[ 21.508049] NVRM: Your system is not currently configured to drive a VGA console
on the primary VGA device. The NVIDIA Linux graphics driver requires the use of a text-mode VGA console. Use of other console drivers including, but not limited to, vesafb, may result in corruption and stability problems, and is not supported.
That message is also placed in /proc/driver/nvidia/warnings/fbdev
Still giving trouble:
As of 2018-01-31, from Ubuntu 16.04 LTS updated today.
Graphics board: GeForce GT 640/PCIe/SSE2
[ 0.684928] fb0: EFI VGA frame buffer device 01:00.0, olddecodes= io+mem, decodes= none:owns= io+mem
...
[ 0.809004] nvidia: module license 'NVIDIA' taints kernel.
[ 0.809006] Disabling lock debugging due to kernel taint
[ 0.812251] nvidia: module verification failed: signature and/or required key missing - tainting kernel
[ 0.815777] nvidia-nvlink: Nvlink Core is being initialized, major device number 247
[ 0.815961] vgaarb: device changed decodes: PCI:0000:
[ 0.816010] NVRM: loading NVIDIA UNIX x86_64 Kernel Module 384.111 Tue Dec 19 23:51:45 PST 2017 (using threaded interrupts)
[ 0.816736] scsi host0: ahci
[ 0.816797] nvidia-modeset: Loading NVIDIA Kernel Mode Setting Driver for UNIX platforms 384.111 Tue Dec 19
...
[ 21.508049] NVRM: Your system is not currently configured to drive a VGA console
requires the use of a text-mode VGA console. Use of other console
drivers including, but not limited to, vesafb, may result in
corruption and stability problems, and is not supported.
on the primary VGA device. The NVIDIA Linux graphics driver
That message is also placed in /proc/driver/ nvidia/ warnings/ fbdev
/proc/driver/ nvidia/ gpus/0000: 01:00.0/ information:
Model: GeForce GT 640 4fff-7179- bbf6-e1f4348104 e5
IRQ: 29
GPU UUID: GPU-fac5d87e-
Video BIOS: 80.07.26.00.40
Bus Type: PCIe
DMA Size: 40 bits
DMA Mask: 0xffffffffff
Bus Location: 0000:01:00.0
Device Minor: 0
So, after all these years, NVidia boards are still not playing well with Ubuntu.