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Message boards : Number crunching : Ubuntu upgrade from server: how?

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Profile JStateson
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Message 48287 - Posted: 6 Dec 2017 | 15:55:17 UTC

IANE on linux but have been running a minimal ubuntu 17 server which is cpu only for boinc. It has been working fine for what I needed. I added boinc and attached the project manager using command line tools.

I want to add a GPU to this system and was looking at the FAQ that skygiven provided for installing ubuntu 16. At step 3 there are no suggestions for what to load ie: minimal server, etc. There are a lot of options listed on the CD ISO I downloaded.

I added GNOME but nothing showed up probably because minimal server needs more than that for a graphical environment.

How do I upgrade to graphics environment so the GPU can run? Alternatively, maybe I should just reinstall and select a better set of modules. If so, I can provide a photo of the selections available - there are a lot and I do not know what to select.

Thanks for looking!

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Message 48288 - Posted: 6 Dec 2017 | 16:17:47 UTC - in response to Message 48287.
Last modified: 6 Dec 2017 | 16:18:12 UTC

Afaik you just need to install CUDA. There should even be packages ready for Ubuntu. If BOINC was already working, then it should recognize GPUs after installing CUDA.

Not sure if/how it works out of the box when you are not logged in though.

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Message 48289 - Posted: 6 Dec 2017 | 19:17:36 UTC - in response to Message 48288.

OK, got CUDA working w/o having to switch to graphical environment. I did not follow your suggestions exactly as I did not remember what the distro was or where I got it.

Went to nvidia site and looked at their docs.

Did sudo upgrade and updates and did that
install gcc
followed by install build-essentials (probably should have done this first)

Downloaded cuda 9 from nvidia to a USB chip on a win10 system. Mounted the USB

sudo sh cuda_9xxxx.run only partially worked.

nVidia's log advised that i had to reboot as they had blacklisted something. It also advised it didnt like the gcc compiler I installed and requested me to add
--override to the install command

l did the override and rebooted and boinc recognized the gtx670 I added.
Registered with Einstein at home and got my first cuda app running.

Thank you and I hope this helps others.

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Message 48293 - Posted: 7 Dec 2017 | 15:35:49 UTC - in response to Message 48289.
Last modified: 7 Dec 2017 | 15:36:33 UTC

Ehm... embarassingly, I wrote CUDA but I meant the NVIDIA Driver.
Luckily, CUDA installers actually also install the graphic driver, so the solution should be ok nevertheless. My bad.

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Message 48303 - Posted: 8 Dec 2017 | 6:45:09 UTC

Have another problem, my fault as usual. I mistakenly allowed updates. One of the updates (I assume) caused the nvidia board not to be recognized. Boinc runs but only the CPU tasks are enabled. I tried re installing the nvidia drivers but that had no effect. Unaccountably, I cannot boot directly into ubuntu. Have to select the recovery boot. Booting directly into ubuntu sits at a blank screen. CTRL-ALT-DEL excapes to the ubuntu purple display but the system then reboots. I think that noveau driver is trying to run and since it is blacklisted it wont run. That is just a guess. Doing the recovery works and I can log in but the nevidia board is not enabled.

I disconnected the hard disk and will reinstall into a 32gb flash. Once minimal server is working I will transfer the boinc files from the hard drive to the flash

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Message boards : Number crunching : Ubuntu upgrade from server: how?

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