Use one GPU only

Questions and Answers : GPU applications : Use one GPU only
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Aus_Karlos

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Message 993207 - Posted: 1 May 2010, 10:39:18 UTC
Last modified: 1 May 2010, 10:55:29 UTC

Hey guys im having a problem with BOINC. I have two GTX280 cards installed running CUDA driver 3.0. They are currently not in SLI, however my attempts at choosing "Device 0" to fold has failed. As soon as i load up BOINC manager two GPU tasks start.
I have a cc_config.xml file in C:\ProgramData\BOINC.
<cc_config>
<options>
<ignore_cuda_dev>1</ignore_cuda_dev>
<no_gpus>0</no_gpus>
</options>
</cc_config>

Also without the "Use GPU always" checked the GPU clients wont start, even if my PC is in idle (Can tell from Everest on my G15)
I want BOINC to only use Device 0 all the time but its just not working for me. Is there a command line i can use?

Messages-
1/05/2010 6:52:24 PM Re-reading cc_config.xml
1/05/2010 6:52:24 PM Re-read config file
1/05/2010 6:52:24 PM Config: ignoring NVIDIA GPU 1
1/05/2010 6:52:24 PM log flags: file_xfer, sched_ops, task
1/05/2010 6:51:34 PM SETI@home Restarting task 07mr07ag.22170.481.12.10.29_0 using setiathome_enhanced version 609
1/05/2010 6:51:34 PM SETI@home Restarting task 07mr07ag.22170.481.12.10.184_1 using setiathome_enhanced version 609
Assuming that the _0/1 at the end file string relates to Device 0 and 1.
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Profile Gundolf Jahn

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Message 993210 - Posted: 1 May 2010, 11:52:13 UTC - in response to Message 993207.  
Last modified: 1 May 2010, 11:52:33 UTC

Assuming that the _0/1 at the end file string relates to Device 0 and 1.

Nope. The _0/_1 suffix denote the number of the WU replication.

How many tasks get started if you don't ignore any device?
How many tasks get started if you ignore device 0 and device 1?

Gruß,
Gundolf

PS: There are also some logging options for cc_config.xml, like <coproc_debug>, but they tend to fill up your log rapidly.
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Profile Geek@Play
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Message 993211 - Posted: 1 May 2010, 11:57:51 UTC

Your line............
<ignore_cuda_dev>1</ignore_cuda_dev>
will ignore the second cuda device

replace it................
<ignore_cuda_dev>0</ignore_cuda_dev>
to ignore the first cuda device

Boinc....Boinc....Boinc....Boinc....
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Profile BilBg
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Message 993229 - Posted: 1 May 2010, 13:46:40 UTC - in response to Message 993207.  
Last modified: 1 May 2010, 14:21:52 UTC

Sometimes BOINC starts (bug?) 2 tasks on one GPU

check by GPU-Z temperatures and % load for both GPUs

Temperature Monitoring Programs
http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/forum_thread.php?id=59292


Restart BOINC and post the first 20-30 lines of messages


On the page for your computer only one GPU is shown:
Coprocessors - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280 (1005MB) driver: 19745
http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/show_host_detail.php?hostid=5388577

.
 


- ALF - "Find out what you don't do well ..... then don't do it!" :)
 
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Profile Gundolf Jahn

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Message 993244 - Posted: 1 May 2010, 14:46:33 UTC - in response to Message 993229.  

On the page for your computer only one GPU is shown...

That's new! At the time of my previous post, there have been two of them shown ([2]).

Gruß,
Gundolf
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Aus_Karlos

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Message 994361 - Posted: 6 May 2010, 7:28:13 UTC - in response to Message 993244.  

Looks like BOINC wasn't closing down completely on my system. So i did a reboot in the end and now its ignoring GPU 1.
Thanks for the help guys.
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Aus_Karlos

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Message 994392 - Posted: 6 May 2010, 11:46:29 UTC - in response to Message 994361.  

Might aswell keep it in the same thread.
Ive found something really interesting some of my GPU WU have begun with the flag "high Priority". Even though there is still 15days till deadline but the really interesting bit is when they enter High Priority my card completes them in under 5mins. Where as normal priority does them in 1hr30min.
Noticeable side-effect is my GPU sits at 80c with fan at 70%. Where in normal mode its at 60c with 55% fan speed.
To be honest 80c on a GTX280 is in the norm, how can i force all GPU tasks to start up in high priority regardless of deadline?
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Message 994394 - Posted: 6 May 2010, 12:33:51 UTC - in response to Message 994361.  

Looks like BOINC wasn't closing down completely on my system.

See BOINC and science applications continue running when I exit BOINC Manager.
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Message 994395 - Posted: 6 May 2010, 12:42:01 UTC - in response to Message 994392.  

how can i force all GPU tasks to start up in high priority regardless of deadline?

You don't want to do that. High Priority means that these tasks are in trouble, that they're eligible to miss their deadline. This is usually because you have too much work on your system.

Seeing that you run BOINC 6.10.43, a version that's been pulled due to a severe bug in the GPU code, where BOINC will continue to download work for the GPU even while the GPU is hung or has work stuck in its memory, I think your system is overworked.

When some tasks take an hour and a half and some take 5 minutes, that is because of the different angle ranges. The so called very low angle range (VLAR) and very high angle range (VHAR) tasks have problems being run on a GPU. They either finish very slowly, or they get stuck.

You best uninstall this version of BOINC and go back to 6.10.18, which is the recommended version again. And stay on that one until the next version comes out, whichever one that is and whenever that is.
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Message 994398 - Posted: 6 May 2010, 12:51:28 UTC - in response to Message 994395.  

Reverting back to v18, the BOINC manager no longer recognises the following option
<ignore_cuda_dev>1</ignore_cuda_dev>

How do i tell the manger to ignore my second card?
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Message 994399 - Posted: 6 May 2010, 13:00:05 UTC - in response to Message 994398.  

Ah sorry, that core client configuartion option didn't become available until 6.10.19
So get that version from here:
6.10.19 (32bit version)
6.10.19 (64bit version)
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Aus_Karlos

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Message 994403 - Posted: 6 May 2010, 13:10:29 UTC - in response to Message 994399.  

Ok done.

One more question, is it worth installing Lunatics optimisation?
Are there risks involved from installing this. Like computation errors?
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Message 994405 - Posted: 6 May 2010, 13:15:53 UTC - in response to Message 994403.  

Normally there aren't any problems, but even the Lunatics app has problems with VLAR and VHAR tasks. It's not very much faster on the GPU, as far as I understand. Sometimes even slower than the stock app.

You can do it, but my advise is to run your present cache empty (set Seti to No New Tasks), before you do that. Just in case something does go wrong and you lose all your present work in progress. You wouldn't be the first (and sadly also not the last). ;-)
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Questions and Answers : GPU applications : Use one GPU only


 
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