BOINC seems to be forgetful in remembering to suspend when I start using my computer. Sometimes it remembers, sometimes not.

I'm running Mac OS X 10.7.4, on a Mac Pro, using boincstats (BAM) to manage my prefs. Sometimes I'll start using my computer, and BOINC will keep running, and since it's using the GPU, the whole machine just crawls. In order to get it to remember, I have to tell BOINC to sync with BoincStatsBAM! and then it'll suspend all the projects because the computer is in use.

Any idea what's up? BOINC is 7.0.31.

Thanks!

What if you set the preferences through local advanced preferences?
(BOINC Manager->Advanced view->Tools->Preferences)

---

that's the thing. They're set correctly when I check before syncing. I don't see how to force them on the client since they're already correct when I look. "While computer is on batteries", "While Computer is in use" and "Use GPU while computer is in use" are all already unchecked. It seems more like BOINC doesn't always notice mouse/keyboard activity and suspend operations.

On the mac, btw, it's Tools -> Computing Preferences.

I don't see how to force them on the client

Advanced view->Advanced->Read preferences file will re-read the global_prefs_override.xml file (only when it exists).

It seems more like BOINC doesn't always notice mouse/keyboard activity and suspend operations.

There have been problems with the (USB) keyboard and mouse status detection on the *Nix platform (Linux, Unix), but those should've been fixed in 7.0.29
Now, whether or not OS X has a similar problem, I don't know. I'll go ask the developer.

On the mac, btw, it's Tools -> Computing Preferences.

Ah sorry, it's that on all platforms. I just missed the computing part. ;-)

---

On the mac, btw, it's Tools -> Computing Preferences.

Ah sorry, it's that on all platforms. I just missed the computing part. ;-)

I just noticed today that the dialog box which opens when you select that has a title bar saying

BOINC - Preferences

No sign of any computing there ;-)
(observed on Windows)

Advanced view->Advanced->Read preferences file will re-read the global_prefs_override.xml file (only when it exists).

Just did that, no change. I'm not sure if it's actually forgetting it's prefs, or as I thought later, just not realizing there's activity on the keyboard/mouse... and by resyncing, maybe it says "oh, someone manually resynced, so someone MUST be using the computer". =P

There have been problems with the (USB) keyboard and mouse status detection on the *Nix platform (Linux, Unix), but those should've been fixed in 7.0.29
Now, whether or not OS X has a similar problem, I don't know. I'll go ask the developer.

Ah, cool, thanks. issues detecting USB mouse/keyboard would be rather important since that's all the mac uses. =P

---

-Staze
Systems Administrator

I just noticed today that the dialog box which opens when you select that has a title bar saying

BOINC - Preferences

No sign of any computing there ;-)
(observed on Windows)

Actually, on the Mac that's somewhat true as well. You can get to those prefs from two different places. BOINC Manager -> Preferences, or the above defined way.

---

-Staze
Systems Administrator

Something to double-check. You do have your Activity set to run based on preferences, don't you?

---

yup. and I've cleared the settings from Computing Preferences several times, then told it to resync.

For more info, it does seem to be inconsistent. Sometimes, it sees activity and pauses (like a few minutes ago). Sometimes, generally overnight, when I come in, it doesn't see me using the computer, and I have to tell it to Sync with BAM, at which point it suspends.

That's about all the info I have, unfortunately.

---

-Staze
Systems Administrator

I've cleared the settings from Computing Preferences several times, then told it to resync.

Please check in your BOINC Data directory if you have the following file(s):
global_prefs.xml
global_prefs_override.xml

Saying you have cleared the local preferences, you shouldn't have the second one, the *_override.xml file. But what is the timestamp on the first one?

Also, what are its contents, can you post those here, please?
You don't need an XML reader for this, you can use any default ASCII text reader.

---

hmm... I DO have an override file.

global_prefs.xml

<global_preferences>

<host_specific/>
<source_project>http://bam.boincstats.com/</source_project>
<mod_time>1343408233</mod_time>
<run_if_user_active>0</run_if_user_active>
<run_gpu_if_user_active>0</run_gpu_if_user_active>
<suspend_if_no_recent_input>0</suspend_if_no_recent_input>
<cpu_scheduling_period_minutes>60</cpu_scheduling_period_minutes>
<idle_time_to_run>15</idle_time_to_run>
<work_buf_min_days>0</work_buf_min_days>
<work_buf_additional_days>2</work_buf_additional_days>
<max_cpus>16</max_cpus>
<max_ncpus_pct>100</max_ncpus_pct>
<suspend_cpu_usage>75</suspend_cpu_usage>
<cpu_usage_limit>100</cpu_usage_limit>
<disk_interval>60</disk_interval>
<disk_max_used_gb>20</disk_max_used_gb>
<disk_max_used_pct>50</disk_max_used_pct>
<disk_min_free_gb>20</disk_min_free_gb>
<vm_max_used_pct>75</vm_max_used_pct>
<ram_max_used_busy_pct>20</ram_max_used_busy_pct>
<ram_max_used_idle_pct>0</ram_max_used_idle_pct>
<max_bytes_sec_down>0</max_bytes_sec_down>
<max_bytes_sec_up>0</max_bytes_sec_up>
<start_hour>0</start_hour>
<end_hour>0</end_hour>
<net_start_hour>0</net_start_hour>
<net_end_hour>0</net_end_hour>
</global_preferences>

