For all us Ubuntu users out there a .deb is by far the easiest way to install and update BOINC. Is it possible to have a link to a .deb on the Download page? I found some prepackaged .debs here and shock horror they work.
http://www.getdeb.net/app.php?name=Boinc

Ok there is a problem with 5.9.11 because i had it. I got a segmentation violation when i tried to run it in a terminal and nothing happens from GUI. Simple solution download and older copy of BOINC, install it elsewhere and then copy and paste the file "boincmgr" into your current BOINC folder.

The manager is just a GUI. You also have to execute run_client, before starting the manager. That's why it's unable to connect to a client: there is none running :)

I'm using Ubuntu and I installed BOINC from the Desktop, using the "Applications>Add/Remove" pull down menu. It installed BOINC automatically.

I am Linux challenged but want to learn. Please tell me how to execute "run_client". I searched for a file by that name but could find one. If you could tell me what to type at the command prompt, that would be great.


Thanks!
matesol@hotmail.com

But now I have something else for the wish list: put back the rubrication in the Message tab.

sorry, the what?

The manager is just a GUI. You also have to execute run_client, before starting the manager. That's why it's unable to connect to a client: there is none running :)

Ah, that looks better... I regged up, let's see how it works out from there on :)

-- edit --

Wow, using that Mailing list will take a while getting used to. I had hoped for something more like a Messageboard *ugh*

For the two of you with cache size problems, what project are you getting your general preferences from?

On the latest version of the server software, there's a new field

Cache enough work for an additional
(maximum 10 days; requires 5.10+ client)

By default, it's set to 1 day (and I've reported this on the mailing list).

Seti and BOINC Alpha are the only two project that currently have this deployed.

Read that an additional setting was in the works meant to have been part of a final 5.8 release.... 1 for buffer size and 1 for the connect.... is that kicking in?

All my 5.8.16, 5.8.17 and 5.9.3s are configured with the same cc_config.xml:
<save_stats_days>10</save_stats_days>
<work_request_factor>1</work_request_factor>

Can you report this to the mailing list?

Read that an additional setting was in the works meant to have been part of a final 5.8 release.... 1 for buffer size and 1 for the connect.... is that kicking in?

I also found something else, possibly quite a big bug :

On all 5.9.3 (Linux) Systems, the Work Buffer kept by the Clients far exceeds the desired Setting. (I have no 5.9.3 Windows Clients running for comparison)

Since a few days, I have "Connect to Network every x days" reduced from 1 to 0.5 days.

All remaining 5.8.15 and 5.8.16 Clients worked down their caches immediately and show a perfect ~12hrs of Work Buffer, while all 5.9.3 Clients vary from 36 upto 62 (!) hours.

I first noted the oversized local Caches as the first Clients ran into "x Deadline misses" on MalariaControl with its typical shorter deadlines when I still had the setting to 1 day (the reason I cut it in half).
At that time, the 5.9.3 clients indicated a Work Buffer of upto 120hrs.

Looking at the amount of Work actually kept on the Clients, it appears as the Clients indeed fully overload on Work, compared to the much lower desired setting.
It's only thanks to the highly varying actual runtimes (often much shorter) of MalariaControl, that the Clients don't miss the deadlines completely.

The large variation between work buffers kept on the 5.9.3 Clients is not transparent to me, as all relevant Parameters (CPU efficiency, active fraction, on fraction etc.) are almost identical on all affected machines - they're on 24/7 @ 99.x% efficiency anyway with about no downtimes, no exception.

Only good news is, that the 5.9.3 still reacts proportionally to the desired setting... it just remains too large by a factor of 3x to 6x.

When I select run_client, the client runs, when I select run_manager, nothing happens.

Only the core client is replaced with a 64-bit one. The original 32-bit manager can still be run without problems alongside the 64-bit client (see README.x86_64-pc-linux-gnu from my tar ball).

Try "boincmgr" instead.

