[MVC]

This has got to be a simple thing, but I can't figure it out.

This morning I installed the UltraVNC server on a new GPU folding machine; everything went fine. I then installed the viewer (only) on my main workstation and connected to the GPU folding machine and everything works just fine--I can log on, check progress, start/stop apps and everything works the way it's supposed to.

I then went and installed the UltraVNC server on another GPU folding machine exactly the same way I did it on the first one. When I connect to it from my main workstation it appears to connect just fine, but, and it's a big BUT, every time it connects (or disconnects) it shuts down the GPU client. The GPU client log says "INTERRUPTED". I can start or stop the GPU client through the UltraVNC connection, I just can't close the connection--which sort of defeats the purpose. FWIW, the GPU client is the only thing being shut down. I tested it with a "regular" DOS window and it wasn't closed, I tested it with other open applications (jEdit, CCC, Windows Explorer) and they weren't closed.

I've reinstalled the GPU client (twice) and UltraVNC (three times) and I keep getting the same result.

Does anyone have any idea what's wrong? How do I keep the GPU client from being closed on every connection/disconnection?

I've currently got the "extra" monitor, keyboard, and mouse on a third machine loading Windows so I'll have another "test" machine up later tonight/tomorrow and I'll be able to see what it's doing, but this is strange.

Thanks for any suggestions,
Mark

[Shelnutt2]

Did you hook the video driver? If so unhook it. If not hook it. Thats the only thing I can thing might be the problem.

[MVC]

Originally Posted by Shelnutt2

Did you hook the video driver? If so unhook it. If not hook it. Thats the only thing I can thing might be the problem.

How do I do that? I accepted the defaults on both installations so I would assume (hope?) that it did the same thing both times, but how would I check?

[harlam357]

Are you ever doing a ctrl-alt-del to lock the screen? That will kill the client, at least that's what the FAQ says. I assume you are running the client in console mode and not service correct?

[MVC]

Originally Posted by harlam357

Are you ever doing a ctrl-alt-del to lock the screen? That will kill the client, at least that's what the FAQ says. I assume you are running the client in console mode and not service correct?

I haven't done any ctrl-alt-del, for any purpose, on any of the machines (no need had come up yet). Yes, the GPU client is in console mode--I launch it by double-clicking the shortcut on the desktop (either on the "test" monitor attached to that computer (when it's attached) or through the UltraVNC viewer on the workstation).

But, now that you brought it up, I did accidentally load the previous GPU client (beta2) as a service. It didn't work so I disabled the service and ran it through the console where it worked fine, but I did leave the entries in the registry. So, as soon as the monitor is "free" again I'll clean out the registry and see if that fixes it--but I'm open to still more suggestions. The two clients are different so the service attached to the old one shouldn't effect the new one, but ya never know.

[Shelnutt2]

Originally Posted by MVC

How do I do that? I accepted the defaults on both installations so I would assume (hope?) that it did the same thing both times, but how would I check?

Right click on the UltraVNC icon in the system try. Then "Properties" (not admin properties but just properties). I really have no clue if this would effect anything or not but anythign to do with the video driver might..

[MVC]

Originally Posted by Shelnutt2

Right click on the UltraVNC icon in the system try. Then "Properties" (not admin properties but just properties). I really have no clue if this would effect anything or not but anythign to do with the video driver might..

OK. It's worth a try; I really don't want to do another Windows install from scratch, but if that's what it takes.... Autopatcher is updating the third machine right now so I should be able to steal the monitor back in another hour or two and we'll see what happens. I'm not going to try to fix the problem through UltraVNC since the problem machine is currently folding quite happily (I hope) so until I'm ready to move the monitor, keyboard, mouse over to it, I'll just let it sit.

[MVC]

Well, I just got the third machine up and running and it's doing the same thing as the second--connecting or disconnecting with UltraVNC kills the Folding GPU client. This is a new and clean Windows install so what ever the problem is, it isn't garbage left from previous software.

In the UltraVNC install, I've tried it with the mirror driver and without, with the repeater driver and without. I'm stuck, so I think I'm just going to let it sit overnight. I got it to work once, so it's got to be something I'm doing/not doing so maybe if I sleep on it I'll think of what it is.

[Shelnutt2]

Later tonight I'll check on this. I'll see if I get the same issue. I don't run the GPU client but since I have an ATI card I'll play around with it.

[pscout]

I recall reading about issues like this with the GPU client over on the FAC gpu beta forum ... other folks trying to remote monitor http://forum.folding-community.org/viewforum.php?f=54

Something to do with a windows video contraint ... do you use the windows authentication in ultravnc? I haven't used it in a long time since i have all my rigs on kvms now.

[LandShark]

I've been using RealVNC, and never have any problem with that. (only problem I have is can't seem to be able to control the linux under vmware on the remote machine....)

[leelegend]

its to do with the redirection of the video stream.......i think

i get exactly the same thing when connecting with Terminal Services on windows and the GPU GUI Client.

i have swapped over to the terminal version to see if it helps

i will let you know
lee

[MVC]

Yeah, but the weirdness is that it worked perfectly for the first machine I installed it on.... The only thing I can think of is that when I ran Autopatcher on the new Windows install I didn't update something on the first machine (trying to do the setup quickly I may have limited what all it updated) but did update that something on the others.

So, the experiment begins. I just wiped the drive on the last machine and am doing a clean install of Windows again. But, this time I'm going to create rollback points before every change and I'll see where it breaks, assuming it works initially. The initial install then will be Windows XP Pro SP2, the network drivers, CCC 6.10, UltraVNC server and the FAH directory I pulled from the last install and am "holding" on my server (I didn't want to loose the ~80 frames completed so far and I didn't want to wait 3 hours for it to finish).

Assuming the initial install works (and since it did once it should again) as I add updates I should be able to isolate what's breaking it. And, if I can isolate it there might be other ways to "fix" the problem. I hope.

Edit: The "basic" install also required DirectX9.0c which I installed from the redistributable package. But, that basic install without any MS updates since SP2 does work just fine with UltraVNC--connecting/disconnecting with the UltraVNC viewer doesn't close (kill) the Folding GPU client. So, whatever the problem is is the result of some other "fix" Microsoft introduced--now to find it .

[MVC]

OK, now I'm really confused. I just finished 5+ hours of debugging and I couldn't find the problem. I loaded every default update "checked-off" on the November 2006 Full Update of Autopatcher (in small groups so I could rollback when I hit the problem) and I never hit a problem update. The machine is working fine with Ultra VNC. I'm reasonably certain I didn't add to the updates when I did this before (I just wanted the "basic" stuff for a folding machine) and I didn't use any updates from December 2006 or January 2007. So, I have no idea of what tripped it the previous times.

Anyway, I've got one more machine to redo so I'll see what it does.... This is too strange!!!

Edit: Now that I've got all the computers back at my desk I'll try, again, to break the Folding GPU client and UltraVNC with my last GPU folding machine. If nothing else I should be able to figure out what I shouldn't have updated when I built my C2D system on Thursday--none of my computers can connect to it, so its "problem" should also be related to what was patched with Autopatcher but there aint any clues as to what it was.... I hate computers maybe it's time to take the cat for a walk and have a beer at my neighborhood pub...