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Super Nova Nerd
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Message 64431 - Posted: 28 Mar 2016, 23:03:55 UTC

How do you set up an app-config file with milky way? I have one for Seti, but am unsure how to do it for MW.Just letting it go how it is set up it uses almost no processor or CPU power. I want it to run at least 2 GPU tasks at a time and another 6 CPU tasks, reserving 2 CPU's for the GPU tasks.
This is my Seti App Config file-

<app_config>
<app>
<name>setiathome_v8</name>
<gpu_versions>
<gpu_usage>0.50</gpu_usage>
<cpu_usage>1.00</cpu_usage>
</gpu_versions>
</app>

<app>
<name>astropulse_v7</name>
<gpu_versions>
<gpu_usage>0.50</gpu_usage>
<cpu_usage>1.00</cpu_usage>
</gpu_versions>
</app>
</app_config>

I am unsure how to name them for Milkyway.
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Profile Keith Myers
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Message 64432 - Posted: 30 Mar 2016, 5:55:28 UTC - in response to Message 64431.  

Just use your one from Seti. Just change the <name> ?? </name> tag to match the projects you want to run. For example I do only GPU work so I have an entry for the original <name>milkyway</name> work and also for the the <name>milkyway_separation__modified_fit</name> new work using the latest apps. Not sure what the entries would be for CPU work but you should be able to work it out. Adjust your task count accordingly to whatever you want.
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Message 64433 - Posted: 30 Mar 2016, 19:05:06 UTC - in response to Message 64432.  

I would think someone has done this before and has an example of the config file. On Seti it is common. Information is easy to find.
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Message 64435 - Posted: 31 Mar 2016, 2:39:31 UTC - in response to Message 64433.  

I think I figured it out. Will wait and see how it does. I have an overclocked GPU that has been working at half speed so far. I hope this helps it get more done. I may need to do some more tweaking.

<app_config>
<app>
<name>milkyway_nbody</name>
<gpu_versions>
<gpu_usage>1</gpu_usage>
<cpu_usage>1</cpu_usage>
</gpu_versions>
</app>
<app>
<name>milkyway</name>
<gpu_versions>
<gpu_usage>.5</gpu_usage>
<cpu_usage>.5</cpu_usage>
</gpu_versions>
</app>
<app>
<name>milkyway_separation__modified_fit</name>
<gpu_versions>
<gpu_usage>.5</gpu_usage>
<cpu_usage>.5</cpu_usage>
</gpu_versions>
</app>
</app_config>
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Message 64436 - Posted: 31 Mar 2016, 20:49:17 UTC - in response to Message 64433.  
Last modified: 31 Mar 2016, 20:49:51 UTC

I would think someone has done this before and has an example of the config file. On Seti it is common. Information is easy to find.

The information is really easy to find on your system as well.
From a command line run boinccmd --get_state and look for the heading Applications. Below it you will find exactly what you need.

======== Applications ========
1) -----------
   name: milkyway
   Project: Milkyway@Home
2) -----------
   name: milkyway_separation__modified_fit
   Project: Milkyway@Home
3) -----------
   name: setiathome_v8
   Project: SETI@home
4) -----------
   name: astropulse_v7
   Project: SETI@home
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Message 64438 - Posted: 1 Apr 2016, 3:03:53 UTC - in response to Message 64436.  

Where do I do that? Excuse my ignorance, but what command line?
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Message 64439 - Posted: 1 Apr 2016, 10:09:47 UTC - in response to Message 64438.  

Where do I do that? Excuse my ignorance, but what command line?


Depends on the OS you are running, since you pc's are hidden it's kinda hard to help you.
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Message 64440 - Posted: 1 Apr 2016, 12:29:25 UTC

Windows 10. Using the Cmd prompt does nothing with that line.
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Profile Keith Myers
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Message 64441 - Posted: 1 Apr 2016, 15:44:00 UTC - in response to Message 64440.  

You need to be in the /Boinc directory where you installed the program and then execute the command line parameter. Likely in /Program Files/Boinc if you selected the default installation.
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Message 64442 - Posted: 1 Apr 2016, 18:59:32 UTC - in response to Message 64440.  

Sorry about that I figured that someone making an app_config.xml would know about the command line for some reason... I'm not sure why I thought that.

If you need a more step by step guide.
1) Open command prompt
2) Change to the directory where the BOINC application folder is located. Normally this is C:\Program Files\BOINC. So you could type: cd "Program Files\BOINC"
3) To find the applications as I referred to before you may want to use boinccmd --get_state | more. Then you can press and key to advance one page at a time. Instead of everything going by really quickly. You can then press the esc key at any point if you want to stop the output.
Another option you might want to use is boinccmd --get_state > file.txt Which will place all of the output into a text file instead of displaying on the screen. You could then use a text editor, like notepad, to search through the info.
4) If you want see all of the commands boinccmd offers can can type boinccmd /?
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Message 64443 - Posted: 2 Apr 2016, 2:11:45 UTC - in response to Message 64442.  

