Fixing DisplayLink Connection Issues on Linux Kernel 6.18

If you recently performed a full system upgrade and found your DisplayLink monitors stopped working, the culprit is likely a compatibility gap between the Linux Kernel and the "evdi" driver.

When the Linux Kernel updates (in this case, from 6.17 to 6.18), the internal rules for how hardware communicates with software often change. If the driver isn't updated to match these new rules, it fails to "build," leaving your external monitors disconnected.

THE PROBLEM: WHY THE BUILD FAILED

The transition to Kernel 6.18 introduced changes to the Direct Rendering Manager (DRM) subsystem. The older evdi version (1.14.9) was written using instructions that the new Kernel no longer recognizes.

Specific technical errors included:

Missing "struct_mutex": A component the driver expected to find in the Kernel is gone.

API Changes: Functions used to create "framebuffers" (the images sent to your screen) now require different technical arguments.

THE SOLUTION: STEP-BY-STEP FIX

To resolve this, we manually upgrade the evdi driver to version 1.14.15, which contains the necessary code fixes for Kernel 6.18.

STEP 1: CONFIRM THE FAILURE

Check your logs to ensure the error matches the DRM API changes:

cat /var/lib/dkms/evdi/1.14.9/build/make.log

STEP 2: DOWNLOAD THE UPDATED SOURCE

We need the source code for v1.14.15 (released Feb 2026).

cd /tmp
curl -sL https://api.github.com/repos/DisplayLink/evdi/tarball/v1.14.15 \
-o evdi-1.14.15.tar.gz
tar xzf evdi-1.14.15.tar.gz

STEP 3: REMOVE THE BROKEN MODULE

Clear the old, incompatible version from the DKMS tree:

dkms remove evdi/1.14.9 --all

STEP 4: INSTALL THE NEW SOURCE

Move the updated files into the system source directory:

mkdir -p /usr/src/evdi-1.14.15

cp -r /tmp/DisplayLink-evdi-/module/ /usr/src/evdi-1.14.15/

STEP 5: UPDATE THE VERSION CONFIG

Tell DKMS that this folder contains version 1.14.15:

sed -i 's/PACKAGE_VERSION=.*/PACKAGE_VERSION="1.14.15"/' /usr/src/evdi-1.14.15/dkms.conf

STEP 6: BUILD AND INSTALL

Compile the driver specifically for your new 6.18 kernel:

dkms add evdi/1.14.15

dkms build evdi/1.14.15

dkms install evdi/1.14.15

RESULTS AND VERIFICATION

After running the installation, verify that the module is correctly loaded:

dkms status evdi

You should see: "evdi/1.14.15, ... installed".

Once you reboot your computer, the new Kernel will load the functional driver, and your DisplayLink displays should activate normally.

SUMMARY NOTES

REBOOT: A full restart is required to switch to the new kernel and driver.

PACKAGING: This was a manual fix. If your Linux distribution (like Fedora or Ubuntu) releases an official updated DisplayLink RPM/DEB package later, it is recommended to install that to stay on the standard update path.

SYSTEM STABILITY: This fix specifically addresses the build errors. If you experience flickering, ensure you haven't disabled any critical power management settings.