Can't get Boinc to run as a service in Windows 7

Message boards : BOINC Manager : Can't get Boinc to run as a service in Windows 7
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Bauerwulf

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Message 43168 - Posted: 26 Mar 2012, 21:46:45 UTC

I've looked through every thread I can find on how to get this set up. Several, such as this one here. I'm using boinc_6.12.34_windows_x86_64 installer. OS is 64-bit Win7 Pro.

It works fine if I install without "Protected application execution" checked. If I uninstall and re-install with that selected, it no longer works. When I open BOINC Manager, all I can see is "Connecting to localhost" and it just sits there forever. I can see the boinc_master user and the service just fine. My firewall settings appear to be correct as well.

If I delete gui_rpc_auth.cfg and restart BOINC manager, that file is not created.

Program Directory is C:\Program Files\BOINC\. Data directory is C:\Boinc Data.

The terrible thing is that I have this working on three computers, but I had problems then and figured it out. I can't for the life of me figure out what is going on now.
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Profile Gundolf Jahn

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Message 43169 - Posted: 26 Mar 2012, 22:17:45 UTC - in response to Message 43168.  

If I delete gui_rpc_auth.cfg and restart BOINC manager, that file is not created.

That's because the file isn't created by the manager but by the client. Perhaps the service isn't being started successfully.

Gruß,
Gundolf
Computer sind nicht alles im Leben. (Kleiner Scherz)
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Profile Jord
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Message 43178 - Posted: 27 Mar 2012, 7:59:45 UTC - in response to Message 43168.  

Is the service installation required?
What happens when you install BOINC without the protected application execution checked?

When you start BOINC Manager when the service hasn't started yet, does it pop up the request that boincsvcctrl.exe may run? If so, what do you tell it to do? This program starts the BOINC service when it isn't running and a part of BOINC requires it.
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Bauerwulf

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Message 43181 - Posted: 27 Mar 2012, 13:06:06 UTC - in response to Message 43178.  
Last modified: 27 Mar 2012, 13:06:54 UTC

Perhaps the service isn't being started successfully.

Service issues is what I'm leaning towards.


Is the service installation required?

Yes. We want it running at all times and don't want to have to log a user in to start up BOINC Manager.


What happens when you install BOINC without the protected application execution checked?

It works just fine.


When you start BOINC Manager when the service hasn't started yet, does it pop up the request that boincsvcctrl.exe may run? If so, what do you tell it to do? This program starts the BOINC service when it isn't running and a part of BOINC requires it.

No, nothing pops up. It appears the service starts up in the background if I look in Services or in Task Manager.

When it is in this state and I try to shut down BOINC or remove/uninstall it, the service doesn't seem to be able to stop itself. I have to manually kill it. Is this normal?
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Profile Jord
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Message 43182 - Posted: 27 Mar 2012, 13:35:49 UTC
Last modified: 27 Mar 2012, 13:42:58 UTC

Can you first please try with BOINC 7.0.23 if you can reproduce this problem? BOINC 6 is no longer in production and added to, but BOINC 7 is on the verge of being released.

You can find links to the binaries in the latest post in this thread.
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Bauerwulf

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Message 43183 - Posted: 27 Mar 2012, 13:57:10 UTC - in response to Message 43182.  

Worked perfect the first time I used 7.0.23 with a services install. Thank you so much for the help!
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Message 43184 - Posted: 27 Mar 2012, 14:00:57 UTC - in response to Message 43183.  

Do keep an eye on the news for when BOINC 7 is released, and if it's another version number than 7.0.23, do update to that one. The version you're running may still have a couple of bugs, although these are more GPU related and as we all know GPUs won't be detected when BOINC is installed as a service.

Anyway, glad to have been of service (no pun :)).
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Bauerwulf

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Message 43193 - Posted: 28 Mar 2012, 18:08:28 UTC - in response to Message 43184.  

