Only want to run cuda tasks

Questions and Answers : Preferences : Only want to run cuda tasks
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Message 1642852 - Posted: 16 Feb 2015, 12:11:38 UTC

How do i set BOINC to only run the Seti@home (cuda) tasks, these are the smaller file tasks to do. I don't have time to dedicate my GPU and CPU to run those 3 to 8 hour task files. My pc can run multiple files easily but only want to run the 10 to 50 minute task files. Is this possible?
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Message 1642869 - Posted: 16 Feb 2015, 13:40:04 UTC - in response to Message 1642852.  
Last modified: 16 Feb 2015, 13:41:31 UTC

CUDA tasks, by nature, are GPU-only tasks. So what you are asking to do is to disable running tasks on your CPU and run SETI@home CUDA tasks only.

Just want to be clear on the expectations so you understand why you're not getting CPU tasks after you make the recommended changes.


That being said, go to your Project Preferences, uncheck "Use CPU", then, under Run Only Selected Appilcations:

Run only the selected applications:
SETI@home Enhanced: No
SETI@home v7: yes
AstroPulse v6: No
AstroPulse v7: No
If no work for selected applications is available, accept work from other applications?	No


Turn off AstroPulse v6 & v7, and turn off the last option which tells BOINC "If SETI has no tasks for SETI@home v7, download something else to keep my computer busy until more of my preferred tasks are available."


You will then only get CUDA tasks as requested on all future work requests.
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Message 1643079 - Posted: 16 Feb 2015, 23:52:28 UTC - in response to Message 1642869.  
Last modified: 17 Feb 2015, 0:14:51 UTC

SETI@home Enhanced: no ( getting all of these)
SETI@home v7: yes (these have stopped coming)
AstroPulse v6: no
AstroPulse v7: no

Its not working still getting those hourly long tasks
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Message 1643094 - Posted: 17 Feb 2015, 0:57:21 UTC - in response to Message 1643079.  
Last modified: 17 Feb 2015, 1:16:14 UTC

There are no SETI@home Enhanced workunits anymore; they are no longer sent out. They were application version 6.x, and you are not showing any 6.x applications on your account.

The SETI@home v7 haven't stopped coming - according to your account you've aborted them. Have you been aborting them based upon the estimated time to completion because you think they're the long ones? Have you tried letting them complete to see what their actual completion times are vs. estimated?


It may help you to know that all SETI@home workunits are the same. The only reason why CUDA are shorter is because GPUs are that much more efficient to crunch on than your CPU. But not all workunits sent to your GPU will be 15 minutes max. It will depend on the angle range of the workunit on how quickly it finishes.
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Message 1643150 - Posted: 17 Feb 2015, 5:42:42 UTC - in response to Message 1643094.  

Yes I have aborted them, and yes i have let them run to see if they actually are that long. That was why i aborted them in the first place. It shows on my account I am running the long ones because,.... 1) I turned off the others and ran the v7 tasks before i asked for help. 2) After seeing i was still getting those enhanced tasks I therefor tried switching the tasks around to see if it was a glitch or something. Then after waiting for 15 hrs to see what tasks was being done and completed i did a reset on the project but that didn't do it. Then decided to ask for help

My GPU is old but it still runs great, However my CPU is brand new, i simply choose not to use its full capacity, grant it that GPU's are much more powerful than a cpu, not looking to be criticized by it here either. If this is how help is going to be perceived I'll stop altogether. I'm not being rude or hard to deal with.
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Message 1643168 - Posted: 17 Feb 2015, 6:56:31 UTC

it is many months since the last "proper" enhanced task was sent out, v7 (and the various Astroplulse versions) have been the only work distributed for a long time. However, it may be that you are getting confused by the way the application name is displayed.

Assuming we are talking about "Multibeam" tasks which are processed by the "Seti at home v7" series of applications. A task that is dedicated to your GPU will end with "cudaxx" (where xx is the cuda version to be employed), a task that is dedicated to your CPU will not have that at then end of its name

Looking at your results I see you have abandoned tasks that were dedicated to your GPU, but have left your CPU running, with only a handful of tasks available to it just now.
The most recent tasks you let finish on your GPU took about 30 minutes to complete, which is about right for a middle of the range task on a GTX460 if you are not running the graphics which double (or more) the run time. Other tasks will take longer maybe double or more, while others will be a little quicker.

One thought - you say you waited a good few hours to see what task ran and it didn't complete. Did you notice if the BOINC screen saver started, this is installed by default with some BOINC updates and really does cause some significant extensions in processing time (four or five times....)
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Message 1643222 - Posted: 17 Feb 2015, 10:40:44 UTC - in response to Message 1643150.  
Last modified: 17 Feb 2015, 10:58:54 UTC

Yes I have aborted them, and yes i have let them run to see if they actually are that long. That was why i aborted them in the first place.


Then that may simply be how long some workunits take to take to run on your GPU. There is no way to guarantee the ones you get will only be 15 minutes average. However, with your GPU, the average runtime should be about 30 minutes, give or take. Have you tried cleaning the dust out of your system to improve performance?

