After considerable difficulty, I finally got Ubuntu 6.10 installed and connecting to the internet on my ThinkPad. When I downlodaed the BOINC tool, I get multiple errors trying to actually install it. I MUCH prefer the Windows experience. I changed to the BOINC directory, and ./ run_client produces a long list of "GUI RPC bind failed". Doing run_manager produces a "send -1, bad file descriptor", and later a message that it cannot connect to a BOINC client. Any suggestions to get this working ?

After considerable difficulty, I finally got Ubuntu 6.10 installed and connecting to the internet on my ThinkPad. When I downlodaed the BOINC tool, I get multiple errors trying to actually install it. I MUCH prefer the Windows experience. I changed to the BOINC directory, and ./ run_client produces a long list of "GUI RPC bind failed". Doing run_manager produces a "send -1, bad file descriptor", and later a message that it cannot connect to a BOINC client. Any suggestions to get this working ?

What kind of problems did you have installing Ubuntu? What processor/chipsets are in your Thinkpad? And which way did you install BOINC?

There are two choices for running BOINC with Ubuntu.

You can install it with Synaptic Package Manager, and you want to grab the boinc client and boinc manager. It is put in your accessories menu and you start it from there.

You can download it from the BOINC site and put the download into the home folder. Open a terminal, type "sh boinc*". You can continue using command line but you can also just go to the BOINC folder, and double click on boinc manager's icon to start it. That's pretty Windows like.

The time I saw the GUI rpc bind error was when I tried to have both. BOINC manager ran fine from the synaptic installation, but the installation from the home folder seemed to be hosed. I don't know why it would stop working since the synaptic is in var/lib and the regular BOINC is in the home folder.

Once I removed the repository BOINC using synaptic package manager, I was able to use the BOINC I put in the home folder again. I like to run it there because it's easy to pop optimised applications into my projects folders.

I may have tried both methods. I am sorry to say that I am quite disappointed with the entire process of just installing Ubuntu, as it seems to require a very detailed level of knowledge that by definition, a newbie simply does not have. All this obscure command line stuff was a real pain. Perhaps I should start over. Do I delete the BOINC directory. but leave the BOINCxxxxx.sh file I downloaded, and use the Synaptic tool to re-install ?

As for the processor chipset, whatever I have now (Celeron 500 I think) I will replace it with a Pentium motherboard I have sitting here, ready to go once I get the OS and SETI installed. That is, if I can get Unubntu to figure out I have a diskette drive. I am have seen the most bizarre behaviour imaginable trying to get files on/off a diskette under Ubuntu. I am not even sure I know HOW to tell what chipset I have, using Linux.

As for the processor chipset, whatever I have now (Celeron 500 I think) I will replace it with a Pentium motherboard I have sitting here, ready to go once I get the OS and SETI installed. That is, if I can get Unubntu to figure out I have a diskette drive. I am have seen the most bizarre behaviour imaginable trying to get files on/off a diskette under Ubuntu. I am not even sure I know HOW to tell what chipset I have, using Linux.

If you mean what type of CPU you have, then from a console do:
cat /proc/cpuinfo | less
You should be able to scroll up & down the display using the cursor keys and when you're finished, press the 'Q' key to exit.

If you mean the motherboard's chipset then that will take a bit more digging but it's not too bad. Honest! :)

What problems are you having with the disk drive? (what's been tried so far & what happened etc.)
AFAIK Ubuntu has no issues with floppy disk detection.

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To err is human; to moo, bovine.

I may have tried both methods. I am sorry to say that I am quite disappointed with the entire process of just installing Ubuntu, as it seems to require a very detailed level of knowledge that by definition, a newbie simply does not have. All this obscure command line stuff was a real pain. Perhaps I should start over. Do I delete the BOINC directory. but leave the BOINCxxxxx.sh file I downloaded, and use the Synaptic tool to re-install ?

Not really that complex once you get used to things - it's just that this is a different operating system to what you're probably used to dealing with and so it requires different skills to use it.
Once upon a time you didn't have a clue what to to with Windows (or Mac?) and had to learn that too.

Assuming that you're at a console prompt logged on as yourself (meaning, not root) and the BOINCxxx.sh file is in your home directory, then just do:
sh ./BOINCxxx.sh
Obviosly not literally! - with the default 'bash' shell you should only need to type sh ./BO and then press the TAB key: the shell will auto-complete the filename for you provided there's only one file in the directory starting with "BO".
If there's more than one then you'll hear a beep, so press TAB again to see the matching files. Now all you need to is type the next character required to identify the correct file and press TAB again to auto-complete the full filename.