global_prefs_override.xml

<global_preferences>
<run_on_batteries>0</run_on_batteries>
<run_if_user_active>0</run_if_user_active>
<run_gpu_if_user_active>0</run_gpu_if_user_active>
<idle_time_to_run>15.000000</idle_time_to_run>
<suspend_cpu_usage>75.000000</suspend_cpu_usage>
<start_hour>0.000000</start_hour>
<end_hour>0.000000</end_hour>
<net_start_hour>0.000000</net_start_hour>
<net_end_hour>0.000000</net_end_hour>
<leave_apps_in_memory>0</leave_apps_in_memory>
<confirm_before_connecting>0</confirm_before_connecting>
<hangup_if_dialed>0</hangup_if_dialed>
<dont_verify_images>0</dont_verify_images>
<work_buf_min_days>0.000000</work_buf_min_days>
<work_buf_additional_days>2.000000</work_buf_additional_days>
<max_ncpus_pct>100.000000</max_ncpus_pct>
<cpu_scheduling_period_minutes>60.000000</cpu_scheduling_period_minutes>
<disk_interval>60.000000</disk_interval>
<disk_max_used_gb>20.000000</disk_max_used_gb>
<disk_max_used_pct>50.000000</disk_max_used_pct>
<disk_min_free_gb>20.000000</disk_min_free_gb>
<vm_max_used_pct>75.000000</vm_max_used_pct>
<ram_max_used_busy_pct>20.000000</ram_max_used_busy_pct>
<ram_max_used_idle_pct>100.000000</ram_max_used_idle_pct>
<max_bytes_sec_up>0.000000</max_bytes_sec_up>
<max_bytes_sec_down>0.000000</max_bytes_sec_down>
<cpu_usage_limit>100.000000</cpu_usage_limit>
<daily_xfer_limit_mb>0.000000</daily_xfer_limit_mb>
<daily_xfer_period_days>0</daily_xfer_period_days>
</global_preferences>

---

-Staze
Systems Administrator

maybe just quit boinc, delete both global_prefs files, relaunch, and resync with BAM?

I don't see anything in those files that seems to override the "don't run while computer is in use".

---

-Staze
Systems Administrator

hmm... I DO have an override file.

Then you still use the local (advanced) preferences. These clear by using the Clear button. And they're resaved when you click OK on exiting the box there, after (quickly) checking something again. ;-)

I've checked through the files, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary.
Still, for testing please clear the local preferences (check that the *_override.xml gets deleted). Or yes, quit BOINC, delete both files, then restart BOINC and sync with BAM! (rigorous, but it should do it).

---

Hmmm... brainwave.
Which projects are you attached to?
Which project/projects is/are running when you notice that BOINC does not follow preferences?
-- Are they always the same projects, or does it differ?
Also, how much memory does your Mac have, and do you perhaps know its speed?

By the way, the developers are reading from the sidelines, but are as baffled as we are and just waiting for us to fix it. ;-)

Edit, having said that, Charlie Fenton, the developer for the Mac chimed in:

Hi Jord,

Some last thoughts before I leave for the holiday weekend:

I'm wondering on what he bases his belief that BOINC did not suspend. Does the Advanced View Tasks tab actually not say "Suspended - computer is in use"? I see he has his system set to not keep project applications in memory when suspended. He could keep the Activity monitor running and see if the project applications are still running.

If he is basing it just on the computer being sluggish, that could be a different problem entirely. For example, I have seen some projects fail to suspend when told to do so by BOINC.

Also, I find that my Mac Pro is often very slow to respond when BOINC has been running even though it has suspended. I've never been able to figure out why, but I suspect this is because my Mac Pro has only 2 GB RAM and the CPU RAM and GPU memory have been mostly taken over by BOINC projects. Perhaps it takes a while for the OS to swap itself in. Since he is using the GPU for BOINC, this might be his problem as well.

