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Re: [vizstack-users] Configuring Physical Desktops( was RE: Yet another odd problem . . .)
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From: Kumar, S. <shr...@hp...> - 2010-05-17 08:34:43
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Ok. Hopefully I understand better now. Bear with me for a little while more while I try to figure out what can be done - and isn't too intrusive. Since there is only a single user on the system, you could configure a tiled display that uses up all the GPU on the node. With this, the user can login into the console and use "viz-desktop" to start the desktop session. Since the X server uses all GPUs, VizStack should now start the X server and switch the VT. This should work for you - does it not ? I tested this myself an hour ago on a server equipped with 2 GPUs - Ubuntu 9.10 x86_64. Note that you will need to include all GPUs in the tiled display for this to work. This approach also doesn't need disabling of the gettys. -- Shree -----Original Message----- From: Sim...@cs... [mailto:Sim...@cs...] Sent: Monday, May 17, 2010 12:11 PM To: viz...@li... Subject: Re: [vizstack-users] Configuring Physical Desktops( was RE: Yet another odd problem . . .) VizStack has actually been far easier to get working than a straight X configuration on this system, and it allows us to subdivide the display very easily - much more easily than running from gdm. It also gives us a simple path to scale up to larger systems that won't run from a single display node (which is something we expect to have to build in the future). Also, switching from hidden pixels behind bezels to no hidden pixels would require switching around X configs with gdm, whereas with vizstack it's a simple command line option. So VizStack basically just makes a range of things we want to do quite simple - we could probably do them manually, or write our own automation scripts to handle it, but it would be a lot harder to manage . . . That's why ideally we'd be able to run a viz-desktop session from a console login - it's the simplest way to get at the flexibility on offer through VizStack. Simon > -----Original Message----- > From: Kumar, Shree [mailto:shr...@hp...] > Sent: Monday, 17 May 2010 4:28 PM > To: viz...@li... > Subject: Re: [vizstack-users] Configuring Physical Desktops( > was RE: Yet another odd problem . . .) > > > If you just run gdm (with an appropriate X config file), > would that be sufficient for your purposes ? > > You could configure gdm using PAM to use the same kerberos > authentication. > > -- Shree > > -----Original Message----- > From: Sim...@cs... [mailto:Sim...@cs...] > Sent: Monday, May 17, 2010 11:45 AM > To: viz...@li... > Subject: Re: [vizstack-users] Configuring Physical Desktops( > was RE: Yet another odd problem . . .) > > We're looking to have someone log in to the display node, get > a vizstack powered desktop session, then run VNC clients to > access remote rendering nodes and run visualisation > applications. It'll be a single login at any given time, but > potentially many different people using it over time. > > The main reason we're hoping to be able to have people log > in, rather than use a shared account, is security and > auditing - some of these machines will be installed in > relatively open places, so we want to be able to restrict > access somewhat. > > We'd be using kerberos authentication against our corporate AD domain. > > If the only reasonable solution at the moment is to run from > an init script we'll cope. > > Simon > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Kumar, Shree [mailto:shr...@hp...] > > Sent: Monday, 17 May 2010 4:07 PM > > To: viz...@li... > > Subject: Re: [vizstack-users] Configuring Physical > Desktops( was RE: > > Yet another odd problem . . .) > > > > > > Can you describe what kind of a setup you are aiming for ? > > > > To me, looks like it is a static kind of a setup. We may be able to > > come to a better solution for static setups. > > > > -- Shree > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Sim...@cs... [mailto:Sim...@cs...] > > Sent: Monday, May 17, 2010 11:24 AM > > To: viz...@li... > > Subject: Re: [vizstack-users] Configuring Physical > Desktops( was RE: > > Yet another odd problem . . .) > > > > Possibly kill gdm as part of the session startup, then bring up > > viz-desktop, and when you log out restart gdm? > > > > Requiring another machine that you can use to ssh in is a bit > > problematic - these are supposed to be standalone systems. I guess > > worst case we can just use an init script and deal with the > hard-coded > > user . . . > > > > Simon > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > From: Kumar, Shree [mailto:shr...@hp...] > > > Sent: Monday, 17 May 2010 3:46 PM > > > To: viz...@li... > > > Subject: Re: [vizstack-users] Configuring Physical > > Desktops( was RE: > > > Yet another odd problem . . .) > > > > > > > > > Running it from an init script should be possible - but > > that hardcodes > > > the user to whom the session is allocated. > > > > > > It should be possible to do this via a GDM session - but on > > which GPU > > > will the GDM session run - that will waste a GPU right ? > > > > > > If they can SSH into the box to start a session, then > > nothing like it. > > > > > > -- Shree > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > From: Sim...@cs... [mailto:Sim...@cs...] > > > Sent: Monday, May 17, 2010 11:01 AM > > > To: viz...@li... > > > Subject: Re: [vizstack-users] Configuring Physical > > Desktops( was RE: > > > Yet another odd problem . . .) > > > > > > Doing away with all the gettys will be problematic - people > > will need > > > to get onto the console of this system in order to run > > viz-desktop . . > > > . > > > > > > Would it be possible to run it from an init script? Or > > possibly from a > > > gdm session? > > > > > > Simon > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > > From: Kumar, Shree [mailto:shr...@hp...] > > > > Sent: Monday, 17 May 2010 3:21 PM > > > > To: viz...@li... > > > > Subject: [vizstack-users] Configuring Physical Desktops( was > > > > RE: Yet another odd problem . . .) > > > > > > > > Hi Simon, > > > > > > > > This is turning out to be more complicated that I had > > thought. The > > > > interaction with the console seems dependent even on the > > > linux distro > > > > in use :-( > > > > > > > > In particular, I have observed that the default console > > > gets all the > > > > keyboard data - whether it comes from PS/2 or from USB > keyboards. > > > > > > > > On Ubuntu (that's your OS, correct?) you can try the following : > > > > > > > > - Disable all the gettys. This does away with the console > > > entirely - > > > > so nobody will be around to snoop on the keyboard data. > > > > - Try your existing desktop (which doesn't use all GPUs). > > > > This should hopefully work. > > > > > > > > Regards > > > > -- Shree > > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > > From: Sim...