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/// Pipeline

How to use Fox Renderfarm on Arch Linux

A practical guide to getting Raysync and FoxRenderfarm working on Arch Linux.

#Linux #Pipeline #Rendering #DevOps #Tutorial

Introduction

If you’re a VFX or 3D artist who’s made the leap to Arch (or any rolling release distro), you’ve probably hit this wall before. Proprietary software packaged as .deb files, legacy library dependencies, and that sinking feeling when you find that you are the first person on the internet to have ever tried to install a specific software on Arch.

This guide walks through my process of installing Raysync (file transfer acceleration) and the desktop client for FoxRenderfarm on Arch Linux. Both only ship .deb packages and .run installers designed for Rocky Linux and CentOS7.

I don’t suspect this guide will work forever, but my hope in posting this is that others can reference this and have somewhere to start from.

System Information

This guide was tested on:

  • OS: Arch Linux (kernel 6.17.4-arch2-1)
  • Desktop Environment: Hyprland (should work on Gnome and KDE also)
  • Display Server: Wayland/X11
  • Graphics: NVIDIA (proprietary drivers 560.35.03) / AMD (mesa)
  • Architecture: x86_64

Software versions:

  • Raysync: 6.2.8.24 (.deb package)
  • FoxRenderfarm Desktop: 5.0 (CentOS7 installer - QFoxRenderfarmDesktop5.0.run)
  • libjpeg6-turbo: 2.0.6-1 (AUR)
  • System libstdc++: 14.2.1 (gcc-libs package)

Your mileage may vary depending on your system state and library versions, but the general approach should work on any rolling release distro.

Part 1: Raysync - The Simple One

The installation of Raysync turned out to be surprisingly straightforward and took minimal troubleshooting. Raysync is a high-speed file transfer tool used by FoxRenderfarm, and to get the Desktop client working, you’ll need to install this first.

Succumbing to hubris

My first instinct was to use debtap, a tool specifically designed to convert Debian packages to Arch packages:

debtap Raysync_6.2.8.24.deb

This created a shiny new raysync-3.3.8.1-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst file that (in my hubris and overwhelmed by my own sense of unique genius) led me to believe I was done. Silly me for assuming the tool designed specifically for converting Debian packages to Arch packages would convert my debian package to an Arch package. Rookie mistake.

error: package raysync-3.3.8.1-1-x86_64 does not have a valid architecture

It turns out debtap didn’t properly set the architecture metadata when I skipped the prompts (because why the fuck would it). Could I have fixed it? Sure. But no, I was annoyed and wanted the path of least resistance.

The Manual Extraction Method

Here’s what actually works:

# Extract the .deb archive (it's just an AR archive)
ar x Raysync_6.2.8.24.deb

# Extract the actual files
tar -xzf data.tar.gz

# Copy to system directories
sudo cp -r usr /
sudo cp -r opt / 2>/dev/null  # If opt/ exists in the package

What’s happening here: A .deb file is just an archive containing control.tar.gz (metadata) and data.tar.gz (the actual files). We’re skipping all the package manager validation and just putting the files where they belong.

The tradeoff: This works perfectly, but you lose package manager tracking. That means:

  • No pacman -R raysync to uninstall
  • No automatic dependency resolution
  • You’ll need to track updates manually

For a proprietary tool that rarely updates? (Since I’m writing this down) I’m cool with it.

Once installed, Raysync lives at:

  • Binary: /usr/local/bin/raysync
  • Resources: /usr/local/share/raysync/
  • Desktop entries: /usr/share/applications/raysync-*.desktop

Just run raysync from the terminal or launch it from your application menu. You’ll see some Qt platform warnings in the console, but they’re harmless - probably.

Part 2: FoxRenderfarm - The Dependency Nightmare

FoxRenderfarm is where things get more complex. Duh.

