Hello,

I am running a Ubuntu 10.04 LTS x86_64 machine using BOINC 6.10.58 with a ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT and BOINC doesn't see the GPU. I have read the ATI CAL FAQ and I am running ATI Proprietary Driver for Linux Version 10.11 which should be fine.

Here is the first lines of my BOINC log:
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:36 AM EST Starting BOINC client version 6.10.58 for x86_64-pc-linux-gnu
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:36 AM EST Config: GUI RPC allowed from:
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:36 AM EST log flags: file_xfer, sched_ops, task
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:36 AM EST Libraries: libcurl/7.18.0 OpenSSL/0.9.8g zlib/1.2.3.3 c-ares/1.5.1
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:36 AM EST Data directory: /var/lib/boinc-client
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:36 AM EST Processor: 2 GenuineIntel Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU E6550 @ 2.33GHz [Family 6 Model 15 Stepping 11]
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:36 AM EST Processor: 4.00 MB cache
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:36 AM EST Processor features: fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss ht tm pbe syscall nx lm constant_tsc arch_perfmon pebs bts rep_good aperfmperf pni dtes64 monitor ds_cpl vmx smx est tm2 ssse
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:36 AM EST OS: Linux: 2.6.32-24-generic
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:36 AM EST Memory: 5.71 GB physical, 235.32 MB virtual
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:36 AM EST Disk: 72.87 GB total, 22.91 GB free
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:36 AM EST Local time is UTC -5 hours
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:38 AM EST No usable GPUs found
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:38 AM EST Version change (6.10.56 -> 6.10.58)
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:38 AM EST World Community Grid URL http://www.worldcommunitygrid.org/; Computer ID not assigned yet; resource share 100
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:38 AM EST yoyo@home URL http://www.rechenkraft.net/yoyo/; Computer ID 43445; resource share 100
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:38 AM EST Einstein@Home URL http://einstein.phys.uwm.edu/; Computer ID 3415072; resource share 100
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:38 AM EST climateprediction.net URL http://Climateprediction.net/; Computer ID 1099274; resource share 100
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:38 AM EST The Lattice Project URL http://boinc.umiacs.umd.edu/; Computer ID 53889; resource share 100
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:38 AM EST malariacontrol.net URL http://www.malariacontrol.net/; Computer ID 169040; resource share 100
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:38 AM EST QMC@HOME URL http://qah.uni-muenster.de/; Computer ID 176382; resource share 100
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:38 AM EST boincsimap URL http://boincsimap.org/boincsimap/; Computer ID not assigned yet; resource share 100
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:38 AM EST Hydrogen@Home URL http://hydrogenathome.org/; Computer ID 19642; resource share 100
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:38 AM EST AQUA@home URL http://aqua.dwavesys.com/; Computer ID 63022; resource share 100
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:38 AM EST Milkyway@home URL http://milkyway.cs.rpi.edu/milkyway/; Computer ID 211549; resource share 100
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:38 AM EST Cosmology@Home URL http://www.cosmologyathome.org/; Computer ID 104449; resource share 100
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:38 AM EST orbit@home URL http://orbit.psi.edu/oah/; Computer ID 40087; resource share 100
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:38 AM EST RSA Lattice Sieving URL http://boinc.unsads.com/rsals/; Computer ID 3131; resource share 100
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:38 AM EST Docking URL http://docking.cis.udel.edu/; Computer ID 75678; resource share 100
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:38 AM EST rosetta@home URL http://boinc.bakerlab.org/rosetta/; Computer ID 1336457; resource share 100
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:38 AM EST Poem@Home URL http://boinc.fzk.de/poem/; Computer ID 79003; resource share 100
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:38 AM EST Magnetism at home URL http://www.fti.dn.ua/magnetism/; Computer ID 14275; resource share 100
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:38 AM EST DrugDiscovery URL http://boinc.drugdiscoveryathome.com/; Computer ID 5348; resource share 100
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:38 AM EST eon2 URL http://eon.ices.utexas.edu/eon2/; Computer ID 7804; resource share 100
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:38 AM EST QMC@HOME General prefs: from QMC@HOME (last modified 28-Dec-2007 17:05:20)
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:38 AM EST QMC@HOME Host location: none
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:38 AM EST QMC@HOME General prefs: using your defaults
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:38 AM EST Reading preferences override file
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:38 AM EST Preferences:
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:38 AM EST max memory usage when active: 4388.69MB
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:38 AM EST max memory usage when idle: 4388.69MB
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:39 AM EST max disk usage: 4.00GB
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:39 AM EST (to change preferences, visit the web site of an attached project, or select Preferences in the Manager)
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:39 AM EST Using proxy info from GUI
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:39 AM EST Using HTTP proxy http://cad-node1:5865
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:39 AM EST Running CPU benchmarks
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:39 AM EST Suspending computation - running CPU benchmarks
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:39 AM EST World Community Grid Sending scheduler request: Project initialization.
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:39 AM EST World Community Grid Requesting new tasks
Fri 14 Jan 2011 10:34:41 AM EST World Community Grid Scheduler request failed: Couldn't resolve proxy name

