BOINC 7.16.11 for Windows and Macintosh are now both available for alpha testing, As usual, they are available from https://boinc.berkeley.edu/download_all.php>

Please be sure to report test results to https://boinc.berkeley.edu/alpha/test_form.php.

It is helpful if you also report problems to the BOINC Alpha email list.

This release has a number of bug fixes and added features since version 7.16.6, including:

• Mac: Fixes to "Show graphics" and screensaver for MacOS 11 Big Sur
  
• Don't let user attach to account manager as a project
  
• Parse config.xml correctly for account managers
  
• Client: allow specifying device name in cc_config.xml
  
• Mac: Improved screensaver logic for OS 10.15 Catalina
  
• Client: correctly initialize log flags to tasks, sched_ops, file_xfer
  
• Manager: Added a warning when the manager detects a second copy of itself
  
• Update translation files
  
• Update project list
  
• Client: measure disk usage in terms of allocated disk space, not file size
  
• Client: avoid CPU starvation when GPU computing is suspended
  
• Client: don't show "no work" messages as notices
  
• Client: let a project master URL change from http: to https: without involving the user
  
• Client: if AM reply includes a project we're attached to under a different account, honor the params in the AM reply, e.g resource share
  
• Manager: change "Show graphics" button to "Stop graphics" when graphics running
  

I seem to recall the alpha testing duration was rather short last time. Any idea how long we have to test before a final version is released?

Also, when I click on the alpha test result link, it asks for my password. I assume this is the same login as for the BOINC message board, but it says I have an invalid password. Should I be using a different login?

I assume this is the same login as for the BOINC message board, but it says I have an invalid password. Should I be using a different login?

You assume wrong. As with everything BOINC, all sites have their own registration, thus their own password. Unless you registered with the same password of course. But you may not have registered yet, or when you did you used different credentials.

Testing duration depends on how many bugs are found and if people report these bugs. The Mac version has had several revisions already this round.
I haven't looked at the Windows version yet.

Ok, I see now. I haven't created an alpha account yet, but I did sign up for the alpha mailing list awhile ago. That was my confusion.

For those that don't know, the main alpha page is here: https://boinc.berkeley.edu/alpha/. This does not appear to be linked on the main BOINC website.

Also interesting, on that same page, I click on Create Account at the bottom of the page, and I get the error:
"Unable to handle request
This project has disabled account creation"

So, I don't know for those that are new how they can participate in this.

https://boinc.berkeley.edu/alpha/.

Also interesting, on that same page, I click on Create Account at the bottom of the page, and I get the error:
"Unable to handle request
This project has disabled account creation"

I think you have to ask David Anderson personally to be admitted to the Holy of Holies. I don't know for certain, because I've never tried.

The Alpha testing regime, so called, involves deterministically filling in a chart to display that none of the obvious major functions of BOINC have been clearly broken. It's a bit late for that. Over the last year, we've repeatedly shown that several of the non-obvious (but vital) parts of BOINC have been broken through typos and other flaws in unrelated tweaks. I don't think many of those would have been found through ritualistic testing, so I prefer to spend my time actually watching BOINC as it runs and reporting the anomalies I see in real life.

I see your https://github.com/BOINC/boinc/pull/3982 was moved to 7.18, so someone decided that in the meantime people can look in the registry to disable that setting when they set it.

Ok, I see what I did now. I did request an account over a year ago, I just had not used it. I found my password so now I have access to the account. I think I ignored the password earlier because I didn't understand it was linked to the alpha section of the Boinc website. Nothing in Dr. Anderson's email mentioned the alpha part of the Boinc website, and in my opinion, it isn't clear on the Alpha Instruction Wikitrac that you have to go there; it is first mentioned in a link under the "How to report test results" section.

I think I was getting it confused with the Google Group for alpha testers, which I have been lurking this entire time, and is mentioned more frequently on that page.

I see your https://github.com/BOINC/boinc/pull/3982 was moved to 7.18, so someone decided that in the meantime people can look in the registry to disable that setting when they set it.

