I downloaded Boinc 6.6.40 and get the error

Error: Unable to initialize gtk, is DISPLAY set properly?

I have gtk+-1.2.10-x86_64-5, gtk+2-2.14.7-x86_64-4.

That's a Linux own error, not a BOINC error.

How are you trying to run BOINC? Not as root, are you? Try running BOINC as the normal user first.

I dropped the error message into a search engine and got this within minutes:

If you really want to run it as root, you'll need to give privilege to local users by giving the following command as the user your X-Windows runs as:

$ xhost +local:

Then, set your DISPLAY variable to :0.0 as follows

# export DISPLAY=:0.0

---

That's a Linux own error, not a BOINC error.

How are you trying to run BOINC? Not as root, are you? Try running BOINC as the normal user first.

Yes; I never had a problem before. But I ran it as a user, with this script:

#/etc/rc.d/rc.boinc
#!/bin/sh
# start/stop/restart BOINC

# start BOINC:
boinc_start() {

#!/bin/sh
cd /usr/local/bin/BOINC
./boinc&
./boinccmd --project_attach http://einstein.phys.uwm.edu/ dchmelik 
#my BOINC id was after my login below, but I omitted it
--join_acct_mgr dchmelik 
./run_manager&
cd

}

# Stop BOINC:
boinc_stop() {
  killall boinc
}

case "$1" in
'start')
  boinc_start
  ;;
'stop')
  boinc_stop
  ;;
*)
  echo "usage $0 start|stop|restart"
esac

I am not sure this script is suitable to run as a user rather than root, but it does somewhat still work. However, when the GUI manager starts boinc has not attached to BAM my account. I was using this just fine for months before the Summer.

Here's an init.d script for you to compare.

What distro?

---

Kathryn :o)

Slackware64, and i would rather keep it simple: my script was working with earlier versions... but I suppose I will look at that one and maybe improve mine.

I took a closer look at what happens when I run my script with this version non-root. It says:

d@athenaion:~$ boinc start
d@athenaion:~$ can't connect to local host
Another instance of BOINC is running

This was when I was actually not running another instance (I read 'ps ax.') I guess something works differently now and when I try to run it to attach to the Einstein project, which did not work with BAM, and then afterwards try to connect to BAM, there is some problem. It still starts the manager but I just cannot connect to BAM or any project.

Mark me puzzled then. If you're not wedded to uptime, then you can try rebooting to clear out any instances that might be hiding.

---

Kathryn :o)

I do not think there were other instances: I did 'ps ax|grep boinc.'

However, when I run boinc non-root it always says the above errors, and when I run it as root it says the display has a problem, though it is '0:0.0.' I killed the processes each time and tried it in these different accounts several times. Also when I do 'xhost +localhost' it does not work. X is pretty ridiculous.

However, I found out part of what happened. Some syntax for boinccmd changed. I can get boinc working and attach to my account manager in root with my script modified for the new syntax, but it will not run the GUI manager. Of course in non-root it will not even run boinc at all.

You can start as many instances of boinc manager as you like. The error message appears if you want to start more than one client.

Okay, the client would appear in the ps output too, but you have to differentiate between the two.

About your script: Why would you want to attach to Einstein and the account manager at each start of BOINC?

Did you try the commands in the script manually in a command shell? That would be cd to the BOINC directory and ./boinc (without the & for test purposes). Any (error) messages?

Then (in another shell) enter ./boincmgr. BTW, did you check the shell script run_manager?

Gruß,
Gundolf

---

Computer sind nicht alles im Leben. (Kleiner Scherz)

[...]About your script: Why would you want to attach to Einstein and the account manager at each start of BOINC?

Earlier Einstein project did not support BAM, but it does now: I removed this from my script.

Did you try the commands in the script manually in a command shell? That would be cd to the BOINC directory and ./boinc (without the & for test purposes). Any (error) messages?

Then (in another shell) enter ./boincmgr. BTW, did you check the shell script run_manager?

Yes, I tried the commands separately, and I meant what happened as root and non-root was when I did things manually. I do not know what you mean by 'check run_manager.' I installed it in the right place and looked at it to make sure it runs right, but actually now my script is calling boincmgr itself like run_manager.

I do not know what you mean by 'check run_manager.'

I assume it's a shell script too and I meant that you should examine it. (I don't have a unix system at hand.)

Gruß,
Gundolf
[edit]Did you check ownership and group for all BOINC-related files?[/edit]

[...]]Did you check ownership and group for all BOINC-related files?[/edit]

I installed it as root so I assume it is root, but I do not really want to have to make a user for it. Several GNU/Linux systems already make a boinc init script in /etc/rc.d/, which often runs things as root. My system is where no one else lives so I do not even usually use passwords, and I have no problem running things as root. If this is supposed to be changed then really the installer should take care of it. I guess I could chmod or make a user, but I would prefer to call my init script from rc.local the way it is, as I think I am already doing.

I dislike when POSIX stuff more for sysadmins is called the only way and pushed on average users... it would be fine for me if I ran BOINC in a DOS-type system this same sort of way, and running as root is no more 'dangerous' in my case... but if things are changing to have more silly POSIX restrictions I will try chmod or making a user: more to have to deal with for no reason just to get something done that is reasonable enough it should be immediate.

Update: I just checked my binaries and they are already set to be run by any user... but there are many other files in ./BOINC. I do not know if now they should be owned by some other sort of group or user. I do not really want to have to make a boinc group and user just to run this, but maybe I will try that next. Then I do not know how I can run my init script or use it in rc.local.

If only there was a FreeDOS64--things would be so much simpler and reasonable.

You aren't supposed to start graphical apps, like boincmgr, from an init.d script. Those scripts may even run before X starts at all.

---

Actaully I just checked and it is not in my rc.local, but it does not matter: if X has not started then the GUI manager will just not start, and I think if you run the init script and boinc is already running it will not start a new instance. At least I am pretty sure it used to do that--I checked--though I am not sure 6.6.40 does.

That was still off the topic of why the display does not work if I run boinc as root and why it cannot connect if run non-root. Do I really have to make a group and user, and how would that work any more than my main non-root user, which does not work for it? I guess I could run it from a non-root console or an icon, but other GUI things run as root, so what is wrong with Boinc manager?

I do not really want to run it non-root, but I cannot:

root@athenaion:~# ps ax|grep boinc
26320 pts/0 S+ 0:00 grep boinc
root@athenaion:~# login d
Password:
Linux 2.6.29.6.
No mail.
d@athenaion:~$ cd /usr/local/bin/BOINC
d@athenaion:/usr/local/bin/BOINC$ ./boinc
Another instance of BOINC is running

I have moved this to a new thread 'errors running BOINC in Slackware64' because the questions have gone off the original topic and I am getting some weird errors.