2024年9月15日发(作者：安瑾)

Front cover

Using a GPU as a Console

Display Adapter on a Lenovo

ThinkSystem Server running

Linux

Explains how to use a GPU to drive

local video displays

Provides step-by-step instructions

on how to configure Linux

Covers both runlevel 3 text mode

and X server mode

Provides examples using an

NVIDIA GPU

Xiaochun Li

Click here to check for updates

Abstract

All Lenovo® ThinkSystem™ servers have an onboard video adapter to drive the video display

attached to the server’s VGA port. Many ThinkSystem servers also support a Graphics

Processing Unit (GPU), and some of these GPUs offer additional video ports (typically

DisplayPort or HDMI).

GPUs on servers are typically used to offload tasks off the server CPU, including AI, VDI, and

rendering tasks. Customers may want to also use the GPU to drive one or more monitors

locally attached to the server, however, most Linux Server OS releases do not easily enable

such local display support.

This paper provides guidance on enabling GPUs for use with local displays. The paper is for

Linux administrators wishing to use a GPU installed in a ThinkSystem server to drive one or

more local video monitors.

At Lenovo Press, we bring together experts to produce technical publications around topics of

importance to you, providing information and best practices for using Lenovo products and

solutions to solve IT challenges.

See a list of our most recent publications at the Lenovo Press web site:

Do you have the latest version? We update our papers from time to time, so check

whether you have the latest version of this document by clicking the Check for Updates

button on the front page of the PDF. Pressing this button will take you to a web page that

will tell you if you are reading the latest version of the document and give you a link to the

latest if needed. While you’re there, you can also sign up to get notified via email whenever

we make an update.

Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Enabling a GPU in text mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Enabling a GPU when logging in to Linux via the GUI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

References. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Author. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Notices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Trademarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

2

Using a GPU as a Console Display Adapter on a Lenovo ThinkSystem Server running Linux

Introduction

The local console of Linux server operating systems can run in text mode, where the server is

run on runlevel 3, or in graphical mode, where X server is used to provide graphical services

to the local display.

Our testing environment was based on the following servers:

2024年9月15日发(作者：安瑾)

Front cover

Using a GPU as a Console

Display Adapter on a Lenovo

ThinkSystem Server running

Linux

Explains how to use a GPU to drive

local video displays

Provides step-by-step instructions

on how to configure Linux

Covers both runlevel 3 text mode

and X server mode

Provides examples using an

NVIDIA GPU

Xiaochun Li

Click here to check for updates

Abstract

All Lenovo® ThinkSystem™ servers have an onboard video adapter to drive the video display

attached to the server’s VGA port. Many ThinkSystem servers also support a Graphics

Processing Unit (GPU), and some of these GPUs offer additional video ports (typically

DisplayPort or HDMI).

GPUs on servers are typically used to offload tasks off the server CPU, including AI, VDI, and

rendering tasks. Customers may want to also use the GPU to drive one or more monitors

locally attached to the server, however, most Linux Server OS releases do not easily enable

such local display support.

This paper provides guidance on enabling GPUs for use with local displays. The paper is for

Linux administrators wishing to use a GPU installed in a ThinkSystem server to drive one or

more local video monitors.

At Lenovo Press, we bring together experts to produce technical publications around topics of

importance to you, providing information and best practices for using Lenovo products and

solutions to solve IT challenges.

See a list of our most recent publications at the Lenovo Press web site:

Do you have the latest version? We update our papers from time to time, so check

whether you have the latest version of this document by clicking the Check for Updates

button on the front page of the PDF. Pressing this button will take you to a web page that

will tell you if you are reading the latest version of the document and give you a link to the

latest if needed. While you’re there, you can also sign up to get notified via email whenever

we make an update.

Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Enabling a GPU in text mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Enabling a GPU when logging in to Linux via the GUI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

References. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Author. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Notices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Trademarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

2

Using a GPU as a Console Display Adapter on a Lenovo ThinkSystem Server running Linux

Introduction

The local console of Linux server operating systems can run in text mode, where the server is

run on runlevel 3, or in graphical mode, where X server is used to provide graphical services

to the local display.

Our testing environment was based on the following servers: