Need help with GPUGrid app_info.xml

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Mellowman
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Message 42637 - Posted: 20 Feb 2012, 20:10:00 UTC

I wrote an app_info.xml for GPUGrid, you can find it here, but it didn't work. It didn't request for new tasks, so something is wrong with it. There's no one on the GPUGrid forum able to help me as far as I know, because 16 days ago I already asked for an app_info.xml and I didn't get any reaction on that question.

Is anyone here able to help me to get a working app_info.xml for GPUGrid?

Help would be much appreciated?

Anthony.

The longer I live, the more reasons I develop for wanting to die.
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Richard Haselgrove
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Message 42639 - Posted: 20 Feb 2012, 20:45:49 UTC - in response to Message 42637.  

Not every project has a thriving tradition of optimisation. In the specific case of GPUGrid, it may even be counterproductive. The apps themselves are pretty tightly written, and you're not aiming to improve them by re-coding the program: you're trying to increase your total throughput by running two at a time. In every case I've seen, that results in each individual task running more slowly than it would when running on its own. At GPUGrid, each scientific task is broken down into separate sections, each of which is derived from the results returned by the previous cruncher, and in turn each supplies the input for the following task. So the overall running time from issue to return is important to the project, and what is optimal for you (GPU usage) may not be optimal for the project (they'd prefer fast turnround).

Having said that, I've run other projects under an app_info.xml written from first principles without help, so I can suggest what to look for.

It's easiest to start by attaching to the project normally, and running at least one task. That downloads the applications, DLLs and whatever you're going to need: but it also gives you a working set of <app>, <file> and <app_version> entries in client_state.xml - you can use those to get the right values to put into your app_info framework.

I haven't checked the whole file you posted, but two lines leap out at the eye:

<app>
<name>GPUGRID</name>
</app>

<app_name>Long runs (8-12 hours on fastest card) (cuda31)</app_name>

I think you'll find those two have to match, so that BOINC knows which application is associated with which app_version.
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Mellowman
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Message 42640 - Posted: 20 Feb 2012, 21:00:43 UTC - in response to Message 42639.  

I thought myself that the tag <name>GPUGRID</name> could be wrong, but I took the name from the <app_name> tag from the application in the GPUGrid folder.

I will check client_state.xml file as you suggested.

Anthony.

The longer I live, the more reasons I develop for wanting to die.
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Richard Haselgrove
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Message 42641 - Posted: 20 Feb 2012, 21:18:06 UTC

Another place that's always worth checking is the apps.php page for the project - which should exist, even if it's hard to find an 'Applications' link on their website.

In this case, it's not easy to see what's going on. But I checked my own rig running short tasks, and found

<app>
<name>acemd2</name>
<user_friendly_name>ACEMD2: GPU molecular dynamics</user_friendly_name>
</app>

It's the <name> which matches the <app_name> lower down, as I suspected. Those two are the important ones.
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Mellowman
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Message 42644 - Posted: 20 Feb 2012, 21:34:27 UTC - in response to Message 42641.  
Last modified: 20 Feb 2012, 21:50:10 UTC

I've changed the file so it looks like this:

<app_info>
  <app>
   <name>acemdlong</name>
   <user_friendly_name>Long runs (8-12 hours on fastest card)</user_friendly_name>
  </app>
    <file_info>
      <name>acemdlong_6.15_windows_intelx86__cuda31</name>
      <executable/>
    </file_info>
    <file_info>
      <name>cudart32_31_9.dll</name>
      <executable/>
    </file_info>
    <file_info>
      <name>cufft32_31_9.dll</name>
      <executable/>
    </file_info>
    <file_info>
      <name>tcl85.dll</name>
      <executable/>
    </file_info>
  <app_version>
    <app_name>acemdlong</app_name>
    <version_num>615</version_num>
    <platform>windows_intelx86</platform>
    <avg_ncpus>0.36</avg_ncpus>
    <max_ncpus>1.000000</max_ncpus>
    <flops>167186362363.818660</flops>
    <plan_class>cuda31</plan_class>
    <api_version>6.7.0</api_version>
    <coproc>
      <type>CUDA</type>
      <count>.5</count>
    </coproc>
    <gpu_ram>402653184.000000</gpu_ram>
    <file_ref>
      <file_name>acemdlong_6.15_windows_intelx86__cuda31</file_name>
      <main_program/>
    </file_ref>
    <file_ref>
      <file_name>cudart32_31_9.dll</file_name>
      <open_name>cudart32_31_9.dll</open_name>
      <copy_file/>
    </file_ref>
    <file_ref>
      <file_name>cufft32_31_9.dll</file_name>
      <open_name>cufft32_31_9.dll</open_name>
      <copy_file/>
    </file_ref>
    <file_ref>
      <file_name>tcl85.dll</file_name>
      <open_name>tcl85.dll</open_name>
      <copy_file/>
    </file_ref>
  </app_version>
</app_info>

You can compared it to my first try that's posted here. I did change some tags and added some tags which I may or may not need. I just don't know if the .dll's are executable.

Edit: changed <app_name>acemdlong</app_name>

Anthony.

The longer I live, the more reasons I develop for wanting to die.
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Richard Haselgrove
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Message 42645 - Posted: 20 Feb 2012, 21:39:02 UTC

But still:

<name>acemdlong</name>

doesn't match

<app_name>acemdlong_6.15_windows_intelx86__cuda31</app_name>

I don't know what the correct value is - you'll have to get that from client_state - but they have to be the same (and right, of course :P)
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Mellowman
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Message 42646 - Posted: 20 Feb 2012, 21:51:31 UTC - in response to Message 42645.  

Okay I changed it (see above in the edited post). I had overlooked that.

The longer I live, the more reasons I develop for wanting to die.
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Message boards : GPUs : Need help with GPUGrid app_info.xml

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