Rumor Mill: Possible Linux GPU Client in the Future?

[Tobit]

Wow. If I hadn't heard this from Vijay's very fingers, I wouldn't be posting this as I hate rumors. However, in a recent discussion on FF, some one accused Pande Group of being Linux haters and this sparked the quote below from Vijay.

It's strange you say that. Just about everything we do is first done with Linux, with the only exception of the GPU client (which is why we lead with Windows there, since Windows support for things like CUDA is generally more mature than linux support); please don't generalize from the GPU client to everything else, since it is different in many ways. In fact, we have plans for how to make Linux play an even more prominent role, but I'll give more info on that a bit later (sorry for the teaser, but you'll see what I mean when I make some announcements hopefully ~6 months from now).

As a life long Linux user, I am really looking forward to further announcements on this.

 

[lehmann]

I tride linux once about ten years ago. yicks i was lost. are there more friendly versions out now?

 

[Axdrenalin]

This would be nice. I'm not a huge Linux user, but enjoy running my VM's at work under CentOS and folding -bgiadv units here at home with it as well. There is so much more I need to learn about it to feel really comfortable at this point (not a total Linux n00b, just a bit uncertain about how to achieve a lot of things under the hood).

Regardless, I'd run GPU units under native Linux should the client emerge...

I tride linux once about ten years ago. yicks i was lost. are there more friendly versions out now?

HUGE differences, and much easier to get around in...you might want to look into it again, it has matured a LOT...

 

[APOLLO]

I tride linux once about ten years ago. yicks i was lost. are there more friendly versions out now?

What Axdrenalin said. For starters, you can try Kubuntu or Simply MEPIS, which are the easiest and most Windows-like Linux environments I tested so far. These are very resource-heavy though, but great for getting your feet wet.

 

[Zero82z]

That would be nice for my secondary rig. Now that SMP2 is out though, I'll probably just put Windows on it at some point.

 

[Kendrak]

This is great for contests. The OS is often one of the hardest things to get at a good price.

 

[Elledan]

Since I'll need to run Linux on some of my servers soon, it'd be nice if I wouldn't have to dual-boot. Probably will take until 2012 for a Linux GPU client to get released, though

 

[APOLLO]

Since I'll need to run Linux on some of my servers soon, it'd be nice if I wouldn't have to dual-boot. Probably will take until 2012 for a Linux GPU client to get released, though

The way things have been moving lately I wouldn't be surprised if we saw it sometime in early fall if not sooner, given the possible time frame in the OP. By then I'd probably will have tried the GPU client in WINE. We'll see how that goes.

 

[heatlesssun]

HUGE differences, and much easier to get around in...you might want to look into it again, it has matured a LOT...

Alas so has Windows. Nobody stands still.

 

[Axdrenalin]

Alas so has Windows. Nobody stands still.

This is true as well.....Windows 7 was a big step up for a lot of people who didn't care for Vista, and it is certainly a worthy successor to the XP of old. The reason that we're talking about Linux making for a very good option here due to the cost factor, as well as the availability. When it comes to using your own resources and building a farm for folding, the less expense you can incur the more you can contribute to science with the funds you do have available. The operating system is a major part of that expenditure, especially when you're running 5-6 boxes.

That native GPU client for Linux that they're talking about just makes it easier for those who aren't as familiar with Linux to get on board easier without the use of WINE or additional tweaks..

 

[FrEaKy]

I really need to get into linux again, I havent been into linux since...... Red Hat 9 I think

 

[SmokeRngs]

Something like this would definitely be nice and long overdue in my opinion. GPU folding and doing a bit more gaming are the main reasons I ended up switching from openSUSE as the main OS on my main machine a while back. I didn't really want to do it as I actually enjoyed using openSUSE more than XP and definitely more than Vista but decided to take one for the team.

 

[Zero82z]

Since I'll need to run Linux on some of my servers soon, it'd be nice if I wouldn't have to dual-boot. Probably will take until 2012 for a Linux GPU client to get released, though

If you don't want to dual-boot, just run the GPU client through WINE. It's a little more work than a native Linux client would be, but it would still save you trouble overall.

 

[Elledan]

If you don't want to dual-boot, just run the GPU client through WINE. It's a little more work than a native Linux client would be, but it would still save you trouble overall.

Yeah, would probably be the best bet for now

 

[MrValentine]

Since i'm a Linux noob can someone tell me if its limited to 8 GPU's like windows?

If they do come out with a GPU client I hope they relaize that it will be farmers that mainly run it, and make it rock solid for running multi-GPU's

 

[Tobit]

Since i'm a Linux noob can someone tell me if its limited to 8 GPU's like windows?

It's not really a Windows limitation. It's actually a BIOS limitation. Our fancy new motherboards still run on a very old 16-bit BIOS architecture and there simply isn't enough BIOS space to properly address more than 8 GPUs. Until someone invents a new BIOS design, we are stuck.

 

[Elledan]

It's not really a Windows limitation. It's actually a BIOS limitation. Our fancy new motherboards still run on a very old 16-bit BIOS architecture and there simply isn't enough BIOS space to properly address more than 8 GPUs. Until someone invents a new BIOS design, we are stuck.

Let's all switch to Macs

Not that EFI is the perfect BIOS replacement, but it's a start

 

[Zero82z]

Let's all switch to Macs

Not that EFI is the perfect BIOS replacement, but it's a start

EFI is hardly limited to Macs. Motherboard manufacturers just have to start using it. I believe MSI made a few EFI boards, but I don't know why it hasn't caught on. Windows has also had native EFI support since Vista if not earlier.

 

[MrValentine]

It's not really a Windows limitation. It's actually a BIOS limitation. Our fancy new motherboards still run on a very old 16-bit BIOS architecture and there simply isn't enough BIOS space to properly address more than 8 GPUs. Until someone invents a new BIOS design, we are stuck.

aahhhh. I learned something today!!! Never knew the bios was the main culprit!!

 

[Elledan]

EFI is hardly limited to Macs. Motherboard manufacturers just have to start using it. I believe MSI made a few EFI boards, but I don't know why it hasn't caught on. Windows has also had native EFI support since Vista if not earlier.

Never heard about non-Mac x86 EFI boards before. Macs are the most common EFI systems in the market at this point, though. Itanium hardly counts

 

[APOLLO]

Never heard about non-Mac x86 EFI boards before. Macs are the most common EFI systems in the market at this point, though. Itanium hardly counts

Zero is correct that there were some and I believe MSI was indeed the manufacturer, but my memory is quite sketchy on the details.

 

[Elledan]

Zero is correct that there were some and I believe MSI was indeed the manufacturer, but my memory is quite sketchy on the details.

I guess it'd be nice to leave behind BIOSes I do love my PS/2 and COM ports, but I won't miss the BIOS