Overall, I am trying to render images using Unity on a remote cluster.
The cluster does not have an X server; I don't have sudo permissions, or can start a Docker container, but I can start a Singularity container.
My plan is to create a container that would simulate the X Server. I created the following Singularity definition file:
Bootstrap: docker
From: nvidia/cuda:10.1-cudnn7-devel-ubuntu18.04
%post
# xvfb for rendering in headless mode
apt-get update
apt-get install -y xvfb mesa-utils xorg
echo "allowed_users = anybody" > /etc/X11/Xwrapper.config
I started the container with the option --containall. From the container, I launched the command /usr/bin/X :0, but it failed with the following error:
Singularity xvfb.sif:~> /usr/bin/X :0
_XSERVTransmkdir: Owner of /tmp/.X11-unix should be set to root
X.Org X Server 1.19.6
Release Date: 2017-12-20
X Protocol Version 11, Revision 0
Build Operating System: Linux 4.15.0-140-generic x86_64 Ubuntu
Current Operating System: Linux cooper 5.8.0-50-generic #56~20.04.1-Ubuntu SMP Mon Apr 12 21:46:35 UTC 2021 x86_64
Kernel command line: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-5.8.0-50-generic root=/dev/mapper/vgubuntu-root ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
Build Date: 08 April 2021 01:57:21PM
xorg-server 2:1.19.6-1ubuntu4.9 (For technical support please see http://www.ubuntu.com/support)
Current version of pixman: 0.34.0
Before reporting problems, check http://wiki.x.org
to make sure that you have the latest version.
Markers: (--) probed, (**) from config file, (==) default setting,
(++) from command line, (!!) notice, (II) informational,
(WW) warning, (EE) error, (NI) not implemented, (??) unknown.
(==) Log file: "/home/pierre-louis/.local/share/xorg/Xorg.0.log", Time: Wed May 26 09:17:05 2021
(==) Using system config directory "/usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d"
(EE)
Fatal server error:
(EE) parse_vt_settings: Cannot open /dev/tty0 (No such file or directory)
(EE)
(EE)
Please consult the The X.Org Foundation support
at http://wiki.x.org
for help.
(EE) Please also check the log file at "/home/pierre-louis/.local/share/xorg/Xorg.0.log" for additional information.
(EE)
(EE) Server terminated with error (1). Closing log file.
Not any /dev/tty* exist. Then I tried to launch startx, but only to get the same message error.
How can I launch an X Server using a Singularity image?
As mentioned in a separate discussion, Xvfb is not supposed to be start through startx or /usr/bin/X but rather with the supplied run script.