Getting Started

So, you've decided to stick with CUDA this far? Well then, let's get down to business! This guide is for setting up CUDA on a Linux platform, namely Ubuntu 11.04 with C++. As work progresses, additional help will be included for other Linux platforms and Windows.

Step 1 : GNU C++ Compiler (g++)

To write code you need a compiler, right? g++ is also needed for the CUDA compiler, as the CUDA compiler uses g++ as the default compiler for the C++ parts of your code. Simply type the following into a terminal:

sudo apt-get install build-essential

From there, assuming you have the right repositories enabled (they should be enabled by default and an internet connection is required), the GNU compiler for C++ will install.

Step 2 : CUDA

Now for the CUDA parts of everything. I learned how to set all of this up via repositories and packages courtesy of Samiux's Blog. Despite it saying it's for Ubuntu 10.10, it works with 11.04 and I would assume 11.10 as well.

Step I : Add CUDA repository to your package manager...

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:aaron-haviland/cuda-4.0
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade

Step II : Install everything...

For 64 bit : sudo apt-get install nvidia-cuda-gdb nvidia-cuda-toolkit nvidia-compute-profiler libnpp4 nvidia-cuda-doc nvidia-current-modaliases libcudart4 libcublas4 libcufft4 libcusparse4 libcurand4 nvidia-current nvidia-opencl-dev nvidia-current-dev nvidia-cuda-dev nvidia-kernel-common opencl-headers

For 32 bit : sudo apt-get install nvidia-cuda-gdb nvidia-cuda-toolkit nvidia-compute-profiler lib32npp4 nvidia-cuda-doc nvidia-current-modaliases lib32cudart4 lib32cublas4 lib32cufft4 lib32cusparse4 lib32curand4 nvidia-current nvidia-opencl-dev nvidia-current-dev nvidia-cuda-dev nvidia-kernel-common opencl-headers

If any of those don't install, the package manager should give you instructions as to how to tweak it so that it does install properly.

Step III : Install NVIDIA drivers if they're not already installed

sudo nvidia-xconfig

Step IV : Reboot

Success!

If you've made it this far without breaking something, then CUDA should be successfully installed on your computer. If you're coming across any system specific errors, or errors you can't solve on your own, a good Google search will uncover plenty of help in the forums. They've always been a go-to whenever I get stuck, so don't be afraid to use them!