I am trying to move my licence onto a Linux box running SuSe 10.1 (64 bit X86) with GNOME.

First of all I am not at all sure how to properly install anything on Linux. The manual sas use YaST, but Yast does not show anything to do with Houdini in its choices. So I simply unpacked the tat ball and extracted it to its own diretory. Houdini_8_1_676.
Then ran source Houdini_setup_bash. Got a message that Houdini has been initialized. Now I need to enter my codes. So I tried either to run Hkey or run Houdini and let it open Hkey. In both I cases I get 'Failed to Connect to Server" message. When I press Close, I am logged out of session.
What is happening., Is Hkey crashing?
It makes no sense to me, and I do not know what to do.

Did you run the Houdini installer? Did it ask you where you want to install Houdini? Did it ask you if you wanted to install the license server?

In trying to run Houidini installer, all I get are cryptic error messages

I reinstalled with houdini installer into
/home/david/applications/Houdini_8_1_676. Saw no error messages, and Gnome Terminal closed automaticaly afterwards (is it suppoused to that? Or did it crash? I can't tell.)
I sourced houdini_setup_bash in GNOME Terminal. Got environment set message. Then ran Hkey. Hkey failed to connect to Hserver, then promptly crashes the Linux session, and logs me out.

What is going on?
What do I do about it?

I don't really understand software installation under Linux. I donwloaded GoogleEarth, and laterst RealPlayer. The come in these .bin files. But they do not open with anything, and accessing them under terminal just issues error messages. The SuSe manual states that YaST is used to install and update software, yet it does not show the options to install either of these apps. Do the BIN files have to be placed in some special folder.

First of all, you should install Houdini as a root, to ensure license server setup properly.
The default place, /opt/hfs8.1.<build> is good enough (for me)
The second thing you should do after installation is to make license server running.
You may do so in Yast/System/System services. Switch to expert mode there, find and select “sesinetd” service, check “3” and “5” buttons below, and push “Start now…” button.
After all the above, you may run houdini as a regular user.
You have many ways to do that. For example, you may do the following in terminal:
cd /opt/hfs<your houdini version>
source houdini_setup_bash
houdini

Hope this helps…

I can't really do that. If I try to install houdini with default setting , the one with hfs, I get “No such directory” error.

On what stage of installation you have this message?
Just double check this:
1. Are you sure you have root priveleges?
2. If so, is /opt folder exists in your system? (it should, but if not, create it)

I am having absolutely abysmal time installing Houdini on Linux. Most likely becouse of my inexperience with this OS.
I do have root priveldges. I logged in as root.
DL the latest build and ran the houdini install (in terminal) and the installation, along with hserver seemd to go OK. Except now I can't frigging find the app. WHERE IS IT?

Where is /opt/hfs8.1.684????

If I run source houdini_setup_bash, I get no such file or directory error

I ran the installation, and now what? I have no guide, no instructions, no nothing.

In GNOME Terminal, LS does not show opt named folder. From file browser there is no folder named hfs8.1.864.

If you ran all-by-default, the app should be in /opt/hfs8.1.684 (note the first slash, it's important)
from terminal, what “ls /opt” command shows to you?
if you see there hfs8.1.684 (you should), just type “cd /opt/hfs8.1.684”
then “source houdini_setup_bash”
after that, just type “houdini”

Where is /opt/hfs8.1.684????

Honestly, if you have to ask that question, then I strongly recommend you back up and do some basic Linux tutorials. To put it in a Windows perspective, that's like asking “where is C:\Program files\Side Effects Software?”. It answers itself. There's nothing wrong with not having any experience in a new OS - we all have to learn it sometime - but it should go without saying that you owe yourself a “welcome to linux” introduction. You're only going to find things frustrating until you get the basic OS operation down.

Cheers,

J.C.

Well I taught myself. The application is installed correctly. /opt/hfs8.1.684 is there and houdini_setup script runs fine. The problem is that I don't think Hkey ( and possibly Houdini) works under Suse 10.1 (64 bit). Everytime I run it, the session crashes, reboots and takes me back to log-on screen.

No, it runs absolutely fine on SuSE 10.1 x86_64 (except some mplay issues for me )
The possible reason why this happens to you is if you didn't install graphics driver (nvidia or ati, i don't know which card you own)
SuSE goes with very simple graphics drivers built in, they aren't suit for Houdini.

yup upgrade your graphics drivers.
If you have an nvidia graphics card, I believe you can upgrade the driver via the suse yast interface. You can find out more on the various suse support forums. It should be straightforward.

I would imagine windows would be the same deal no? you don't use the Windows detected drivers but the proper ones that you download from cd/net.

Hope this helps,

/Rick

I have ATI FireGL X1, and have the latest drivers running. At least according to the tech who setup my Linux box.
Its not Houdini that is crashing, it is Hkey.

ATI + Linux often spells trouble, although some can work fine.

Lots of shooting blanks until you get the tech to speak up about precisely what he means by “latest drivers”. Hopefully he's aware that ATI drivers on linux are problematic and the latest aren't always the greatest(that goes for NVidia too, for that matter).

AFAIK you can't use Yast to upgrade ATI drivers, although I'm not 100% on that.

If you can get Houdini(and other apps) to run fine and only hkey gives you trouble(unlikely), note that there's a way to manage licensing without hkey.

J.C.

JColdrick
AFAIK you can't use Yast to upgrade ATI drivers, although I'm not 100% on that.

Actually, you can, but default repositories doesn't contain them.
Check this links:
http://en.opensuse.org/Howto/ATI_Driver [en.opensuse.org]
http://www.suse.de/~sndirsch/ati-installer-HOWTO.html [suse.de]

DavidRindner
I have ATI FireGL X1, and have the latest drivers running. At least according to the tech who setup my Linux box.
Its not Houdini that is crashing, it is Hkey.

I have exactly the same problem. Hkey kills xserver and I have setup nvidia drivers properly with 3D acceleration enabled. I also Xgl/Compiz running.

Try to use this
http://albertomilone.com/nvidia_scripts1.html [albertomilone.com]
It worked for me on my Macbook Pro with Ubuntu


Good Luck

Jens Martensson