Well set projects' parameters, but CPU is never used as much as possible

Message boards : BOINC client : Well set projects' parameters, but CPU is never used as much as possible
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Merciadri Luca

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Message 26902 - Posted: 30 Aug 2009, 16:57:17 UTC

Hello,

When launching BOINC on my Debian machine, CPU is never totally used: it remains at ~50% or ~75% max. I am thus obliged to subscribe to other projects. If I subscribe to other projects, the CPU is totally used, but I want it to be used by only QMC@Home. My QMC@home's parameters are well set, as my Windows XP Pro's BOINC client fetch works as much as I had configured in my QMC's preferences: it automatically downloads 4 or 5 WU, thus always keeping 9 tasks at display, as I am using a Quad-Core.
My version of BOINC is 6.4.4 (I know there is a more recent one, but I do not think that this problem is due to the version). What can I do?

Thanks.
See http://www.student.montefiore.ulg.ac.be/~merciadri/ for more pieces of info.
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ZPM
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Message 26905 - Posted: 30 Aug 2009, 17:44:35 UTC - in response to Message 26902.  

set in preferences to 100cpu's/100 per time to utilize all cores and 100 %.
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Merciadri Luca

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Message 26910 - Posted: 30 Aug 2009, 19:26:36 UTC

I had already done it. This problem is only under Linux: it works as I want under Windows!
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Profile Gundolf Jahn

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Message 26913 - Posted: 30 Aug 2009, 21:35:51 UTC - in response to Message 26910.  

Are you telling us that your linux machine doesn't download enough tasks to keep all four cores busy?

If so, what about your cache settings? (Computer is connected to the Internet about every XX days - Maintain enough work for an additional YY days)

I'm not attached to QMC, so I have to ask: are there any general quotas set up there or did you reach your quota because of returning erroneous results?

Gruß,
Gundolf
Computer sind nicht alles im Leben. (Kleiner Scherz)
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Merciadri Luca

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Message 26938 - Posted: 31 Aug 2009, 11:00:59 UTC - in response to Message 26913.  

Are you telling us that your linux machine doesn't download enough tasks to keep all four cores busy?

Yes. I was not clear, sorry.


If so, what about your cache settings? (Computer is connected to the Internet about every XX days - Maintain enough work for an additional YY days)

It is correct, as the cache setting is the same under XP Pro and under Debian (I said ``3 days.'')


I'm not attached to QMC, so I have to ask: are there any general quotas set up there or did you reach your quota because of returning erroneous results?

There seem to be, but it is not the only project which use general quotas. However, I always compute less than the daily quota, so it is not the problem.
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Profile Gundolf Jahn

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Message 26940 - Posted: 31 Aug 2009, 13:05:51 UTC - in response to Message 26938.  

Is your linux machine still attached to other projects (to keep all cores busy)? If so, what are the resource shares?

What does QMC tell you when you request more work? Does BOINC request more work at all?

What if you raise your cache settings for the linux machine only (by using local preferences)?

Gruß,
Gundolf
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Merciadri Luca

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Message 26973 - Posted: 1 Sep 2009, 16:03:01 UTC - in response to Message 26940.  

Is your linux machine still attached to other projects (to keep all cores busy)? If so, what are the resource shares?

In the individual configuration of each project, the CPU usage is set to 100% and to work after 3 minutes of inactivity. These settings are set for both XP and Debian.

I had to attach my Linux machine to other projects to keep all cores busy. They are displayed under "Projects", using BOINC GUI, and resources shares are set to 100 (12,50%) for each.


What does QMC tell you when you request more work? Does BOINC request more work at all?

It does not request more work on Debian, and I do not understand why, as, on XP, it downloads at least 3 or 4 more WU's. When I request more work (by clicking "Update" in the BOINC GUI), it displays either "No work sent" or "Requesting 0 seconds of work.".



What if you raise your cache settings for the linux machine only (by using local preferences)?

By cache, I assume you speak about free space on drives. Is it correct? Even when putting it to huge amounts (using 95% of the disk, 500 GB of free, ...), it does not ask for more WU's.
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ZPM
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Message 26974 - Posted: 1 Sep 2009, 16:13:09 UTC - in response to Message 26973.  
Last modified: 1 Sep 2009, 16:13:30 UTC



What if you raise your cache settings for the linux machine only (by using local preferences)?

By cache, I assume you speak about free space on drives. Is it correct? Even when putting it to huge amounts (using 95% of the disk, 500 GB of free, ...), it does not ask for more WU's.



no, what he means by cache is work cache, not physical space limit. Cache is how much work you have your computer set to catch. cache should be set to 1 day or more depending on the work from server. in boinc, this work cache is called additional work buffer under network usage.
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Les Bayliss
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Message 26975 - Posted: 1 Sep 2009, 17:06:41 UTC - in response to Message 26973.  

In your account on the server, "cache" is in the first lot of preferences, the same one that has the CPU usage, and is in the next section.

Computer is connected to the Internet about every, (which, as the 3rd line says: BOINC will try to maintain at least this much work.) is the first part, and
Maintain enough work for an additional is the second part of the cache options.

**********

In the BOINC manager, the cache is set in the menu under: Advanced > Preferences > Network usage.

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Merciadri Luca

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Message 26996 - Posted: 2 Sep 2009, 12:19:58 UTC - in response to Message 26975.  

Thanks for both last answers. I had to set ``Additional work buffer'' to 10 (!) to make it as I want.

Thanks for your help.
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Message boards : BOINC client : Well set projects' parameters, but CPU is never used as much as possible

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