HTH

ABC@Home has a real 64-bit application, which runs 3 times faster than the 32-bit one due to the nature of their calculations. Other projects don't have 64-bit apps. Why do you assume that if one did it the rest would as well?

When I select run_client, the client runs, when I select run_manager, nothing happens.

Only the core client is replaced with a 64-bit one. The original 32-bit manager can still be run without problems alongside the 64-bit client (see README.x86_64-pc-linux-gnu from my tar ball).

Try "boincmgr" instead.

HTH

From actually using it im sorry to say its still on 5.4.11 at the moment so it doesn't keep up to date well. The only advantage i have seen so far as it includes all the scripts to automatically start BOINC etc and adds BOINC to your menus. Basically its integration it gives you.
If there is another (all to common where i live) power outage that outlasts my UPS i know that when each machine fires up again it will start crunching even if no-one is home to log back in. This can be done yourself but its all to much effort for me when its just a button click away.
Lastly as it is behind i generally update the BOINC version myself and its dead simple to do.
Do the rather horrid standard BOINC install (can you tell i prefer not to use the command line lol).
Rename boinc to boinc_client
Copy and paste this (also boinc_cmd and boincmgr) into /usr/bin and your now using the latest version and have all the scripts etc intact.

What is the advantage of getting BOINC from the Ubuntu distro?

The official and/or latest BOINC downloads and installs just fine on my machines.

The advantage is that BOINC is included in Ubuntu's software repository. That allows crunchers to download and install BOINC and BOINC updates using Linux's software update facility. Not only is the download and installation fairly automated, the updater software checks dependencies which means it checks to see which libraries BOINC requires. If your libraries need to be updated then it updates those too.

I think another advantage might be that the people maintaining the repository compile BOINC on the various versions of Ubuntu to ensure that you get updates that will run on whatever Ubuntu version you have installed? If they don't actually compile it then they likely at least check to see if the official compile from Berkeley runs properly on Ubuntu? If the latest official BOINC has a major problem then the repository maintainers can hold back that update and save Ubuntu users some grief.

I am not saying all this "automaticness" is the best way. It's only as good as the people who maintain the automation behind the scenes. If they screw up then you get screwed, automatically. There are advantages to doing it all manually if you have the time and expertise. People who don't have time and expertise prefer to have it automated. As more people drop Windows and migrate to Linux I think automated downloads/updates will grow in popularity.

Its working with mine. This is basically just the client itself it doesn't come with a manager. How did you install/how are you running BOINC? We should be able to track this down fairly quickly.

I'm using Augustine's 5.8.17 on Ubuntu, but the BOINC Manager doesn't work with it.

Can you be more specific?

About 30 minutes ago I installed Augustine's 5.8.17 on Fedora Core. No problems so far.

Im not shure how dated this thread is but in the Universe repositories of Ubuntu (and obviously the derivatives Kubuntu etc) there is a BOINC package that sets up all the scripts and stuff for you. Works great on my Kubuntu systems.

There have been two flavours of Debian around for a while, Sarge which is two years old and stable, and Etch which is expected to become stable 'soon'

Debian Sarge does not have an official BOINC package.

Debian Etch does have a supported BOINC package.

So I'd guess that when Ubuntu moved over from taking its upstream packages from Sarge to Etch, it probably picked up BOINC on the way, either that or it picked up the Debian 'backport'.

MikeThoth:

Seeing that Ubuntu has roots in Debian, would this work on my Debian systems? I've found INIT scripts for just about every other distro out there, except Debian.

I'd suggest the backport of their BOINC package into Sarge, see http://wiki.debian.org/BOINC. Skip down the page to the install section.

HTH

R~~

Clownius gave us...

... so i would like to move onto a 64bit client and i know many other users would too.

Augustine has donated a 64-bit BOINC core for Linux, Crunch3r has donated one for some other operating called Windows. Most projects have a thread called AMD64 in which Augustine has posted download links for both the Linux version and the Windows version. Perhaps try those and let us know if you find anything wrong with them. I've heard they are both simply marvelous.