@cs... [mailto:Sim...@cs...] > > > > Sent: Saturday, May 15, 2010 1:10 PM > > > > To: viz...@li... > > > > Subject: Re: [vizstack-users] Yet another odd problem . . . > > > > > > > > Good to know there's a simple fix - I'll check out the doco > > > and see if > > > > I can figure it out from there, otherwise I may come back for > > > > assistance. > > > > > > > > Simon > > > > ________________________________________ > > > > From: Kumar, Shree [shr...@hp...] > > > > Sent: Friday, May 14, 2010 7:52 PM > > > > To: viz...@li... > > > > Subject: Re: [vizstack-users] Yet another odd problem . . . > > > > > > > > Hi Simon, > > > > > > > > If you run a desktop which uses up _all_ the GPUs on the > > > system, then > > > > you will not face such issues. > > > > > > > > What you are noticing is a contention for input devices > > > between the X > > > > server and your console. When you run a desktop which does > > > not use all > > > > GPUs on a system, you need a dedicated keyboard and a > > mouse for the > > > > session to avoid such conflicts. > > > > > > > > Let me explain: > > > > > > > > - your console is running all the time on a VT(virtual > > > terminal). The > > > > console has access to the keyboard and mouse. > > > > > > > > - Using viz-desktop, when you start desktop on all the > > GPUs, the VT > > > > gets switched. This is similar to what happens when you run > > > GDM, or if > > > > press CTRL-ALT-F7. The VT running the X server now has > > > control of the > > > > keyboard and the mouse. > > > > > > > > - When you start a desktop on one or more (but not all) > > > GPUs, the VT > > > > does not get switched. Not switching the VT is a > > requirement to run > > > > multiple X servers, which in turn is needed to share the > > node with > > > > multiple X servers. Since the VT does not switch, your > > > console still > > > > has access to the keyboard and the mouse. That accounts > > for all the > > > > weirdness you see. In your case, the X server pops up > on the same > > > > screen where your console is, causing even more confusion. > > > > > > > > To get one or more physical desktops working the way you > > want, you > > > > will need a separate physical keyboard/mouse per user. I > > > have had best > > > > results with USB Keyboards and USB Mice. These need to be > > > added into > > > > node_config.xml. Let me know if I need to describe the > > nitty gritty > > > > involved in this ! > > > > > > > > Regards > > > > -- Shree > > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > > From: Sim...@cs... [mailto:Sim...@cs...] > > > > Sent: Friday, May 14, 2010 12:46 PM > > > > To: viz...@li... > > > > Subject: [vizstack-users] Yet another odd problem . . . > > > > > > > > A very odd problem . . . > > > > > > > > I've been running viz-desktop from an ssh session all the time, > > > > because when I run it from a console session, the first > > > time I try to > > > > enter anything via the keyboard the display locks up - > > the mouse is > > > > still rendered normally, but nothing responds to it. > > > > > > > > I just found, while doing a bit of testing, that when I'm > > > logged in at > > > > the console and I run a viz-desktop session via ssh the > > things that > > > > were typed into the session show up on the console as if > > they were > > > > typed in. So, I fire up viz-desktop, bring up a terminal, > > > start up a > > > > vnc session, type in my password, and so on, and all those > > > lines show > > > > up on the console. I just did a test where the only thing I > > > brought up > > > > was firefox - I typed in a URL, hit enter, and the URL was > > > in the bash > > > > history of the console. Just for fun I brought up a > terminal and > > > > changed the prompt - when I closed the session the > prompt in the > > > > console was also changed. > > > > > > > > Presumably this is some kind of issue with stdin/stdout > not being > > > > redirected correctly . . . > > > > > > > > Simon Fowler > > > > Technical Specialist eResearch Visualisation team CSIRO IM&T > > > > Yarralumla, 2600 Desk 02 6124 1453 Mob 0409 245 871 > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------- > > > > ---------------- > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > vizstack-users mailing list > > > > viz...@li... > > > > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/vizstack-users > > > > > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------- > > > > ---------------- > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > vizstack-users mailing list > > > > viz...@li... > > > > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/vizstack-users > > > > > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------- > > > > ---------------- > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > vizstack-users mailing list > > > > viz...@li... > > > > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/vizstack-users > > > > > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------- > > > > ---------------- > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > vizstack-users mailing list > > > > viz...@li... > > > > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/vizstack-users > > > > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------- > > > ---------------- > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > vizstack-users mailing list > > > viz...@li... > > > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/vizstack-users > > > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------- > > > ---------------- > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > vizstack-users mailing list > > > viz...@li... > > > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/vizstack-users > > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------- > > ---------------- > > > > _______________________________________________ > > vizstack-users mailing list > > viz...@li... > > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/vizstack-users > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------- > > ---------------- > > > > _______________________________________________ > > vizstack-users mailing list > > viz...@li... > > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/vizstack-users > > > -------------------------------------------------------------- > ---------------- > > _______________________________________________ > vizstack-users mailing list > viz...@li... > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/vizstack-users > > -------------------------------------------------------------- > ---------------- > > _______________________________________________ > vizstack-users mailing list > viz...@li... > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/vizstack-users > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _______________________________________________ vizstack-users mailing list viz...@li... https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/vizstack-users |
