Download Failures

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Message 48769 - Posted: 22 Apr 2013, 20:12:42 UTC

I wish I could make this question less vague. Sorry!

I've got a bunch of computers - quite a lot, in fact. They all run multiple projects just fine, except for one. It's a very, very low-budget build (I made a bet, you see) but it's always run stably. Despite having but a dual-core Pentium G620 and 4GB of budget DDR3 RAM, it runs Win7 x64 smoothly and is used primarily by my brother, whose idea of intensive computing is MineCraft.

Lately, this machine has been failing in downloading nearly half its WUs from [name a project], which is unacceptable. It's also befuddling, because I obsessively error-check and troubleshoot and scan and repair and clean all 7 or so machines in the house on a roughly weekly basis. There's nothing wrong with this one that I can see.

I'm a repair technician by trade, but diagnosing this is a tough one!

What kind of things can trigger download errors for BOINC applications and/or workunits? Specifically, why is it always a checksum failure?

I don't know if this happens when downloading anything else. I'd assume not, since my brother has not reported having any such difficulties, but I can certainly check.


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mo.v
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Message 48771 - Posted: 22 Apr 2013, 20:44:51 UTC

I think you should ask on the forum of the project in question. If the computer is succeeding in downloading half its tasks this suggests to me that there's nothing wrong with the internet connection and the problem may stem from the project itself. There could be a project server problem, but checksum errors are likely to indicate something wrong within the application (task) itself.

There was fairly recently a problem where some BOINC alpha versions were incompatible with certain CPDN model types, leading to repeated checksum errors, but this has now been fixed. If CPDN downloads are your problem please confirm this here and then post about it on the CPDN forum so we can see whether there are other problems as well.
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Message 48786 - Posted: 23 Apr 2013, 13:48:46 UTC

Ok, no, I have never participated in CPDN (sorry)

I said [name a project] - that wasn't very clear - I meant this happens at any project. NRG, OProject, and PrimeGrid specifically as that's all that really runs at this machine.

I just tried yesterday using Ninite to update multiple apps/runtimes, and SIX of the downloads failed with hash check errors. -.-

Now I'm thinking it's not even BOINC-specific. Oh well. Back to the drawing board on this one.


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Richard Haselgrove
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Message 48788 - Posted: 23 Apr 2013, 14:32:57 UTC - in response to Message 48786.  

What sort of file suffers the errors, and what sort of internet connection does that machine use?

Some mobile connections compress image files on-the-fly to save bandwidth, and that would cause the checksum test to fail.

Your 'computing preferences' (which are shared across all BOINC projects you participate in - you only have to set them once) should contain an option

Skip image file verification?
Check this ONLY if your Internet provider modifies image files (UMTS does this, for example). Skipping verification reduces the security of BOINC.

Try setting that.
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Message 48863 - Posted: 30 Apr 2013, 13:44:08 UTC

Interesting, but that likely won't make a difference. My provider is Verizon FiOS, and there are six (or more?) other machines in the house without this problem. Plus, the machine being finicky is physically right next to the router.

I don't think this is a BOINC issue anymore. The OS may be corrupted but I haven't got time to fully triage it as I'm usually at work...where I triage other people's computers. :)

Thanks for the suggestion, though. I did not think of that!


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Jim1348

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Message 48865 - Posted: 30 Apr 2013, 14:25:26 UTC - in response to Message 48863.  

I suspect connection problems also. Recently I upgraded the drivers on the WiFi adapter of one of my machines, and started getting download errors. I reverted back to the approved driver, and all is well.
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Message boards : Questions and problems : Download Failures

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