ALIs

kommt noch

Frequently asked questions

  1. What happens to my data when the reservation ends?

    When your reservation ends, your visualisation application will stop taking any input and it will stop responding. This means that you will lose any un-saved data!!!
    If you want to continue working, you have to submit a new reservation, re-start your visualisation application and re-load your last saved data.
    We have prolonged the lifetime of the vncserver to next morning at 4:00. At this time all vnc sessions will be forcefully terminated.

  2. I cannot log on to gvs3 (or gvs4)

    Only users of the Linux-Cluster have access to gvs3 and gvs4. To get an account to the Linux-Cluster, follow this link.

  3. I used vglconnect to log on to the remote visualisation server, but I don't get any graphics output on my screen

    Make sure that you allow TCP traffic on port 4242 (check your firewall settings). If your personal firewall has port 4242 open, ask your institute's administrator (there probably is a proxy server somewhere that has this port blocked). If your institute's policy disallows to open this port, you have to use port forwarding (ssh-tunnelling). Read the next paragraph (you have to use 'vglconnect -s rvs1.hlrb2.lrz-muenchen.de').

  4. I want to use vglconnect, but my institute doesn't allow me to have port 4242 open. Can I still work with the remote visualisation server?

    Yes, you can still use the remote visualisation server, but you will experience a slower performance by 20-40%. You will have to use port forwarding, also known as ssh-tunnelling. Don't worry, it's easy, just use the following command to log on to the remote visualisation server:

    vglconnect -s <visualisation-server>

    You will be asked for your password twice(!), since vglconnect establishes two ssh-connections to the remote visualisation server (one for the OpenGL image stream, the other for control-information and user input). After these two connections are established, you can proceed as usual by making a reservation and starting your visualisation application. (If you follow this procedure, vglclient will automatically run in the background.)

  5. I forgot my VNC password - can I ever connect to my remote desktop again?

    Don't worry - you can simply set a new password for VNC. Log on to the remote visualisation server and type

    /usr/local/qscripts/RUN.paraview

    Simply type a new password and verify it by entering it a second time. You will then be asked

    Would you like to enter a view-only password (y/n)?

    If you answer yes ("y"), you will be asked for another VNC password. You can give this password to co-workers, so that they can log-on to your VNC session, e.g. to discuss new results over the phone. Your co-workers will see what you see, but their inputs will be ignored.

  6. I would like to have an environment for collaborative work - is that possible?

    Yes, and its simple, too. When you set a password for TurboVNC (vncpasswd), you are asked if you want to give a view-only password. In that case, there are two passwords you can enter when you connect with the TurboVNC viewer. You should always(!) use a vncpasswd that is completely different from your log in password. If you do so, you can give any of the two TurboVNC passwords to your colleagues. Give them your regular TurboVNC password, if you want your colleague to be able to move the mouse cursor or make inputs with the keyboard. If you give your colleague the view-only password, he can merely watch. In any case, anyone connected to your session will see the same remote desktop.

    Now, if you combine this with an instant messaging client like pidgin or skype that you start on your client PC, you have a complete environment for collaborative work readily available!

    (Keep in mind that you can always change your TurboVNC password again, so, basically, you can create per-session passwords.)

  7. Direct Mode, Raw Mode, vglconnect vs. TurboVNC - you're confusing me. Can't you make it simple?

    In the most simplistic terms, not-so-experienced users and Microsoft Windows users should use TurboVNC. It should be sufficient if you follow the 9 steps outlined in the section "Quickstart". This method of access is called "X11 image transport" or "Raw Mode".

    Mac OS and Linux users should give vglconnect a try. This mode gives you more flexibility, since windows from the remote visualisation server appear as regular windows on your desktop. Typically, this mode also offers better performance. However, to use this method, you should be comfortable with the command line. This method of access is called "VGL image transport" or "direct mode".

  8. I want to use Amira/AVS-Express/Ensight/IDL/Mathematica/MATLAB, but it doesn't work.

    All the above mentioned names are commercial software packages and their usage is limited. If you want to use any of the above software, please send an email to Helmut.Satzger_at_lrz.de. Please make sure that you include your Name, User-ID and your Institute. We will then check if our software licence includes you and enable the software for you.

  9. I would really like to use software xyz on the remote visualisation server - is that possible?

    We cannot promise that we install any kind of visualisation application, but we promise you that we will take a careful look. If the software could be useful for a broader set of users, we will install it on the remote visualisation servers. Please send an email to Helmut.Satzger_at_lrz.de. Please make sure that you include your Name, User-ID and your Institute. Of course, you also have to include which software you're interested in! We would also like to know which field you're working in and what kind of data you would be analyzing with this new software (data type, data size etc.).

    It is also possible that you compile and install your own software (use the opengl-xterm for this). Let us know if any dependencies are missing (libraries etc.).

  10. I would like to use CUDA - is that possible?

    No. CUDA will no longer be available on the gvs cluster. We are planning to run a special purpose hardware for CUDA soon.

  11. I'm sorry, but non of these questions describe my problem. How can I get help?

    If you have questions or problems that are not answered on this page, please submit an Incident Report and we will try to help you as soon as possible. You can submit an Incident Report by following this link.
    (Please include your user-id, the name of the visualisation server you were using and try to give us a detailed descrition of your problem - this will make it a lot easier for us to find a solution for you fast!)

  12. The reservation system and how to use it

    This section gives a more detailed description of the inner workings of the remote visualisation servers at the LRZ. You should read the next section if you want to work more than one hour with the remote desktop or want to have a bigger remote desktop. The rest of this page is then written for the power-user that prefers the command-line interface and wants to be in full control.