NVIDIA has announced the release of the proprietary driver NVIDIA 615.71.09 (the first stable release of the new 615 branch). The driver is now available for Linux (ARM64, x86_64), FreeBSD (x86_64), and Solaris (x86_64). NVIDIA 615.x marks the fourteenth stable branch since NVIDIA opened kernel-level components. Source texts of the nvidia.ko, nvidia-drm.ko (Direct Rendering Manager), nvidia-modeset.ko, and nvidia-uvm.ko (Unified Video Memory) kernel modules from the new NVIDIA branch, along with common components hosted on GitHub that are not tied to the operating system. The firmware and libraries used in user space, such as CUDA, OpenGL, and Vulkan stacks, remain proprietary.
Main changes:
- Added support for the Vulkan extension VK_NV_low_latency2, allowing the implementation of the NVIDIA Reflex mechanism in API-based games using Vulkan. NVIDIA Reflex aims to reduce delays in rendering graphics by proactively sending commands to create new frames.
- Implemented support for the Vulkan extension VK_EXT_cluster_acceleration_structure, optimizing ray tracing in scenes with high detail.
- Added support for memory partitioning using the cgroups mechanism.
- An NVreg parameter RmDisableDisplayGlitchPerfLimit has been added to the nvidia.ko kernel module, allowing for the reduction of video memory frequency to a minimum level, potentially reducing idle power consumption in certain multi-monitor configurations. Activation can be done using a specific command.
- The parameter UseKernelSuspendNotifiers=1 is now enabled by default in NVreg, ensuring that the nvidia.ko kernel module can handle notifications about entering sleep mode and returning from it to manage the saving/restoring of video memory contents independently.
- Various bug fixes were
/Reports, release notes, official announcements.