WAY cool ...

Ok, I tried what I suggested I may have messed up ... Note for you Linux guys ... you cannot have the restricted driver installed/selected in the system ... or you will get a "silent fail" ... I removed the restricted driver and now the NVIDIA control panel says I have 180.22 installed ... have not rebooted yet, so not sure if it will stick ... more to follow ...

{edit}

Ok, the drivers survived a re-boot ... but the BOINC Manager still says no co-processors ... I guess I have to canabalize the 9800 GT to see if it will see that with the new drivers ...

{edit 2}

Put the 9800GT in, The systems sees it, Nvidia says it is the active card (only one plugged in), BOINC says no coprocessors ... I am using 6.2.14 BOINC, is there a better version for Linux?

---

WAY cool ...

Ok, I tried what I suggested I may have messed up ... Note for you Linux guys ... you cannot have the restricted driver installed/selected in the system ... or you will get a "silent fail" ... I removed the restricted driver and now the NVIDIA control panel says I have 180.22 installed ... have not rebooted yet, so not sure if it will stick ... more to follow ...

{edit}

Ok, the drivers survived a re-boot ... but the BOINC Manager still says no co-processors ... I guess I have to canabalize the 9800 GT to see if it will see that with the new drivers ...

{edit 2}

Put the 9800GT in, The systems sees it, Nvidia says it is the active card (only one plugged in), BOINC says no coprocessors ... I am using 6.2.14 BOINC, is there a better version for Linux?

Try the 6.4.5 Version, thats what I used. I still can't get the 180.22 Drivers to install even by De-activating the restricted Drivers ...

Try the 6.4.5 Version, thats what I used. I still can't get the 180.22 Drivers to install even by De-activating the restricted Drivers ...

Well, I downloaded it, when I run the script it unfolds into a folder ... the problem is that I have the package install and I can't figure out how to get the "new" boinc to go where the old one is, or if I stop the old boinc to get the new one to run ...

I am sure if they worked at it this could be made harder ... I know Linux guys love to play on the terminal and type madly away ... or something ... much as I hate windows, most of the time you just have to plug it in and it runs ...

SO, I have the video drivers installed and they seem to be recognized, but the version of BOINC that the package manager knows about is only 6.2.14 and though it says that it sees no coprocessors I don't think that is because the driver is not right ... it is the latest 180.22 ... all I am left to wonder if the version of BOINC is too early to be able to detect c-processors ...

I mean, I could see that the 8500GT might not be recognized, but the 9800GT should have been when I moved it ... Nvidia knew that it was the other card ... heck, it even now knows that I have a NEC LCD 2010 display ...

Well, I have used up my quota of effort for the nonce ... time to think on something else ...

---

Try the 6.4.5 Version, thats what I used. I still can't get the 180.22 Drivers to install even by De-activating the restricted Drivers ...

Well, I downloaded it, when I run the script it unfolds into a folder ... the problem is that I have the package install and I can't figure out how to get the "new" boinc to go where the old one is, or if I stop the old boinc to get the new one to run ...

Un-install the old one first, the new one v6.4.5 won't go where the old one is anyway and they would/will conflict with each other.

Then put the v6.4.5 file in the tmp directory, then set the Permissions & Execution through the Properties of the v6.4.5 file.

Then Type > /tmp/boinc_6.4.5_x86-pc-linux-gnu.sh < or whatever your file is to perform the installation **Note > if that don't work then try > sh /tmp/boinc_6.4.5_x86-pc-linux-gnu.sh

Then when you want to run BOINC you can do it 2 ways:

1. Using the Terminal just type > sudo /root/BOINC/run_manager & hit enter, you will be asked for your password & once entered BOINC will start up & the BOINC Manager will appear on the Desktop ...

2. Or do it the lazy way like I do & create a shortcut/link on the Top Panel from the run_manager in BOINC Directory. The BOINC Directory should be in the Root Directory now instead of where ever the old one was ...

Try the 6.4.5 Version, thats what I used. I still can't get the 180.22 Drivers to install even by De-activating the restricted Drivers ...

Well, I downloaded it, when I run the script it unfolds into a folder ... the problem is that I have the package install and I can't figure out how to get the "new" boinc to go where the old one is, or if I stop the old boinc to get the new one to run ...

Un-install the old one first, the new one v6.4.5 won't go where the old one is anyway and they would/will conflict with each other.

Then put the v6.4.5 file in the tmp directory, then set the Permissions & Execution through the Properties of the v6.4.5 file.

Then Type > /tmp/boinc_6.4.5_x86-pc-linux-gnu.sh < or whatever your file is to perform the installation **Note > if that don't work then try > sh /tmp/boinc_6.4.5_x86-pc-linux-gnu.sh

Then when you want to run BOINC you can do it 2 ways:

1. Using the Terminal just type > sudo /root/BOINC/run_manager & hit enter, you will be asked for your password & once entered BOINC will start up & the BOINC Manager will appear on the Desktop ...

