Busy Bytes (Jul 06 2009)

It's still pretty ugly out there - we're maxed out our bandwidth and mysql resources. We were able to squeeze out a few more cycles from the upload/scheduling servers this morning, but generally it's been quite impossible the past week or so. Clearly this is a result of increasing our user base, and the growing percentage of results being processed by cuda clients.

To solve this problem we have several options. There is non-zero but nevertheless slow progress in both the bandwidth and mysql fronts, so we're effectively stuck with what we got for now. We could go to single redundancy and keep the split rate the same. This will immediately divide out outgoing bandwidth in half, but people will, on average, get less work to chew on. We could also increase the resolution of chirp rates that we process, thus lengthening the time it takes to process a workunit. We may do both. From what Eric tells me compressing workunits only helps multibeam, and only by about 20%. Almost not worth considering, since that will get us 5-10 Mbits back, and we need something like 50.

The other annoying thing is that on Friday/Saturday our raw data storage server got hung up while we were copying a file up from our archives. This caused splitting to slow down until we ran out of work to send. Not sure why this was the case, as I killed that transfer and everything worked fine after that. Even more mysterious is that, while bringing the same file up again this morning it choked our server once more. Why this one particular file is having such a random and extreme negative effect is beyond me at this point, but we're doing other tests, etc.

You know, I should point out that while I write these daily missives I tend to disagree with a lot of policies that end up getting enacted around here, which it makes it difficult for me to defend one practice or another that might be discussed on these threads. Anyway, don't blame the messenger.

- Matt

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-- BOINC/SETI@home network/web/science/development person
-- "Any idiot can have a good idea. What is hard is to do it." - Jeanne-Claude

we don't blame the messenger; although, someone should look at the idea's being thrown out by the masses on forum...


i'm ok with less average work...
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I recommend Secunia PSI: http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/personal/
Go Georgia Tech.

That's too bad. I'd really like to hear your thoughts on several of the issues and discussions that happen around here.
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Thanks for the update.

And we understand: Bosses dictate, grunts implement.

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What about the possibility of getting full gigabit access to the lab through targeted donations from the users for this specific project?
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about as much as Ozzy coming to Columbus, GA to play.....
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I recommend Secunia PSI: http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/personal/
Go Georgia Tech.

What about the possibility of getting full gigabit access to the lab through targeted donations from the users for this specific project?

A possibility that might help would be to generate a second task or not based on the "reputation" of the first computer to get the task. A computer that keeps returning no errors that validate would keep getting its reputation increased. You ought to be able to get around 40% of the bandwidth back.
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BOINC WIKI

perhaps their needs to be a Downtime period only longer.....

A 1 month long Seti-Break like spring break...I'll admit that i let my quad talk to me, and half the time it says, "give me a crunch break please". This would allow you guys time to work on the stuff that needs to be worked on...

Einstien is already slowing down....
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I recommend Secunia PSI: http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/personal/
Go Georgia Tech.

some one needs to fix what is wrong with boinc or bandwith before we (I)or others stop runnig this mess of so called looking for ET...

A possibility that might help would be to generate a second task or not based on the "reputation" of the first computer to get the task. A computer that keeps returning no errors that validate would keep getting its reputation increased. You ought to be able to get around 40% of the bandwidth back.

wrong answer the problem onley started within the last three weeks.... before not to bad ... something changed but what??????????????????

wrong answer the problem onley started within the last three weeks.... before not to bad ... something changed but what??????????????????

there is someting way wrong with data base management or the servers apeare way beyond capacity.......sence i am a long time seti participate i may have to stop all of my computing for seti ....... in these hard times we all do what we can .. the use of my computers and the power comsmption is great...... if things do not improve why should i continue with using my resouces for the cause????

Patience is required and if "you" (as a user) don't have it then go crunch another project. I am an avid online flight simulator pilot and one of the biggest sites that I and hundreds of other people used to get freeware addons, was hacked on May 12th, the massive file library of freeware files is still down and being worked on to this day. I can wait

The sites forums have been inundated with people asking when will it be back online? The answer when it is fixed and working how we want it to work. The particular site was able to purchase 4 massively powerful new servers with a mass donation post hack.
Digging up a large chunk of road to dump a fiber cable is very expensive, and being on campus bureaucratic processes must be followed, sure it would be great but in the short term is NOT going to happen. Having users send a large amount of money for this purpose could prove fruitless if those that allow the campus to be dug up say no.

I have a ton of files waiting to upload and usually had "network always available", I am doing my part by most of the day leaving it "suspended", I try and if some get through great, if not, I wait a little longer and try again. My point being that they are getting thorough albeit slowly and sitting being patient has helped.

Enough of my rambling and Thank you Matt for your posts, they are appreciated and even though you have not a huge amount of say on matters, your hard work and problem solving is helping 10 times as much as I am sure you would give yourself credit for. Keep up the good work and things will get better, however long it takes!
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