Can't get work since accidental date change

Message boards : BOINC Manager : Can't get work since accidental date change
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Glenn

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Joined: 14 Apr 06
Posts: 7
Canada
Message 6187 - Posted: 25 Oct 2006, 14:04:07 UTC

BOINC had been running well until one of my apps accidently set my computer date to 2008. Instantly lots of red messages saying the computer was overcommited. I immediately reset the proper date and it appeared things were OK (messages went back to normal). HOWEVER, since then only a couple of projects will send work, and those that do only give a few hours work. I reset all the projects and re-ran the CPU benchmarks, but to no avail. Is there somewhere I can clear or reset a flag to correct this. I have this computer on 24/7 and I can't keep it busy.
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Profile Jord
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Joined: 29 Aug 05
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Netherlands
Message 6190 - Posted: 25 Oct 2006, 14:52:09 UTC

Have you tried to reboot the computer? The clock is regulated by your BIOS (clock crystals). So I'd reboot, go into BIOS and check there what date, time and year it's set to. Save changes and reboot again, then see if it's fixed.

Resetting the projects is only a last option. Always try a reboot first, or to exit BOINC & restart it.

Also, depending on the BOINC version you ran and even if you ran in overcommitted for a short while, it will affect your Long Term Debt. Read up on the work scheduler. It would have fixed itself eventually.
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MikeMarsUK

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Message 6194 - Posted: 25 Oct 2006, 22:22:23 UTC
Last modified: 25 Oct 2006, 22:27:38 UTC

I've seen this a few times before, although usually for a much shorter period than two years! Geophi has a suggested fix in the following thread, although it didn't seem to work as expected for that particular user (perhaps there is another timestamp elsewhere which also needs to be changed). Hence, make 100% sure you have a backup first:
http://www.climateprediction.net/board/viewtopic.php?p=51540#51540
Try this.

Shut down BOINC if it is running.

In the "time_stats" section of client_state.xml in the BOINC folder, the "last_update" is equal to the seconds since 1/1/1970. Subtract 2678400 (for a 31 day month) from the current value in that file and that should make last_update in the past, which should fool it into starting again. As always, back up the BOINC folder before trying this.

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Glenn

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Joined: 14 Apr 06
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Canada
Message 6580 - Posted: 22 Nov 2006, 22:44:24 UTC

Ageless - I may have been unclear - I didn't have a problem correcting the date reset; I had a problem getting any quantity of work after this event.

MikeMarsUK - your suggestion seemed to help - I did a backup first, then I checked the "time_stats" section and when I checked the date based on the number of seconds it was set to 2008. I reduced the amount in that section to bring it back to 2006 and it seems to help a bit, and the date it holds is now correct.

However, after my initial post I waited ~ 2 weeks to see if it would sort itself out. No luck. Then I've waited another 2 weeks since setting the "time_stats" variable and it is still not downloading enough work. It indicates "Requesting 181440 seconds of new work" before each download (roughly 50 hrs) and then proceeds to download 1 file with 6 hrs work or if Einstein, 5 files at 46 minutes each. Before the time change it used to download 8-10 files of 5-6 hrs each. This would keep it running overnight or over a weekend. Somewhere in the bowels of BOINC something else got reset, and does not seem to have corrected itself.
I think that, as MikeMarsUK remarked "there is another timestamp elsewhere that also needs to be changed" and I think the person who programmed it would know where it is.

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MikeMarsUK

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Message 6581 - Posted: 22 Nov 2006, 23:56:03 UTC
Last modified: 23 Nov 2006, 0:01:10 UTC

If you don't mind getting a new hostID, you could try uninstalling, deleting the Boinc directory, and then installing again. You'd lose any current work, and you'd need to reattach to all your projects, but everything should be reset after doing that. Make sure you have your account details for each project to hand first (usernames, emails + passwords).

May be it thinks you spent two years not running Boinc, which would mess up the performance figures that Boinc uses to estimate work (% time running Boinc, etc).
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Odysseus

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Joined: 5 May 06
Posts: 50
Canada
Message 6600 - Posted: 24 Nov 2006, 8:34:51 UTC - in response to Message 6581.  

May be it thinks you spent two years not running Boinc, which would mess up the performance figures that Boinc uses to estimate work (% time running Boinc, etc).

If so, that should show up in the stats at the bottom of the host's details page. Those figures can be reset by editing an XML file.
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Message boards : BOINC Manager : Can't get work since accidental date change

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