2. Or do it the lazy way like I do & create a shortcut/link on the Top Panel from the run_manager in BOINC Directory. The BOINC Directory should be in the Root Directory now instead of where ever the old one was ...

Geeze ...

The heck with it ... too hard for now ...

I have not found where they stashed the data directory ...

---

I have not found where they stashed the data directory

How did you install BOINC in the 1'st place, through the Synaptic Package Manager ??? If so just use the Package Manager to Un-install it again. Do a Search for BOINC with the Package Manager and the Installations should come up, Mark them for Deletion & Delete ...

If you installed BOINC some other way then all you could do is maybe use the Add-Delete Program, or do a Complete File Search for BOINC & Delete everything that comes up in the Search except for files you Downloaded ...

...... looks like you guys have had time to grow a Goatee and wear sandals whilst going thru this (.... hang on, wait the Goatee is good!) so, apart from the fact the GTX295 doesn't work under windows do we now all believe that it is easier to use the MS road!

Flames are good - it's cold here today ...!

...... looks like you guys have had time to grow a Goatee and wear sandals whilst going thru this (.... hang on, wait the Goatee is good!) so, apart from the fact the GTX295 doesn't work under windows do we now all believe that it is easier to use the MS road!

Flames are good - it's cold here today ...!

I have 7 units running virtually flawlessly that are on Ubuntu 8.04. Granted my gpus are not the calibre being discussed here.

The initial learning curve for Linux was tedious but I can put a Linux box online crunching GPU and another boinc project in less than 15 min. It is not that tough.

edit, cpu usage is 9% or less.

---

mike

I have not found where they stashed the data directory ...

You mean .../BOINC/projects?

so, apart from the fact the GTX295 doesn't work under windows do we now all believe that it is easier to use the MS road!

Ha!
So much easier when you accept as a given fact that your software just doesn't work.
Why worry? ;-)

Paul, I remember this "user has to be added to group "video", otherwise BOINC can't see the GPU as co-processor". Did you already do this?

And, BTW, I'm also running BOINC on some Ubuntu boxes. They keep updating all the time and like to be restarted, but I don't want to do this because after a restart I have to search where BOINC is installed.. which I have usually long forgotten when I need to do it again :p

but 6.61 is no faster than 6.55 ... I think I read that ETA said that the problems are harder, in which case then there is a speed up, but it is swamped by the increased complexity ...

Some (or all?) of the new WUs with differt credits are more complex and hence the time per step increases, so you can only compare times for similar WUs. 6.61 is no magic bullet and in 3+1 mode it's likely as fast as 6.55, but it does help a bit in 4+1 mode under win due to the higher cpu use.. but we probably shouldn't discuss this issue in this thread again :D

MrS

---

Scanning for our furry friends since Jan 2002

Remember that BOINC added CUDA capability the first time to the 6.3.x series, followed by the 6.4.x series.
The 6.2.x family was not yet CUDA capable.
So under Linux you have to make sure to install a 6.3.x or above.

Kind regards

Alain

I have more problems with the 'packaged' boinc installs. Because of this I use the install script from the official boinc site. I know where everything is installed and controlling the version is easier.

The docs state that linux 6.4.5 was the first version to support GPU's.

When installing boinc from the install script (I'm on Fedora 10).
1. Place the install script in the directory you want boinc to reside. Your home directory works just fine.
2. 'cd' to the directory you have chosen.
3. Run the install script, boinc will be extracted/created in your CURRENT path.
4. A new directory will be created called 'BOINC'. All files boinc uses will be located here.
5. cd to 'BOINC' and use './run_manager' to get things started.
6. To upgrade to a new version of boinc, shut down boinc from the manager or 'boinccmd --quit' and follow the above procedure.

You can copy the BOINC directory to a new location but rerun the boinc install script at the new location after the copy. This is needed because there are scripts generated (e.g. run_manager) that cd to the directory boinc was originally installed.

After installing the nvidia driver (downloaded from nvidia) correctly, I didn't have to change any permissions or groups for boinc to see the GPU. Except... I was trying to start boinc from cron (the linux scheduler) at boot time but it failed to see the GPU. I believe this was because boinc was starting before linux entered run level 5 (graphics). It doesn't appear the nvidia divers are initialized until run level 5.

Curt

I am just going to stream of consiousness here rather than try to cite and attribute.

I appreciate the feedback and when I have the energy built up again I will take another whack at it ... I do appreciate ya'll hanging in there with me through this adventure ...

I am built kinda funny so I hate to waste work that I have signed up to do ... so that is why it was important for me to find the place where they stashed the work. I would have thought the Linux script did the sandbox thing similarly to the way it was done on OS-X or Windows. Apparently that is not the case for the "Official" install ... that is why it is/was important for me to find the data directory.

