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Profile Stephen Uitti

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Message 62756 - Posted: 30 Nov 2014, 16:53:34 UTC

I've got two very similar Linux machines. Both are running BOINC 7.2.42. Both have 4 core AMD CPUs. One has no issues.

The problem child has a usable GPU, and I ran Milky Way on it for about a week earlier this month with no problems. The GPU (GTX 650ti) performance was not what I was hoping, so i wanted to run MW on CPUs. However, even when all four cores are idle, this machine says:
30-Nov-2014 11:18:20 [Milkyway@Home] update requested by user
30-Nov-2014 11:18:24 [Milkyway@Home] Sending scheduler request: Requested by user.
30-Nov-2014 11:18:24 [Milkyway@Home] Not requesting tasks: don't need
30-Nov-2014 11:18:27 [Milkyway@Home] Scheduler request completed

This machine ran MW on CPU cores before running on the GPU without incident.

The problem computer is machine ID 315265
The working computer is machine ID 570596

I have the machines in separate venues, but the compute configurations are identical.

One thing that is true is that the problem machine is considerably older, and has been upgraded repeatedly. It is possible that there are no original parts. But despite BOINC having been upgraded several times, the project files may date from 2011. Perhaps there's something in the xml or whatever config files on the machine that are messed up.

Another issue is that this problem machine pretty much only gets work units if it can execute them right away, for all projects. That's despite having projects set to retain a several day queue. I've looked at this for some time.

Any ideas on what i should attempt?
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swiftmallard
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Message 62757 - Posted: 30 Nov 2014, 23:07:29 UTC

Boinc is not requesting work, that is your issue. What other projects are you running on that machine?
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noderaser
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Message 62758 - Posted: 1 Dec 2014, 5:03:54 UTC

"Don't need" typically means that BOINC has enough work to meet your preferences at the time, although there are some cases where this can happen in error.
Click here to see My Detailed BOINC Stats
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Message 62762 - Posted: 1 Dec 2014, 13:00:39 UTC - in response to Message 62756.  

I've got two very similar Linux machines. Both are running BOINC 7.2.42. Both have 4 core AMD CPUs. One has no issues.

The problem child has a usable GPU, and I ran Milky Way on it for about a week earlier this month with no problems. The GPU (GTX 650ti) performance was not what I was hoping, so i wanted to run MW on CPUs. However, even when all four cores are idle, this machine says:
30-Nov-2014 11:18:20 [Milkyway@Home] update requested by user
30-Nov-2014 11:18:24 [Milkyway@Home] Sending scheduler request: Requested by user.
30-Nov-2014 11:18:24 [Milkyway@Home] Not requesting tasks: don't need
30-Nov-2014 11:18:27 [Milkyway@Home] Scheduler request completed

This machine ran MW on CPU cores before running on the GPU without incident.

The problem computer is machine ID 315265
The working computer is machine ID 570596

I have the machines in separate venues, but the compute configurations are identical.

One thing that is true is that the problem machine is considerably older, and has been upgraded repeatedly. It is possible that there are no original parts. But despite BOINC having been upgraded several times, the project files may date from 2011. Perhaps there's something in the xml or whatever config files on the machine that are messed up.

Another issue is that this problem machine pretty much only gets work units if it can execute them right away, for all projects. That's despite having projects set to retain a several day queue. I've looked at this for some time.

Any ideas on what i should attempt?


One problem could be you trying to run the 'modified-fit' units, aren't they the 'b-body' units that require multiple cpu cores to finish? If so that could be your problem, your other projects are getting in the way right now. IF that is true then Boinc itself should figure it out and you should get some MW units in due time, probably when your other projects cache is run down.
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Profile Stephen Uitti

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Message 62825 - Posted: 11 Dec 2014, 22:44:20 UTC - in response to Message 62757.  

Other projects include Einstein, LHC, SETI and World Community Grid. Also some GPU projects: Collatz. But all the other CPU projects were set to "No New Tasks".
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Message 62826 - Posted: 11 Dec 2014, 22:46:25 UTC - in response to Message 62762.  

I turned off the n-body applications, because it does indeed do wacky things. For example, it ignores you if you tell it to use up to 2 cores, and lots of other things. The machine has 4 cores.
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Message 62827 - Posted: 11 Dec 2014, 22:48:04 UTC - in response to Message 62758.  

Yeah, well, this machine does have an issue with keeping units. Despite putting BOINC on a drive with 60 GB free, and telling it to go for it, and telling it to keep 9 days of units, it usually only has the units it is currently working on, possibly plus another one or two.
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Message 62829 - Posted: 12 Dec 2014, 11:46:54 UTC - in response to Message 62756.  

