I want to get back to crunching for seti, so can someone run me through getting the AP optimized working? what do I need to do to make it work other than unzip the files into the correct dir?

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That's really about all there is to inserting the optimized AP app into BOINC.. unzip, modify the app_info.xml file, and start BOINC back up.

For more information, there's a sticky at the top of the Number Crunching section that explains it all: http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/forum_thread.php?id=49749

Just make sure to change the version from 435 to 436. Doesn't make any performance difference, but if you have 4.36 WUs already in your cache, they will fail and be deleted.

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Linux laptop:
record uptime: 1511d 20h 19m (ended due to the power brick giving-up)

So what will happen if I do not make the change? I don't completely follow.

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If you already have AP units on your machine, they will have the app version set to 4.36, the optimized AP app only has a listing for 4.35. The files that are registered for the newer version will think that there is not a app to crunch them and will abort immediately.

Unfortunately, the server will not get that message and they will stick around on your task page until they time out.

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This version of the app_info.xml to be inserted does both 4.35 and 4.36 with it you will not error out any AP work units on your machine.



<app_info>
<app>
<name>astropulse</name>
</app>
<file_info>
<name>ap_4.35rev24b54_SSE3.exe</name>
<executable/>
</file_info>
<file_info>
<name>libfftw3f-3-1-1a_upx.dll</name>
<executable/>
</file_info>
<app_version>
<app_name>astropulse</app_name>
<version_num>435</version_num>
<file_ref>
<file_name>ap_4.35rev24b54_SSE3.exe</file_name>
<main_program/>
</file_ref>
<file_ref>
<file_name>libfftw3f-3-1-1a_upx.dll</file_name>
</file_ref>
</app_version>
<app_version>
<app_name>astropulse</app_name>
<version_num>436</version_num>
<file_ref>
<file_name>ap_4.35rev24b54_SSE3.exe</file_name>
<main_program/>
</file_ref>
<file_ref>
<file_name>libfftw3f-3-1-1a_upx.dll</file_name>
</file_ref>
</app_version>
</app_info>

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BBR TeamStarFire


****My 9th year of Seti****A Founding Member of the Original Seti Team Starfire at Broadband Reports.com ****

4.36 is newer than 4.35, right? How can I download 4.36 instead? All the links I'm finding give me AP Optimized 4.35. This is kinda confusing...

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4.36 is newer than 4.35, right? How can I download 4.36 instead? All the links I'm finding give me AP Optimized 4.35. This is kinda confusing...

There's nothing to download regarding 4.36. It's just part of the editing of the app_info file
Example:

<app_version>
<app_name>astropulse</app_name>
<version_num>436</version_num>
<file_ref>
<file_name>ap_4.35rev24b54_SSE3.exe</file_name>
<main_program/>
</file_ref>
<file_ref>
<file_name>libfftw3f-3-1-1a_upx.dll</file_name>
</file_ref>
</app_version>

and has already been included in the app_info.xml file example in the above post.

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Ok, thanks! I'm going to try to set this up right now. I don't have any Astropulse WUs at the moment though, but I guess that'll just make this easier.

AP Optimized won't affect the quality or science value of results, will it? Though I'm guessing not many people would run it if it did have a negative impact on the quality of results.

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Note from the developer:

4.36 is an attempt to fix a bug whereby the Astropulse screensaver would sometimes freeze.

So although the 4.36 application is indeed newer, there aren't any changes to the bits that do the real work - just an update to the eye-candy.

The optimisers were already hard at work on the scientific parts when that cosmetic change was made: and there are no screensavers or other graphics components in the optimised app.

So the optimised app you're downloading and running reports (in the name-check section of stderr_out) that it's based on the 4.35 science code - which is absolutely fine with the project.

The BOINC program on your computer doesn't know whether the change from 4.35 to 4.36 is significant or not, so to be on the safe side it won't run a task branded as 4.36 in your job list unless it's been given explicit reassurance by the modified app_info.xml file that it's good to go. The application itself is good, and the app_info.xml files posted here just pass that information on to BOINC.

Ok, thanks! I'm going to try to set this up right now. I don't have any Astropulse WUs at the moment though, but I guess that'll just make this easier.

AP Optimized won't affect the quality or science value of results, will it? Though I'm guessing not many people would run it if it did have a negative impact on the quality of results.

The same info is gotten thru both, opti just does it faster.

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Oh crap.... I followed someone's advice from another thread and ended up messing up my app_info.xml file (and my work units). And now I think BOINC wants to download AK_v8_win_SSE3x.exe, but I just have a dual core processor with SSE3. I think the advice was meant for someone with a quad core processor or something like that. I want to run both AP and S@H_Enahnced. I tried reinstalling BOINC, but it still wants to get that SSE3x file. Help please! :(

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Oh crap.... I followed someone's advice from another thread and ended up messing up my app_info.xml file (and my work units). And now I think BOINC wants to download AK_v8_win_SSE3x.exe, but I just have a dual core processor with SSE3. I think the advice was meant for someone with a quad core processor or something like that. I want to run both AP and S@H_Enahnced. I tried reinstalling BOINC, but it still wants to get that SSE3x file. Help please! :(

Did you download the AK_v8_win_SSE3x.exe and other files that go with it and put them in the SETI folder? That appears to be what it's looking for. Did you verify your app_info.xml file? Posting some of the log might help. Also if you don't know if your pc can handle SSE3 you should get cpu-z and run it. It will tell you what your cpu can handle. I think your cpu can but you should still verify.
Edit: when you unistalled BOINC it deleted the files you put in there. Once you reinstall you have to put the files for AP and MB back in the SETI folder with the app_info.html file once you've verified it's working.