The 295 card *I* have is working nicely thank you very much ... of course I am using XP Pro 32-bit while I know PoorBoy for example is using 64-bit which explains some of the differences / difficulties.

I also have a GTX 280 and 9800GT working too ... the only card that is NOT working seems to be because of unrelated issues with Linux. Though what exactly the problem is I am still not sure. The 6.2.x I have says that it looked for co-processors and did not find any so I was assuming (bad idea maybe) that it was capable of running or at least of detecting the Card.

I do know that I can un-install using the package manager, again, I was hoping to do more of a migrate. The package install does seem to have been more inline with what I desire with my set-up with a nice menu option to load the GUI and the automated startup on boot. Two more things the official script does not seem to handle.

Ok, I need to, it looks like, do at least two more things to get CUDA to work, uplevel to a newer version and possibly add / change group permissions. Though when I just looked, there was no group video in my system. I just tried adding myself to the BOINC group to see if that makes a difference. Other wise I will try to add the group video and see if that makes a change.



As to the software not working. I have not had any troubles with the GPU Grid application. So far all my troubles have been with the OS or video drivers ... not the application itself. I think I have only had one task error our, a couple re-called and *I* dont feel that this is too bad of an effort on the part of the project. Especially for a new technology addition to BOINC.

That does not mean tjhat I am happy with the way the application executes, but I am not that thirlled with FreeHAL issuing about 10K tasks that all failed and only updating the application after we blew through the whole string of tasks ...



{edit}

Well, I fiddled some more ... new stop ...

I tired the install script again just to see if the 6.4.5 would work and so I let it create a directory and in terminal watched the running of the script. It runs and makes the folder... cd to BOINC ... run the command line as prompted and I get "cannot execute binary file" error ... all the scripts and the binary files in the directory have the execute (+x) set for all three classes ... sigh ...

SO, until I get another bright idea I am stuck again ... why it cannot run a binary that has run permissions set is past me for the moment.

---

I tired the install script again just to see if the 6.4.5 would work and so I let it create a directory and in terminal watched the running of the script. It runs and makes the folder... cd to BOINC ... run the command line as prompted and I get "cannot execute binary file" error ... all the scripts and the binary files in the directory have the execute (+x) set for all three classes ... sigh ...

SO, until I get another bright idea I am stuck again ... why it cannot run a binary that has run permissions set is past me for the moment.

For reference, I used the "boinc_6.4.5_x86_64-pc-linux-gnu.sh" install package while signed in as the regular user who would eventually run BOINC on the system. The user install puts everything into a single folder under the user's home folder. Don't move the folder after the install, because "run_manager" depends upon the location that you specified during the run of the install script.

My working system also has that user added to the system's "video" group. So for example, "/etc/group" could contain "video:x:44:cudauser,myself", where both myself and cudauser are allowed access.

Use your favorite Users and Groups utility to add your users to the video group, or feel free to call up your favorite text editor as admin. Just don't accidently delete or corrupt this file, because it's important for functioning of the entire system. :-) Also when you first add a user to a group, that user may have to sign in again for the updated group permissions to take effect.

I'm RMA'ing the GTX 295 I have tomorrow, I talked to TigerDirect & they okayed the RMA and said they would ship out another 1 to me as soon as they got confirmation the one I have was shipped back to them. That's unusual a Company would ship a new item when they don't have the old part in their hands but if they do it's okay with me & I should have a different one by mid to the end of the week.

I did manage to run 4-5 Wu's with the 295 in Linux Here but wasn't happy with the way it was running. The system was very sluggish, so I switched back over to Windows. The 181.22 Drivers seems to be the only Driver that works with Windows right now as I've tried to install other Version but they wouldn't install.

Anyway I couldn't even get the 295 to start 2 Wu's in Window's and it erred 1 WU shortly after starting it so I made the decision to just RMA it, I already had the RMA Confirmation yesterday & was going to ship it out today but delayed trying to get it to work right, I'll ship it tomorrow.

I'm RMA'ing the GTX 295 I have tomorrow, I talked to TigerDirect & they okayed the RMA and said they would ship out another 1 to me as soon as they got confirmation the one I have was shipped back to them. That's unusual a Company would ship a new item when they don't have the old part in their hands but if they do it's okay with me & I should have a different one by mid to the end of the week.

I did manage to run 4-5 Wu's with the 295 in Linux Here but wasn't happy with the way it was running. The system was very sluggish, so I switched back over to Windows. The 181.22 Drivers seems to be the only Driver that works with Windows right now as I've tried to install other Version but they wouldn't install.

