using exclusive_app and exclusive_gpu_app on LINUX

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Greg Tippitt

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Message 44706 - Posted: 3 Jul 2012, 13:09:09 UTC

Has anyone using Linux had success using the "Exclusive Applications" feature to suspend BOINC computation?

I've got machines running both 32 bit and 64 bit Ubuntu 12.04 LTS on which I've tried to use the <exclusive_app> and <exclusive_gpu_app> config options. I've tried using just the program name and the full path, but neither works. The event log shows that the config options are being read. I've double checked and run based upon preferences is selected.

I'm running BOINC Manager version 7.0.28.

All of the forum discussions regarding "Exclusive Applications" that I could find are Windows users. Has anybody got it working with Linux?

Thanks,
Greg

P.S. Sorry for the duplicate post of this question. The title of my first message got chopped off somehow to just "on Linux", so it wasn't clear what my question was about.
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Profile Jord
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Message 44714 - Posted: 4 Jul 2012, 5:28:23 UTC - in response to Message 44706.  

Where did you install BOINC from? Berkeley web site or Ubuntu repositories?
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SekeRob2

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Message 44715 - Posted: 4 Jul 2012, 6:24:16 UTC - in response to Message 44706.  
Last modified: 4 Jul 2012, 6:32:45 UTC

Works fine for me. I've got 3 in the <exclusive_app> list of the <options> section:

synaptic
synaptic-pkexec
apt-get

Not so much because that I'm in a rush, but more so because when these run and BOINC gets starved of CPU cycles, tasks start serially crashing with signal 11. Since setting this, no more. When running BOINC is set to "Running based on preferences". Think though it does not matter i.e. it will work even if set to Run Always.

When the rules kicks in, you first see the crunching being suspended, then the network too. On exiting the exclusive app it takes about 10-20 seconds for BOINC to realize it is go again and logs computation resumed, network resumed.

With Ubuntu 12.04 the repository install location for the cc_config.xml is in /etc/boinc-client. Don't know where it would be using the .sh standard install procedure.... think in the user area somewhere.

--//--

edit: the [case sensitive] name masks I actually pulled from system monitor [top would do to], looking what their real process names were.
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Greg Tippitt

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Message 44772 - Posted: 6 Jul 2012, 19:19:38 UTC - in response to Message 44715.  

I had been editing the cc_config.xml file that is in the /var/lib/boinc-client folder. I discovered that when I edit the one in either folder, it updates the other one automatically.

The BOINC event log shows that it is finding the config entry on startup of BOINIC and says "Config: don't use GPUs while vlc is running".


SekeRob2 :
If I have it set to suspend while in use or when cpu is too busy, I get an entry in the event log that says why computing was suspended. What does your event log say when computing is suspended because of an exclusive_app?

Thanks,
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Greg Tippitt

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Message 44778 - Posted: 6 Jul 2012, 23:23:15 UTC - in response to Message 44714.  

I had installed BOINC from the UBUNTU 10.04 LTS install CD originally, but I was getting calculation errors after the UBUNTU upgrade to 12.04 LTS. Per the instructions in another thread in this forum, I added the ppa:costamagnagianfranco/boinc repo, which upgraded BoincMgr to 7.0.28.

Thanks
Greg
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SekeRob2

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Message 44781 - Posted: 7 Jul 2012, 1:04:27 UTC - in response to Message 44778.  

A log sample... does not say which, but does not have to as how many could there be:

Sat 07 Jul 2012 02:52:36 AM CEST | | Suspending computation - an exclusive app is running
Sat 07 Jul 2012 02:52:36 AM CEST | World Community Grid | [cpu_sched] Preempting BETA_SN2S_AAB20794_0000005_0191_0 (left in memory)
Sat 07 Jul 2012 02:52:36 AM CEST | World Community Grid | [cpu_sched] Preempting BETA_GFAM_x3SQPb_hGR_0031864_0086_0 (left in memory)
Sat 07 Jul 2012 02:52:36 AM CEST | World Community Grid | [cpu_sched] Preempting BETA_SN2S_AAB20794_0000005_0079_0 (left in memory)
Sat 07 Jul 2012 02:52:36 AM CEST | World Community Grid | [cpu_sched] Preempting BETA_SN2S_AAB20794_0000005_0433_0 (left in memory)
Sat 07 Jul 2012 02:52:36 AM CEST | | Suspending network activity - an exclusive app is running
Sat 07 Jul 2012 02:53:37 AM CEST | | Resuming computation
Sat 07 Jul 2012 02:53:37 AM CEST | World Community Grid | [cpu_sched] Resuming BETA_SN2S_AAB20794_0000005_0191_0
Sat 07 Jul 2012 02:53:37 AM CEST | World Community Grid | [cpu_sched] Resuming BETA_GFAM_x3SQPb_hGR_0031864_0086_0
Sat 07 Jul 2012 02:53:37 AM CEST | World Community Grid | [cpu_sched] Resuming BETA_SN2S_AAB20794_0000005_0079_0
Sat 07 Jul 2012 02:53:37 AM CEST | World Community Grid | [cpu_sched] Resuming BETA_SN2S_AAB20794_0000005_0433_0
Sat 07 Jul 2012 02:53:37 AM CEST | | Resuming network activity

As I noted, the cc_config.xml to edit is in /etc/binc-client. The one in the /var/libboinc-client is the symlink file to the one in /etc/boinc-client... edit with sudo in terminal or you could mess up the permissions.

Because I have the extra log flag on, it tells me which tasks are preempted, as else the Suspending line is not indicating which resource is paused... CPU or GPU. [LAIM is on to prevent unloading]. BOINC 7.0.27 from ppa.
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Greg Tippitt

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Message 44787 - Posted: 7 Jul 2012, 10:43:39 UTC - in response to Message 44781.  

"Click Clear to restore web-based settings (except exclusive apps)." fixed it!!

SekeRob2:
Thanks for the info. I kept changing lots of things that didn't help until I stumbled upon a fix. For your problem with errors when work is CPU starved, the option to suspend BOINC work whenever non-Boinc CPU usage is above a set percentage might be a good addition. I have mine set to suspend BOINC work whenever non-BOINC work is using more than 75% of the CPU.

I've got 7 PCs around my house that all run BOINC. I normally maintain my preferences using the BOINCstatsBAM website. For the Exclusive apps, I was manually editing the cc_config.xml file and restarting the boinc-client each time I made a change. I happened to look at the BoincMgr GUI window for preferences and noticed the line at the top that says "Click Clear to restore web-based settings (except exclusive apps)."

I don't recall having used the local preferences in years, but when I clicked on the clear button, it immediately suspended work due to exclusive application.

This is a really great option on my Home Theater PC. It runs CPU and GPU applications. I had been having to suspend work whenever it was being used, even if I was just web surfing. If I am playing DVDs using VLC, it really fouled up the video if the GPU was being used by BOINC.

It also didn't work well even if I had it suspend GPU and CPU when PC was in use. I use an IR remote control with VLC. When I was using the IR remote, it didn't seem to know I was using the PC, so BOINC would start up after I started watching a movie. I had to manually turn off GPU usage and then remember to turn it back on when finished.

Thanks to everyone for their help.
Greg
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geegz

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Message 45386 - Posted: 21 Aug 2012, 2:07:14 UTC - in response to Message 44706.  

Same problem, exclusive apps tab in Linux doesn't seem to retain the binary names.
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Message boards : Questions and problems : using exclusive_app and exclusive_gpu_app on LINUX

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