I used a combination of Keith's last post and Hal's and figured it out. Thank You.
I have used Cmd very little. I have used Powershell far more, but am no wiz with that either.

Thank you again for your help and patience. I am great at building computers and overclocking CPU's/GPU's, but not that good at this kind of thing yet. I have a lot to learn.
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Message 64486 - Posted: 22 Apr 2016, 2:25:43 UTC
Last modified: 22 Apr 2016, 3:06:24 UTC

So, is milkyway_nbody a valid name as well then?

It's been a long time since I've run any MilkyWay@Home GPU tasks and I'm looking to set some up for testing the double precision optimization performance of my Titan Black cards.

Thanks.

...

Update:

Well, it's listed, so I might as well include it in the GPU settings file. Anyone know offhand which ones make use of double precision so I can focus on those?
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Message 64487 - Posted: 22 Apr 2016, 2:45:11 UTC - in response to Message 64443.  
Last modified: 22 Apr 2016, 3:29:05 UTC

I used a combination of Keith's last post and Hal's and figured it out. Thank You.
I have used Cmd very little. I have used Powershell far more, but am no wiz with that either.

Thank you again for your help and patience. I am great at building computers and overclocking CPU's/GPU's, but not that good at this kind of thing yet. I have a lot to learn.


Don't feel bad. The DOS style Windows command line stuff is hardly used by most people these days. Having a feature rich GUI supposedly helps avoid the need for it anyway... if it were actually feature rich, of course. ;)

This is actually a valid reason to have more fine tuning options in the BOINC Manager GUI itself instead of messing with config files, et cetera, helping enable people to help on their terms. Not everyone is a savvy computer geek. Actually, very few are, and most are not qualified to safely and effectively operate computer systems and their related peripheral devices in the first place. Yet they still use them and invariably destroy them if given half a chance, but I digress.

I do a lot more command line stuff using GNU/Linux (Debian "Jessie" 64bit/KDE) as a desktop/laptop OS than I do in Windows 7 these days, though I still occasion need to in Windows as well. But then, I like setting things up more on my terms – partly why I don't use Windows 10 and will likely never choose to use anything beyond Windows 7 on my PCs.

I'm old enough to have actually used DOS exclusively for a while, even though I was a kid at the time, piecing together PCs from spare parts. Anyone else remember how cool DOS Shell was? ;)
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Message 64499 - Posted: 24 Apr 2016, 20:49:49 UTC - in response to Message 64486.  
Last modified: 24 Apr 2016, 21:34:03 UTC

...

Update:

Well, it's listed, so I might as well include it in the GPU settings file. Anyone know offhand which ones make use of double precision so I can focus on those?


Initial tests indicate that all of the current GPU tasks – 1.02 and Separation (Modified Fit) 1.36 – do in fact make use of double precision, with performance (number of tasks completed per time) being increased to approximately 3 to 4 times with Double Precision optimization being enable in the Nvidia Control Panel for my Titan Black cards. However, since I'm running multiple tasks simultaneously per GPU, GPU load capacity may have bottlenecked performance a bit when Double Precision optimization was disabled, so if you're running fewer tasks and/or have more GPU load headroom, you might not see as large of a performance increase using Double Precision optimization, though you should still see a significant performance increase.

The following is my app_config.xml file content that I'm currently using in conjunction with other BOINC settings and configurations which enable me to run 4 MilkyWay@Home GPU tasks simultaneously per GPU (8 total) and 8 Einstein@Home CPU tasks, keeping my GPUs and CPU about 2/3 loaded, which leaves enough headroom for me to game, host game servers on a VM, et cetera as I please on this computer...

<app_config>

<app>
<name>milkyway</name>
<max_concurrent>0</max_concurrent>
<gpu_versions>
<gpu_usage>0.25</gpu_usage>
<cpu_usage>0.1</cpu_usage>
</gpu_versions>
</app>

<app>
<name>milkyway_nbody</name>
<max_concurrent>0</max_concurrent>
<gpu_versions>
<gpu_usage>0.25</gpu_usage>
<cpu_usage>0.1</cpu_usage>
</gpu_versions>
</app>

<app>
<name>milkyway_separation__modified_fit</name>
<max_concurrent>0</max_concurrent>
<gpu_versions>
<gpu_usage>0.25</gpu_usage>
<cpu_usage>0.1</cpu_usage>
</gpu_versions>
</app>

</app_config>

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Message boards : Number crunching : Setting up an app_config file

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