I just upgraded to BOINC 5.10.7 from 5.8.16 on my computer at work. I like the new preferences dialog!

Under the network usage restrictions, I set the general network usage timeframe to 9:00-17:00. How do I suspend network activity for a whole day using the day-specific network usage restriction settings? Specifically, what do I enter in the Saturday & Sunday time fields?

Since I'm running BOINC on my work computer, I would like BOINC to use the network only during work hours.

I would have used the BOINC Online Help using Skype for this question, but my employer has blocked the Skype website.

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Under the network usage restrictions, I set the general network usage timeframe to 9:00-17:00. How do I suspend network activity for a whole day using the day-specific network usage restriction settings? Specifically, what do I enter in the Saturday & Sunday time fields?

Since I'm running BOINC on my work computer, I would like BOINC to use the network only during work hours.

Set the desired times when BOINC shouldn't use the network, at the "every day between the hours of" and then check the days that you want it to give extra restrictions. When checking a day, the time restriction given must be HH:MM-HH:MM

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Set the desired times when BOINC shouldn't use the network, at the "every day between the hours of"

I did that. Network usage is set for 09:00-17:00.

and then check the days that you want it to give extra restrictions. When checking a day, the time restriction given must be HH:MM-HH:MM

I don't know the actual numbers to input so that network usage is suspended for a whole day. Do I input 00:00-24:00 for a whole day?

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Do I input 00:00-24:00 for a whole day?

No, a whole day is 00:00-23:59 (that's 24 hours).

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No, a whole day is 00:00-23:59 (that's 24 hours).

OK, let me make sure I've got this straight. Entering 00:00-23:59 into a day-specific field will tell BOINC to use the network for that whole day. Entering 00:00-00:00 into a day-specific field will tell BOINC to suspend network activity for that whole day.

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No, a whole day is 00:00-23:59 (that's 24 hours).

OK, let me make sure I've got this straight. Entering 00:00-23:59 into a day-specific field will tell BOINC to use the network for that whole day. Entering 00:00-00:00 into a day-specific field will tell BOINC to suspend network activity for that whole day.

No, it's the other way around.
Entering 00:00-00:00 tells BOINC it has no restriction. Removing the check on that day will do the same.
Entering 00:00-23:59 tells BOINC it has a restriction.

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No, a whole day is 00:00-23:59 (that's 24 hours).

OK, let me make sure I've got this straight. Entering 00:00-23:59 into a day-specific field will tell BOINC to use the network for that whole day. Entering 00:00-00:00 into a day-specific field will tell BOINC to suspend network activity for that whole day.

No, it's the other way around.
Entering 00:00-00:00 tells BOINC it has no restriction. Removing the check on that day will do the same.
Entering 00:00-23:59 tells BOINC it has a restriction.

OK, I'll give it a try. Thanks!

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I just tried entering network usage restrictions for both Saturday and Sunday. It would only save the restrictions for Sunday. I tried several other combinations of days – it will only save restrictions for 1 day.

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Confirm this behavior: Only saves Sundays:

Comment on input and functionality:

a. The format is provided by hovering mouse over time fields
b. The times are the ALLOWED times. I.A.W. If you dont want it to connect from 18:00 to 08:00 next day you need to enter day 1 xx:xx-17:59 and day 2 from 08:01-xx:xx (where xx:xx is the chosen open or closing time.

I've tried this on earlier versions of 5.10.x and it worked at the time.

When entering only Monday-Tuesday it only saves Monday. If including Sunday, only Sunday is stored.

Found that the additional time should not overlay the general restricted time

I'm not sure if I understand what you're saying. I want BOINC to use the network Monday-Friday 09:00-17:00. I want BOINC to suspend network activity all day Saturday and all day Sunday. How should I do this?

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It seems to me Jord's advice for filling in the boxes contradicts the hints provided when hovering the mouse cursor over the boxes. Those hover hints clearly state the times entered in the boxes are the network usage start and stop hours, in other words the hours during which network usage is allowed. I fail to see how entering 00:00-23:59 in Saturday and Sunday will prevent network usage. It seems to me 00:00-23:59 will allow network usage all day Saturday and Sunday, unless the values are interpreted exactly opposite to the way the hover hints suggest.

I agree it's confusing. I am just following the note given on the whole box, which says:

Network usage restrictions.
every day between the hours of x and y (no restriction when equal)
additional restrictions
Monday to Sunday.

If the boxes allow for something, then why would the whole group be called restricted? Unless my knowledge of English is different from the person who made that. ;-)

And filling in the option per day will restrict it.
When filling in 00:00-00:00 network usage between those hours is allowed. Only when the two numbers are equal is there no restriction. So filling in 00:00-23:59 will restrict network usage on that day for those hours. (any day runs from midnight to 1 minute to midnight, as at midnight the next day starts)

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Try this test... if your current time is Monday 14:00 then fill in 00:00-13:00. I bet you get "suspending network activity - time of day" in Messages. If you then change the Monday values to 00:00-23:59 you will get "resuming network activity" in the Messages :)

EDIT ADDED: I think you must have Network Activity Based on Preferences selected under the Activity tab for the above experiment to work.

Then it is possible it is counting in whole hours. But rest assured, I will ask David about this one of these days. Adds it to list. :-)

Or if anyone else knows the ins and outs of this option, please do not be shy and tell us.

