Noticed for some time that SETI had exactly 1 task running on each of the 3 GPUs. There is no queue depth. Since generally there are 100,000 or so at the project then something is wrong.

All my systems use account manager BAM! but it seems that preferences at BAM! are not used (they show .1 and .25), the same as the local client preference (according to BoincTasks)
I went to SETI and set preferences there for .25 daily queue with .50 additional (used to be .1 and .25) just to see what happened.

Did an update as that was required by the project and event queue reported

3347 SETI@home 5/2/2019 10:53:52 AM update requested by user
3348 SETI@home 5/2/2019 10:53:52 AM Sending scheduler request: Requested by user.
3349 SETI@home 5/2/2019 10:53:52 AM Not requesting tasks: don't need (CPU: ; AMD/ATI GPU: )
3350 SETI@home 5/2/2019 10:53:54 AM Scheduler request completed
3351 SETI@home 5/2/2019 10:53:54 AM General prefs: from SETI@home (last modified 02-May-2019 10:53:54)
3352 SETI@home 5/2/2019 10:53:54 AM Host location: none
3353 SETI@home 5/2/2019 10:53:54 AM General prefs: using your defaults
3354 5/2/2019 10:53:54 AM Reading preferences override file
3355 5/2/2019 10:53:54 AM Preferences:
3356 5/2/2019 10:53:54 AM max memory usage when active: 6139.56 MB
3357 5/2/2019 10:53:54 AM max memory usage when idle: 11051.20 MB
3358 5/2/2019 10:53:54 AM max disk usage: 116.17 GB
3359 5/2/2019 10:53:54 AM max CPUs used: 20
3360 5/2/2019 10:53:54 AM (to change preferences, visit a project web site or select Preferences in the Manager)

As far as I could tell not only did the increase have no effect but I actually lost a work unit as the update asked for a data too soon which caused (I am guessing) the project asked for a backoff. So, an UPDATE needs to happen before the preferences get updated and during an UPDATA the client asks for more data? Is this correct?

After 5-6 minutes (backoff is 300 seconds as I recall) I finally got an extra workunit and all three of my RX560 are busy.

However, what happened to the request for addition buffer? Is the project preferences being overridden by the general client? In any event exactly 1 work unit for a GPU is a queue of exactly ZERO. Where is the original .1 day or the new .25

What has control over preference? client? bam!? project?

Maybe this should be asked over at SETI??

[EDIT]
I just changed the local (client) preferences and read the following that indicates I need to go to the project (which I did earlier)

jysdualxeon

3603 SETI@home 5/2/2019 11:42:31 AM General prefs: from SETI@home (last modified 02-May-2019 10:53:55)
3604 SETI@home 5/2/2019 11:42:31 AM Host location: none
3605 SETI@home 5/2/2019 11:42:31 AM General prefs: using your defaults
3606 5/2/2019 11:42:31 AM Reading preferences override file
3607 5/2/2019 11:42:31 AM Preferences:
3608 5/2/2019 11:42:31 AM max memory usage when active: 6139.56 MB
3609 5/2/2019 11:42:31 AM max memory usage when idle: 11051.20 MB
3610 5/2/2019 11:42:31 AM max disk usage: 116.17 GB
3611 5/2/2019 11:42:31 AM max CPUs used: 20
3612 5/2/2019 11:42:31 AM (to change preferences, visit a project web site or select Preferences in the Manager)

In any event, nothing happened though I did not lose a work unit because no update was actually done.


Here is an image from Boinc Manager (not BoincTasks). It shows only 2 tasks running, one GPU is idle and no queue size.

The basic principal is is that the client does all the work requesting.

How the settings reach the client depends on what you've done. If you make any changes locally, then what you've set in the client takes precedence - as your lower left screenshot makes clear ("Using local preferences").

I'd recommend using the extended Event Log messages. 'Sched_op_debug' is quiet enough to be used permanently, and gives you a better idea what you're asking for and what you got in reply.

The brutal, but most effective, is 'work_fetch_debug'. It's too verbose to use permanently, but you may need it for this one. Set it, apply, wait 10 seconds, unset it, and save. Then go see what you caught, and post it here for advice.

My Bad - I set priority to 0 (zero) which caused the problem in the first place
Discussion here
https://setiathome.berkeley.edu/forum_thread.php?id=84173&postid=1992318#1992318