Update removes nvidia-driver-470

[mikewhatever]

An update to linux-signatures-nvidia-6.8.0-79-generic removes nvidia-driver-470 and related packages. This is undesirerable, as that driver is one to support the Nvidia card in question.

I understand that nvidia-driver-470 won't be supported with neweer kernels, but it should keep working for those staying with kernel 6.8.

01:00.0 3D controller [0302]: NVIDIA Corporation GK208M [GeForce 710M] [10de:1295] (rev a1)
        Kernel driver in use: nvidia
        Kernel modules: nvidiafb, nouveau, nvidia_drm, nvidia

sudo apt-get -s dist-upgrade
[sudo] password for xxx:
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
Reading state information... Done
Calculating upgrade... Done
The following packages were automatically installed and are no longer required:
  libatomic1:i386 libbsd0:i386 libdrm-amdgpu1:i386 libdrm-intel1:i386 libdrm2:i386
  libedit2:i386 libelf1t64:i386 libexpat1:i386 libffi8:i386 libgbm1:i386 libgl1:i386
  libgl1-mesa-dri:i386 libglvnd0:i386 libglx-mesa0:i386 libglx0:i386 libicu74:i386
  libllvm20:i386 libnvidia-cfg1-470 libnvidia-common-470 libnvidia-compute-470:i386
  libnvidia-decode-470 libnvidia-decode-470:i386 libnvidia-egl-wayland1
  libnvidia-encode-470 libnvidia-encode-470:i386 libnvidia-extra-470 libnvidia-fbc1-470
  libnvidia-fbc1-470:i386 libnvidia-gl-470 libnvidia-gl-470:i386 libnvidia-ifr1-470
  libnvidia-ifr1-470:i386 libpciaccess0:i386 libpkgconf3 libsensors5:i386
  libstdc++6:i386 libvulkan1:i386 libwayland-client0:i386 libwayland-server0:i386
  libx11-6:i386 libx11-xcb1:i386 libxau6:i386 libxcb-dri3-0:i386 libxcb-glx0:i386
  libxcb-present0:i386 libxcb-randr0:i386 libxcb-shm0:i386 libxcb-sync1:i386
  libxcb-xfixes0:i386 libxcb1:i386 libxdmcp6:i386 libxext6:i386 libxml2:i386
  libxnvctrl0 libxshmfence1:i386 libxxf86vm1:i386 mesa-libgallium:i386
  mesa-vulkan-drivers:i386 nvidia-compute-utils-470 nvidia-kernel-common-470
  nvidia-kernel-source-470 nvidia-prime nvidia-settings nvidia-utils-470 pkg-config
  pkgconf pkgconf-bin screen-resolution-extra xserver-xorg-video-nvidia-470
Use 'sudo apt autoremove' to remove them.
The following packages will be REMOVED:
  linux-modules-nvidia-470-6.8.0-79-generic linux-modules-nvidia-470-generic
  nvidia-driver-470
The following upgrades have been deferred due to phasing:
  openssh-client
The following packages will be upgraded:
  linux-signatures-nvidia-6.8.0-79-generic
1 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 3 to remove and 1 not upgraded.
Remv nvidia-driver-470 [470.256.02-0ubuntu0.24.04.1]
Remv linux-modules-nvidia-470-generic [6.8.0-79.79]
Remv linux-modules-nvidia-470-6.8.0-79-generic [6.8.0-79.79]
Inst linux-signatures-nvidia-6.8.0-79-generic [6.8.0-79.79] (6.8.0-79.79+1 Ubuntu:24.04/noble-updates [amd64])
Conf linux-signatures-nvidia-6.8.0-79-generic (6.8.0-79.79+1 Ubuntu:24.04/noble-updates [amd64]

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 24.04
Package: linux-signatures-nvidia-6.8.0-79-generic 6.8.0-79.79
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 6.8.0-79.79-generic 6.8.12
Uname: Linux 6.8.0-79-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia_modeset nvidia wl
ApportVersion: 2.28.1-0ubuntu3.8
Architecture: amd64
CasperMD5CheckResult: unknown
CurrentDesktop: KDE
Date: Sat Sep 13 21:59:02 2025
InstallationDate: Installed on 2025-03-21 (176 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Kubuntu 24.04.1 LTS "Noble Numbat" - Release amd64 (20240827)
SourcePackage: linux-restricted-signatures
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Daniel Letzeisen (dtl131)]

I agree that they shouldn't drop support in the middle of an LTS cycle, but that is not Ubuntu's policy (see bug 2110338 ).

Instead of using the nvidia-modules package, you may need to use the DKMS package (and self-sign with mokutil for use with SecureBoot if you have that enabled in BIOS/EFI)
sudo apt install nvidia-dkms-470

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Eugene Romanenko (eros2)]

Same issue in 22.04 (jammy) for kernel 5.15:

---
The following packages have unmet dependencies:
 linux-modules-nvidia-470-5.15.0-153-generic : Depends: linux-signatures-nvidia-5.15.0-153-generic (= 5.15.0-153.163) but 5.15.0-153.163+1 is to be installed
E: Unable to correct problems, you have held broken packages.
---

In repo:
Package: linux-signatures-nvidia-5.15.0-153-generic
Version: 5.15.0-153.163+1

while 5.15.0-153.163 required.

[mikewhatever (mikewhatever)]

Alright, I've installed the update, nvidia-driver-470 and modules got uninstalled, and I've reinstalled them right back.
Why was that exercise necessary is unclear.

The bigger problem is that nvidia-driver-470 is to be removed from the archives completely.