1) Message boards : Number crunching : Thread to report issues after server migration (Message 76685) Posted 7 Dec 2023 by iancantwell Post: I rejoined after long absence and uploaded the new link. Now the work unit keeps getting stuck and the only solution is to reboot which is not always convenient, currently stuck for 3rd time after c.30% progress. WCG has the same issue after changing servers, but usually one reboot is enough

2) Message boards : MilkyWay@home Science : N-Body Plots (Message 64861) Posted 11 Jul 2016 by iancantwell Post: Can this data be used to update the overview page written in 2013? It would be good to get an idea of overall progress and future directions

3) Message boards : Number crunching : Problem with N-Body Simulation 1.48 never finishing (Message 63326) Posted 7 Apr 2015 by iancantwell Post: I had to abort ps_nbody_2_13_orphan_sim_2_1422013803_1287612_2, when it ran 2.5 hours on 2 CPU without check-pointing and remaining time zero for most of that time. No problem with the others

4) Message boards : Number crunching : Computation errors (Message 59692) Posted 27 Aug 2013 by iancantwell Post: There will be no shortage of crunching to do when this comes on stream http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23779294

5) Message boards : Number crunching : Computation errors (Message 59690) Posted 27 Aug 2013 by iancantwell Post: Thanks for the reply, I have made one answer above

6) Message boards : Number crunching : Computation errors (Message 59689) Posted 27 Aug 2013 by iancantwell Post: Thanks for the updates. I obviously was making incorrect assumptions about how it is all organized. I can understand the issues better now. I had not known that it was BOINC (I thought they were only facilitators) who assessed how long WU are estimated to take and not the research project managers who I would have thought would have known. I can see that there is trial and error here based on previous unit histories and that most must be computer generated. I find that the majority are reasonably accurate. Still I would have thought that it would be easy to sort out the contradiction between estimated time and completion deadline. So I have learnt that I must be flexible, patient and not feel guilty if I have to be ruthless with a unit that is not working out on my system. That extra info about how to tell how often a unit has been attempted is a useful extra in assessing any issues With regards to the extra long estimates I had tried it for half an hour and saw that the ratio was second to second but the percentage estimated a shorter time scale, the latter I had ignored since there is often differences between it and time remaining. Next time I will take the advice and run it for 30% for a more accurate overview. Usage on my laptop is basic, nothing I do takes up much power. I have worked out how to crunch 24/7 which I do except when mobile. I only use two CPU, which appears to be the default setting so two units are crunched at any one time. I have all projects at 100 so they all get equal share - I did try to increase this but it did not seem to make any difference. Judging by the disc space stats I probably could do 3/4 CPU but have not yet worked out how I can do this simply, I don't want to get into manipulating configuration files which I have no experience with and I would be worried that I would make some simple mistake and everything would go wrong. Still I would like more options so that I could run longer units - my focus at the moment is anything under six hours as they are the easiest to manage. Any advice here welcome. One final question. Is there any particular project you would care to recommend? I currently run Pogs, Malaria control, Poem, World Community Grid, Rosetta, Milky Way, boincsimap, correlizer & mind modelling. and have suspended Lattice Project, RNA World and Cosmology since I was having problems with them. Also any that have cool screen saver animations. Rosetta is excellent, World Community and RNA average, and mind modelling, with its simulation of a brain in a microwave, awful. Thanks again to community members who have taken the time to advise Regards Ian

7) Message boards : Number crunching : Computation errors (Message 59643) Posted 23 Aug 2013 by iancantwell Post: Many thanks for the reply, it's good to get an objective opinion as to what was happening. It was only those two units (out of six) that caused problems so it is not clear whether it as due to a failure on my side or in the original set up prior to allocation. I followed your advice and aborted them and they were transmogrified to the cloud of dark matter that I'm sure is responsible for dead units. I have since received six more units with timings of 1/3 hours each with one exception that took one minute and four seconds to complete! So far no issues I was not aware that completion times were based on previous work completion rates. My experience is that they are reasonably accurate give or take 10% over runs or under runs. I did however get one with a predicted 2,212 hour completion estimate and was given 10 days to do it in. As this was an obvious mistake on the part of the research team and their quality control I aborted that one too. From trial and error I now focus on projects who have shorter units time-wise, interact with and respect their volunteers, and have reasonably trouble free projects which I choose from analyzing their message boards for complaints and responses As a newbie to this I wish there was a "Computing for Dummies" hand book out there that answered obvious questions that everybody seems to take for granted. I also think that there should e some d=facility by where people with WU issues should be able to contact the project moderators directly and not have to rely on the vagaries of message boards Again Thanks Ian

8) Message boards : Number crunching : Computation errors (Message 59629) Posted 20 Aug 2013 by iancantwell Post: I have just seen this message, I was wondering why they were still sitting on my system. I can let them finish the computation but one was due on 14th and other on 18th August, maybe they have been re-allocated since? No point doing them if they are being done elsewhere. Please advise on this and if they have been re-allocated do I just abort them and hope I get new tasks or what should I do? I assume the reason I am not getting new WU is because they are unfinished. As a general note it would help to have reasonably accurate completion times from the beginning as this would avoid these kind of issues and misunderstandings arising Regards Ian Cantwell

9) Message boards : Number crunching : Computation errors (Message 59534) Posted 7 Aug 2013 by iancantwell Post: de_nbody_07_23_no_dark_2_1372784655_694148. After 2 hours the remaining time was six minutes and then started climbing. After six hours of computation there is now one hour + time remaining and climbing. Progress % is now 21%. In other words it may take 30 hours in total to do this two hour task. Surely a glitch here. I have suspended it Same prefix & last number is 771040, same problem after two hours it started to rise from ten minutes to 12.5 and is 12% complete. I have suspended this one rather than waste computation time better spent on other research tasks Other tasks from Milkyway have been trouble free and completed within the schedule. The above two can be harvested and solved by the moderators;this communication is for their information and as a warning that there may be trouble ahead

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