I've done some searches to see if others have had the same problems, but they seem similar but a little different.....

I am connected to 5 projects, and all but one (Einstein@home) are having the same problems. They won't download any new jobs, and if they do they don't do anything with them.

Here is a run of a recent try to get Seti@home to work:

8/1/2007 12:50:32 PM|SETI@home|Resetting project
8/1/2007 12:52:01 PM|SETI@home|Sending scheduler request: Requested by user
8/1/2007 12:52:01 PM|SETI@home|(not requesting new work or reporting completed tasks)
8/1/2007 12:52:06 PM|SETI@home|Scheduler RPC succeeded [server version 511]
8/1/2007 12:52:06 PM|SETI@home|Deferring communication for 11 sec
8/1/2007 12:52:06 PM|SETI@home|Reason: requested by project
8/1/2007 12:52:08 PM|SETI@home|[file_xfer] Started download of file arecibo_181.png
8/1/2007 12:52:08 PM|SETI@home|[file_xfer] Started download of file sah_40.png
8/1/2007 12:52:09 PM|SETI@home|[file_xfer] Finished download of file sah_40.png
8/1/2007 12:52:09 PM|SETI@home|[file_xfer] Throughput 9533 bytes/sec
8/1/2007 12:52:09 PM|SETI@home|[file_xfer] Started download of file sah_banner_290.png
8/1/2007 12:52:10 PM|SETI@home|[file_xfer] Finished download of file arecibo_181.png
8/1/2007 12:52:10 PM|SETI@home|[file_xfer] Throughput 51947 bytes/sec
8/1/2007 12:52:10 PM|SETI@home|[file_xfer] Finished download of file sah_banner_290.png
8/1/2007 12:52:10 PM|SETI@home|[file_xfer] Throughput 48000 bytes/sec
8/1/2007 12:52:10 PM|SETI@home|[file_xfer] Started download of file sah_ss_290.png
8/1/2007 12:52:12 PM|SETI@home|[file_xfer] Finished download of file sah_ss_290.png
8/1/2007 12:52:12 PM|SETI@home|[file_xfer] Throughput 56638 bytes/sec
8/1/2007 12:53:54 PM||Resuming computation
8/1/2007 12:57:35 PM||Suspending computation - user is active


It finally appeared to download the files, but will not start working on them. Resetting the projects doesn't do anything. All four of the problem projects are giving me the exact same responses of lines 2 through 6 above, with the only minor exception of the server version number being slightly different on some of them (509, 510 or 511).

I'm using the 5.10.13 version of BOINC with Gridrepublic as the manager (just installed GR late last week).

Anybody know what's happening here?

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8/1/2007 12:53:54 PM||Resuming computation
8/1/2007 12:57:35 PM||Suspending computation - user is active

These messages show a potential clue. If you have "Do work while computer is in use" set to "No", or if GridRepublic has set it to no for you, then it will not download work while the computer is in use (it will also not process work while computer is in use either). BOINC (or other managers) will wait until the user is inactive before it will attempt to get more work.


If that's not the problem, it may have to do with deadlines. If one of those projects is CPDN, which has large WU times, then BOINC will enter a "panic" mode where it will refuse to get more work until it deems that it can handle more.

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I've tried it all ways - letting it run all the time, run while not in use, and suspended. Same message each time.

The projects that are having the problem are: Seti, LHC (which I know rarely has any work anyway), Predictor and Spinhenge.

But - hmmmmm........

I'm not running CPDN, but looking at my WU for Einstein it shows that it has 46 CPU hours to completion with a report deadline of 8/13. Could this be causing the problem - is this commandeering all the CPU time like you said?

If the computer ran 24/7 this wouldn't be a problem, but this is my machine at work so it's only on 8-10 hours a day of which only about an hour or two is really available for BOINC since I usually run it "while not in use". Is BOINC "smart enough" to be able to figure this out and take it into account when figuring out what it can handle?

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Never mind, I think I just answered my own question.

I just suspended the Einstein WU and now it's starting to get work on the other projects.

Thanks for the help - this was bugging me for about a week and I never thought to look at that as the problem.

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I just suspended the Einstein WU and now it's starting to get work on the other projects.

Be careful when artificially micromanaging BOINC. BOINC is smart enough to balance CPU time appropriate (including if the system is only on 8-10 days like my laptop is). By suspending work to force another project's participation, you are going to mess up BOINC's debt system that each project works off of. Thus the more time you force to one project, debt will be piled up for others.

BOINC is usually pretty good at balancing everything very well. Just let it run and it will sort itself out eventually.

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Ok - thanks for the info.

I guess I never realized the Einstein WU's were so big. I'm probably going to take that project off my work computer. Given how little CPU time my work computer really has available, I'm thinking it would have a hard time even finishing most of that projects WU's without hitting the report deadline first - even if that were the only project attached to it.

My computer at home, however, is on 24/7 - no problem with Einstein on that one ;-)

Thank you.

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Ok - thanks for the info.

I guess I never realized the Einstein WU's were so big. I'm probably going to take that project off my work computer. Given how little CPU time my work computer really has available, I'm thinking it would have a hard time even finishing most of that projects WU's without hitting the report deadline first - even if that were the only project attached to it.

My computer at home, however, is on 24/7 - no problem with Einstein on that one ;-)

Thank you.

BOINC realizes how much CPU time per hour the computer has gotten historically, and factors this in when determining if the host has enough work on it, and whether the work is comming near to missing deadlines. This is probably what is causing nothing else to download if you have an Einstein task downloaded. You might discover similar things happening to the other projects as well. Just leave it alone, and it should make the deadlines.

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BOINC WIKI

A little side issue: anyone know why the .png files keep downloading over and over again during times trying to get new work units?

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A little side issue: anyone know why the .png files keep downloading over and over again during times trying to get new work units?

You're using BOINC ver 4.25...I would recommend that you upgrade to the latest BOINC version.

Ordinarily, the png files should not be downloaded every time you try to get workunits. See if the upgrade helps.....

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A little side issue: anyone know why the .png files keep downloading over and over again during times trying to get new work units?

You're using BOINC ver 4.25...I would recommend that you upgrade to the latest BOINC version.

Ordinarily, the png files should not be downloaded every time you try to get workunits. See if the upgrade helps.....

You might also have to turn off verification of image files. Some ISPs compress image files to reduce your bandwidth requirements.

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BOINC WIKI

A little side issue: anyone know why the .png files keep downloading over and over again during times trying to get new work units?

You're using BOINC ver 4.25...I would recommend that you upgrade to the latest BOINC version.

Ordinarily, the png files should not be downloaded every time you try to get workunits. See if the upgrade helps.....

Thanx: you're right. Guess I'll have to keep up, now.

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