2) After seeing i was still getting those enhanced tasks I therefor tried switching the tasks around to see if it was a glitch or something.


I think you're still assuming the Enhanced workunits are the long running ones, and therefore think that's what you've been getting. This is not correct. Runtimes are going to vary greatly depending on what the workunit is running on (CPU, GPU, etc.) and what the angle range is.

not looking to be criticized by it here either. If this is how help is going to be perceived I'll stop altogether. I'm not being rude or hard to deal with.


I'm really not understanding why you're being defensive, or what I said that made you that way. No one has criticized you, let alone for asking for help. Many of us enjoy helping others and have been doing it for years. Many of us can also spot incorrect assumptions or information right away, such as you thinking you're getting Enhanced workunits, or thinking there's a way to get workunits with an average runtime of 15 minutes.

I'm merely trying to help explain what is happening on your system.

You asked to run CUDA only, so I told you how to do that, and isn't working exactly as you wanted. Now I'm trying to help you understand why it isn't working exactly as you expected and somehow I've upset you, thinking you've somehow been criticized.
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Message 1643289 - Posted: 17 Feb 2015, 14:21:57 UTC - in response to Message 1642852.  

I don't have time to dedicate my GPU and CPU to run those 3 to 8 hour task files.

I'm not sure why you think you have to have "time to dedicate" when some task takes longer.

You can safely exit BOINC and/or shutdown the computer in the middle of Computing.
The next day the tasks will start from where they were (by default they checkpoint every minute)
 


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Message 1643407 - Posted: 17 Feb 2015, 22:35:46 UTC

Go to https://setiathome.berkeley.edu/hosts_user.php, click Details on your host, make note of the Location.

In https://setiathome.berkeley.edu/prefs.php?subset=project
Edit preferences on the correct location for that computer (default ---/home/school/work).

Uncheck
Use CPU
Use ATI GPU
Use Intel GPU

Check
Use NVIDIA GPU


Run only the selected applications
SETI@home Enhanced: Uncheck (this was for now deprecated v6 Seti tasks *)
SETI@home v7: Check
AstroPulse v6: Uncheck (this was for now deprecated v6 Astropulse tasks *)
AstroPulse v7: Uncheck


If no work for selected applications is available, accept work from other applications? Uncheck

* That these entries are still in the list is just because the administrators haven't had time yet to clean them up. Some day they will.

Save the changes to the preferences page with the "Update preferences" button.

Now open BOINC Manager->(View->Advanced view->)Projects tab->Select Seti@Home->click Update. This makes sure that the client has these new preferences as well.

**

As you have been told, tasks running on the Nvidia GPU will usually have CUDA in their name. You have a lot of tasks with CUDA 42 and CUDA50 in the name. These run on the Geforce GTX 460 SE.

All tasks just called v7.00 with nothing behind it run on the CPU.
When you open BOINC Manager->(View->Advanced view->)Tasks tab, you can order the tasks by application name. Click on the "Application" bar. This will split all v7.00 together, all v7 7.00 (cuda42) together, all v7 7.00 (cuda50) together and anything other as well.

If you followed the first steps in this post, you should now have the correct preferences for wanting to receive only work for the GPU. So next you can select all the tasks where the application has only got v7 7.00 in the name (those for the CPU), click on the first one, then while holding SHIFT scroll to the last one and click that one (only part of the tasks should be selected in BOINC Manager, not all of them), then click Abort and confirm.

At any next scheduler request, be it automatically or done by you (Update), BOINC should report these tasks and possibly ask for more work, but this time for the GPU only.
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Message 1643437 - Posted: 17 Feb 2015, 23:06:24 UTC - in response to Message 1643222.  

Ok maybe i should have worded my original post differently

Let me clarify why i am saying what i said, On my side on the BOINC Manager one the advanced view it shows

(for example):

07:49:50 SETI@home v7 7.00 (it does take every bit of that time to complete)

00:23:57 SETI@home v7 7.00 (cuda50)

Many of us can also spot incorrect assumptions

I am going by what it shows in the preferences when saying enhanced but if that term or whatever is outdated and know longer implemented then shouldn't that be removed to rid the confusion?
SETI@home Enhanced: no
SETI@home v7: yes
AstroPulse v6: no
AstroPulse v7: no


Have you tried cleaning the dust out of your system to improve performance

My system has no dust to speak of, It's got 2 big fans and 3 small fans air filters and such, it runs very cool. Now the only thing that may slow down performance would be the hard drive it has a 5200 RPM (yea its show, although i have an SSD to replace it I am waiting for the new w7u 64bit to arrive). And on this website i do not know why it shows my GC is a 1gb card as it is a 2gb. I custom build this pc, not a manufactured machine. IT is possible my GC is getting too old to run these tasks being nearly 9 years old
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Message 1643438 - Posted: 17 Feb 2015, 23:09:34 UTC - in response to Message 1643407.  

Thank you, This is what i was asking for in the first place... I apologize if i came off as being rude it was not intended.
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Message 1643455 - Posted: 17 Feb 2015, 23:43:29 UTC - in response to Message 1643437.  