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Oh crap.... I followed someone's advice from another thread and ended up messing up my app_info.xml file (and my work units). And now I think BOINC wants to download AK_v8_win_SSE3x.exe, but I just have a dual core processor with SSE3. I think the advice was meant for someone with a quad core processor or something like that. I want to run both AP and S@H_Enahnced. I tried reinstalling BOINC, but it still wants to get that SSE3x file. Help please! :(

You can get the optimised AK V8 files & optimised AP files from this thread,
http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/forum_thread.php?id=31810
There are also instructions there about how to merge the app_info.
Check what instructions your processor supports, use CPU-Z from:
http://www.cpuid.com/
other things to do:
Check for the "extra space" see advanced AP faq (errors out work if there)
Add entries for AP 4.36 in app_info (if you've already got work, it'll be tagged as 4.36, and the downloaded app_info doesn't have those entries, and that work will error out as boinc can't find that version app)
Add entries for MB 6.03 in app_info (if you've already got work, it'll be tagged as 6.03, and the downloaded app_info doesn't have those entries, and that work will error out as boinc can't find that version app)

Claggy

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I know my processor supports SSE3, but I don't know about SSE3x. I'm not even completely sure what the x means at the end of that... thought the x meant it's for 4 or more core processors. I just have a dual core processor. Mobile DualCore Intel Pentium T2080, 1733 MHz (13 x 133)

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OK. Take a deep breath. The optimised application download thread clearly states "Note that these applications are meant for ADVANCED USERS" - you are about to become an advanced user.

1) Make yourself an empty folder somewhere - anywhere - that you can use to assemble the required ingredients.

2) Follow the Installing an optimised application FAQ, with one exception: put the installation files into the empty folder you just created - you've got more work to do yet.

[I say 'follow the FAQ', because it includes instructions for testing the capabilities of your CPU. It's nothing to do with whether it has 1, 2 or 4 cores - it's to do with the instruction sets it can handle]

3) Download the optimised Astropulse application of your choice, and put those files into your temporary folder as well.

You'll find one file doesn't fit: there's already a file called app_info.xml in there, and you'll be trying to put a second - different - file with the same name in there. DON'T JUST OVERWRITE IT - change one of the names so you have both files available to work with.

4) Open the renamed file with Notepad - don't use Internet Explorer or any word processor. Highlight and copy all the text to the clipboard.

5) Open the remaining app_info.xml file, again with Notepad only, and paste the contents of the previous file into it, IN ADDITION to the text which is already there. Put it at the top or bottom of the file, not in the middle.

6) Where the two chunks of text bump up against each other, you'll find a pair of lines

</app_info>
<app_info>

where one file ends and the new one begins. Delete both those lines, so that the <app> of the second half immediately follows the </app_version> of the first half.

7) Make a 603 version of the Multibeam section of the file, as described in my message 822624.

8) Check that there's a 436 version of the Astropulse section of the file. If there isn't, make one as Byron has already shown. Save the changes, so you have a single composite file called app_info.xml containing both the MB stuff and the AP stuff.

9) Stop BOINC, and copy the contents of your working folder into the setiathome.berkeley.edu folder. That'll be two applications, two sets of associated .dll or .pdb files, and one app_info.xml file. You can leave the spare one you renamed behind. Some of the files you're copying may exist already, but it's best to copy the whole set in one go anyway. And do COPY them, not MOVE them - that way you've got a spare set if you need to go back and try again.

10) Restart BOINC, and you should be running optimised on both applications. Check the messages in BOINC Manager, and the running programs shown in Task Manager.

I know my processor supports SSE3, but I don't know about SSE3x. I'm not even completely sure what the x means at the end of that... thought the x meant it's for 4 or more core processors. I just have a dual core processor.

SSE3 is SSE3x..Download cpu-z if you want to be sure. If you need an app_info.xml file I can post you a link that will combine the AP and MB. All you need to do then is put the AP and AK_SSE3x opti app files that you've downloaded in the SETI projects folder with it.

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SSE3x is for all SSE3 processors. It has nothing to do with how many cores your CPU has.

I know my processor supports SSE3, but I don't know about SSE3x. I'm not even completely sure what the x means at the end of that... thought the x meant it's for 4 or more core processors. I just have a dual core processor. Mobile DualCore Intel Pentium T2080, 1733 MHz (13 x 133)

The x doesn't matter, i think it was just a different version that had slight different optimisations, for a different processor,
and it just proved quicker than the version without the 'x' on other processors,
so the version without the 'x' wasn't released.

Claggy

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Ok, I got it working now. Two multibeam WUs running. But now it's giving me another problem.... graphics aren't available anymore. Any clue what the heck I did wrong this time? I think I need to just get to bed and check back after some sleep.

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Ok, I got it working now. Two multibeam WUs running. But now it's giving me another problem.... graphics aren't available anymore. Any clue what the heck I did wrong this time? I think I need to just get to bed and check back after some sleep.

The graphics don't work with these two opti apps. It's not you. Good job on getting them to work. You'll love the difference.

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