Troubleshooting the connection

[fred]

First of all read the first part of the http://www.efmer.eu/boinc/boinc_tasks/manual.html

First try if BoincTasks runs on your local machine.

A) Enable logging in BoincTasks.
Take the file log.xml, found here: C:\Program Files\eFMer\BoincTasks\examples\log
And copy it to C:\Program Files\eFMer\BoincTasks\log
Change:
<connecting>         1   </connecting>
So make sure there is a 1 = enabled.
Go to Show->Log and check "Enable debug mode".
Exit BoincTasks and start it again.

B) Try to use FIXED (STATIC) IP addresses first, as of 1.54 a MAC address may be used, to allow dynamic IP addresses. How to use dynamic IP addresses

C) If you use the remote computer name instead of the IP address, don't forget to add the right name, to the remote_hosts.cfg file on your remote computer. Use net view (on the command prompt) on both computers to check if the names are recognized. (Don't add the \\). But names are not recommended, try to use static IP addresses.

D) Make sure you left the port column, next to the IP Address, empty in the computers window. Unless you know exactly, why you changed the default port number.

E) Goto the command prompt and Ping your remote computer. Like ping 192.168.10.11 and ping the computer from the other side as well.

F) Keep an eye on the messages, on the remote computer. The BOINC log on the remote machine will show any refused connections.

G) Enable logging in BoincTasks in menu Help->Show log Check "Enable debug mode". In computers only select one computer and restart BoincTasks. Try to connect to that computer and watch the logging.

H) Make sure the firewall is open on both computers, for the port You use. The default port is 31416 (Pi).
Normally this involves, adding the BOINC client (C:\Program Files\BOINC\boinc.exe and BOINC Tasks (C:\Program Files\eFMer\BoincTasks\boinctasks(64).exe) to the trusted program list. (or Applications Rules).

I) If you are using a local computer, disconnect the router from the Internet, and give BoincTasks unrestricted access. (In other words, disable the firewall on all systems)

J) Add the computer name of the control computer to the remote_host.cfg as well as the IP address. One on each line.
The file is usually located here: C:\ProgramData\BOINC

J) And don't forget, the Boinc client MUST be restarted after every change you made. The best way, is to simply restart the remote computer, after the changes in the password and access file are saved.

K) At this point it's more convenient, but not necessary, when TThrottle is running on the remote computer(s). BoincTasks, from the menu Show->Computers, next Computes -> Find computers. The Address: should be the first one in the net, like 192.168.1.1. Press "Scan address range".


Don't forget to read this: Automatically add computers

[lmee]

Fred,

Again, thanks for the quick reply. I'm looking at the thread you suggested and will try to understand it.

I use the BOINC manager on the remote machine. To shutdown the BOINC client on the remote machine is closing BOINC.EXE via the Windows Task Manager the correct way to shut the client down?

Thanks,

Ed

[fred]

Fred,

Again, thanks for the quick reply. I'm looking at the thread you suggested and will try to understand it.

I use the BOINC manager on the remote machine. To shutdown the BOINC client on the remote machine is closing BOINC.EXE via the Windows Task Manager the correct way to shut the client down?

Thanks,

Ed

The task manager is never a good idea, only as a last resort, you never know what happens.
Best use the BOINC Manager to close the client.  Exit the manager and check the stop applications = stop the client item, next press OK.
Or log off and log in again.

So close down the client and make the changes and restart the client.
BT can start the client as well, select in in the preferences.

[Pepo]

BT can start the client as well, select in in the preferences.

But not if the client is installed as a service! Just the Compatibility installation.

[fred]

But not if the client is installed as a service! Just the Compatibility installation.

OK, but the default installation isn't a service.
So a service install is CPU systems only.
Microsoft restricted the services so much, that it's hardly usable anymore.

[Pepo]

But not if the client is installed as a service! Just the Compatibility installation.

OK, but the default installation isn't a service.

False! If you start the BOINC installer on a clean system, it defaults to the Protected (=service) mode.

So a service install is CPU systems only.

The problem is that a newbie is not necessarily aware, that such installation won't be able to find any GPU. This is something that should have been noticed (even if just with 3-4 words) in the installer near the checkboxes.

Microsoft restricted the services so much, that it's hardly usable anymore.

That's sadly true. But regarding GPU crunching, I've recently got an idea of some proxy helper application - something sort of boinctray.exe - whenever any "(allowed) user"'s account would be active, BOINC could start GPU task(s) through this helper.
I'm afraid the devs would not bother with that But I feel I have to announce it anyway.

[Pepo]

But not if the client is installed as a service! Just the Compatibility installation.

OK, but the default installation isn't a service.

False! If you start the BOINC installer on a clean system, it defaults to the Protected (=service) mode.

Ooops! again "Disabled by default"? (Seen on 6.12.33)

[Darr247]

G) Make sure the firewall is open on both computers, for the port You use. The default port is 31416 (Pi).

If you use Windows Firewall...
outbound connections are open by default, so no adjustment is necessary on the windows machine running BOINCTasks.

