Building a rock solid multi-gpu linux mining rig with CEntOS 6.0

[Viceroy]

ok, Im at my head... let's get this chumpy working....  logging in

[Viceroy]

Yes.. I used the old school drivers like the tutorial said...

i think i messed up with basic libraries.. i also can't install cgminer properly.

Code:

checking for pkg-config... /usr/bin/pkg-config
checking pkg-config is at least version 0.9.0... yes
checking for LIBCURL... no
checking for LIBCURL... no
configure: error: Missing required libcurl dev >= 7.18.2
[miner@livecd cgminer]$

If I re-do everything.. it will be my 5th time.. lol..

so it is good that you see the gpus you are very close.  you need to be able to use fglrx as well.  you are using the drivers from the guide, not the latest drivers right?

do not rebuild.  hold tight.

[Viceroy]

this line *should* have taken care of that

Code:

#### if you see an error about yum being locked be patient it will unlock in a minute
yum -y install gcc rpm-build git wget make kernel-devel python python-libs numpy openssl openssl-devel ncurses ncurses-devel ncurses-libs autoconf automake m4 pkgconfig libcurl-devel libtool libudev libusb glx-utils libX11 libstdc++ compat-libstdc++*	

what happens with this command as root?

yum install libcurl-devel

[papaminer]

it downloads and installs

and now I got 2 makes?

Code:

make[2]: Leaving directory `/home/miner/cgminer/cgminer'
make[1]: Leaving directory `/home/miner/cgminer/cgminer'
[miner@livecd cgminer]$

what happens with this command as root?

yum install libcurl-devel

btw.. do you know how to make this OS boot at persistent mode? It is defaulted to live mode... and when i make changes they are not saved..

I did put 4gb persistence on this thumb drive when I burnt the .iso

[Viceroy]

it downloads and installs

and now I got 2 makes?

Code:

make[2]: Leaving directory `/home/miner/cgminer/cgminer'
make[1]: Leaving directory `/home/miner/cgminer/cgminer'
[miner@livecd cgminer]$

what happens with this command as root?

yum install libcurl-devel

Is what I get (i think) ...

?did you run this as root?
yum -y install gcc rpm-build git wget make kernel-devel python python-libs numpy openssl openssl-devel ncurses ncurses-devel ncurses-libs autoconf automake m4 pkgconfig libcurl-devel libtool libudev libusb glx-utils libX11 libstdc++ compat-libstdc++*   
?

keep going....


 in cgminer directory:
as user: make
as root: make install
as user: ./cgminer -n

[Viceroy]

btw.. do you know how to make this OS boot at persistent mode? It is defaulted to live mode... and when i make changes they are not saved..

I did put 4gb persistence on this thumb drive when I burnt the .iso

I do not, that would be a nice thing to be able to do.  Just change grub.conf?  I don't know.

[papaminer]

ah okay.. now im back to this display protocol problem... but hey.. cgminer was installed...

Code:

[miner@livecd cgminer]$ ./cgminer -n
No protocol specified
 [2013-04-25 08:10:48] CL Platform 0 vendor: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.       
 [2013-04-25 08:10:48] CL Platform 0 name: AMD Accelerated Parallel Processing  
 [2013-04-25 08:10:48] CL Platform 0 version: OpenCL 1.1 AMD-APP-SDK-v2.4 (595.10)
 [2013-04-25 08:10:48] Error -1: Getting Device IDs (num)
 [2013-04-25 08:10:48] clDevicesNum returned error, no GPUs usable              
 [2013-04-25 08:10:48] 0 GPU devices max detected
[miner@livecd cgminer]$

keep going....


 in cgminer directory:
as user: make
as root: make install
as user: ./cgminer -n

[Viceroy]

so that is exactly what I get before I set display.  

using other drivers from AMD I get that problem before AND after the set display.

So I logged into remote machine with putty (not through kvm)

I get this:

$ ./cgminer -n
 [2013-04-25 10:22:41] CL Platform 0 vendor: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.      
 [2013-04-25 10:22:41] CL Platform 0 name: AMD Accelerated Parallel Processing  
 [2013-04-25 10:22:41] CL Platform 0 version: OpenCL 1.1 AMD-APP-SDK-v2.4 (595.10)
 [2013-04-25 10:22:41] Error -1: Getting Device IDs (num)
 [2013-04-25 10:22:41] clDevicesNum returned error, no GPUs usable              
 [2013-04-25 10:22:41] 0 GPU devices max detected


I set display
$ export DISPLAY=:0
 and voila:

$ ./cgminer -n
 [2013-04-25 10:23:19] CL Platform 0 vendor: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.      
 [2013-04-25 10:23:19] CL Platform 0 name: AMD Accelerated Parallel Processing  
 [2013-04-25 10:23:19] CL Platform 0 version: OpenCL 1.1 AMD-APP-SDK-v2.4 (595.10)
 [2013-04-25 10:23:19] Platform 0 devices: 2
 [2013-04-25 10:23:19]  0       Barts
 [2013-04-25 10:23:19]  1       Barts
 [2013-04-25 10:23:19] GPU 0 AMD Radeon HD 6800 Series hardware monitoring enabled
 [2013-04-25 10:23:19] GPU 1 AMD Radeon HD 6800 Series hardware monitoring enabled
 [2013-04-25 10:23:19] 2 GPU devices max detected

and if I still get:
 [2013-04-25 10:22:41] Error -1: Getting Device IDs (num)

It's because I haven't started X as the user (by opening an xterm window as user at the head).
fwiw I do not run the program as miner, I have another user ... my "main"... who actually has a password.

