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Crunching on Linux Tips, Tricks, and Useful Hints

(DE=Desktop Environment)
I have liked Mint with Cinnamon because it is so like the Windows DE. Ubuntu moves EVERYTHING to the top bar.
I'm also considering Lubuntu, which is a lightweight version of Ubuntu with the LXDE Desktop. I'm making an assumption that lightweight = faster. I know that Lubuntu uses less RAM.
I'd also like to try PuppyLinux. (I would love to figure out a way to have a system crunch w/o a HDD, or maybe the HDD is only accessed once per day. We have very stable electricity here, maybe one outage a year)
Article about lightweight Linux's: five best lightweight Linux distros of 2016
 
[Ion] said:
Ubuntu is pretty popular and is the base behind Linux Mint.
Click to expand...
Debian is also pretty popular and the base behind Ubuntu but it doesn't make it easy to use for someone that is used to Windows!

@manofthem because you're a novice with Linux I highly suggest you to use Linux Mint with either Cinnamon or MATE.
The way things are organized is similar to Windows 7.

thebluebumblebee said:
I'm also considering Lubuntu, which is a lightweight version of Ubuntu with the LXDE Desktop. I'm making an assumption that lightweight = faster. I know that Lubuntu uses less RAM.
Click to expand...

I'm not ready to say that a lightweight distribution will crunch better. Why? Because once the OS is loaded, even if it needs less RAM to run, it doesn't mean that the said OS will utilize the CPU more effectively or will have more CPU cycles available for crunching. Sometimes lightweight distributions lack essential files or config to effectively crunch.

thebluebumblebee said:
(I would love to figure out a way to have a system crunch w/o a HDD, or maybe the HDD is only accessed once per day. We have very stable electricity here, maybe one outage a year
Click to expand...
I did a guide on how to do this a couple of years ago, it should be somewhere on TPU haha
 
m&m's said:
@manofthem because you're a novice with Linux I highly suggest you to use Linux Mint with either Cinnamon or MATE.
The way things are organized is similar to Windows 7.
Click to expand...

Went ahead and started DLing Mint w/ Cinnamon, pretty sure that's what I used last time. I used to have it on a USB but that's nowhere to be found. Later I'll get it onto a USB drive and later tonight I'll go ahead and give the install a go, if the kids don't interfere too much :laugh:
 
Okay, I'm embarrassed. I did not look around enough. In addition to @m&m's guide above, which I actually commented in at the time, @[Ion] has:
BOINC Live CD

Maybe I should try this on the Sempron I have sitting here.;)
 
Aha, I'd forgotten about that one. I ought to update it :o
 
I am setting up a new, or maybe old linux system depending on how you look at it. The primary purpose of this machine will be something besides crunching, but it will be bringing back 2 cores that I have had offline for sometime.

I am posting this just to express my own appreciation that I made this thread as a reference. I am falling back on it now. Even more thanks to those who contributed to this thread. It would not have been possible without them.

I wish I could edit the post a bit. I found at least 1 mistake so far. I don't know why that would be restricted.
 
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There's a new forum rule that you're not allowed to edit posts that are older than some amount of time (not sure what).
 
OK, so, I downloaded Linux Mint for my P4 cruncher and it is a "raw CD image" How do I install it from my hard drive? It has been a while since I played with Linux, about a year. The computer has Mint 12 on it now but, it is too old for BOINC to download jobs. I have to update the OS to get a new BOINC version.
 
OK, so, I have Mint 18 Sarah up and running. Got apt-build. Now though, when I, sudo apt-build install boinc-client, I get this:

"mYou must put some 'source' URIs in your sources.list
Missing source package name for source_by_source ()."

This is beyond newbie land. Please help. @Nordic (?)
 
Are you trying to follow the instructions above?
 
Yes. Gave up on it, for now. Just now apt-get install, and I am looking to get it running now! I will mess with apt-build some other time.
:lovetpu:
 
Just go to the "Software Manager", type BOINC in the search box and install "boinc"
 
I got it running BOINC 7.6.31 on kernal 4.4.0-21-generic #37! I am proud of myself!

Thanks everyone for letting me type out my thoughts on this, it helped me sleep on it and come up with what I needed!

:lovetpu:
 
Sorry for a late response. I have been lurking and have not logged in for some time. My instructions in this thread do not cover installing boinc. Oddly enough I did not think of users starting out.

@Arjai , for future reference you need to change which repositories your linux build is using. I believe you can do this via GUI within the update center of mint.

For a little more advanced solution, you could try adding a PPA via command line. This would even allow you to have a more up to date boinc version. This link should be enough to show you what you need.
https://launchpad.net/~costamagnagianfranco/+archive/ubuntu/boinc
 
I upgraded the kernel to 4.15 rc9 last night, check it out! Temp sensor reading for Ryzen :D

415rc9.png
 
infrared said:
I upgraded the kernel to 4.15 rc9 last night, check it out! Temp sensor reading for Ryzen :D