---

Just nuked the prefs (after quitting).

The Mac is a MacPro dual quad 2.66ghz (8 total cores) from 2007. Video Card is a ATI 5770. 10GB of ram.

Generally when it happens, it's running collatz, which is the only one that uses the ATI GPU on the Mac (that I've found), so that's what makes the computer crawl.

---

-Staze
Systems Administrator

Generally when it happens, it's running collatz, which is the only one that uses the ATI GPU on the Mac (that I've found), so that's what makes the computer crawl.

OK, so it could be what Charlie said (see for reference my post above this one, I heavily edited it), that it's slow at unloading the tasks from memory when you start using the system.

It can take up to 10 seconds before BOINC notices that you're using the system as that detection only runs once every 10 seconds (or thereabouts). Unloading 9 threads (8 CPU tasks + 1 GPU task) can take a minute or more, it really depends on the speed of the memory and hard drive.

Therefore, using the "leave applications in memory" option isn't so bad. It will leave apps in virtual memory almost instantly and should return control over your computer back to faster.

By the way, Einstein has an OpenCL app for AMD GPUs as well. It needs minimum Lion, as this has the OpenCL drivers built in.
Primegrid has a PPS (Sieve) application for AMD GPUs on Mac OS X 10.5+ as well.

---

Hi Jord,

Some last thoughts before I leave for the holiday weekend:

I'm wondering on what he bases his belief that BOINC did not suspend. Does the Advanced View Tasks tab actually not say "Suspended - computer is in use"? I see he has his system set to not keep project applications in memory when suspended. He could keep the Activity monitor running and see if the project applications are still running.

If he is basing it just on the computer being sluggish, that could be a different problem entirely. For example, I have seen some projects fail to suspend when told to do so by BOINC.

Also, I find that my Mac Pro is often very slow to respond when BOINC has been running even though it has suspended. I've never been able to figure out why, but I suspect this is because my Mac Pro has only 2 GB RAM and the CPU RAM and GPU memory have been mostly taken over by BOINC projects. Perhaps it takes a while for the OS to swap itself in. Since he is using the GPU for BOINC, this might be his problem as well.

Correct. It does not say "suspended" and looking at Top, or iStat Menus, shows BOINC apps using 100 (or rather 800%) cpu time. Once I Sync with BAM, it immediately says "suspended" and things immediately drop off. So things are being suspended correctly when BOINC tells them to. It just seems like BOINC isn't telling them to suspend when I start using the computer.

---

-Staze
Systems Administrator

Just nuked the prefs (after quitting).

The Mac is a MacPro dual quad 2.66ghz (8 total cores) from 2007. Video Card is a ATI 5770. 10GB of ram.

Generally when it happens, it's running collatz, which is the only one that uses the ATI GPU on the Mac (that I've found), so that's what makes the computer crawl.

Check what cmdline parameters the Collatz app has been using, if any, they are highly configurable, the more extreme ones cause desktop lag,
I for a long time was complaining about the Windows Collatz Cuda app not exiting when told to do so, Boinc then killed it 10 seconds later,

Grab their OSX Cuda or OpenCL ATI app from their Power (Optimized) Applications page and see if you can adjust parameters to improve matters.

Claggy

Generally when it happens, it's running collatz, which is the only one that uses the ATI GPU on the Mac (that I've found), so that's what makes the computer crawl.

OK, so it could be what Charlie said (see for reference my post above this one, I heavily edited it), that it's slow at unloading the tasks from memory when you start using the system.

It can take up to 10 seconds before BOINC notices that you're using the system as that detection only runs once every 10 seconds (or thereabouts). Unloading 9 threads (8 CPU tasks + 1 GPU task) can take a minute or more, it really depends on the speed of the memory and hard drive.

Therefore, using the "leave applications in memory" option isn't so bad. It will leave apps in virtual memory almost instantly and should return control over your computer back to faster.

By the way, Einstein has an OpenCL app for AMD GPUs as well. It needs minimum Lion, as this has the OpenCL drivers built in.
Primegrid has a PPS (Sieve) application for AMD GPUs on Mac OS X 10.5+ as well.

It's not time based. I've had to running without realizing it for 5-10 minutes, but once I tell it to sync, it immediately suspends. So no, I don't think that's it.

I'll check out the OpenCL apps. =)

---

-Staze
Systems Administrator

I did just see that Collatz's prefs (on the collatz site) were set to use my GPU all the time. But BAM was set to suspend. I would think BAM is what's managing that, but I have to wonder if collatz was overriding it somehow.

Anyway, I've changed Collatz. We'll have to see what happens when I'm back on Tuesday.

---

-Staze
Systems Administrator