Installing CUDA Toolkit for use with VTD

After successfully installing the NVIDIA GPU driver and disabling the Nouveau driver (which is essential for proper NVIDIA GPU functionality), the next critical step in preparing a Linux system for VTD is the installation of the CUDA Toolkit. This is crucial in ensuring VTD can leverage GPU acceleration for simulation rendering and computation, especially in high-performance driving simulation scenarios.
Here's a step-by-step guide

1. Verify NVIDIA Driver Installation:

   • Reboot the system to finalise driver changes.

   • Use the nvidia-smi command to ensure the NVIDIA GPU is recognized and operational.
     This command should show active NVIDIA processes and driver information, confirming proper installation.

2. Confirm Nouveau Driver is Disabled:

   • Run dmesg | grep nouveau command to check if the Nouveau driver is loaded.

   • An empty output indicates that Nouveau is successfully disabled, which is necessary for the NVIDIA driver and CUDA to function correctly.

3. System Update Before CUDA Installation:

   • As a precaution, update the package lists and upgrade existing packages using: sudo apt update and sudo apt upgrade
This ensures compatibility and avoids potential conflicts during the CUDA installation.

4. Install the CUDA Toolkit:

   • Use the package manager to install the toolkit: sudo apt install nvidia-cuda-toolkit
     This command installs the necessary development tools, libraries, and binaries needed for GPU-accelerated computation in applications like VTD.

5. Final Reboot:

   • Reboot the system again to apply changes and ensure all CUDA components are properly initialized.

For a detailed demonstration, do check out the video