") diag: 604mm (23.8") modes:
    max: 1920x1080 min: 720x400
  API: EGL v: 1.5 hw: drv: nvidia nouveau platforms: device: 0 drv: nouveau
    device: 1 drv: swrast gbm: drv: nouveau surfaceless: drv: nouveau wayland:
    drv: nouveau x11: drv: nouveau
  API: OpenGL v: 4.5 compat-v: 3.3 vendor: mesa v: 24.3.3 glx-v: 1.4
    direct-render: yes renderer: NVA8 device-ID: 10de:0a65 display-ID: :0.0
  Info: Tools: api: eglinfo,glxinfo x11: xdriinfo, xdpyinfo, xprop, xrandr

[!WARNING] Performance is poor, but it is expected (nouvau driver will never match old binary drivers from NVIDIA). It is miracle that it still works.