Thanks again for all of the help. So far, it's working pretty well. The only thing that doesn't work is that if I just install in Protected application execution mode, I can't connect to it remotely. I have to do this:
1. Install in services mode.
2. Uninstall
3. Reinstall with Protected application execution unchecked.
4. Open BOINC Manager. At this point, I get a Windows Firewall message, which I click through to allow.
5. Verify I can connect from my remote host.
6. Uninstall again.
7. Reinstall again, in services mode.
8. Verify I can still connected from my remote host.

It's easier to do it this way. If I install without services, I have to reboot. But then if I uninstall and reinstall with services, I have to reboot again. This way, I only have to reboot once.
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Message 43195 - Posted: 28 Mar 2012, 19:08:53 UTC - in response to Message 43193.  
Last modified: 28 Mar 2012, 19:13:00 UTC

Wait a moment, what do you use to make the remote connect? Just Windows remote desktop?

What if you follow http://boinc.berkeley.edu/wiki/Controlling_BOINC_remotely, setting up the gui_rpc_auth.cfg and remote_hosts.cfg files on both computers and just using BOINC Manager to connect to the remote computer?
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Bauerwulf

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Message 43196 - Posted: 28 Mar 2012, 20:04:43 UTC - in response to Message 43195.  

I may have explained that poorly. Here we go.

1. I have two computers, HOST and CLIENT. I am using HOST to use Royal TS or Windows Remote Desktop Connection to log into CLIENT.
2. Install CLIENT with "Protected application execution" checked.
3. Put in my own gui_rpc_auth.cfg and remote_hosts.cfg files at the end of the installation process.
4. Restart the CLIENT.
5. Add my accounts / projects to CLIENT.
6. At this point, I would expect that I could connect to CLIENT with BOINC manager from my HOST, but I can't. I'm not sure if this is how I have my security settings or if there is an extra check when you install WITHOUT "Protected application execution" checked.
7. I uninstall BOINC manager on CLIENT.
8. I re-install BOINC Manager on CLIENT and this time I do NOT check "Protected application execution".
9. When I open BOINC Manager on CLIENT this time, I get a Windows security message asking if I should allow this user to have access to the firewall, as shown here: I tell it to Allow Access. I would have expected this up on step 6 when I tried to open BOINC Manager right after a services install? I'm not sure if that's possible though.
10. I verify I can control CLIENT remotely from HOST without a services install.
11. I then uninstall CLIENT. I lose my connection from HOST.
12. Now I go back and reinstall CLIENT with "Protected application execution" checked.
13. I verify that I can control CLIENT from HOST with a services install.
14. Log out or whatever I need to now, because this is what I want.

I tried several incarnations of this over the last few days and this seemed like the best/fastest way to get a services install setup and controlled remotely.
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Message 43197 - Posted: 28 Mar 2012, 20:19:32 UTC - in response to Message 43196.  

6. At this point, I would expect that I could connect to CLIENT with BOINC manager from my HOST

That depends on what's in the remote_hosts.cfg file on the CLIENT computer, it must be the IP address of the HOST computer, without a carriage return at the end (so no Enter).
Did you add a remote_hosts.cfg file with the IP address of the CLIENT computer on HOST as well?

Make sure that both computers have the remote_hosts.cfg file, both with the opposing computer's IP address in them.
Make sure that on both computers you edit the gui_rpc_auth.cfg file and add a password of your own in them. Here also, no carriage return at the end of the word.

Restart both clients.

Now when you start BOINC Manager on HOST, then do Advanced->Launch another BOINC Manager, fill in the IP address of CLIENT and its password as set in its gui_rpc_auth.cfg file, then click OK, what happens? All of this without using SSH, of course.
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Bauerwulf

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Message 43332 - Posted: 9 Apr 2012, 15:57:29 UTC - in response to Message 43197.  

Wanted to reply and say that this all worked perfectly after upgrading to the new version! Thank you for all of the help Ageless!
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Message boards : BOINC Manager : Can't get Boinc to run as a service in Windows 7

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