NVQual with RTX Pro 4500

---

Overview

We are still working to find the best approach to run NVQual on the Blackwell series. There are a few known phenomena:

1. When running NVQual, the desktop disappears. We believe that NVQual stops gdm before removing the NVIDIA driver. It seems necessary to communicate with the RGS-9805GC via SSH.

2. It is not necessary to install the NVIDIA driver to run NVQual. It is fine to remove the NVIDIA driver entirely before running NVQual. Furthermore, the nvidia kernel module will no longer affect NVQual, since NVQual on Blackwell stops the desktop GUI (e.g., gdm) and temporarily removes all NVIDIA-related .ko modules during its execution.

3. It is not necessary to install CUDA to run NVQual.

4. After repeated testing, we found that unlike NVQual on the Ada series, NVQual on Blackwell does not require an external mods.ko. The mods module is already embedded as part of the sudo ./nvqual process.

5. The following warning can be ignored, as the GPU tends to downgrade to Gen1 when there is no GPU load. POTENTIALLY FATAL - Pre-Processing Error - 0000:c1:00.0 <-> 0000:c0:01.1 link speed is downgraded to Gen 1, but connection is capable of Gen 5.

---

Access RGS-9805GC via ssh

It seems that the desktop (gdm) stops during NVQual. Let’s try accessing the RGS-9805GC via SSH.

Install SSH

Make the RGS-9805GC could be accessed via ssh

• Enter the following commands on the RGS-9805GC to install ssh

 
## Install ssh
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install openssh-server

## Ensure ssh is running
sudo service ssh start
sudo systemctl enable ssh
sudo systemctl status ssh.service

## Install net-tools to get ip via command line
sudo apt-get install net-tools

ifconfig | grep 172
## inet 172.16.32.146  netmask 255.255.254.0  broadcast 172.16.33.255
## The IP is 172.16.32.146

Run SSH

• Connect to the RGS-9805GC via ssh from another computer running Linux, then open a terminal.

## In the following example:
## dvt is the username.
## 172.16.32.146 is the IP address.
ssh dvt@172.16.32.146
dvt@172.16.32.146's password:

---

GPU Driver Installation

• Ensure that nouveau, the open-source NVIDIA GPU driver, is blacklisted.

# Before blacklisting, the default open-source NVIDIA GPU driver, nouveau, is active.
lsmod | grep nouveau
### nouveau              3014656  0
### mxm_wmi                12288  1 nouveau
### drm_gpuvm              45056  1 nouveau
### gpu_sched              61440  1 nouveau
### drm_ttm_helper         16384  1 nouveau
### ttm                   118784  2 drm_ttm_helper,nouveau
### drm_exec               12288  2 drm_gpuvm,nouveau
### drm_display_helper    278528  1 nouveau
### video                  77824  1 nouveau
### i2c_algo_bit           16384  2 igb,nouveau
### wmi                    28672  4 video,wmi_bmof,mxm_wmi,nouveau

# Edit the blacklist file and add one line
sudo gedit /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
# Add the following line
blacklist nouveau

# After reboot, the nouveau will be blacklsited
sudo reboot

lsmod | grep nouveau 
### There should be no result

• Install the onboard graphics, SM768 driver for RGS-9805GC.

sudo apt-get update

# SM768 Driver 
sudo apt-get install -y smifb2-dkms

# Update initramfs due to new driver installed 
sudo update-initramfs -u
### update-initramfs: Generating /boot/initrd.img-6.14.0-27-generic

sudo reboot

---

Run

cd ~/Desktop/NVIDIA_RTX_PRO_4500_Blackwell_NVQual_v03/

## GPU PCIE Bandwidth Test
sudo ./nvqual --bypass_menu -t 3

## See help
sudo ./nvqual -h

## You will see a text-based menu to set up the testing items.
#### Use the Up and Down arrow keys to navigate through the available options.
#### Press Space to enable the NVQual test items,
#### and then press Enter to proceed with NVQual.
sudo ./nvqual

---

Remote copy the NVQual report from the RGS-9805GC to a remote computer.

Assuming you have already SSHed into the RGS-9805GC:

cd ~/Desktop/NVIDIA_RTX_PRO_4500_Blackwell_NVQual_v03/
ls  # to see all generated reports

Example output:

include                         nvqual_results_20251201_101125  nvqual_results_20251201_111415
nvqual                          nvqual_results_20251201_102806  nvqual_results_20251201_111415.tar.gz
nvqual_results_20251128_183812  nvqual_results_20251201_104402  nvqual_results_20251201_112823
nvqual_results_20251128_184314  nvqual_results_20251201_105434  ReleaseNotes.txt
nvqual_results_20251128_184434  nvqual_results_20251201_110546

Create a compressed archive of the report:

tar zcvf report.tar.gz nvqual_results_20251201_110546
# or using a variable: tar zcvf report.tar.gz $folder_name
cp report.tar.gz /tmp

On the remote computer, copy the report via scp:

cd ~/Desktop
scp dvt@172.16.32.146:/tmp/report.tar.gz .

Then you will have the copied report on your Desktop.