And on this website i do not know why it shows my GC is a 1gb card as it is a 2gb.

BOINC queries the drivers what kind of videocard they say is installed. It's the videocard drivers that then report to BOINC what is installed, and how much memory there's on it. Mind, this is just memory as it is physically on the GPU, any memory extra appointed to it through BIOS/UEFI or software will not be taken into account.

I custom build this pc, not a manufactured machine. IT is possible my GC is getting too old to run these tasks being nearly 9 years old

The Nvidia GeForce GTX 460 SE was first released November 15, 2010 (source).
The AMD FX-6300 was first released October 23, 2012 (source).

So not that old. :)
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Message 1643516 - Posted: 18 Feb 2015, 1:40:08 UTC - in response to Message 1643437.  
Last modified: 18 Feb 2015, 1:40:49 UTC

07:49:50 SETI@home v7 7.00 (it does take every bit of that time to complete)


These are CPU tasks when they are not marked as cudaxx (where xx = CUDA application version). By disabling tasks on your CPU, you will no longer get them.

00:23:57 SETI@home v7 7.00 (cuda50)


These are GPU tasks. They will vary in runtime, but should always be shorter than running on your CPU. 15 minutes will be the average for VHAR (Very High Angle Range) workunits, while some may take up to 60 minutes for VLAR (Very Low Angle Range) workunits. You cannot control whether you get VHAR or VLARs, but in general the project is already designed not to send too many VLARs to NVidia GPUs.

Many of us can also spot incorrect assumptions

I am going by what it shows in the preferences when saying enhanced but if that term or whatever is outdated and know longer implemented then shouldn't that be removed to rid the confusion?


Yes, it should, and likely will be in due time.

Have you tried cleaning the dust out of your system to improve performance

My system has no dust to speak of, It's got 2 big fans and 3 small fans air filters and such, it runs very cool.


Excellent. You may be running optimally, but there are other avenues to explore if you feel performance should be better. Just a suggestion.

Now the only thing that may slow down performance would be the hard drive it has a 5200 RPM (yea its show, although i have an SSD to replace it I am waiting for the new w7u 64bit to arrive).


SETI is not very hard drive intensive. Your hard drive isn't going to be the piece that slows down crunching in your equation.

And on this website i do not know why it shows my GC is a 1gb card as it is a 2gb. I custom build this pc, not a manufactured machine. IT is possible my GC is getting too old to run these tasks being nearly 9 years old


I'd agree with Ageless on this one. Your card really isn't that old, so you should be able to get decent performance out of it. Again, you won't be able to guarantee that all tasks are 15 minutes max runtime, but your average should be around 30 depending on the Angle Range of the workunit.
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Message 1643721 - Posted: 18 Feb 2015, 12:43:22 UTC - in response to Message 1643455.  

That page is very odd with that date, cause the Tech guy i used to go to for pc repair bought this from an online site that i requested, It was about 9 years ago (he still has the receipt for it. lol I've had this GC in 2 other pc's already and quite proud of its performance. And seeing as on my pc it shows 2048gb mem and also on the box it came in. SO yea that page is very odd to me with that information given...BUT that is another story.

However for the CPU, yea that is correct, I built this pc with that FX-6300 last year after the summer time so for me its new (has it been that long already)lol.
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Message 1643738 - Posted: 18 Feb 2015, 13:30:47 UTC - in response to Message 1643721.  

Two things against that:

Nvidia started releasing videocards that could do CUDA (Compute Unified Device Architecture) calculations in June 2007. The first were the Geforce 8x00 series GPUs. BOINC/Seti adopted it by releasing the first capable applications in December 2008.

The GTX 460 SE is a DirectX 11 card; DirectX 11 was first released in 2009.
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Message 1643889 - Posted: 19 Feb 2015, 0:46:01 UTC - in response to Message 1643738.  

Ok I'll have to take another look at everything, If it is the same info as being said, I'll not say anymore but if it shows different I'll post pics. All'n'ALL it really doesn't matter. lol it's getting old with any regard
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Message 1644430 - Posted: 20 Feb 2015, 10:51:49 UTC - in response to Message 1643721.  
Last modified: 20 Feb 2015, 11:39:17 UTC

And seeing as on my pc it shows 2048gb mem and also on the box it came in. SO yea that page is very odd to me with that information given...

http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/show_host_detail.php?hostid=7502534

I think on 32 bit OS the CUDA driver can't see/use all the GPU RAM
BOINC asks NVIDIA driver and it says 1024 MB so BOINC reports that.

The same say the SETI@home CUDA application:
http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/result.php?resultid=3983912012

"Device 1: GeForce GTX 460 SE, 1024 MiB"


But probably games using DirectX or OpenGL can use all the GPU RAM (video driver may be flipping pages into the 32 bit address space 0-4 GB?)?


What is shown by GPU Caps Viewer on it's different tabs?
http://www.ozone3d.net/gpu_caps_viewer/

For me on Windows XP (32 bit) GPU Caps Viewer 1.20.1 show:
- OpenGL - Total GPU memory 1024MB
- OpenCL - Global Mem. 512MB



 
 


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