Anyway I couldn't even get the 295 to start 2 Wu's in Window's and it erred 1 WU shortly after starting it so I made the decision to just RMA it, I already had the RMA Confirmation yesterday & was going to ship it out today but delayed trying to get it to work right, I'll ship it tomorrow.

Tiger Direct is my current Go To for parts by "mail" ... I have never (to this point) have seen anyone beat their prices and things like this also help even if they were a little more expensive.

Cross my fingers, but, to this point I have been humming right along with my GTX295 and 280 in the i7 with XP 32-Bit... three GPU Grid tasks in flight and they seem to run at about the same speed. The two "cores" in the 295 seem to be the same speed as the 280 it is kinda hard to say for sure with the variability in the task lengths and the high CPU loads ... but, at the moment ... working fine ...

I don't really do much on my systems, sometimes play a game, though the ones I play are not that intense on graphics speed as my ability to do things like first person shooters is long gone ... heck I had to give up EverQuest because I could not react fast enough for many situations ...

Only 17 more COsmology tasks to go ... then it is on to ABC@Home ...

---

For reference, I used the "boinc_6.4.5_x86_64-pc-linux-gnu.sh" install package while signed in as the regular user who would eventually run BOINC on the system. The user install puts everything into a single folder under the user's home folder. Don't move the folder after the install, because "run_manager" depends upon the location that you specified during the run of the install script.

Same script/package I downloaded. I got the folder and it had the applications and the binaries were all tagged as executable both in the window level properties tab and when using "ls -l" to list the directory ... which is why I am puzzled by the message that I cannot run the binary file.

My working system also has that user added to the system's "video" group. So for example, "/etc/group" could contain "video:x:44:cudauser,myself", where both myself and cudauser are allowed access.

I did not have a "video" group, so I added one and added myself to it ...

Use your favorite Users and Groups utility to add your users to the video group, or feel free to call up your favorite text editor as admin. Just don't accidently delete or corrupt this file, because it's important for functioning of the entire system. :-) Also when you first add a user to a group, that user may have to sign in again for the updated group permissions to take effect.

Rebooted too, no joy ...

---

I am puzzled by the message that I cannot run the binary file.

How weird!

Okay, here's more info from my working installation.
When I type "ls -l /dev/nvidia*", I get:
crw-rw---- 1 root video 195, 0 2009-01-24 09:58 /dev/nvidia0
crw-rw---- 1 root video 195, 1 2009-01-24 09:58 /dev/nvidia1
crw-rw---- 1 root video 195, 2 2009-01-24 09:58 /dev/nvidia2
crw-rw---- 1 root video 195, 3 2009-01-24 09:58 /dev/nvidia3
crw-rw---- 1 root video 195, 255 2009-01-24 09:58 /dev/nvidiactl

From BOINC, when I do "whoami; ls -l run_manager", I see:
jd
-rwxr-xr-x 1 jd jd 57 2009-01-02 01:24 run_manager

With "ls -l boinc boinccmd boincmgr",
-rwxr-xr-x 1 jd jd 1955608 2008-12-09 19:06 boinc
-rwxr-xr-x 1 jd jd 230176 2008-12-09 19:07 boinccmd
-rwxr-xr-x 1 jd jd 6754744 2008-12-09 19:06 boincmgr

Also, what do you see with "pwd; cat run_manager"?

Does "ldd boincmgr | grep found" show any output?

J.D.

a step forward, several back ...

I found the data directory used by the package install in /var/lib/boinc-client

I had the 64 bit bianry which is why it did not execute ... lord only knows how I got that ... anyway, with the correct binary installed, I could get it to start ...

ANd 6.4.5 did see the 8500 ... 6.2.14 does not ... so, whomever said that this was too early a version was spot on ...

BUT, a couple problems still remain ...

When I tried to copy the current data directory over to the home/BOINC dir the permissions on the files are farbled so that it does not compute with the local install ...

Second, on start up I have also seen a message of connection denied which when I look up the error mitt sir Google it tells me I have to create a different run_bonicmgr file which eventually will somehow use the above listed directory ... and that I can put THAT file into the start up lists ... so ... for the moment I am back to thinking about it for a bit ...

---

it tells me I have to create a different run_bonicmgr file which eventually will somehow use the above listed directory ... and that I can put THAT file into the start up lists ... so ... for the moment I am back to thinking about it for a bit ...

I found that to move the BOINC folder required editing run_client and run_manager such that the full path of BOINC is updated to reflect the new location. There's even a script that updates the run_* scripts. From the folder containing BOINC, I can type ". ./BOINC/binstall.sh" and the change is done. :-)

I then update my menu with the new location of BOINC/run_manager and all is good and friendly. Well... at least as friendly as BOINC can be. :-o

{edit}

Woo!
My GTX 295 machine has broken past the 30,000 mark of recent average credit!

Who can say when the first computer hits 40,000? :-)