More on the Kernel 4.14.9 NVIDIA breakage..     Basically, code that should have only gone into 4.15-rc found its way into 4.14.9 – which is why the existing 4.15 NVIDIA patch fixed it..     Thanks to dinosaur_ on the NVIDIA forum, there is a simpler patch available:  https://devtalk.nvidia.com/default/topic/1028016/linux/patch-for-compiling-v384-98-modules-with-linux-v4-14-9-/

There is also a 4.14.10-rc1 patch which is supposed to revert some of the offending changes, at https://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v4.x/stable-review/patch-4.1.10-rc1.xz but this is not recommended, for the simple reasons that a) it fails (..make[2]: execvp: ./sync-check.sh: Permission denied ) and even when this is fixed (make sync-check.sh executable..), then b) the resulting kernel ‘4.14.10-rc1’ does not fix the NVIDIA problem!    Apparently the changes were actually supposed to be applied via git:  https://www.spinics.net/lists/stable/msg207374.html

Bottom line…  If you really want a feature/fix only available in 4.14.9, then use the NVIDIA patch, or wait a short time for 4.14.10 (and keep your fingers crossed that it will actually fix the problem, this time..)    I have tested the simple NVIDIA patch, and the 384.98 driver compile/load now works OK:

...........
ld -r -o /home/rgadsdon/kernel/NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-384.98/kernel/nvidia-modeset/nv-modeset-interface.o /home/rgadsdon/kernel/NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-384.98/kernel/nvidia-modeset/nvidia-modeset-linux.o
 Building modules, stage 2.
 MODPOST 4 modules
 CC /home/rgadsdon/kernel/NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-384.98/kernel/nvidia-drm.mod.o
 LD [M] /home/rgadsdon/kernel/NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-384.98/kernel/nvidia-drm.ko
 CC /home/rgadsdon/kernel/NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-384.98/kernel/nvidia-modeset.mod.o
 LD [M] /home/rgadsdon/kernel/NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-384.98/kernel/nvidia-modeset.ko
 CC /home/rgadsdon/kernel/NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-384.98/kernel/nvidia-uvm.mod.o
 LD [M] /home/rgadsdon/kernel/NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-384.98/kernel/nvidia-uvm.ko
 CC /home/rgadsdon/kernel/NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-384.98/kernel/nvidia.mod.o
 LD [M] /home/rgadsdon/kernel/NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-384.98/kernel/nvidia.ko
make[2]: Leaving directory '/usr/src/linux-4.14.9'
make[1]: Leaving directory '/usr/src/linux-4.14.9'

Robert Gadsdon   December 27, 2017.