Why switch task if only a few seconds left?

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froehli

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Message 35682 - Posted: 10 Nov 2010, 20:01:13 UTC

Just one quick question: Why is it that BOINC switches away from tasks, even when there's only a few minutes (or seconds) left to compute? Wouldn't it be more efficient to let that task finish first?
Won't the task probably have to do some initialization again first the next time it's run, which (as I would imagine) might even take longer than the actual remaining time - or am I wrong here, is this initialization so quick that it doesn't matter?
I'm just wondering, because I got a task here with 14 seconds of remaining time...
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Profile Jord
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Message 35683 - Posted: 10 Nov 2010, 21:31:31 UTC - in response to Message 35682.  

There are projects out there with applications which run the last percent, or last minute for hours, versus those that run the last percent or minute in (almost) real time. How is BOINC to differentiate between all these applications?

And so, it won't even try to. If a checkpoint has been made and it's time to switch according to the value you set that it should switch at, BOINC will switch.
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froehli

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Message 35687 - Posted: 11 Nov 2010, 6:38:21 UTC
Last modified: 11 Nov 2010, 6:42:30 UTC

Thanks for the quick answer!
I guess I did think of the remaining time as somehow being the precise amount of time left to compute; but if it can vary that much, that makes it clear why there's no effort in that direction!
Thanks again and sorry for the stupid question.
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Profile Jord
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Message 35691 - Posted: 11 Nov 2010, 10:11:03 UTC - in response to Message 35687.  

Thanks again and sorry for the stupid question.

There are no stupid questions. :-)
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Message boards : BOINC client : Why switch task if only a few seconds left?

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