[papaminer]

In the guide. open terminal on top left..

so I click -> applications -> system tools -> terminal

then terminal opens right? it login as centoslive

is this right? or X is a actually a different user? centoslive user is the main user when I first started... and just added the miner user...

and if I still get:
 [2013-04-25 10:22:41] Error -1: Getting Device IDs (num)

It's because I haven't started X as the user (by opening an xterm window as user at the head).
fwiw I do not run the program as miner, I have another user ... my "main"... who actually has a password.

[Viceroy]

x is x-windows operating system
it is the software required to run graphics on the linux machine

*** I do all this stuff remotely with putty

do this as root...
make a new user...

adduser newguy
passwd newguy  
#pick a password


then log into that machine as that user


as that user open a terminal window by using the pull down menu
in that terminal window do this, as user newguy

cd /home/miner/cgminer
./cgminer -n

[Viceroy]

$ cd /home/miner/cgminer
-bash: cd: /home/miner/cgminer: Permission denied

hold tight....

become root
su -l miner
cd /home
chmod a+rx *
#ignore warnings


 try again as newguy

[papaminer]

still the same... but was able to make user miners file accessible to newguy1

Code:

[root@livecd Desktop]# cd /home/miner
[root@livecd miner]# chmod a+rx *
[root@livecd miner]# su -l newguy1
[newguy1@livecd ~]$ cd /home/miner/cgminer
[newguy1@livecd cgminer]$ ./cgminer -n
-bash: ./cgminer: is a directory
[newguy1@livecd cgminer]$ ls
ADL_SDK  cgminer
[newguy1@livecd cgminer]$ cd cgminer
[newguy1@livecd cgminer]$ ./cgminer -n
No protocol specified
 [2013-04-25 09:17:16] CL Platform 0 vendor: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.       
 [2013-04-25 09:17:16] CL Platform 0 name: AMD Accelerated Parallel Processing  
 [2013-04-25 09:17:16] CL Platform 0 version: OpenCL 1.1 AMD-APP-SDK-v2.4 (595.10)
 [2013-04-25 09:17:16] Error -1: Getting Device IDs (num)
 [2013-04-25 09:17:16] clDevicesNum returned error, no GPUs usable              
 [2013-04-25 09:17:16] 0 GPU devices max detected
[newguy1@livecd cgminer]$

btw.. i have uploaded a screenshot about opening a terminal on user newguy1.. is this correct? and yeah.. i am doing all the work via remote sshd...
as root/miner/centoslive/newguy

[papaminer]

I did a little google search and found this:

Re: No GPUs detected!
« Reply #2 on: April 16, 2013, 04:31:17 am »
Thankyou very much for the reply.

I am - I actually managed to get it sorted by booting the system with a monitor connected to the graphics card (Ubuntu 12.04 Desktop). I was using the onboard port out of habit and I had read that *nix didn't require dummy plugs or additional monitors so I hadn't actually thought to test that. It's repeatable - if I boot the system without anything plugged into the graphics card, no dice. Boot with a monitor plugged in and it recognises the cards just fine.

Where you able to read that my monitor was not "DIRECTLY" connected to one of my gpu?

my monitor goes into a KVM SWITCH... then from KVM SWITCH goes into the gpu...


I also saw this images:



they have to put dummy plugs to the gpus...

[Viceroy]

That's a nice box and exactly how I would build if building from scratch.

>>my monitor goes into a KVM SWITCH... then from KVM SWITCH goes into the gpu...

that should not matter


* Viceroy scratches head

I wonder if this is because of the live usb. 

What are you doing with the USB?

[papaminer]

well.. because I think it is cheaper than buying hdd... and also easier to duplicate.. if ever I decide to increase the number of rigs...

[Viceroy]

so you make these changes on the usb stick right?  then you reboot and the ati drivers work from the usb?

so you have a
/home/miner

on the usb and not on any drive?  do you have a drive?

[papaminer]

Yes.. everything is on USB stick and not on any drive... the PC got no drive...

so you make these changes on the usb stick right?  then you reboot and the ati drivers work from the usb?

so you have a
/home/miner

on the usb and not on any drive?  do you have a drive?

[Viceroy]

very cool.

Ok, so what happens if you go to the top right menu and go to the ati program, can you see that?  (I think it's under 'system')

Any user should be able to see Catalyst.

what happens when you type fglrxinfo on a command line?

is centos actually *installed* on the usb or is it just the same as the live cd? 

[papaminer]

I think it is only LIVECD..

Code:

login as: centoslive
centoslive@192.168.1.32's password:
Last login: Thu Apr 25 08:29:04 2013 from 192.168.1.7
[centoslive@livecd ~]$ su
Password:
[root@livecd centoslive]# fglrxinfo
Error: unable to open display (null)
[root@livecd centoslive]#

and yes catalyst is there..

very cool.

Ok, so what happens if you go to the top right menu and go to the ati program, can you see that?  (I think it's under 'system')

Any user should be able to see Catalyst.

what happens when you type fglrxinfo on a command line?

is centos actually *installed* on the usb or is it just the same as the live cd?  

[marcetin]

Hi,

I am using the Centos 6.4 on 3 rigs, not burned iso to a usb but installed using normal install process using virtual machine to an 8gb usb, it can be done also on pc without hard drive. I made one final solution and clone usb.

It is working flawless, I do not understand why would anyone use live version burned to usb, it is not faster but much slower on starting. 

It is little bit slow on the usb 2.0 when starting but if you make a script for autostart on restart you can use rig without a screen (just first time insert a usb).

My 3 rigs (2rigs 4x7870+ 1rig 7950 = 4GH/s avg) on Centos  are monitored on 4th pc also on the Centos which is web server with Anubis on an old Atlon, to which is forwarded port 80 from router so I can access it from anywhere.


I have test many linux distributions, and the Centos is by my experience best os for web server and mining.


Live long Bitcoin and Centos!