VMD-L Mailing List

From: John Stone (johns_at_ks.uiuc.edu)
Date: Fri Nov 11 2011 - 12:42:32 CST

The test versions are available either from the main page (once it
becomes a "beta") or by following the instructions on the
VMD pre-release test page, and getting the most recent "alpha" version
from the biocore server:
  http://www.ks.uiuc.edu/Research/vmd/alpha/

Cheers,
  John Stone
  vmd_at_ks.uiuc.edu

On Fri, Nov 11, 2011 at 10:30:08AM -0800, Gianluca Interlandi wrote:
> Hi John,
>
> >I should have a new VMD test version posted early next week.
>
> Is this going to be a 1.9.1 release from the usual VMD download page or do
> I need to get it from the SVN?
>
> Gianluca
>
>
> >Cheers,
> > John Stone
> > vmd_at_ks.uiuc.edu
> >
> >On Thu, Nov 03, 2011 at 01:56:37PM -0700, Andrew Jewett wrote:
> >>On Mon, Oct 31, 2011 at 8:12 AM, John Stone <johns_at_ks.uiuc.edu> wrote:
> >>>
> >>>Hi,
> >>> I'm soliciting feedback from any VMD users that are running
> >>>on Linux systems using the ATI GPUs or graphics chipsets, to
> >>>find out how stable the current crop of ATI drivers are.
> >>>For a period of a few years, there were stability problems
> >>>with the ATI drivers on Linux, but things have slowly improved
> >>>and if possible, I would like to turn off some VMD safety code
> >>>that prevents the old buggy ATI drivers from crashing, since
> >>>this code costs a significant amount of performance in cases
> >>>where the drivers are working fine.  In order for me to make
> >>>this change safely, I would like to hear from people that
> >>>are using the ATI/AMD commercial graphics drivers with VMD
> >>>on Linux, in particular in the case where they have disabled
> >>>the safety code using the VMDDISABLEATILINUXWORKAROUND
> >>>environment variable.  It would be nice if we could turn off
> >>>this code for VMD 1.9.1 by default, but only if the current
> >>>crop of ATI/AMD graphics drivers are stable enough.
> >>
> >>I have only run VMD a few times and I have not noticed any problems so
> >>far.
> >>
> >>I have not made any modifications to my VMD configuration, and I am
> >>not using a .vmdrc file. (I suppose this means the
> >>VMDDISABLEATILINUXWORKAROUND bit still has the default value, as of
> >>2011-03-14.) If you want me to try disabling it, please email me back
> >>how to do this.
> >>
> >>I am using:
> >>
> >>Version of VMD: 1.9 (2011-03-14), downloaded from top of page:
> >>http://www.ks.uiuc.edu/Development/Download/download.cgi?PackageName=VMD
> >>
> >>OS: Ubuntu 11.10 (fresh install)
> >>Graphics card: ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870
> >>Driver: ATI/AMD proprietary FGLRX graphics driver
> >>
> >>(I am NOT using the "post-release updates". The newer updated driver
> >>was so unstable I could not even run unity with it.)
> >>
> >>Cheers!
> >>Andrew
> >>
> >> -- more probably useless details --
> >>I have appended a list of other system details from apport-collect:
> >>
> >>
> >>AlsaVersion: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture Driver Version 1.0.24.
> >>AplayDevices: aplay: device_list:240: no soundcards found...
> >>ApportVersion: 1.23-0ubuntu3
> >>Architecture: amd64
> >>ArecordDevices: arecord: device_list:240: no soundcards found...
> >>AudioDevicesInUse: Error: command ['fuser', '-v', '/dev/snd/by-path',
> >>'/dev/snd/controlC1', '/dev/snd/hwC1D0', '/dev/snd/pcmC1D3p',
> >>'/dev/snd/controlC0', '/dev/snd/hwC0D0', '/dev/snd/pcmC0D0c',
> >>'/dev/snd/pcmC0D0p', '/dev/snd/seq', '/dev/snd/timer'] failed with
> >>exit code 1:
> >>CRDA: Error: [Errno 2] No such file or directory
> >>DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.10
> >>EcryptfsInUse: Yes
> >>InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.10 "Oneiric Ocelot" - Release amd64
> >>(20111012)
> >>MachineType: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. G73Jh
> >>NonfreeKernelModules: fglrx
> >>Package: linux (not installed)
> >>ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-3.0.0-12-generic
> >>root=UUID=96d3ceac-0984-4d2e-8467-9bd7a6eeaa4b ro quiet splash
> >>vt.handoff=7
> >>ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.0.0-12.20-generic 3.0.4
> >>RelatedPackageVersions:
> >> linux-restricted-modules-3.0.0-12-generic N/A
> >> linux-backports-modules-3.0.0-12-generic N/A
> >> linux-firmware 1.60
> >>RfKill:
> >> 0: phy0: Wireless LAN
> >> Soft blocked: no
> >> Hard blocked: no
> >>StagingDrivers: mei
> >>Tags: oneiric running-unity staging
> >>Uname: Linux 3.0.0-12-generic x86_64
> >>UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
> >>UserGroups: adm admin cdrom dialout lpadmin plugdev sambashare
> >>dmi.bios.date: 01/26/2010
> >>dmi.bios.vendor: American Megatrends Inc.
> >>dmi.bios.version: G73Jh.205
> >>dmi.board.asset.tag: ATN12345678901234567
> >>dmi.board.name: G73Jh
> >>dmi.board.vendor: ASUSTeK Computer Inc.
> >>dmi.board.version: 1.0
> >>dmi.chassis.asset.tag: No Asset Tag
> >>dmi.chassis.type: 10
> >>dmi.chassis.vendor: ASUSTeK Computer Inc.
> >>dmi.chassis.version: 1.0
> >>dmi.modalias:
> >>dmi:bvnAmericanMegatrendsInc.:bvrG73Jh.205:bd01/26/2010:svnASUSTeKComputerInc.:pnG73Jh:p
> >
> >--
> >NIH Resource for Macromolecular Modeling and Bioinformatics
> >Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology
> >University of Illinois, 405 N. Mathews Ave, Urbana, IL 61801
> >http://www.ks.uiuc.edu/~johns/ Phone: 217-244-3349
> >http://www.ks.uiuc.edu/Research/vmd/ Fax: 217-244-6078
> >
>
> -----------------------------------------------------
> Gianluca Interlandi, PhD gianluca_at_u.washington.edu
> +1 (206) 685 4435
> http://artemide.bioeng.washington.edu/
>
> Postdoc at the Department of Bioengineering
> at the University of Washington, Seattle WA U.S.A.
> ----------------------------------------------------- 

-- 
NIH Resource for Macromolecular Modeling and Bioinformatics
Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology
University of Illinois, 405 N. Mathews Ave, Urbana, IL 61801
http://www.ks.uiuc.edu/~johns/           Phone: 217-244-3349
http://www.ks.uiuc.edu/Research/vmd/       Fax: 217-244-6078