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Bah! After my previous posts I was forced to uninstall BOINC 5.10.8, delete the BOINC directory, download 5.10.8 again and reinstall 5.10.8. Now it does not work like I explained in previous posts. It's obvious there have been code changes between the 5.10.8 I downloaded and installed days ago and the 5.10.8 I downloaded and installed just a few minutes ago. ...
Anyway, with respect to saving network access times on a daily basis, 5.10.8 is back to the behavior noted a few posts up... it does not save all the days for which you supply parameters. Also, the times in the day boxes denoted "access allowed" times in the last build of 5.10.8; they are now "access denied" times in this latest 5.10.8 build.
...

What OS?

The only build that was re-released was for Linux as it was improperly linked. The code was not changed.

5.10.8 is not a release version, 5.10.7 is. 5.10.8 is currently alpha/beta/pre-release (whatever you want to call it). So all bets are off. That's what alpha testing is for. So I'm not totally understanding your complaint.

If you've got problems with an alpha build the right place to document them is the alpha list and Trac.

Please keep the name calling to a minimum please. The devs are working extremely hard to get 5.10.x out to the masses as are the testers.

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Kathryn :o)

Dagorath, you need to chill out! I did not start this thread as a bitch fest! I agree with KSMarksPsych, you download an alpha/beta-pre-release version of a program, you take your chances. That's why they have the test project BOINC Alpha. Being able to access general preferences from the BOINC program instead of having to go to a project website is icing and not CRITICAL to the program. I am not a computer programmer, but I know how hard they work.

KUDOS to the BOINC programmers!!! ;)

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Now, once again, the correct way this option is supposed to work.
I have requested that the boxes be separated and the names changed, so it doesn't say restrictions.

The top part with the "every day between the hours of x and y" shows when the network is available. If both x and y are the same number, the network is always available.

The day-of-the-week option is overriding this option.
As far as I know, this is where you set when BOINC is allowed to use the network and between what times. It's a per day override option.

So if you set for the general (global) preference that the network is available between 00:00 and 01:00 and save the option by OK'ing out, the message in the Messages tab will show "suspending network activity - time of day".

Now set for Tuesday that the time the network is available between 00:00-23:59 and OK out. The messages will show "resuming network activity".

By the way, I downloaded 'a new version' of 5.10.8 and installed it clean in another location. It works the same way in both locations, so perhaps that Dagorath had a remaining bug of an older version still lingering about. One that a clean install fixed.

It'll be a frosty Friday in hell before I ever lift a finger to help anyone here again.

Is that a promise? With thanks.

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It'll be a frosty Friday in hell before I ever lift a finger to help anyone here again.

Is that a promise? With thanks.

Amen, Ageless!!

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By the way, I downloaded 'a new version' of 5.10.8 and installed it clean in another location.

Can you save more than 1 "per day restriction" in 5.10.8? That's one of my issues with this feature (in 5.10.7). I can't save more than 1 day. If I enter values for 2 or more days, only 1 day will actually save.

Also, the ability to restrict network usage for whole days would be nice. As I have said before, I have BOINC on my work computer and would like to only use the network during business hours, M-F 9-5. What I have been doing is suspending network activity manually on Friday before I leave work. Having BOINC do it for me would be cool (because I'm lazy).

Is there somewhere I, a lowly non-programmer, can put these items so the BOINC programmers will see them in an official capacity?

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Can you save more than 1 "per day restriction" in 5.10.8? That's one of my issues with this feature (in 5.10.7). I can't save more than 1 day. If I enter values for 2 or more days, only 1 day will actually save.

No. That is actually a bug. I reported it to the devs.

Also, the ability to restrict network usage for whole days would be nice.

I understand and before testing it last night and today I thought the second set of options was to restrict network on those specific days. I've also asked the devs if the day-of-the-week option could be made that way. You could set the global preference to use the network between 00:00-00:01 and then when the day-of-the-week option is repaired, put in the network usage per day.

Is there somewhere I, a lowly non-programmer, can put these items so the BOINC programmers will see them in an official capacity?

Yes, you can ask for this as an enhancement in BOINC Trac. It needs registration. When registered, make a new ticket.

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Unless I missed it, I didn't see anyone in the thread mention using the Advanced - Read the local prefs file, after saving the preferences. I should think this would be necessary step in the testing, unless you exit Boinc and restart after every change to check its effect.

Note: Sometimes the Devs do re-release the same Alpha version with minor tweak or if an error occured such as not including an intended change when they compiled it. This is annonced on the Alpha list. If you wish to test alpha versions you should be subscribing to that list to keep up to date on what is happening.

Expect this post to be deleted and me banned soon.

That's not a real positive attitude. Then again, going from being helpful to being an arse in one post is your way of doing things. I read it before.

If you are such a trained programmer, there's nothing that stops you from downloading the source code and rewriting it, then posting what should in your opinion be changed in what module to fix the problem. It's how others do it, without posting bombastic that they are better than the developers.

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Unless I missed it, I didn't see anyone in the thread mention using the Advanced - Read the local prefs file, after saving the preferences. I should think this would be necessary step in the testing, unless you exit Boinc and restart after every change to check its effect.

No, that's not necessary. The preferences, when saved, take immediate effect.

The read local prefs option is available for if you change preferences in global_prefs_override.xml by hand while BOINC keeps running.

As good a post to edit as any else.
The changes to the network usage box have been added to the source code. They'll show up in a next build Rom makes. If you want to check between changes, see this changeset. It doesn't have the bug found by Heather fixed yet.

Further edit, Heather's bug is now fixed as well. changeset to that effect. :)

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