I've stumbled upon a solution to this issue. I removed the Milky Way project and added it back. Now the machine gets units, and crunches them. This fits the hypothesis that there was something wrong with the configuration files. It doesn't actually identify what was wrong. It feels a little like turning something off, then turning it back on, though nothing was ever turned off. It only took a minute, and took hardly any brain power, except for that part about coming up with the idea, which seemed to take a long time.

I suppose, if i care to, i could attempt to compare the new configuration files with a recent backup... Then, if it happens again, i might be able to edit the files in a slow and error prone way, but with great understanding, rather than quick and easy. I've got a three year badge for Milky Way, and this machine is the first machine crunching it. If i did the full analysis, and did a complete write up, i might be able to puzzle through it from scratch in three more years.
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Message 62830 - Posted: 12 Dec 2014, 11:49:54 UTC - in response to Message 62826.  

I turned off the n-body applications, because it does indeed do wacky things. For example, it ignores you if you tell it to use up to 2 cores, and lots of other things. The machine has 4 cores.


I have read that you can work around that but it is a bit of a pain, MW n-body units use the number of cpu cores allowed in Boinc when the units are downloaded, not necessarily all it finds when it starts to run the unit. Meaning you could go into the Boinc Manager and set your pc to only use 50% of the cpu cores available, in your case 2, download MW units and then set MW to no new tasks, reset the pc to use all of the cores again, and MW will only use 2 of your 4 cores for the n-body units. The pain part is that you will have to do that everytime you want MW units, or it will start using all 4 cores again.
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peeticek_LubosKrutek

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Message 62859 - Posted: 19 Dec 2014, 11:17:18 UTC
Last modified: 19 Dec 2014, 11:23:30 UTC

Hi guys, i have 290X and im not able download gpu units, even there are WUs available for download. Ive got a message about not supported gpu before, but after upgrade of gpu drivers and BOINC manager, everything is fine, except of no work :-)



19. 12. 2014 7:36:25 | Milkyway@Home | Sending scheduler request: Requested by user.
19. 12. 2014 7:36:25 | Milkyway@Home | Requesting new tasks for AMD/ATI GPU
19. 12. 2014 7:36:26 | Milkyway@Home | Scheduler request completed: got 0 new tasks


my settings should be fine

Resource share
Determines the proportion of your computer's resources allocated to this project. Example: if you participate in two BOINC projects with resource shares of 100 and 200, the first will get 1/3 of your resources and the second will get 2/3. %2 100
Use CPU
Enforced by version 6.10+ no
Use ATI GPU
Enforced by version 6.10+ yes
Use NVIDIA GPU
Enforced by version 6.10+ yes
Is it OK for MilkyWay@Home and your team (if any) to email you?
Emails will be sent from boinc@cs.rpi.edu; make sure your spam filter accepts this address. yes
Should MilkyWay@Home show your computers on its web site? no
Default computer location ---
Maximum CPU % for graphics
0 ... 100 90
Run only the selected applications (all applications)
If no work for selected applications is available, accept work from other applications? no
Frequency (in Hz) that should try to complete individual work chunks. Higher numbers may run slower but will provide a more responsive system. Lower may be faster but more laggy.
default 60 (corresponds to 60 fps) 60
Period (in milliseconds) to check for scene updates 30
Change how fast the view randomly moves around 5
Make particles bigger or smaller 250
Make particles bigger or smaller when using uglier particles 40

Edit MilkyWay@Home preferences




many thanks for any idea.
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Message 62860 - Posted: 19 Dec 2014, 11:39:36 UTC - in response to Message 62859.  

Hi guys, i have 290X and im not able download gpu units, even there are WUs available for download. Ive got a message about not supported gpu before, but after upgrade of gpu drivers and BOINC manager, everything is fine, except of no work :-)
many thanks for any idea.


This page http://milkyway.cs.rpi.edu/milkyway/gpu_list.php lists all of the gpu's that MilkyWay has seen send back units, it is dated 18 Dec 2014, NO R series AMD/ATI cards are listed. You may have a card that just doesn't work here, this could be because they may need to do a Server side software update to recognize those cards.
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Message 62862 - Posted: 19 Dec 2014, 17:51:56 UTC

I posted in another thread about the same thing. The 290 does work, but it requires an app_info.

http://milkyway.cs.rpi.edu/milkyway/forum_thread.php?id=3457&postid=62739
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