Any ideas on what to look at? I am running a dual-monitor setup; does that prohibit GPU activity?

Thanks for any help that you can provide!
Todd Smith

See this post by Skip Da Shu (#34659).

Not sure if a dual-monitor setup can give problems or not. Usually it's problems with permission under Linux why the GPU isn't detected. Drivers living in one sandbox, the user & BOINC in another...

---

Are you running boinc from the Debian/Ubuntu repositories (runs out of /var/lib/boinc-client/) or are you running the setup as download from here (runs out of /home/user/BOINC/)?

If the later I can't be of any help as this problem as I know it pertains to the Debian/Ubuntu setup.

If the former then take a look here for history and current work around:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/boinc/+bug/587426/comments/31

Tweaking the following in the /etc/init.d/boinc-client start up script and then restarting boinc after logging onto the machine allows it to detect and continuously run WUs on my 4850, 5830 & 5850 cards.

Here's the start function as I've modified it (the 3 lines after 'else' and before the 'start-stop-daemon'):

start()
{
  log_begin_msg "Starting $DESC: $NAME"
  if is_running; then
    log_progress_msg "already running"
  else
    sleep 9
    export DISPLAY=:0.0 
    xhost local:boinc &> /dev/null 
    start-stop-daemon --start --quiet --background --pidfile $PIDFILE \
      --make-pidfile --user $BOINC_USER --chuid $BOINC_USER \
      --chdir $BOINC_DIR --exec $BOINC_CLIENT -- $BOINC_OPTS
  fi
 

I am using the v6.10.58 of boinc out of the BOINC-DEV PPA lib. I believe you can get the url to add to software sources or synaptic package manager from this site: http://www.ubuntuupdates.org/packages/show/210004


PS: Looks like Ageless and I were posting at the same time. The post he links to (mighty nice of him) is the original solution and works fine. The only thing this one adds (with the export) was an attempt to not have to restart after logging on. It works in as far as any previously started WUs will pick up and continue but it doesn't seem to be able to find the HDxxxx card again when a new WU starts unless you've restarted boinc (sudo /etc/init.d/boinc-client restart) after logging on.

PPS: There is one other option that I did test but frankly it introduces potential security issues. Might be good for a quick test though. Edit the file /etc/default/boinc-client and change the parameter for BOINC_USER
from
BOINC_USER="boinc"
to
BOINC_USER="root"

Restart and boinc should find your HDxxxx card but then u have boinc running as root.

Hmmmm, thinking about this a bit more...
Setting BOINC_USER="skip" should work also IF I changed the ownership of /var/lib/boinc-client and it's contents to "skip" and then set BOINC up to start or restart after I logon... in theory anyway.

---

- da shu @ HeliOS,
"A child's exposure to technology should never be predicated on an ability to afford it."

Created a new thread under GPUs with all the details on the various fixes for the two major Linux GPU crunching issues I've come across, including the one below.

See http://boinc.berkeley.edu/dev/forum_thread.php?id=6307

---

- da shu @ HeliOS,
"A child's exposure to technology should never be predicated on an ability to afford it."

I apologize for how long that it has taken me to get back and post my results. The suggestions listed have allowed me to use my ATI card with the small penalty of having to restart the BOINC client after reboot.

Thanks again for the help.

Todd Smith