Kernel update halts the system on boot

[SS2000]

I would recommend using the elrepo package for your Nvidia, it just simplifies everything...

Hi,
Thanks. The short answer is, I'm afraid, no it does not. It's taken me three days now to recover from this saga.
I have finally got to the bottom of this, with my limited knowledge, by:
1. The basic VGA resolution is not a viable option. So, reverting to re-installing the NVIDIA run installation file again; but this time minus the switches --no-drm and --no-opengl-files;
2. It compiles the kernels, installs and present you with a beautiful GUI as well. But,...
3. Somehow it has managed to kill the xorg drivers for input devices. Now you do not have access to either mouse or the keyboard. But you have a shiny login screen that you can only look at. The only thing moving is the clock at the top. That means that the thing is alive...;
4. Now, having scratched my head to the point of it bleeding, I will then wonder why and install the mouse and keyboard drivers' packages.
5. I will then reboot [for the umpteenth time as I have edited the grub menu to insert level 3 to get the prompt and remove the rhgb and quiet...] and now the system is back behaving as it should.
6. Now, could someone PLEASE tell me why a simple kernel update should cause this much havoc?
Thank you.

[SS2000]

Shall I re-install the NVidia drivers again to see what happens?

Does that mean you did install them before? If so and if you used the nvidia supplied .run file then yes, each and every time you update/install a new kernel you have to rerun their .run file.

If using the ELRepo packaged versions of those same drivers then you need to keep the ELRepo repo enabled when you yum update as they will update their kmod when it needs it and yum update will pick it up at the same time as the kernel update that needs it.

Hi,
I've now managed to install the drivers and get my system back, as per my last post in reply to 'hunter86_bg.'
May I thank you for all your help and suggestions.
thanks again.

[SS2000]

Hi,
Guess what... [as you have said/already know use the ELRepo packages so as a kernel update would not break it...]
The thing was broken again this morning as a new kernel update [3.10.0-1062.4.1] was released/updated.
As I have lost the will to live, I shall leave it as it is until CentOS 8.2 is out.
Thanks.

[hunter86_bg]

The issue is that the Nvidia driver is built againat the kernel version you currently have. When you update, the new kernel and it's modules do not have Nvidia's driver at all.

3rrd party drivers use a functionality which causes this process (rebuild of Nvidia drivers) to be done automatically whenyou install a new kernel.

Drawback -> you have to wait for a new version when a major release is in the wild (8.0 -> 8.1).

[SS2000]

The issue is that the Nvidia driver is built againat the kernel version you currently have. When you update, the new kernel and it's modules do not have Nvidia's driver at all.

3rrd party drivers use a functionality which causes this process (rebuild of Nvidia drivers) to be done automatically whenyou install a new kernel.

Drawback -> you have to wait for a new version when a major release is in the wild (8.0 -> 8.1).

Thank you.
Yes, I've come to the same conclusion...-->8.XX?

[TrevorH]

That is precisely why we usually recommend using the ELRepo kmod-nvidia packages though I think that these do not yet exist for el8 due to build problems.