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An external module fails the Kernel build

Hello, I am running a Debian distro, and the system has a single external module installed.
I apologize for the lengthy post, but the logs help clarify.

  1. khaled@kh-deb:~$ uname -a
  2. Linux kh-deb 6.12.6-amd64 #1 SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Debian 6.12.6-1 (2024-12-21) x86_64 GNU/Linux
  3.  
  4. khaled@kh-deb:~$ sudo dkms status
  5. nvidia-current/535.216.03, 6.1.0-25-amd64, x86_64: installed
  6. nvidia-current/535.216.03, 6.12.6-amd64, x86_64: installed

I can compile the kernel from source successfully.

  1. khaled@kh-deb:~/linux_work/linux:~$ make mrproper
  2. make defconfig
  3. make CC='ccache gcc' -j$(nproc)
  4. sudo make modules_prepare
  5. sudo make modules_install

But when I install, the dkms autoinstall starts and fails to install 'nvidia-current'

  1. khaled@kh-deb:~/linux_work/linux$ sudo make install
  2. INSTALL /boot
  3. run-parts: executing /etc/kernel/postinst.d/dkms 6.13.0-rc7-00043-g619f0b6fad52 /boot/vmlinuz-6.13.0-rc7-00043-g619f0b6fad52
  4. dkms: running auto installation service for kernel 6.13.0-rc7-00043-g619f0b6fad52.
  5. The kernel is built without module signing facility, modules won't be signed
  6.  
  7. Building module:
  8. Cleaning build area...(bad exit status: 2)
  9. Failed command:
  10. make KERNEL_UNAME=6.13.0-rc7-00043-g619f0b6fad52 clean
  11. Building module(s)...(bad exit status: 2)
  12. Failed command:
  13. env NV_VERBOSE=1 make -j8 modules KERNEL_UNAME=6.13.0-rc7-00043-g619f0b6fad52
  14. Error! Bad return status for module build on kernel: 6.13.0-rc7-00043-g619f0b6fad52 (x86_64)
  15. Consult /var/lib/dkms/nvidia-current/535.216.03/build/make.log for more information.
  16. dkms autoinstall on 6.13.0-rc7-00043-g619f0b6fad52/x86_64 failed for nvidia-current(10)
  17. Error! One or more modules failed to install during autoinstall.
  18. Refer to previous errors for more information.
  19. dkms: autoinstall for kernel: 6.13.0-rc7-00043-g619f0b6fad52 failed!
  20. run-parts: /etc/kernel/postinst.d/dkms exited with return code 11
  21. make[1]: *** [arch/x86/Makefile:321: install] Error 11
  22. make: *** [Makefile:251: __sub-make] Error 2
  23.  

As per the logs, inspecting /var/lib/dkms/nvidia-current/535.216.03/build/make.log

  1. khaled@kh-deb:~/linux_work/linux$ cat /var/lib/dkms/nvidia-current/535.216.03/build/make.log
  2. DKMS make.log for nvidia-current-535.216.03 for kernel 6.13.0-rc7-00043-g619f0b6fad52 (x86_64)
  3. Fri Jan 17 02:01:55 AM EET 2025
  4. Makefile:18: /Kbuild: No such file or directory
  5. make[2]: *** No rule to make target '/Kbuild'. Stop.

So, I refer to the kernel docs about external modules https://docs.kernel.org/kbuild/modules.html#how-to-build-external-modules
And prepare the build and install commands sudo make -C ~/linux_work/linux/ M=$PWD to run from inside /var/libs/dkms/nvidia-currrent/source

  1. khaled@kh-deb:/var/lib/dkms/nvidia-current/535.216.03/source$ sudo make -C ~/linux_work/linux/ M=$PWD
  2. make: Entering directory '/home/khaled/linux_work/linux'
  3. make[1]: Entering directory '/usr/src/nvidia-current-535.216.03'
  4. MODPOST Module.symvers
  5. make[1]: Leaving directory '/usr/src/nvidia-current-535.216.03'
  6. make: Leaving directory '/home/khaled/linux_work/linux'
  7.  
  8. khaled@kh-deb:/var/lib/dkms/nvidia-current/535.216.03/source$ sudo make -C ~/linux_work/linux/ M=$PWD modules_install
  9. make: Entering directory '/home/khaled/linux_work/linux'
  10. make[1]: Entering directory '/usr/src/nvidia-current-535.216.03'
  11. DEPMOD /lib/modules/6.13.0-rc7-00043-g619f0b6fad52
  12. make[1]: Leaving directory '/usr/src/nvidia-current-535.216.03'
  13. make: Leaving directory '/home/khaled/linux_work/linux'

No errors or anything, but I can't find the module installed, I inspect /lib/modules/<new kernel>/ but no upates/ directory, and dmks status doesn't show the new version.

  1. khaled@kh-deb:~/linux_work/linux$ ll /lib/modules/6.13.0-rc7-00043-g619f0b6fad52/
  2. total 204K
  3. drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 4.0K Jan 17 02:23 .
  4. drwxr-xr-x 5 root root 4.0K Jan 17 01:59 ..
  5. lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 32 Jan 17 01:59 build -> /home/khaled/linux_work/linux
  6. drwxr-xr-x 5 root root 4.0K Jan 17 01:59 kernel
  7. -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 862 Jan 17 02:23 modules.alias
  8. -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1.5K Jan 17 02:23 modules.alias.bin
  9. -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 12K Jan 17 01:59 modules.builtin
  10. -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 11K Jan 17 02:23 modules.builtin.alias.bin
  11. -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 15K Jan 17 02:23 modules.builtin.bin
  12. -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 114K Jan 17 01:59 modules.builtin.modinfo
  13. -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 340 Jan 17 02:23 modules.dep
  14. -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 975 Jan 17 02:23 modules.dep.bin
  15. -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 0 Jan 17 02:23 modules.devname
  16. -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 331 Jan 17 01:59 modules.order
  17. -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 89 Jan 17 02:23 modules.softdep
  18. -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 49 Jan 17 02:23 modules.symbols
  19. -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 12 Jan 17 02:23 modules.symbols.bin
  20. -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 55 Jan 17 02:23 modules.weakdep
  21.  
  22. khaled@kh-deb:~/linux_work/linux$ sudo dkms status
  23. nvidia-current/535.216.03, 6.1.0-25-amd64, x86_64: installed
  24. nvidia-current/535.216.03, 6.12.6-amd64, x86_64: installed

Trying to rerun make install in the kernel tree, prints the same issue.

I would appreciate help with understanding the following:

1- What am I missing in this configuration?

2- As an alternative solution that does not use out-of-tree modules, I check nouveau and intel graphics drivers in menuconfig and install, but dkms still pops up breaking the build. I can't find any config in menuconfig to disable 'nvidia-current' proprietary drivers or even all out-of-tree modules.

Thank you.

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