VMD-L Mailing List

From: John Stone (johns_at_ks.uiuc.edu)
Date: Sat Jan 23 2021 - 14:07:28 CST

Hi,
  The likely issue with Ubuntu 20 is that they're using a newer variant
of the X11 servers, and of late I have heard that some distributions have
comletely disabled support for remote GLX protocol by default.
GLX is the API layer that carries the OpenGL rendering commands
(both local or remote), so that may explain why it stoppped working
with the new Ubuntu installation. It might be that setting up a VNC
server (or similar) is the best (albeit not simplest) resolution
to your problem. Going forward I expect that man more people will
run into these same problems as the pursuit of greater computer security
causes more Linux distributions to disable and/or remove support for
remote windowing system protocols like GLX by default.

Best regards,
  John Stone
  vmd_at_ks.uiuc.edu

On Fri, Jan 22, 2021 at 10:21:56AM +0200, Maria Dimitrova wrote:
> Dear Ashar,
>
> Thank you for the suggestion. We only have one login node. It is our lab's
> minicluster. Axel suggested that it is likely due to different OS, which
> is quite likely - I am running Ubuntu 20, while on the cluster we have
> CentOS 7. CentOS does not feature the latest libraries and packages.
>
> Kind regards,
>
> Maria
>
> On 21.1.2021 15.02, Ashar Malik wrote:
>
> Dear Maria,
>
> X forwarding works with other programs and I also see VMD's main
> window, just that the OpenGL does not function properly
>
> Are you connecting to the same node that other computers connect to and
> use VMD in gui?
> If you are able to see vmd main window (start on cluster) and displayed
> on your end when using ssh with graphical support then a likely
> explanation for VMD not fully starting (i.e. just the graphics window
> [OpenGL] failing) on the server can be that the node you are connected
> to does not support it?
> Unfortunately, this is all I can suggest. Perhaps someone else can add
> to this.
> Regards,
> /Ashar
> 

-- 
NIH Center 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/