NVIDIA / NVIDIA/nvidia-installer

Feature request: option to skip root/euid check (e.g., `--no-check-root`)

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Dominant language
C
Stars
158
Forks
36
PR merge metrics
No merged PRs in 30d

Description

nvidia-installer requires euid == 0 and exits with an error otherwise (misc.c:check_euid()). When building RPM packages in a mock chroot, the build runs as a non-root user (mockbuild). This means packagers have to use fakeroot to satisfy the check, which adds a build dependency and another layer of complexity.

For packaging use cases (where the installer is writing to a buildroot, not the live system), the root check isn't necessary. Would it be possible to add an option like --no-check-root or --skip-root-check to bypass this?

This is already a pattern in the installer, like for example, --skip-module-load and --no-check-for-alternate-installs allow skipping other checks that don't apply during packaging.

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First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start at misc.c:check_euid() and trace how existing options such as --skip-module-load and --no-check-for-alternate-installs are declared and handled. Add the packaging-oriented root-check option, ensure it bypasses the non-root failure without changing normal checks, and verify that the installer accepts it.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
c
Domain
cli
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
2/5
Estimated time
1-3 hours
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
72/100

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