Quite a lot of things which should have waited for the next development cycle (and were marked accordingly) were mass-migrated into 7.16 because David doesn't know how to manage the "bugfix and cherrypick" nimble release process.

Thankfully neither do I, so don't expect me to be an RM any time soon. 😜

But your code specifically didn't make it while due to the amount of hot air around it, it was one I was expecting. Especially because only the RM God knows when we'll see the light of day of a 7.18 (and then maybe not).

Yes, it was odd that after Vitalii specifically asked me to do it, and I managed to turn it round quicker than I expected, it remained unmerged for several days. Maybe Vitalii took a holiday, as I intend to do next week.

But not making the final mass-transfer for release was nothing to do with that - the timing seems to be completely disconnected from any concept of which changes are important or form a connected whole. As you know, I was much more concerned to see that #3988 joined its ancestors before release. #3999 is another that should have been in the same group, but it's less important.

Meanwhile the forums seem to be removing whole threads on their own. For those reading and also missing certain threads in Q&P, no I didn't delete anything.

Edit: found the thread: https://boinc.berkeley.edu/forum_thread.php?id=13948
It appears the original poster has deleted his account. Is the only reason I can come up with that his posts are gone. Apparently I struck a nerve and he didn't want to answer anything?

Testing is over, these clients have been released to the public as recommended.

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Testing is over, these clients have been released to the public as recommended.

Situation: Windows 10, BOINC 7.16.11, 8 threads, allowed 50% of cpu's, 1 thread busy, so nidle = 3, no other work in progress, suspended or waiting. All projects NNW, except WCG
Max concurrent = 8 in app_config.xml and fetch work buffer 864.
Maybe David or Richard can explain why shortfall 0 is used in this situation keeping 3 cpu's idle.

Could you post the raw log data, please, and I'll look at it. Sometimes you need to look at the whole picture in the round - something completely different might be coming into play.

Hi Richard,
I suppose with raw log data, you mean stdoutdae.txt with work_fetch_debug enabled.
4 tasks running now, cause I removed WCG's app_config.xml and restarted BOINC.
I did it that way before with an app_config.xml for WCG and got only 1 task.
For the 3 idle cores, I got after 'project update' the message: "Not requesting tasks: don't need (CPU: job cache full; AMD/ATI GPU: )"
I will finish those 4 tasks and test again with the same conditions.
My re-test will take a while cause the tasks remaining time is about 3-4 hours. I'll speed up it a bit by shutting down a busy VM soon.
I could also send to you the whole stdoutdae to your e-mail when you still are with BT.

Yes - initial dot surname at btinternet dot com will reach me.

Hi Richard,
I suppose with raw log data, you mean stdoutdae.txt with work_fetch_debug enabled.
4 tasks running now, cause I removed WCG's app_config.xml and restarted BOINC.
I did it that way before with an app_config.xml for WCG and got only 1 task.
For the 3 idle cores, I got after 'project update' the message: "Not requesting tasks: don't need (CPU: job cache full; AMD/ATI GPU: )"
I will finish those 4 tasks and test again with the same conditions.
My re-test will take a while cause the tasks remaining time is about 3-4 hours. I'll speed up it a bit by shutting down a busy VM soon.
I could also send to you the whole stdoutdae to your e-mail when you still are with BT.

With WCG unless you change it at least on the Africa Rainfall Project, the project limits how many tasks from ARP you can get at once. To change that, on WCG site, go to settings>Device Manager>Devicenameinquestion>EditDeviceProfiles> Then click on whichever you use, home, default, work or school, click on custom profile then scroll down till you get to the limits for individual projects within WCG.

Took me a while to find that. Of course it may be nothing to do with that!

Richard can the actual Release Notes for 7.16.11 be updated to add the Release Date like the prior versions ?

https://boinc.berkeley.edu/wiki/Release_Notes

Thanks
Bill F

I've been searching my inbox for an official announcement, like the one David made on 8 April for the previous version - but I can't find one. The date on the all_versions download page is 2 September, but I think that might be the beta test date (it's also the datestamp on the final assembly files). If we can agree on a public release date, Jord or I will try to edit it in.

Edit - oh, David did it in the News thread here this time, not by email. 8 September it is.