Remote access issues on Ubuntu

[Azmodes]

I have recently successfully connected all my Windows crunchers to the remote clients list in Advanced Control on my main computer. However, when I try the same with my Ubuntu hosts, they show up as "Online" in the list, but when I click on the entries nothing is displayed and it shows "Updating Inactive" endlessly.

This is what I added to the config.xml file of the remotely controlled computers (FAHcontrol doesn't work on those, so I have to modify everything through that file):

Code: Select all

<allow v='127.0.0.1 [internal IP of controlling machine]'/>

Anything I'm missing here?


PS: As a Linux noob, what exactly is the difference between the config files in /etc/init.d and /etc/fahclient? Which do I modify?

[jonault]

If you're not using a password for remote access, then I think you also need to add the IP address to command-allow-no-pass.

[Azmodes]

Awesome, that did the trick! Thank you.

[Joe_H]

PS: As a Linux noob, what exactly is the difference between the config files in /etc/init.d and /etc/fahclient? Which do I modify?

The config file in /etc/init.d is used to launch the FAHClient process with the right paths to its config and other files in /etc/fahclient. Other files in that directory if not explicitly for FAH are for other services. Generally you would not touch the init.d file.

The configuration file for FAHClient is config.xml in /etc/fahclient. Generally we do not recommend directly editing this file, just setting it through FAHControl or Web Control which send the changes to FAHClient to save. There they get sanity checks, just a restricted format is supported from the broader XML standard.

[Azmodes]

Well, I'd be happy to use FAHControl, but due to the problems discussed in this thread I cannot. What happens if the two config files contradict each other?

Also, while the above fix worked for two machines, I find myself unable to connect at all to a third. I'm honestly baffled, the config file is identical to the ones that work. I even did a clean OS install, set everything up exactly as on the other two computers, but it's stuck on "Connecting".

[Joe_H]

After changing the config.xml file did you either reboot the machine or restart FAHClient? That is another required step often forgotten.

Are you setting a password for the connections? There is a another option setting for that which also require a network address to be configured if you are not using a password.

Also, someone recently posted a good writeup of the steps needed to configure for remote access, try searching for "remote access" here on the forum. It was posted within the last few days. If you don't find it, I will take a look for it when I get a chance and post the link.

[Azmodes]

After changing the config.xml file did you either reboot the machine or restart FAHClient? That is another required step often forgotten.

Yes, both.

Are you setting a password for the connections? There is a another option setting for that which also require a network address to be configured if you are not using a password.

No password.

Also, someone recently posted a good writeup of the steps needed to configure for remote access, try searching for "remote access" here on the forum. It was posted within the last few days. If you don't find it, I will take a look for it when I get a chance and post the link.

hmmm, a lot of hits come up for that, but nothing immediately apparent as a guide for setting it up.


Anywho, this is the config.xml in /etc/fahclient:

Code: Select all

<config>
  <!-- Client Control -->
  <fold-anon v='true'/>

  <!-- Folding Slot Configuration -->
  <gpu v='false'/>

  <!-- Slot Control -->
  <power v='full'/>

  <!-- User Information -->
  <passkey v='[my passkey]'/>
  <team v='237115'/>
  <user v='Azmodes'/>

  <!-- Folding Slots -->
  <slot id='0' type='CPU'/>
</config>

And this is the one in /etc/init.d:

Code: Select all

<config>

<allow v='127.0.0.1 [internal IP of controlling computer]'/>

 <command-allow-no-pass v='127.0.0.1 [internal IP of controlling computer]'/>

  <!-- Slot Control -->
  <power v='FULL'/>

  <!-- User Information -->
  <passkey v='[my passkey]'/>
  <team v='237115'/>
  <user v='Azmodes'/>

  <!-- Folding Slots -->
  <slot id='0' type='CPU'/>
  <slot id='1' type='GPU'/>
  <slot id='2' type='GPU'/>
  <slot id='3' type='GPU'/>
</config>

By all appearances it abides by the parameters set in the latter. I know you said to leave init.d alone, but someone in the thread I linked earlier pointed to it for configuration and that approach has worked fine for my other two machines so far (it also works on this one, except for getting remote access).

[Azmodes]

Maybe also noteworthy... on the machines that I can't connect to (I have installed it on a second Ubuntu 18.04 computer, doesn't work either), Web Control only shows a CPU slot, although both have multiple GPUs (which are indeed working when I run it through the terminal).

On the two Ubuntu machines that I can connect to, Web Control shows all the slots.

I also tried adding the remote access tags to the config file in the /etc/fahclient folder and running it from there, but it doesn't work either.

[Joe_H]

Found the link - viewtopic.php?f=16&t=32962&p=316215&hilit=remote+access#p316067.

[bruce]

Near the top of FAH's active log, there's a line beginning with CWD. FAHClient is telling you which file's it's using. that's the config.xml that was opened when FAHClient started.

[Azmodes]

Found the link - viewtopic.php?f=16&t=32962&p=316215&hilit=remote+access#p316067.

Thanks, but that doesn't really help me since it's a) talking about setting it up in Advanced Control (which I can't start on Ubuntu) and b) saying nothing I didn't yet do the equivalent of via editing the config file anyway.

Near the top of FAH's active log, there's a line beginning with CWD. FAHClient is telling you which file's it's using. that's the config.xml that was opened when FAHClient started.

ah cool. Yeah, it's using the one in /init.d.

I noticed that it keeps briefly flashing to "Connected" for a fraction of a second, but then it goes right back to "Connecting".

[Joe_H]

One other thought, the FAHClient process should be accessible using telnet over port 36330 on the local IP address 127.0.0.1. There is a rudimentary help and most of the client settings can be checked and modified that way.

[Azmodes]

hmmm, I tried that and it briefly goes to a blank cursor and then exits again.

I tried it with some of the machines that I can connect to via Advanced Control too and it shows

Code: Select all

Welcome to the Folding@home Client command server.         
 >

So it's working, but whatever's preventing those computers from being accessed with Control seems to block this too...

[Azmodes]

So something that could be related to this... on the two computers I can't connect to, I seem to have *two* instances of FAH running for some weird reason. One is the one I start through the terminal (/etc/init.d/FAHClient; it has CPU and GPU slots), the other appears to be triggered by Web Control (and it also shows a CPU slot only, not matter what's in the config). I have to open the browser and tell it to stop folding, otherwise there's two CPU slots running at the same time (???). I tried to set the other instance to "finish and stop", but it just keeps downloading new work, so I had to stop it completely. I also added

Code: Select all

<open-web-control v='false'/>

to the config file it's using (AND the one in /etc/fahclient), but it makes no difference.

Might this strange second instance somehow be interferring with the remote connection? I don't really know why it's there to start with, I don't think I did anything differently from the working Linux machines when I installed it.

[Azmodes]

Reporting back after a while with a potential solution. When you go through the installation steps and it asks you if you want FAH to start automatically, select 'no'. This solves the remote connection issue as well as the unwanted "ghost" Web Control folding instance.