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So I'm wondering if it's possible to mine with Ubuntu Server with ATI cards?  When I got started with mining I fumbled around for a couple days going from Ubuntu Server -> Ubuntu Desktop -> CentOS, and I'm currently running CentOS, but I'd like to switch over to Ubuntu Server if possible.  From what I discovered previously ATI cards need to be attached to a display otherwise they won't show up as an OpenCL device?  I remember trying to use DISPLAY=:0 and not having success so I moved on.

Thanks!

From my experience you need X to be running.

very possible, here is proof
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j86pORrusUo

Not quite: you can use a mining tool remotely via SSH but you need the user logged on the console.
If you logout from the console the program via ssh is unable to use opencl anymore...

X needs to be running, but in most cases a monitor does not need to be plugged into the graphics card.

I was wondering this same thing...

So you can't run your miners from simply a command line state? You need to be running some sort of desktop?

What I did :
 - set up ubuntu desktop
 - have gnome auto login
 - have a shell script run in console at startup of gnome
 - in that shell script have a screen command (or maybe run gnome-terminal remotely and tell it to run screen)
 - whenever i want to use a miner remotely i logon using ssh, issue a "screen -dRR"
 - the screen instance i get is "aware" of the x server running and i can launch a miner using it

anyway, the goal is to have an user logged in to gnome and a screen instance that is "aware" of it to be able to run mining software
hope it helps

Thanks, all this advice does help.  I've been using CentOS for my miners because that's about the only way I was able to get things working initially, and the setup and configuration under CentOS is a lot easier than all the guides I've seen around here for Ubuntu.  The thing is though that I really AM a fan of Ubuntu, I just couldn't get it to work initially.  Also, if Ubuntu Server was a possibility I'd be more excited about switching over.

Thanks for the help everyone.

You do not even need autologin as some have suggested.  I run ubuntu with headless, rack mounted servers (5970s and 6990s).  It's not the server edition, but as long as you have X installed, I imagine the server edition would work.  I have a script that simply uses sudo and xhost to open up permissions for all local users to access display :0...then the script sets DISPLAY=:0 and starts the miner...I use "screen" so that I can disconnect/reconnect to periodically check in on the miner to make sure it's still running at peak hash rates.  I do not need to set it to autologin.

Is it possible that xvfb would be part of a headless/x-less solution? I'm running desktop Ubuntu myself so haven't run into the problem, but xvfb gets used on Linux servers for things like specific web apps that need X but obviously don't benefit from the overhead.

I'm running Ubuntu Server 11.04 headless with a 6990. There's no need to auto-login or anything.

You do need to be running X and some kind of desktop environment or window manager, however. (I installed Xfce but something else should work too.) After that, just aticonfig and restart and install the APP SDK which should detect the GPUs.

You mean that you can remotely (via ssh) launch the mining programs without anybody logged on the console, thus showing only the login window?
I tried but with no luck, can you please give us the details?

you can also try RDP if remote display not working

I have find a way to remote ssh mining.

No need to autologin in Ubuntu.

Just have gdm auto start (which is default by ubuntu desktop). If you prefer Ubuntu server, you can simply:
# apt-get install xfce4
# apt-get install gdm

If you prefer gnome, you just:

# apt-get install gdm

after that, do the following:

(1). vi /etc/gdm/Init/Default
Add:
-------------
xhost +
chmod uog+rw /dev/dri/card*
-------------
at the end before "exit 0"

(2). vi /etc/bash.bashrc
to the end, add:
----------------
case $DISPLAY in '') export DISPLAY=:0;; *) ;; esac
----------------

(3). restart gdm

then you can use mining tools vis remote ssh.

I tried for weeks to make it possible.
If you find it useful, please enjoy and send a donation.

Brilliant!  When I get a chance I'll definitely try to check this out.  I have an electrician coming over today because I just moved and I need new circuits installed to get my mining back up. 

I wrote up a post about how to do Ubuntu headless mining.  You can check it out at

http://forum.bitcoin.org/index.php?topic=9239.0

-Dukejer

If you find this post helpful feel free to donate to address: 19oQLN2v1auiGqBDFfxSDUfu8Ax6ooT6xs

There is no /dev/dri directory on any of my ubuntu mining machines...