"Run Now" button

Questions and Answers : Wish list : "Run Now" button

Author	Message
Steve Dodd Send message Joined: 29 May 99 Posts: 23 Credit: 3,327,265 RAC: 50	Message 866183 - Posted: 16 Feb 2009, 18:21:56 UTC
	Hopefully, this isn't a duplication of another request (my perusal of topics didn't find it) - On the "Tasks" tab there are "Graphics", "Suspend", and "Abort" buttons. I would like to see a "Run Now" button that would switch the currently highlighted task to be a running task. Lately, I've encountered tasks from various projects that show 100% completion, but haven't uploaded results. Their task status is "Waiting to run". Would love to be able to tell BOINC to run it now to clear it from the task list. (I know this could be a dangerous function in terms of scheduling for completion. I also know the task will get run time before its due date, so this is just a "wanna have". ____________
	ID: 866183 ·

Steve Dodd Send message Joined: 29 May 99 Posts: 23 Credit: 3,327,265 RAC: 50	Message 866184 - Posted: 16 Feb 2009, 18:26:23 UTC
	Just a note on possible implementation - disable the "Run now" button if the highlighted task is not 99% complete or more to help prevent scheduling problems in BOINC. ____________
	ID: 866184 ·

Steve Dodd Send message Joined: 29 May 99 Posts: 23 Credit: 3,327,265 RAC: 50	Message 872771 - Posted: 6 Mar 2009, 7:24:59 UTC
	Or just modify the BOINC manager code so it doesn't do task switching on jobs that have < 1% left to run. ____________
	ID: 872771 ·

Volunteer tester Send message Joined: 9 Apr 02 Posts: 11987 Credit: 17,877,101 RAC: 59,454	Message 873379 - Posted: 7 Mar 2009, 15:28:29 UTC
	The problem with the suggestion is that BOINC is designed to support multiple projects. If you are running a ClimatePrediction workunit that has 1% left to run, depending on the speed of the computer that 1% can be days before it completes. If you have other workunits that are in danger of missing their deadline, one workunit will need to be paused so that it can be completed before the deadline. BOINC has no real idea about how long each workunit actually is, it can only "guesstimate" the time to completion. For example, some workunits are very slow to process at the beginning, but speed up near the end (they are not linear) or vice versa. Building a "run now" button would put too much power in the hands of the user who might be trying to micromanage BOINC when BOINC is designed (very well, I might add) to meet all resource shares between projects and attempt to meet all deadlines for a workunit. The way I see it, there's no dire need to force a workunit to be completed and turned in, and if there were, BOINC would be running that workunit in High Priority mode instead of switching to another. That last 1% will be completed eventually, so I really don't see the need to program in a button that allows the user to force what will be done eventually other than to appease the viewer who hates to see a workunit with only 1% left to go. ____________
	ID: 873379 ·

John McLeod VII Volunteer developer Volunteer tester Send message Joined: 15 Jul 99 Posts: 22343 Credit: 437,061 RAC: 263	Message 873607 - Posted: 8 Mar 2009, 2:43:27 UTC - in response to Message 873379.
	The problem with the suggestion is that BOINC is designed to support multiple projects. If you are running a ClimatePrediction workunit that has 1% left to run, depending on the speed of the computer that 1% can be days before it completes. If you have other workunits that are in danger of missing their deadline, one workunit will need to be paused so that it can be completed before the deadline. BOINC has no real idea about how long each workunit actually is, it can only "guesstimate" the time to completion. For example, some workunits are very slow to process at the beginning, but speed up near the end (they are not linear) or vice versa. Building a "run now" button would put too much power in the hands of the user who might be trying to micromanage BOINC when BOINC is designed (very well, I might add) to meet all resource shares between projects and attempt to meet all deadlines for a workunit. The way I see it, there's no dire need to force a workunit to be completed and turned in, and if there were, BOINC would be running that workunit in High Priority mode instead of switching to another. That last 1% will be completed eventually, so I really don't see the need to program in a button that allows the user to force what will be done eventually other than to appease the viewer who hates to see a workunit with only 1% left to go. There are also projects that run for a long time after they reah 100%. I am talking days in at least one case. ____________ BOINC WIKI
	ID: 873607 ·

Steve Dodd Send message Joined: 29 May 99 Posts: 23 Credit: 3,327,265 RAC: 50	Message 875269 - Posted: 13 Mar 2009, 21:23:14 UTC
	Party poopers :) ____________
	ID: 875269 ·

Questions and Answers : Wish list : "Run Now" button