BOINC 5.4.9 Linux detecting incorrect host name

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Electrolyte
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Message 5687 - Posted: 22 Sep 2006, 13:36:28 UTC

Since making a switch to Kubuntu Dapper Linux and installing BOINC, I've noticed BOINC doesn't detect the host machines name correctly. On all 3 projects 2 of my machines are attached to, their host names are "localhost" when they both have their own name (being "halo" and "blackmesa").

Is this a problem with BOINC or distro specific?
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Profile Jord
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Message 5689 - Posted: 22 Sep 2006, 17:29:27 UTC

Depends on where you see this. In Your Account/Computers, or in Boinc Manager? If the latter, BM always connects to localhost.
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Electrolyte
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Message 5693 - Posted: 22 Sep 2006, 19:41:52 UTC - in response to Message 5689.  

Depends on where you see this. In Your Account/Computers, or in Boinc Manager? If the latter, BM always connects to localhost.

In Your Account/Computers.
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Profile Jord
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Message 5698 - Posted: 22 Sep 2006, 21:27:33 UTC

All right, which projects is this at? For then you need to tell the projects about this, not tell on the BOINC forums.
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Electrolyte
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Message 5702 - Posted: 22 Sep 2006, 23:02:03 UTC - in response to Message 5698.  

All right, which projects is this at? For then you need to tell the projects about this, not tell on the BOINC forums.

Any I attach the machines to. So far LHC@Home, Einstein@Home and NanoHive@Home all show "localhost" and not the true names. Are you saying all projects are going to have this problem?
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Message 5703 - Posted: 22 Sep 2006, 23:27:43 UTC - in response to Message 5702.  

Are you saying all projects are going to have this problem?

I think it depends on the servwer software they use. BOINC its server software is updated about every 2 to 6 months. Whether or not projects want to update is their choice.

But there's something easy for you to check: Your computers, do they enter the internet through something that changes their name?
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Electrolyte
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Message 5704 - Posted: 22 Sep 2006, 23:34:39 UTC - in response to Message 5703.  
Last modified: 22 Sep 2006, 23:35:09 UTC

But there's something easy for you to check: Your computers, do they enter the internet through something that changes their name?

No. The machine labelled "blackmesa" acts as a router to "halo", then is directly connected to my cable modem via Ethernet.
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[BAT] tutta55
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Message 5705 - Posted: 22 Sep 2006, 23:41:05 UTC

I am seeing the same on this machine: http://docking.utep.edu/show_host_detail.php?hostid=93

I give Docking as an example, but I get it in every project in which the machine participates. The distro is Ubuntu 6.06 LTS. The hostname command gives me 'ubuntu-ws45' as reply. I don't think it's project related. In the host_info section of client_state.xml I also find localhost.localdomain. I even tried deleting the file, but in the new one that is created I still get the same.


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Message 5707 - Posted: 23 Sep 2006, 0:25:03 UTC
Last modified: 23 Sep 2006, 0:27:30 UTC

I'll forward this to one of the developers, Walt Gribben. Let's see if he can answer it.
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Message 5711 - Posted: 23 Sep 2006, 1:46:17 UTC

Are either of you on dial up internet connection? If you aren't please state what you are on.
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Walt Gribben

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Message 5712 - Posted: 23 Sep 2006, 3:02:26 UTC

Not really anything to do with dial-up, shouldn't have asked that.

The 'name' you see on the 'Your Computer' web page is the domain name of the host, not the hostname. Its really a network configuration problem if you see 'localhost'; the hosts configuration file isn't set up correctly. Some distributions do this wrong and it has to be corrected manually.

Get into the Network Settings dialog. On Ubuntu click 'System', 'Applications', 'Networking' and the Network Settings dialog will appear. FC5 is similar, but the menu item is 'Network'.

In the Network Settings dialog switch to the Hosts tab. Look for the line with IP address 127.0.0.1. Whats the first name after the address? It should be the hostname.

If it isn't, select that line, click 'Properties' and move the entries around to get the name you want on top. You have to move them manually by retyping the lines, theres no 'up' or 'down' buttons.

Or edit (as root) the file /etc/hosts and make sure the name you want is the first one after the IP address.

Walt
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Electrolyte
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Message 5714 - Posted: 23 Sep 2006, 8:18:47 UTC - in response to Message 5712.  
Last modified: 23 Sep 2006, 8:19:28 UTC

Or edit (as root) the file /etc/hosts and make sure the name you want is the first one after the IP address.

Walt

I saw "localhost" then "halo" after the IP. I'll be posting this on any team websites I am part of so other Linux users know.