For the machines you want to monitor...

In XP, Start->Run, NCPA.CPL [Enter], then choose Change Windows Firewall settings in the menu on the left.
on the Exceptions tab, click Add Port, name it BOINC Tasks, Port number is 31416, check the TCP button, and Change scope to My network (subnet) only.

In 7, Orb->Control Panel->System and Security->Windows Firewall (standard) or Orb->Control Panel->Windows Firewall (Control Panel as Menu), click Advanced Settings.
In the Advanced window select Inbound Rules, then New Rule
Rule Type - select Port, click Next
Protocol and Ports - leave 'TCP' selected, enter "31416" in the 'Specific local ports' field, then click Next
Action - leave 'Allow the connection' selected and click Next
Profile - leave all 3 boxes selcted and click Next
Name - enter "BOINCTasks (TCP-In 31416)" in the Name field, and in the description something like
"Allows an inbound connection on TCP Port 31416 so BOINCTasks can monitor the local BOINC client from another networked computer."

I'm not sure about Vista's firewall, because I have never owned a computer with Vista installed on it long enough to find out.

In fedora/linux, from the Gnome GUI use System->Administration->Firewall, authenticate with the root password and click Close on the advisory.
click Other Ports on the left, Add on the right, scroll down to select '31416  tcp  xqosd' and click OK.
Click Apply, Yes to the advisory, then File->Quit or the corner [ x ].

I *think* this should work if you use iptables from the command line
# iptables -A FORWARD -s 0/0 -i eth0 -d 192.168.1.10 -p TCP --sport 31416 --dport 31416 -j ACCEPT
Assuming eth0 is the ethernet interface and 192.168.1.10 is the client's IP address.
You could also change 0/0 (which means "any IP" in iptables-speak) to the exact IP address of the BOINCTasks computer if you wanted to further tighten it to accept TCP connections on 31416 only from that one specific computer (i.e. the one running BOINCTasks).

[zombie67]

I'm new here, so sorry if this was already asked/answered.

Is it possible to use BoincTasks to connect to machines over the internet?  For example:

My machine running BoincTasks in 192.168.x.x -> router -> external address 24.x.x.x -> destination external address 67.x.x.x -> router -> 10.x.x.x running BOINC

I can set the routers to pass any ports necessary.

[Pepo]

Welcome here, Erik!

Is it possible to use BoincTasks to connect to machines over the internet?  For example:

My machine running BoincTasks in 192.168.x.x -> router -> external address 24.x.x.x -> destination external address 67.x.x.x -> router -> 10.x.x.x running BOINC

I can set the routers to pass any ports necessary.

If you could map this route to some local port (or build a SSH tunnel), then it should be no problem. I guess you've already tried this in the past with BoincView.

On the Computers tab, fill the entries for IP, port, pwd - that should do it.

[zombie67]

Hmm.  An ssh tunnel sounds like it is beyond my abilities.  My current solution is to VNC into a remote machine, and then look at BOINCmgr running locally on that machine.  I was hoping that BoincTasks could do it in a similar fashion some how.  I tried putting in the external IP of the remote site, and the port that VNC uses, but that is not working.

FWIW, I never used BoinvView.  This is my first experience with BoincTasks.  I finally got it running on OSX.  Great tool!

P.S.  The CAPTCHA here is brutal.  9 times out of time, I cannot read the letters.  And "listen to the letters" doesn't work on OSX.

Edit:  Got it!  I had to do several things, and I am not sure if all of these are required, as I did not try them one at a time.  But this was the recipe that worked for me:

- On the remote mac, add my local external IP to the remote_host.cgf file
- On the remote router, add port 31416 to the VNC rule.  I probably could have added a separate rule too.
- In BoincTasks, I used the remote host's external IP address
- Even with all that, I could not get it to work.  So I made the gui_rpc_auth.cfg password match the system password.  That did the trick.

Weee!

[fred]

P.S.  The CAPTCHA here is brutal.  9 times out of time, I cannot read the letters.  And "listen to the letters" doesn't work on OSX.

I know, but there a spammers that have no problem with them. Without all the extra's I get a lot more than 100 spammers a day.
Will set it one lower, should be easier to read.
But the CAPTCHA doesn't stop the real spammers for a second, the extra easy questions do.

[zombie67]

Will set it one lower, should be easier to read.

Thanks!  If the lower setting causes an increase, put it back up.  I'll manage somehow.   

[yoro42]

I'm trying to troubleshoot a connection problem to a XP SP3 system but I am unable to see the log contents.  From the BoincTask 1.32 screen I take the "Show" option and then "Log" option.  The Logging button shows up on the task bar, but when I click on it nothing happens. 

Thank you.

Rory

[fred]

The Logging button shows up on the task bar, but when I click on it nothing happens. 

Show->log is the right place.
The window may be somewhere underneath an other window. This sometimes happens in Windows.

If you still have problems, install the latest Beta version. http://www.efmer.eu/boinc/boinc_tasks/download_beta.html This version is very stable.