I have found instructions for running multiple Linux clients. Is there a similar howto for running a Linux client alongside a Windows client under WINE?

This would enable me to carry on with my mainsite CPDN work while also running testing branch Windows tasks or to do this do I need to go down the virtual box route and learn to use that?

Dave,

Have your tried this technique by reNeutrino (start at messaage 4565)?
https://universeathome.pl/universe/forum_thread.php?id=551
It runs Ubuntu under Hyper-V, and is very efficient.

I almost got it to work; you have to enable Hyper-V and disable WSL (and maybe also Virtual Machine Platform) in "Turn Windows features on or off" before creating the Ubuntu VM.

And I had to use the "Quick Create" option. I could not get the "New" option to work with my previously downloaded Ubuntu .iso.
That will give you Ubuntu 20.04, but after a "sudo apt update", you will be upgraded to 20.04.2.

The problem was that I could not get copy and paste to work between Windows 10 and the Ubuntu VM. That nixed the deal for me.
It might work for you.

Just had a look. I don't have any Windows installation. That seems to be using Win10 as the host OS. I want to stick with just using Linux and then using WINE to run the Windows version of BOINC so running a second version of Linux in a VM seems to be the obvious way to go but if there is a way to control the Windows one under WINE at the same time as my Linux client, there would be fewer overheads.

I have bitten the bullet. Installed a minimal Ubuntu on VB and then WINE. One WCG task currently running under WINE in the VB to test it out. CPDN Linux tasks still running.

I thought it would be possible since Wine creates its own Windows C:/ directory structure in /home/.wine. So the Windows (Wine) instance would have its own BOINC client and Manager.

I would think you could access that separately than the Linux BOINC.

It makes no sense to run the Windows client under Wine in Linux, since Wine (not an emulator) is technically still an emulator.
You're just loading an extra layer between the program and the system hardware, and that's just slowing all things down.
If you run Linux, just download the appropriate Linux client.
If you run Windows, download the Windows client.
Any screwing around will only make everything less efficient.

I think he may be trying to get around a problem with a project only offering Windows applications.

So the need for the Windows environment. He said he was using a virtualized version of Windows in Linux.

So my comment was only to point out it is possible to run the Windows BOINC client under Wine, and not that there was any advantage.

I regularly use BoincTasks under Wine. And the occasional other small Windows application that does not have a Linux equivalent.

I thought it would be possible since Wine creates its own Windows C:/ directory structure in /home/.wine. So the Windows (Wine) instance would have its own BOINC client and Manager.

I would think you could access that separately than the Linux BOINC.

I have never managed to get them both running at the same time though not sure if this is a manager or client issue. I could do some further investigation on this and may well go back to it at some point though I suspect that if it was really easy, someone else would have done it by now. Anyway, I have a system that works for now and something to play with that won't mess up my primary installation.

The windows client via wine most likely can't do GPU computations.

To do both Windows and Linux WUs, the best is to just buy an extra PC, and run each program in it's own environment.
Second best option, is to dual boot into windows/Linux.
To run Linux within windows, or windows within linux should be a last resort thing.

The windows client via wine most likely can't do GPU computations.

To do both Windows and Linux WUs, the best is to just buy an extra PC, and run each program in it's own environment.
Second best option, is to dual boot into windows/Linux.
To run Linux within windows, or windows within linux should be a last resort thing.

I have yet to try GPU computing from within WINE BUT i suspect that even if possible there may be some hoops to jump through. Running Ubuntu in the VM clicking on settings>additional drivers the nvidia proprietary drivers don't show up as an option so even running them on anything in a VM may be a problem. With WINE under Ubuntu without a VM, I shall try at some point just to see what happens and what messages I get but waiting till current work is completed so it will be a few days.

Yes, it's well known that - specifically - VirtualBox doesn't support 'pci passthrough'. That's the formal name for the ability even to see, let alone use, peripherals like GPUs in a virtualised environment. Other virtualisation solutions do support passthrough, but BOINC doesn't support them - so we're stuck.

