VirtualGL | Documentation / Headless nVidia Mini How-To

VirtualGL works fine with headless nVidia GPUs (Tesla), but there are a few additional steps that need to be performed in order to run a headless 3D X server on those GPUs. These steps should be performed after installing the nVidia proprietary driver but before configuring VirtualGL:

Run nvidia-xconfig --query-gpu-info to obtain the bus ID of the GPU. Example:
```
GPU #0:
  Name      : Tesla M60
  ...
  PCI BusID : PCI:136:0:0
```
Create an appropriate xorg.conf file for headless operation:
```
sudo nvidia-xconfig -a --allow-empty-initial-configuration --use-display-device=None \
--virtual=1920x1200 --busid {busid}
```
Replace {busid} with the bus ID you obtained in Step 1. Leave out --use-display-device=None if the GPU is headless, i.e. if it has no display outputs.
If you are using version 440.xx or later of the nVidia proprietary driver, then edit xorg.conf and add
```
Option "HardDPMS" "false"
```
under the Device or Screen section.
Proceed with the VirtualGL configuration instructions.