Messages

Found another one. Using the BoincTasks editor makes the client add the line

Code Select Expand

<project_max_concurrent>0</project_max_concurrent>
to the app_config file.

Normally, zero is used as a 'no restriction specified' placeholder, but if you run out of tasks from that project - you're stuck. The 'project_max_concurrent' value is applied literally.

Fix submitted as https://github.com/BOINC/boinc/pull/4337

On the subject of Linux: I've tested it on Linux Mint. My setup uses a repo-style base setup, but with LocutusOfBorg's PPA so I get updates quickly.

The trouble is that the systemd data directory is heavily sandboxed. I've previously added my own app_config.xml files, but I have to use administrator tools to write the files: they end up owned by root, and are read-only for everyone else.

The BOINC client can write its own files, but I haven't found a way of allowing it to over-write root's files yet.

Well, somebody tried - that's how we found out it wasn't working! 

My patch has been accepted in principle (with one minor change requested, and I've done that). Hopefully it'll get merged tonight, though the guy who's doing it is busy with his own project beta. It works on my test build here, but I think we're stuck with David's preference for six decimal places after every number.

Unfortunately, this tool DOES NOT CURRENTLY WORK.

As noted above, the BOINC client writes out a new copy of app_config.xml, but uses faulty syntax. The new tags are unintentional, and are not recognised when the file is read back by the client.

28/03/2021 09:35:16 | GPUGRID | Unparsed line in app_config.xml: gpu_gpu_usage
28/03/2021 09:35:16 | GPUGRID | Unparsed line in app_config.xml: gpu_cpu_usage

I have submitted a patch for the BOINC client - https://github.com/BOINC/boinc/pull/4291 - but this will have to be approved, and a new client released, before the editor can be used.

But hang on - where's elapsed time? Don't tell me that David has recycled a label again?

Got 2 doubles only valid on a running task:
elapsed_time
current_cpu_time

Ratio = delta current_cpu_time / delta elapsed_time

Perhaps they added elapsed_time to the GUI RPC output, but didn't retro-fit it to boinccmd? I picked "--get_simple_gui_info", because that *only* outputs running tasks ("active_task_state: EXECUTING") - but elapsed time is missing for the --tasks output too. I'll do some more digging around.

Yes, I thought that might be the case. I think your predecessor - BoincView - averages the last ten sample points: I have the sample interval set at 30 seconds, and it can take 5 minutes for a new task to settle.

I can't find a scriptable way of monitoring a single process in Windows. Somebody on the CMS-dev board suggested

Code Select Expand

wmic cpu get loadpercentage

but that just gets the total machine loading - not even 'per core'. I got as far as

Code Select Expand

wmic process where name="vboxheadless.exe" get UserModeTime

(no loadpercentage available) - but then we're back to interval timing, so we may as well do it using the BOINC tools. boinccmd's --get_simple_gui_info output:

======== Tasks ========
1) -----------
   name: CMS_4352_1427806758.445768_0
   WU name: CMS_4352_1427806758.445768
   project URL: http://boincai05.cern.ch/CMS-dev/
   report deadline: Wed Aug 26 09:28:07 2015
   ready to report: no
   got server ack: no
   final CPU time: 0.000000
   state: downloaded
   scheduler state: scheduled
   exit_status: 0
   signal: 0
   suspended via GUI: no
   active_task_state: EXECUTING
   app version num: 4617
   checkpoint CPU time: 18508.660000
   current CPU time: 18557.180000
   fraction done: 0.233817
   swap size: 117 MB
   working set size: 477 MB
   estimated CPU time remaining: 52081.563976

is probably good enough for now.

But hang on - where's elapsed time? Don't tell me that David has recycled a label again?

Edit - no, panic over. CPU time is CPU time - the one I'm looking for. Elapsed time is simply missing.

You mean the column CPU %?

Yes, that would be the one.

Fred, please could you post (or email me) the algorithm you use for calculating the CPU efficiency of an individual running BOINC task?

It would be useful for the CERN projects which run their own tasks inside a virtual machine: a script monitoring CPU efficiency could tell whether the CERN server was keeping the VM supplied with tasks, and trigger a tweak to <max_ncpus_pct> (by swapping global_prefs_override.xml files) to allow another BOINC project to use the VM core when idle.