Well Known: Something a lot of people with a specific interest in the subject know.

Edit: I suspected when I found this it was a known issue but then Until about a week ago I had never used a VM never mind learned what the well known issues were.

Another issue with virtualisation is it seems to muck up estimates of task duration. Estimates on Boinc under Linux VM for a task that estimates 10 days approx normally goes up to over 80 days. I suspect that as with WINE there are ways to fix this but as the task running in the VM was just to test things out, I might not get around to discovering them.

Other virtualisation solutions do support passthrough, but BOINC doesn't support them - so we're stuck.

In this case BOINC doesn't have to support the hypervisor of choice as it's running inside it. It's not that the hypervisor needs to be seen by BOINC when BOINC runs inside this hypervisor. For all it cares it's running in a version of Windows or Linux or whatever Dave chose to run inside the hypervisor in order for BOINC to run and use the GPU for calculations.

I think he may be trying to get around a problem with a project only offering Windows applications.

So the need for the Windows environment. He said he was using a virtualized version of Windows in Linux.

So my comment was only to point out it is possible to run the Windows BOINC client under Wine, and not that there was any advantage.

I regularly use BoincTasks under Wine. And the occasional other small Windows application that does not have a Linux equivalent.

I run Boinc Manager under Wine succesfully but only 32bit version. 64bt version was crashing immediately. Boinc under Linux has to be stopped prior to launching Boinc under Wine. When I try to launch Boinc under Linux once Boinc under Wine is up and running I get this

#boinccmd --get_state
Authorization failure: -155

and

#/etc/init.d/boinc-client status
● boinc-client.service - Berkeley Open Infrastructure Network Computing Client
     Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/boinc-client.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled)
     Active: inactive (dead) since Wed 2021-07-07 06:29:53 BST; 13h ago
       Docs: man:boinc(1)
    Process: 2885 ExecStart=/usr/bin/boinc (code=exited, status=0/SUCCESS)
    Process: 7425 ExecStop=/usr/bin/boinccmd --quit (code=exited, status=0/SUCCESS)
    Process: 7427 ExecStopPost=/bin/rm -f lockfile (code=exited, status=0/SUCCESS)
   Main PID: 2885 (code=exited, status=0/SUCCESS)

OK, lets try and clarify what I am doing.

CPDN currently has only work for Linux most of the time. However, there are occasional small batches of work for Windows which I tend to ignore. What I do want to run is testing branch work for Windows without completely stopping main site work.

My solution now is to run main site work natively under Linux while testing branch work for Windows runs using WINE under a Virtual Box which has an Ubuntu installation. This seems to work well and gets around the issue of not being able to run both the Windows version of BOINC and the Linux one at the same time.

OK, lets try and clarify what I am doing.

CPDN currently has only work for Linux most of the time. However, there are occasional small batches of work for Windows which I tend to ignore. What I do want to run is testing branch work for Windows without completely stopping main site work.

My solution now is to run main site work natively under Linux while testing branch work for Windows runs using WINE under a Virtual Box which has an Ubuntu installation. This seems to work well and gets around the issue of not being able to run both the Windows version of BOINC and the Linux one at the same time.

Is it something to do with localhost that prevents Boinc in Linux and Wine running at the same time?

Is it something to do with localhost that prevents Boinc in Linux and Wine running at the same time?

Not sure but if there were a simple solution I am pretty sure, someone would have posted it by now.

Both are trying to connect to the localhost on the default port 31416. The solution is simple and in the docs. Just start the virtual version on a different port. Use port 31417 for the virtual machine.
https://boinc.berkeley.edu/wiki/Controlling_BOINC_remotely

Both are trying to connect to the localhost on the default port 31416. The solution is simple and in the docs. Just start the virtual version on a different port. Use port 31417 for the virtual machine.
https://boinc.berkeley.edu/wiki/Controlling_BOINC_remotely

Are suggesting to run another version of Boinc in virtual machine? Also manual you refer to doesn't help either. Nothing is mentioned about setting up different ports except GUI RPC port. Is this what I need to change?