PREAMBLE
In preferences I set that application must be left in memory then paused. Also in preferences wrote "(suspended applications will consume swap space if 'yes')".
This options is tuned up for all projects. (SETI, Predictor, etc...)

After update all works OK, but suspended applications were in memory, but not in swap file!

Next day BOINC removed all applications from memory, but I didn't change this option...
In messages each time an application suspends write: "Pausing result [...] (removed from memory)".



QUESTIONS
1) Why suspended applications were not in swap file?
2) Why next day 'leave in memory' option ceased working?

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<img src="http://www.setisynergy.com/images/stats/comb-618.jpg">

>QUESTIONS
>1) Why suspended applications were not in swap file?

The complete preference is:

Leave applications in memory while preempted?
(suspended applications will consume swap space if 'yes')

If your system is running short on memory, the OS will migrate the pages to swap space. Part of the normal virtual memory management functions provided by the OS, BOINC doesn't do anything.

The part about the swap space is more to reassure the user about leaving the apps in memory. It says that BOINC won't hog all the RAM for suspended projects. And it says the user better make sure theres enough swap space to hold the swapped out projects.

>2) Why next day 'leave in memory' option ceased working?

Have you checked your preferences to see if they changed?

It might have to do with updating all the preferences, people have reported various problems when they change general preferences on all the projects. They tend to get mixed up.

Change your general preferences for one project only, then update that project in BOINC. That will download the updated preferences to your system. Then update the other projects, that will send the updated preferences to the other servers.

> >1) Why suspended applications were not in swap file?
>
> The complete preference is:
> Leave applications in memory while preempted?
> (suspended applications will consume swap space if 'yes')
> If your system is running short on memory, the OS will migrate the pages to
> swap space. Part of the normal virtual memory management functions provided
> by the OS, BOINC doesn't do anything.

So, dropping memory to swap file is not implemented?
Then I want to know how suspending is implemented: is it only lowering priority?



> >2) Why next day 'leave in memory' option ceased working?
>
> Have you checked your preferences to see if they changed?
I didn't change this option, but there is no such option in project "ProteinPredictorAtHome". Is BOINC construed it as setting 'no'?

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<img src="http://www.setisynergy.com/images/stats/comb-618.jpg">

> So, dropping memory to swap file is not implemented?
> Then I want to know how suspending is implemented: is it only lowering
> priority?

Its an operating system function. BOINC has no control over what gets moved from memory to swap.

Suspending "to memory" is simply BOINC telling the application to stop its main processing loop. Part of it stays "alive", a very small piece that communicates with BOINC. You can watch it with taskmanager (process tab) or Process Explorer from SysInternals.

>
> > >2) Why next day 'leave in memory' option ceased working?
> >
> > Have you checked your preferences to see if they changed?
> I didn't change this option, but there is no such option in project
> "ProteinPredictorAtHome". Is BOINC construed it as setting 'no'?

BOINC only sets what its told to set, one of the other servers must have changed it back.

Its a matter of which preferences BOINC uses - you change one set in the seti/boinc server and you change another set in a different server. Which one does BOINC use? It doesn't merge them, just overwrites what it has with the latest. And uploads them if what it has is later than the servers copy.

Wen running multiple projects, you have to "merge" preferences yourself. That means updating them for one project, and then getting BOINC to spread them to the other projects. Not difficult, but is a bit tedious.

Update the preferences on one projects web site, then "Update" that project in your BOINC client. That will download the changed preferences to your system. Then "Update" all the other projects from BOINC, that will upload the new preferences to all the other servers. Now your general preferences are in sync on all your projects. And you can then update all the other BOINC clients you're running (if you have more than one system).