View attachment 96265
Click to expand...
Try running "sudo sensors-detect", answer all the questions (you can probably just hit enter taking the defaults for all of them,) with the exception of the one asking if you want to automatically add the kernel modules, you want yes for that (the default is no,) then run "sudo /etc/init.d/kmod start" for the changes to take effect, then run "sensors". You may find you'll have far more data than what you have now if you do. For example, this is the kind of thing I see on both the 3820 and 3930k:
Code: 
jdoane@kratos:~$ sensors
nct6776-isa-0290
Adapter: ISA adapter
Vcore:          +0.86 V  (min =  +0.00 V, max =  +1.74 V)
in1:            +1.01 V  (min =  +0.00 V, max =  +0.00 V)  ALARM
AVCC:           +3.26 V  (min =  +2.98 V, max =  +3.63 V)
+3.3V:          +3.26 V  (min =  +2.98 V, max =  +3.63 V)
in4:            +1.01 V  (min =  +0.00 V, max =  +0.00 V)  ALARM
in5:            +2.04 V  (min =  +0.00 V, max =  +0.00 V)  ALARM
in6:            +0.71 V  (min =  +0.00 V, max =  +0.00 V)  ALARM
3VSB:           +3.42 V  (min =  +2.98 V, max =  +3.63 V)
Vbat:           +3.36 V  (min =  +2.70 V, max =  +3.63 V)
fan1:          1936 RPM  (min =    0 RPM)
fan2:           913 RPM  (min =    0 RPM)
fan3:          1012 RPM  (min =    0 RPM)
fan4:             0 RPM  (min =    0 RPM)
fan5:             0 RPM  (min =    0 RPM)
SYSTIN:         +39.0°C  (high =  +0.0°C, hyst =  +0.0°C)  ALARM  sensor = thermistor
CPUTIN:         +32.5°C  (high = +80.0°C, hyst = +75.0°C)  sensor = thermal diode
AUXTIN:         +42.0°C  (high = +80.0°C, hyst = +75.0°C)  sensor = thermistor
PECI Agent 0:   +42.0°C  (high = +80.0°C, hyst = +75.0°C)
                         (crit = +91.0°C)
PCH_CHIP_TEMP:   +0.0°C  
PCH_CPU_TEMP:    +0.0°C  
PCH_MCH_TEMP:    +0.0°C  
intrusion0:    ALARM
intrusion1:    ALARM
beep_enable:   disabled

amdgpu-pci-0100
Adapter: PCI adapter
temp1:        +66.0°C  (crit = +120.0°C, hyst = +90.0°C)

asus-isa-0000
Adapter: ISA adapter
cpu_fan:        0 RPM

coretemp-isa-0000
Adapter: ISA adapter
Package id 0:  +43.0°C  (high = +81.0°C, crit = +91.0°C)
Core 0:        +39.0°C  (high = +81.0°C, crit = +91.0°C)
Core 1:        +40.0°C  (high = +81.0°C, crit = +91.0°C)
Core 2:        +42.0°C  (high = +81.0°C, crit = +91.0°C)
Core 3:        +41.0°C  (high = +81.0°C, crit = +91.0°C)
Core 4:        +43.0°C  (high = +81.0°C, crit = +91.0°C)
Core 5:        +42.0°C  (high = +81.0°C, crit = +91.0°C)
 
Thanks aquinus. I tried the "sudo sensors-detect" last night, I didn't realize you had to do anything after though, so tried your suggestion of "sudo /etc/init.d/kmod start", it apparently started okay, but I still only have 1 cpu sensor (Tdie, I'm fairly sure) and a cpu fan speed that isn't reporting. Not to worry, some info is better than no info :)
 
Yep, it works and is pretty useful, if you update to 4.15 it should work straight away. It's easier to install than that guide makes it look :)

I followed this guide: http://ubuntuhandbook.org/index.php/2018/01/install-linux-kernel-4-15-in-ubuntu-linux-mint/
And picked out the compatible headers/image files from http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v4.15/

open terminal and run each line 1 at a time:

Code: 
cd /tmp/
wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v4.15/linux-image-4.15.0-041500-lowlatency_4.15.0-041500.201802011154_amd64.deb
wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v4.15/linux-headers-4.15.0-041500-lowlatency_4.15.0-041500.201802011154_amd64.deb
wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v4.15/linux-headers-4.15.0-041500_4.15.0-041500.201802011154_all.deb
sudo dpkg -i *.deb

After running through those and restarting, lm_sensors worked straight away for me, just type 'sensors' into terminal and you should now be able to see the tdie temperature, and if you do 'sudo sensors-detect' as @Aquinus suggested to me, it should give you a ton more readings, although I could only get the cpu temp on my crosshair vi hero system.
 
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@infrared Great, have upgraded kernel already 4.15.2-041502-generic (trust thats ok)or should i just be on 4.15as you are?

Will be looking into this tomorrow, thanks ;)
 
Ah perfect, yep that should work :) np mate ;)
 
This thread is great. I still comeback to this when I am setting up a crunching machine on linux.
 
@infrared Looking good, and thanks - now try overclocking currently @ 3800k

Had a couple of errors,
ERROR (dkms apport): kernel package linux-headers-4.15.0-041500-lowlatency is not supported
Error! Bad return status for module build on kernel: 4.15.0-041500-lowlatency (x86_64)
Consult /var/lib/dkms/ndiswrapper/1.60/build/make.log for more information.

presume, kernel 4.15.02

have attached file of full install

Screenshot at 2018-02-13 08-21-32.png
 

Attachments

blindfitter said:
already 4.15.2-041502-generic
Click to expand...
Just don't use the low latency kernel. This kernel will sap power away from your crunching machine because it's spending 10x more time doing CPU scheduling (1,000 times per second instead of 100.) Mainline is sometimes a little weird because it's without any patches the distro might have added. In fact, I can't even boot my machine using a mainline kernel because of AMDGPU. Just an FYI.
 
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