Thanks!
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Roelof

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Message 5715 - Posted: 23 Sep 2006, 13:32:52 UTC - in response to Message 5687.  
Last modified: 23 Sep 2006, 13:59:30 UTC

Since making a switch to Kubuntu Dapper Linux and installing BOINC, I've noticed BOINC doesn't detect the host machines name correctly. On all 3 projects 2 of my machines are attached to, their host names are "localhost" when they both have their own name.

Is this a problem with BOINC or distro specific?

Same here with my laptop with xubuntu v6 installed on it. Looking at the website the host is called 'localhost', in my routers's dhcp-server log there is no hostname (for the same type of machine with winXP the hostname is visible and the correct one). If I type 'hostname' at a terminal prompt, it reports the correct hostname.

ifconfig reports info for eth1 and lo. The same happens both with a wifi-PCcard attached and with a wired PCcard attached (with the wifi card there is no eth1 but an atx0, or so), not attaching both cards ath the same time.

looking at the hosts tab of the networkinfo, i see this (leaving out the ipv6 lines):

127.0.0.1 localhost PC0031
127.0.1.1 PC0031

nothing listed for the eth1 interface (it has ip 192.168.2.107)

But... shouldn't boinc get the hostname the same way as the 'hostname' command does, and not care about some reverse dns lookup for the 127.0.0.1 addres
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Message 5716 - Posted: 23 Sep 2006, 14:48:56 UTC

The entry in etc/hosts must be in the following order

127.0.0.1 hostname localhost

where hostname is the name of the host. The order is important.
CIC1=CC=C(C2=N[C@@H](CC(OC(C)(C)C)=O)C3=NN=C(C)N3C4=C2C(C)=C(C)S4)C=C1
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Walt Gribben

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Message 5717 - Posted: 23 Sep 2006, 15:08:21 UTC - in response to Message 5715.  
Last modified: 23 Sep 2006, 15:08:40 UTC


looking at the hosts tab of the networkinfo, i see this (leaving out the ipv6 lines):

127.0.0.1 localhost PC0031
127.0.1.1 PC0031

nothing listed for the eth1 interface (it has ip 192.168.2.107)

But... shouldn't boinc get the hostname the same way as the 'hostname' command does, and not care about some reverse dns lookup for the 127.0.0.1 addres


BOINC does a gethostname() to get the hostname, then uses that in a call to gethostbyname() to get the domain name. Gethostbyname is defined to return the first name after the IP address in the hosts file. Thats asuming your domain name server doesn't know about your host, and the resolver is set to use the hosts file (default in the Linux distributions I've seen.)

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Roelof

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Message 5718 - Posted: 23 Sep 2006, 15:57:03 UTC - in response to Message 5716.  
Last modified: 23 Sep 2006, 16:00:16 UTC

The entry in etc/hosts must be in the following order

127.0.0.1 hostname localhost


Changed the hosts file, restarted the boinc client, updated the project.
Now, instead of 'localhost' my hostname is PC0031, and that is correct, but the IP in the seti stats for this host shows 127.0.0.1, instead of the real IP of the network interface...

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Walt Gribben

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Message 5720 - Posted: 23 Sep 2006, 18:52:32 UTC - in response to Message 5718.  

The entry in etc/hosts must be in the following order

127.0.0.1 hostname localhost


Changed the hosts file, restarted the boinc client, updated the project.
Now, instead of 'localhost' my hostname is PC0031, and that is correct, but the IP in the seti stats for this host shows 127.0.0.1, instead of the real IP of the network interface...


We can't see the name or the IP address, thats only available to you.

If you're using DHCP to get an IP address, it can't go into the hosts file. Thats because it can change each time you boot your system, and why the name is assigned to 127.0.0.1.

If you're using a static IP address, and one thats not in the range of DHP addresses controlled by your gateway/router then it to your hosts file. 192.168.2.107 looks like its assigned by DHCP, they're usually in the range of 100-149 (50 addresses).

If you configure the network adapter with a static IP address, say 192.168.2.20, then put that address in the hosts file:

192.168.2.20 PC0031
127.0.0.1 localhost
(remove the line with 127.0.1.1)

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Message 5736 - Posted: 25 Sep 2006, 9:54:20 UTC - in response to Message 5720.  

If you configure the network adapter with a static IP address, say 192.168.2.20, then put that address in the hosts file:

192.168.2.20 PC0031
127.0.0.1 localhost
(remove the line with 127.0.1.1)


I want to keep my laptop in DHCP mode, else I get trouble when connecting it to other networks, where i sometimes plugin this laptop for internet access.

This is a linux issue and not a boinc issue. I tried this with xubuntu 6.06, on an old HP Omnibook XE). It should, like windows PC's, report the hostname to the dhcp server (doesn't do that eighter).

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Message boards : BOINC client : BOINC 5.4.9 Linux detecting incorrect host name

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