The Installation

Fox provides two self-extracting installers:

  • foxrenderfarm5.0.run (140MB) Rocky Linux
  • QFoxRenderfarmDesktop5.0.run (188MB) CentOS7

I went with the CentOS7 installer:

./QFoxRenderfarmDesktop5.0.run

The installer extracts everything to:

/home/myhomedirectory/Rayvision/FoxRenderfarm5.0/

Launch it with:

cd ~/Rayvision/FoxRenderfarm5.0
./foxrenderfarm.sh

And… it crashes immediately. Welcome to dependency hell.

Debugging Strategy: Know Your Tools

Before we start fixing things randomly, let’s understand what we’re dealing with. The most important tool in your arsenal is ldd:

ldd foxrenderfarm | grep "not found"

This shows every shared library the binary expects but can’t find. Think of it as a checklist of problems to solve.

The Library Dependency Journey

Issue #1: Image Format Libraries

ldd foxrenderfarm | grep "not found"
# Output:
# libjpeg.so.62 => not found
# libmng.so.1 => not found
# libtiff.so.5 => not found

First attempt - install the system versions:

sudo pacman -S libjpeg-turbo libmng libtiff

But here’s the problem:

  • Arch ships libjpeg.so.8, app needs libjpeg.so.62
  • Arch ships libmng.so.2, app needs libmng.so.1
  • Arch ships libtiff.so.6, app needs libtiff.so.5

Why symlinks don’t work: You might think “just symlink the new version to the old name,” but that fails because of symbol versioning. The application was compiled with specific function signatures that exist in version 6.2 but not in 8.x. The library knows this and refuses to load.

Issue #2: Finding Legacy JPEG Support

This is where the AUR (Arch User Repository) saves your life:

cd /tmp
git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/libjpeg6-turbo.git
cd libjpeg6-turbo
makepkg -si --skippgpcheck

Why AUR? The community maintains packages for legacy software. libjpeg6-turbo provides the exact LIBJPEG_6.2 symbols our application needs, compiled specifically for compatibility with old binaries.

About --skippgpcheck: Normally you want to verify PGP signatures, but the key wasn’t in my keyring. For a well-known AUR package, this is acceptable. If you want to be thorough: gpg --recv-keys 85C7044E033FDE16.

Issue #3: The JBIG Dependency

error while loading shared libraries: libjbig.so.2.0: cannot open shared object file

Install the system package:

sudo pacman -S jbigkit

But Arch ships version 2.1, and the app wants 2.0. Fortunately, libjbig is backward compatible, so a symlink works:

cd ~/Rayvision/FoxRenderfarm5.0
sudo ln -sf /usr/lib/libjbig.so libjbig.so.2.0

Key decision: I put this symlink in the application directory rather than /usr/lib to avoid breaking other softwares that expects the newer version.

Issue #4: The Bundled Library Problem

version `GLIBCXX_3.4.22' not found (required by foxrenderfarm)

Here’s where it gets counterintuitive. FoxRenderfarm bundles its own libstdc++.so.6 in two locations:

  • Main directory: libstdc++.so.6
  • Transmit engine: transmit_engine/libstdc++.so.6

The startup script sets LD_LIBRARY_PATH to prioritize these bundled libraries. The problem? They’re older than what the application actually needs. Someone compiled this against a newer GCC but shipped it with old libraries.

The fix: Get rid of them and let it use the system library:

cd ~/Rayvision/FoxRenderfarm5.0
mv libstdc++.so libstdc++.so.old
mv libstdc++.so.6 libstdc++.so.6.old
mv transmit_engine/libstdc++.so.6 transmit_engine/libstdc++.so.6.old

Now the linker falls through to Arch’s current libstdc++, which has all the symbols we need.

