[paulj]

Hi
Just installed OpenFoam-6 using Docker on a Centos 7.5 box
I can run blockMesh and simpleFoam okay but when I try paraFoam I get the message below:


OpenFOAM-6(18) paraFoam
Created temporary 'pitzDaily.OpenFOAM'
libGL error: No matching fbConfigs or visuals found
libGL error: failed to load driver: swrast
ERROR: In /home/ubuntu/OpenFOAM/ThirdParty-dev/ParaView-5.4.0/VTK/Rendering/OpenGL/vtkXOpenGLRenderWindow.cxx, line 394
vtkXOpenGLRenderWindow (0x230d9e0): Could not find a decent visual



Any thoughts?


Cheers Paul

[wyldckat]

Quick questions:

1. What does the following command give you on the real machine, i.e. not inside the Docker container:
   

   glxinfo | grep OpenGL

2. What is the exact command you are using to launch the container?
3. If you are using the command/script openfoam6-linux, then try adding the option "-x":
   

   openfoam6-linux -x

[paulj]

Hi



[paulj@pjux3 ~]$ glxinfo | grep OpenGL
OpenGL vendor string: NVIDIA Corporation
OpenGL renderer string: Quadro K2000/PCIe/SSE2
OpenGL core profile version string: 4.6.0 NVIDIA 410.48
OpenGL core profile shading language version string: 4.60 NVIDIA
OpenGL core profile context flags: (none)
OpenGL core profile profile mask: core profile
OpenGL core profile extensions:
OpenGL version string: 4.6.0 NVIDIA 410.48
OpenGL shading language version string: 4.60 NVIDIA
OpenGL context flags: (none)
OpenGL profile mask: (none)
OpenGL extensions:
OpenGL ES profile version string: OpenGL ES 3.2 NVIDIA 410.48
OpenGL ES profile shading language version string: OpenGL ES GLSL ES 3.20
OpenGL ES profile extensions:


I tried both

[paulj@pjux3 pitzDaily]$ openfoam6-linux



and

[paulj@pjux3 pitzDaily]$ openfoam6-linux -x



But no joy.


Cheers Paul J

[wyldckat]

Quick answer: I don't have a system at hand with the same limitation, i.e. only supports up to OpenGL 3.2, but I'm guessing (vaguely remembering) that this limitation is associated to why no valid OpenGL connection went through Docker from the container to the real machine... although it's really strange that it didn't go through, given that it's the version 410 of the NVidia driver...
Although after some Googling, and the top results require some somewhat simple bu annoying voodoo in installing the NVidia driver within the container as well, then add more permissions to the container when launching and the connection is then established for the NVidia drivers to communicate with each other...

My best suggestion is to build OpenFOAM 6 from source code. I wrote step-by-step instructions for CentOS 7.5 sometime ago here: https://openfoamwiki.net/index.php/I...7.5_.281804.29

In step #10.1, add the additional option "-rendering OpenGL", e.g.:

./makeParaView -mpi -python -qmake $(which qmake-qt4) -rendering OpenGL > log.makePV 2>&1

this way it will build with OpenGL support that is still compatible with OpenGL 3.2, because the default OpenGL2 support requires at least OpenGL 3.3... I know, it's weird, but it's the limitation in ParaView 5.4 and some of the newer versions...

[paulj]

Hi
I'm not not at work but I connected to my workstation via x2go and after starting a docker session of openfoam6 using the -x flag I can now run paraFoam without any issues???


Cheers Paul J

[wyldckat]

Greetings Paul,

It's a Christmas miracle! Sorry, I had to jest about it...

This means that the X-authority mechanism when using "-x" worked better via X2Go than using the physical access.
Or maybe in the physical-local connection, Wayland is being used instead of X.org? But that would be strange, because X.org is the default in CentOS 7 as well...

The other possibility is that perhaps you were using Docker right after installing it and didn't log yourself out and then back in... or reboot the machine... sometimes there are a few bits and pieces that only fall into place after logout+login or unless we source the correct scripts to load in the missing bits.

If when you get back to the office you still have issues, even after logging out and then back in, you can try and use the recent Mesa build + ParaView 5.6: https://openfoam.org/news/paraview-5-6/ - the downside is that it uses the CPU for 3D rendering, but at least it works... or at least it should work...

Best regards,
Bruno

[paulj]

It wasn't lack of reboots, anyway I'm trying to build from source (the links you gave were for Ubuntu and I'm on Centos).
More fun ensues trying to get paraFoam working using the makeParaView script from the ThirdParty-6 directory but that is for another thread :-)
Cheers Paul J

[wyldckat]

Quick answer: Sorry, I forgot you were on CentOS... I haven't had time to check how to build Mesa in CentOS 6 nor 7.

That said, check my post #4 again and try to build ParaView 5.4 with OpenGL instead of OpenGL2.