That should install BOINC in your home directory, in a directory called (surprise!) BOINC.
If you want to make absolutely sure you're installing a fresh new version then before starting, carefully type:
rm -Rf BOINC
Again, this assumes you're not logged on as root and that the BOINC directory is in your home directory.

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To err is human; to moo, bovine.

This is so frustrating. I deleted the BOINC directory, so I can start all over again, and am trying to run the sh command. It says it cannot find the BOINCxxx.sh file,, which is sitting right there on my Desktop. I try to change directory to the Desktop, and it says no such file or directory. I used to run SETI on this when it had W2K, so perhaps there is no need to identify the processor/chipset. When I am asked to vote, I will have to say Linux is NOT ready for prime time, UNLESS pre-loaded by the manufacturer.

OK, I found how to change to the directory where the file is located, and "ran" it to unzip it or whatever it does. When I was prompted to run_client, I get the same long string of error messages I got before. It says using BOINC defaults, local control only allowed, then GUI RPC bind failed, scores of times. This is not intuitive. Trying run_manager produces send -1, bad file descriptor. Equally non-intuitive. Is there no self-unzipping/installation tool for Linux ? You certainly don't have to do this sort of thing in Windows.

I asked about the chipset since Via can be problematic for Ubuntu sometimes. The only time I couldn't install Ubuntu was on a VIA motherboard, but I got around it by using a video card instead of the onboard video. Which wouldn't be an option with your thinkpad. But it isn't that important. You did get it installed. The significance of the processor would be whether you had the option to install 32 bit or 64 bit Ubuntu and I guess you have 32 bit Ubuntu.

If you did install BOINC using Synaptic, then run that one. It will be in your accessories menu and all you have to do is open that menu and click on the BOINC icon. BOINC manager will open up and work just like Windows.

If you'd rather run it the other way, get rid of the Synaptic BOINC. For some reason BOINC won't run from the home folder if the Synaptic BOINC is present.

The install file should be in the home folder when you run it and will put your BOINC folder in there. If that still doesn't work, I'd try a reboot. I know your'e not supposed to need to reboot Linux all the time like Windows, but when I had some BOINC trouble once with Ubuntu, I rebooted the computer and then everything worked right.

Turning it off seems to have helped. I was asked on restart to enter my email etc., and then it attached me to SETI, and has begun work. However, all I could think of was my desktop email id & password. I know this is off topic, but how do I change a PC from using one ID to a different one, which I also own ? I have a small team of PC's either in my home, or of friends, who all run SETI.

Turning it off seems to have helped. I was asked on restart to enter my email etc., and then it attached me to SETI, and has begun work. However, all I could think of was my desktop email id & password. I know this is off topic, but how do I change a PC from using one ID to a different one, which I also own ? I have a small team of PC's either in my home, or of friends, who all run SETI.

I'm glad to hear you got it going. I can see your new computer in your list now.

They don't allow the merging of accounts. The email addresses are considered unique and if you tried to change the second account to match it, it wouldn't allow you to do that, since that email address is in use by another account.

[quote]T I can see your new computer in your list now.

They don't allow the merging of accounts. The email addresses are considered unique and if you tried to change the second account to match it, it wouldn't allow you to do that, since that email address is in use by another account.

Pardon ? You can see my new computer ? Where ? How ? What I WANT to do is assume the ID at the bottom of my team, again, as that is the same machine, just it has Linux on it now.

Don't worry, I am not outside your house peering through the window.;)

When you click on someone's name, it brings up a page about them. If they don't hide their computers, you can look at the computers, but I can't see things like your IP address or your computer's name. Only you can see that when you are logged into your account. Your profile now shows 2 computers, a Pentium 4 2.8 GHz and the Celeron.

On your team, I see six guys with you at number 2. At the bottom is "budge" with a GenuineIntel
x86 Family 6 Model 8 Stepping 3 498MHz. Is that the Celeron when it was on Windows?

Yes. I found that Ubuntu had a listing for installing BOINC, which I used, and it is now loaded nicely, However, it will not connect and actually start, asking me to first Select my Computer (which BTW it says is under FILE, when in fact it is under ADVANCED). Using localhost as suggested does not help, it still refuses to connect. I also tried "budge" and the 7-digit computer ID, both of which instantly report they cannot connect. Firefox works just fine. I was hoping there would be some way to use the Computer ID listed in my team, for the Celeron box, and take over the identity.