I am certain that I have seen this discussed before, but a search on errors didn't come up with anything.

Occasionally, BOINC Client is unable to write a state file, due to its inability to rename the current one to old. This happens to files for all applications that I am running under BOINC Client, and seems not to cause any permanent harm. However, if the problem is allowed to remain, it could cause real problems in some future release.

I believe it to be a timing error in that BOINC fails somehow to wait for a file to close before attempting a rename. Details are as follows:

Hardware: Dual 1GHz PowerPC G4, Model PowerMac3,6, with 2GB of RAM.

System: Mac OS 10.4.11

BOINC Client Version: 5.10.30

Extracted results from Message tables:

Mon 31 Dec 17:24:53 2007|World Community Grid|Finished download of faah3105_NSC79594_2CF3s_MIN_xmd04790_08_NSC79594_2CF3s_MIN.pdbqt
Mon 31 Dec 17:30:29 2007||Can't rename client_state_next.xml to client_state.xml; check file and directory permissions
Mon 31 Dec 17:30:29 2007||rename client_state_next.xml to client_state.xml returned error 2: No such file or directory
Mon 31 Dec 17:30:29 2007||[error] Couldn't write state file: system rename
Mon 31 Dec 17:38:35 2007|Einstein@Home|Resuming task h1_0630.95_S5R2__16_S5R3a_1 using einstein_S5R3 version 403
...
Mon 31 Dec 22:26:13 2007|Einstein@Home|Resuming task h1_0630.95_S5R2__16_S5R3a_1 using einstein_S5R3 version 403
Mon 31 Dec 22:29:08 2007||Contacting account manager at http://bam.boincstats.com/
Mon 31 Dec 22:29:11 2007||Account manager: BAM Host-ID: 72506
Mon 31 Dec 22:29:11 2007||Account manager contact succeeded
Mon 31 Dec 23:19:16 2007||Can't rename client_state_next.xml to client_state.xml; check file and directory permissions
Mon 31 Dec 23:19:16 2007||rename client_state_next.xml to client_state.xml returned error 2: No such file or directory
Mon 31 Dec 23:19:16 2007||[error] Couldn't write state file: system rename
Mon 31 Dec 23:26:53 2007|SETI@home|Resuming task 17no06ad.1385.2246498.13.6.213_0 using setiathome_enhanced version 528
...
Tue  1 Jan 12:48:37 2008|Einstein@Home|Resuming task h1_0631.15_S5R2__125_S5R3a_2 using einstein_S5R3 version 403
Tue  1 Jan 12:49:09 2008|ABC@home|Resuming task abc_wu_2684523099000_2805000_0 using abc-finder version 103
Tue  1 Jan 13:46:04 2008||Can't rename client_state_next.xml to client_state.xml; check file and directory permissions
Tue  1 Jan 13:46:04 2008||rename client_state_next.xml to client_state.xml returned error 2: No such file or directory
Tue  1 Jan 13:46:04 2008||[error] Couldn't write state file: system rename
Tue  1 Jan 13:56:24 2008|SZTAKI Desktop Grid|Resuming task aec07ca4-7e23-4196-8945-57ec6eb8ea76_920fed37-af38-4b46-a838-ae1140443927_269530_2 using search version 206
...
Wed  2 Jan 00:34:47 2008|SETI@home|Resuming task 11dc06ad.20620.15024.8.6.9_2 using setiathome_enhanced version 528
Wed  2 Jan 00:44:54 2008||Can't rename client_state_next.xml to client_state.xml; check file and directory permissions
Wed  2 Jan 00:44:54 2008||rename client_state_next.xml to client_state.xml returned error 2: No such file or directory
Wed  2 Jan 00:44:54 2008||[error] Couldn't write state file: system rename
Wed  2 Jan 00:47:56 2008|SZTAKI Desktop Grid|Sending scheduler request: To fetch work.  Requesting 21 seconds of work, reporting 2 completed tasks
...
Wed  2 Jan 08:59:57 2008|SZTAKI Desktop Grid|Starting task aec07ca4-7e23-4196-8945-57ec6eb8ea76_ac760f0a-7598-4d38-ada7-d2e01e6bc73d_277568_1 using search version 206
Wed  2 Jan 09:05:54 2008||Can't rename client_state_next.xml to client_state.xml; check file and directory permissions
Wed  2 Jan 09:05:54 2008||rename client_state_next.xml to client_state.xml returned error 2: No such file or directory
Wed  2 Jan 09:05:54 2008||[error] Couldn't write state file: system rename
Wed  2 Jan 09:24:29 2008|SZTAKI Desktop Grid|Computation for task aec07ca4-7e23-4196-8945-57ec6eb8ea76_00197687-5b81-4992-9efb-d8c4bc1006d3_275395_3 finished
...
Wed  2 Jan 10:00:04 2008|World Community Grid|Resuming task faah3105_NSC79594_2CF3s_MIN_xmd04790_08_0 using faah version 542
Wed  2 Jan 10:13:04 2008||Can't rename client_state_next.xml to client_state.xml; check file and directory permissions
Wed  2 Jan 10:13:04 2008||rename client_state_next.xml to client_state.xml returned error 2: No such file or directory
Wed  2 Jan 10:13:04 2008||[error] Couldn't write state file: system rename
Wed  2 Jan 10:25:31 2008|SETI@home|Resuming task 09no06aj.11199.155408.7.6.8_0 using setiathome_enhanced version 528

As you can see, one can get such an error from any of the five applications I am running under BOINC Client (ABC@home, Einstein@Home, SETI@home, SZTAKI Desktop Grid, World Community Grid. Moreover, these errors have been re-occurring over several OS System updates and several BOINC Client updates for many months.

It is a BUG (Feature?) of the BOINC Client. Any possibility of someone finding the time to nut it out?

George

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Dr George W Gerrity
GWG Associates
P O Box 229
Harden, NSW 2587
AUSTRALIA

Ph: +61 2 6386 3431
Fx: +61 2 6386 4431
Time: +10 hours (ref GMT)
PGP RSA Public Key Fingerprint:
73EF 318A DFF5 EB8A 6810 49AC 0763 AF07

It is generally something external to the BOINC client causing this, for example a virus scanner or indexing program looking at the file.

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BOINC WIKI

BOINCing since 2002/12/8

It is generally something external to the BOINC client causing this, for example a virus scanner or indexing program looking at the file.

Yes. That would explain it.

Thanks.

George

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Dr George W Gerrity
GWG Associates
P O Box 229
Harden, NSW 2587
AUSTRALIA

Ph: +61 2 6386 3431
Fx: +61 2 6386 4431
Time: +10 hours (ref GMT)
PGP RSA Public Key Fingerprint:
73EF 318A DFF5 EB8A 6810 49AC 0763 AF07

If you find which process is causing the problem, it'd be useful for us to know (I'll add it into the cpdn readmes). I know Norton AV can do something similar to one of the climate model's datafiles.

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If you find which process is causing the problem, it'd be useful for us to know (I'll add it into the cpdn readmes). I know Norton AV can do something similar to one of the climate model's datafiles.

In such case, you could let SysInternals' Process Monitor have a look at the file. When it happens, it will report, whether e.g. any app was just trying to read it at the moment or what was actually the cause of failure.

Peter