AWS blender Workstation allowing thinclient use over TurboVNC

AWS-GPU-prep-script.0

#!/bin/bash 
# Auth: Arun Patel 2015, Creative Commons License
# Ubuntu 14.04:
# This script blacklists the nouveau nvidia driver,
# and updated the initramfs and prepares for the 
# NVIDIA proprietry driver build.

echo " ********************************************"
echo " ACCEPT the (default) boot/grub/menu.lst     "
echo " keep the local version currently installed. "
echo " when the installer prompts for it.          "
echo " ********************************************"
sleep 3

apt-get -y update
apt-get -y remove apparmor libapparmor-perl libapparmor1

cat << EoS - > /etc/modprobe.d/nvidia-installer-disable-nouveau.conf
# generated by arunsmtp -before NVIDIA installer
blacklist nouveau
options nouveau modeset=0
EoS

apt-get -y install build-essential linux-image-extra-virtual cmake

depmod --all --errsyms && update-initramfs -u

echo Reeebooooot now manually please...

AWS-GPU-prep-script.1

#!/bin/bash 
# WORK IN PROGRESS -DON'T RUN THIS, THERE'S SOME MINOR BUGS
# Auth: Arun Patel 2015, Creative Commons License
# Ubuntu 14.04:
# This script runs the NVIDIA proprietry installer,
# adding required packages and xorg.conf.
# Also the VirtualGL/TurboVNC packages are added
# and configured, for the glroup vglusers.

GfxUser="ubuntu"
# Download the NVIDIA proprietry driver, install is a few lines below.
wget http://us.download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linux-x86_64/352.63/NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-352.63.run

apt-get -y install linux-headers-$(uname -r)
apt-get -y install xorg openbox libgl1-mesa-dev libglu1-mesa-dev libpam0g-dev xdm mesa-utils unzip

service xdm stop

# Execute the NVIDIA run script in unattended mode.
# similar to --no-questions --accept-license --silent --run-nvidia-xconfig
chmod +x ./NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-*.run
./NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-352.63.run -q -a -n -X -s

echo NVIDIA diver install ended. 

# get the PCI bus ID for insertion into the xorg.conf below
echo Getting the correct PCI Bus ID for the right GPU may not work automatically.
echo Look at the file /root/xorg.conf.new which should show all the detected GPUs
X -configure && BusID=$(cat /root/xorg.conf.new | egrep -A1 -i "nouveau|nvidia" | grep BusID)


# Install an xorg.conf that enables the nvidia GPU in headless mode.
# PCI bus id hopefully stops other video cards getting enabled.
cat << Eos - > /etc/X11/xorg.conf
# nvidia-xconfig: X configuration file generated by nvidia-xconfig
# nvidia-xconfig:  version 340.96  (buildmeister@swio-display-x86-rhel47-05)  Sun Nov  8 22:50:27 PST 2015


Section "ServerLayout"
    Identifier     "Layout0"
    Screen      0  "Screen0" 0 0
    InputDevice    "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
    InputDevice    "Mouse0" "CorePointer"
EndSection

Section "Files"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"

    # generated from default
    Identifier     "Mouse0"
    Driver         "mouse"
    Option         "Protocol" "auto"
    Option         "Device" "/dev/psaux"
    Option         "Emulate3Buttons" "no"
    Option         "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"

    # generated from default
    Identifier     "Keyboard0"
    Driver         "kbd"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
    Identifier     "Monitor0"
    VendorName     "Unknown"
    ModelName      "Unknown"
    HorizSync       28.0 - 33.0
    VertRefresh     43.0 - 72.0
    Option         "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Device"
    Identifier     "Device0"
    Driver         "nvidia"
    VendorName     "NVIDIA Corporation"
$BusID
EndSection

Section "Screen"
    Identifier     "Screen0"
    Device         "Device0"
    Monitor        "Monitor0"
    DefaultDepth    24
    Option         "AllowEmptyInitialConfiguration" "True"
    SubSection     "Display"
        Depth       24
    EndSubSection
EndSection
Eos

# Xorg config done.

# Download and install the VirtualGL, TurboVNC and libjpeg packages
wget http://downloads.sourceforge.net/project/virtualgl/2.4.1/virtualgl_2.4.1_amd64.deb
wget http://downloads.sourceforge.net/project/turbovnc/2.0.1/turbovnc_2.0.1_amd64.deb
wget http://downloads.sourceforge.net/project/libjpeg-turbo/1.4.2/libjpeg-turbo-official_1.4.2_amd64.deb

dpkg -i libjpeg-turbo-official_1.4.2_amd64.deb
dpkg -i virtualgl_2.4.1_amd64.deb
dpkg -i turbovnc_2.0.1_amd64.deb

# Set VirtualLG defaults, xauth bits, this adds a DRI line to xorg.conf.
/opt/VirtualGL/bin/vglserver_config -config -s -f +t

# Allow a user to access the VirtualGL stuff
usermod -a -G vglusers $GfxUser

# Restart X, hopefully /var/log/Xorg.0.log shows a working X process
service xdm restart

# Install the CUDA components so blender can utilize the GPU for Cycles
# multiverse has to be enabled for this, so we do this as a separate entry
grep -i multiverse /etc/apt/sources.list | sed 's/^#\ deb/deb/' > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/AWS-GPU-prep-script.1.list
apt-get update
apt-get -y install nvidia-modprobe nvidia-cuda-toolkit

# Finally install blender
apt-get -y install blender

AWS-GPU-prep-script.4

#!/bin/bash 
# Auth: Arun Patel 2015, Creative Commons License
# Ubuntu 14.04:
# The VirtualGL end user should run this to prep the 
# environment to allow VirtualGL to server the VNC
# output rendered on the GPU to the TurboVNC viewer.
# 

## As ubuntu user allow youself connection to the X server.
xauth merge /etc/opt/VirtualGL/vgl_xauth_key

## Check its all enabled -look for ‘P’ in last column.
/opt/VirtualGL/bin/glxinfo -display :0 -c | tail

# Start a TurboVNC server session for you, make note of the
# display number (probably :1) -see VNC documentation.
/opt/TurboVNC/bin/vncserver

# Run your OpenGL software with the virtualgl wrapper like
# /opt/VirtualGL/bin/vglrun glxgears once you established
# a TurboVNC session.

These scripts set up an EC2 GPU instance to run blender with CUDA over a TurboVNC/VirtualGL connection allowing thinclient use.
Works well, currently for Ubuntu 14.04.2 LTS on EC2. Setup takes about 6 mins.