Understanding LD_LIBRARY_PATH

The foxrenderfarm.sh startup script sets:

LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$dirname:$dirname/libs:$dirname/transmit_engine

This creates a search order:

  1. Application directory (for bundled OpenSSL, our libjbig symlink)
  2. libs/ subdirectory (Qt libraries)
  3. transmit_engine/ subdirectory
  4. System libraries in /usr/lib

We’re using a hybrid approach:

  • Keep bundled OpenSSL 1.1 (system has 3.x)
  • Keep bundled Qt libraries (version-specific)
  • Use system libstdc++ (newer and better)
  • Use system libjpeg62 (from AUR)
  • Symlink locally libjbig (backward compatible)

This gives us the best of both worlds.

Final Configuration

What We Installed

System packages:

sudo pacman -S libmng libtiff jbigkit

AUR packages:

# libjpeg6-turbo (for legacy JPEG support)

Custom symlinks created:

# In ~/Rayvision/FoxRenderfarm5.0/
libjbig.so.2.0 → /usr/lib/libjbig.so

Bundled libraries removed:

# Renamed to .old (not deleted, just in case)
libstdc++.so
libstdc++.so.6
transmit_engine/libstdc++.so.6

Lessons from the Trenches

1. Package Conversion Isn’t Always the Answer

Tools like debtap are great for simple packages, but when metadata gets mangled or you just want to get something working quickly, manual extraction is often faster and more reliable.

The tradeoff is you lose package manager integration. Ride like lightning I say.

2. Library Compatibility Is Nuanced

  • Backward compatible: Newer versions work fine (libstdc++, libjbig)
  • Symbol versioned: Strict version requirements (libjpeg)
  • ABI breaks: Major version bumps often won’t work

The debugging process:

  1. Try system library (newest version)
  2. Try symlink if backward compatible
  3. Search AUR for older version if symbols required
  4. Use bundled library as last resort

3. Bundled Libraries Can Lie

Just because software bundles a library doesn’t mean you should use it. Sometimes the bundled version is older than what the binary actually needs, and you’re better off removing it and using the system version.

Always check ldd and read the actual error messages. Don’t assume bundled = correct.

4. LD_LIBRARY_PATH Is Your Friend

Understanding the dynamic linker’s search order is crucial for debugging these issues:

  1. LD_LIBRARY_PATH directories
  2. /lib and /usr/lib
  3. Paths in /etc/ld.so.conf

By controlling LD_LIBRARY_PATH in the startup script, you can create a hybrid environment that uses bundled libraries where needed and system libraries where better.

Uninstallation

If you need to remove these later:

Raysync

sudo rm /usr/local/bin/raysync
sudo rm -rf /usr/local/share/raysync/
sudo rm /usr/share/applications/raysync-*.desktop

FoxRenderfarm

# Use the built-in uninstaller
~/Rayvision/FoxRenderfarm5.0/uninst

# Or manual removal
rm -rf ~/Rayvision/FoxRenderfarm5.0/
rm ~/.local/share/applications/foxrenderfarm.desktop
rm -rf ~/.config/FoxRenderfarm/

Cleanup Dependencies

# Only remove if nothing else needs them
sudo pacman -R libjpeg6-turbo

# System packages (libmng, libtiff, jbigkit) can usually stay
# Other software might depend on them

Final Thoughts

Running proprietary VFX software on Arch isn’t always smooth, but it’s rarely impossible. The key is methodical debugging:

  1. Use ldd to identify missing dependencies
  2. Understand why each dependency is needed
  3. Choose the right solution: system package, AUR, symlink, or bundled library
  4. Test thoroughly before moving on to the next issue

Is it more work than running CentOS or Rocky Linux? Absolutely. But if you’re reading this, you’ve already decided that having full control over your system is worth the occasional dependency hunt. You’re a sadist.

And honestly? After doing this a few times, you start to get pretty fast at it. These days, getting proprietary software working on Arch is less “will this work?” and more “how long will it take?”

Usually not that long.

Have questions or run into issues following this guide? Feel free to reach out. And if you’re working on similar pipeline challenges, I’d love to hear about your solutions.

/// END TRANSMISSION

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