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Resolving NVIDIA Driver/Library Version Mismatch Errors

How to fix 'Failed to initialize NVML Driver/library version mismatch' on GPU servers

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Overview

Have you ever installed a GPU driver on your server and encountered the following error when running nvidia-smi?

nvidia-smi
Failed to initialize NVML: Driver/library version mismatch

This error is usually caused by a version mismatch between the NVIDIA driver kernel module and the utility library. This post explains the root cause, step-by-step resolution, and tips to prevent recurrence.


Problem Symptoms

nvidia-smi
Failed to initialize NVML: Driver/library version mismatch


Check with dmesg:

dmesg | grep NVRM
...
NVRM: API mismatch: the client has the version 535.183.06,
NVRM: but this kernel module has the version 535.183.01.

In this example, the utility is version 535.183.06, but the kernel module is 535.183.01—a clear version mismatch.


Root Cause Analysis


Resolution Steps


1. Check Loaded NVIDIA Kernel Modules

lsmod | grep nvidia
...
nvidia              56713216  ...
nvidia_modeset       ...
nvidia_uvm           ...



lsof /dev/nvidia*
kill -9 <PIDs>
lsof /dev/nvidia*  # Repeat until no processes remain


3. Unload NVIDIA Modules

sudo modprobe -r nvidia_uvm nvidia_drm nvidia_modeset nvidia

Note: The unload order matters: uvm → drm → modeset → nvidia


4. Reinstall DKMS or Reboot

sudo dpkg-reconfigure nvidia-dkms-535-server
# or
sudo reboot


5. Verify Normal Operation

nvidia-smi
# Should display driver and CUDA version, GPU list, and no errors


Prevention: Block Unattended Upgrades for NVIDIA Packages


To prevent similar issues, exclude NVIDIA packages from automatic upgrades:

sudo vi /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/50unattended-upgrades
...
Unattended-Upgrade::Package-Blacklist {
  "nvidia-*";
};


Apply the changes:

sudo systemctl restart unattended-upgrades


Conclusion

This troubleshooting scenario is common in GPU server operations. For machine learning and deep learning clusters, managing GPU driver versions is especially critical.

Summary:

By following these steps, you can resolve NVIDIA driver errors and ensure stable GPU operation in your server environment.


References