Hello,

Oops, I'm new on this project and I think I have started a few hours ago a thread asking for some help on my specific issues with GPU crunching in a _wrong_ forum section. Obviously now for me, it should take place here!

Here is the original thread I started:
http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/forum_thread.php?id=77629

My original post describing the problem:

Hello,

I have started yesterday crunching a little for SETI@home on my desktop PC.

Since all my CPU time is given to another project (World Community Grid), I decided to make my GPU available for the SETI@home project. It is a modest ATI Radeon HD 4670.

So I tuned the project parameters on the web site, to use only the ATI GPU.

(BOINC version is the latest stable Win64 one; graphics drivers are the latest ones from ATI.)

Well, at first it worked fine: the first task started OK, and after a few hours the task was completed, results given back to the server (and later validated). The problem is, that at the end of the first task, two new tasks were automatically downloaded and tried to start, but -as it seems- were unable to initialize (displayed running with 0% completion, then postponed, running again, re-postponed, on an on, alternatively and repeatedly.) I had to manually reset the project to get a new task downloading, initializing OK and running to completion.

So what's wrong, why don't tasks run smoothly one after another?

Thanks for any help, best regards.

Xavier

The stderr log for a task repeatedly failing to initialize can be found here:
http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/result.php?resultid=4241782968
The most interesting part is :

ERROR: OpenCL kernel/call 'Enqueueing kernel:PC_find_triplets_avg_kernel_HD5_cl' call failed (-54) in file ..\analyzePoT.cpp near line 1538.
Waiting 30 sec before restart...

Sorry again, thanks in advance to whoever may help,

Xavier

P.S. Strangely this evening, it seems tasks do start and initialize OK one after another; maybe because running applications from the project are not the same than yesterday?

graphics drivers are the latest ones from ATI.
If with the latest you mean 14.12 Omega, then these do not have the correct OpenCL support for your GPU. Your computer page states driver: 1.4.1734 which is probably 12.5. If that version, that's fine.

But your ATI Radeon HD 4670 only has Beta OpenCL support. It never had full OpenCL 1.0 support, which can give trouble with some of the science applications Seti sends out.

The opencl_ati5_sah is one application your GPU can never run, as it's for AMD 5xxx GPUs. I see your GPU is handling the opencl_ati_100 and opencl_ati_sah applications just fine, though.

If you want to prevent the use of the application geared for HD 5xxxx and above GPUs, you can opt to use the third party (further optimized) Lunatics applications. These run through the anonymous platform option built into BOINC. If you want to, you can download the installer from http://http://lunatics.kwsn.info/

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graphics drivers are the latest ones from ATI.
If with the latest you mean 14.12 Omega, then these do not have the correct OpenCL support for your GPU. Your computer page states driver: 1.4.1734 which is probably 12.5. If that version, that's fine.

Ooops one more time: in fact I erroneously remembered reinstalling my graphics drivers a few days ago, but no! I just updated my _sound_ drivers! :-D

I have Catalyst 13.1 installed; if my Computer Page says driver = 1.1734 it must be true, I don't know where to check that (ATI driver package version is 8.970.100.7000). When I check for updates from the Catalyst Control Center, it says there is no update available.

But your ATI Radeon HD 4670 only has Beta OpenCL support. It never had full OpenCL 1.0 support, which can give trouble with some of the science applications Seti sends out.

The opencl_ati5_sah is one application your GPU can never run, as it's for AMD 5xxx GPUs. I see your GPU is handling the opencl_ati_100 and opencl_ati_sah applications just fine, though.

If you want to prevent the use of the application geared for HD 5xxxx and above GPUs, you can opt to use the third party (further optimized) Lunatics applications. These run through the anonymous platform option built into BOINC. If you want to, you can download the installer from http://http://lunatics.kwsn.info/

I understand now... Well maybe I can first simply disable the applications I can't run, in the project settings... And then I'll try to understand what these Lunatics apps are about.

Thanks!

I have Catalyst 13.1 installed; if my Computer Page says driver = 1.1734 it must be true, I don't know where to check that

Those of us helping out use the ATI Driver Cheat Sheet as all that info is impossible to remember.

When I check for updates from the Catalyst Control Center, it says there is no update available.

And which hasn't been since 12.10, from which point onwards there would've only been maintenance updates (i.e. if a glaring nreaking bug was found, they'd fix that, but else no updates). So 13.1 is fine.

...maybe I can first simply disable the applications I can't run, in the project settings...

No, sadly that isn't possible at this project. You can only set to run either Setiathome v7 or Astropulse v7, not which specific applications these can use. That is decided by the scheduler at the moment that it appoints work to your computer, and that is where it goes wrong it seems. I'll let the developers know that if there is a plan-class for these lower GPUs that there's something wrong and that it's sending wrong applications to these older GPUs.

Or, as said, you can choose your own applications from the Lunatics installer and then the project will only use those.

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I have Catalyst 13.1 installed; if my Computer Page says driver = 1.1734 it must be true, I don't know where to check that

Those of us helping out use the ATI Driver Cheat Sheet as all that info is impossible to remember.

Your cheat sheet says there's a bug with Catalyst 13.1. Not sure to understand: is it something only developers should be concerned with, or as an average cruncher should I downgrade and install for instance Cat 12.10 instead, if I can find it?

Your cheat sheet says there's a bug with Catalyst 13.1.

I still don't think you run 13.1, as you say your ATI driver package version is 8.970.100.7000, which puts it between 8.961.0.0000 for 12.4 and 8.980.0.0000 for 12.6, thus is probably 12.5

In any case, if you had 13.1 your BOINC wouldn't receive any work from the project, because at each scheduler request your BOINC would send that version number along which the scheduler checks against a list of not-allowed versions. If on the list, no work is sent. There's no use sending work if it's 100% going to be returned faulty anyway.

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I have Catalyst 13.1 installed; if my Computer Page says driver = 1.1734 it must be true, I don't know where to check that

Those of us helping out use the ATI Driver Cheat Sheet as all that info is impossible to remember.

Your cheat sheet says there's a bug with Catalyst 13.1. Not sure to understand: is it something only developers should be concerned with, or as an average cruncher should I downgrade and install for instance Cat 12.10 instead, if I can find it?

The ATI Driver Cheat Sheet does NOT list the so called "legacy" drivers for HD2000-HD4000 Series ATI GPUs.
The "Catalyst 13.1" in that list is NOT the driver that you are using. It has a different(newer) OpenCL runtime version.
Compare to stderr-output of one of your completed tasks (SETI@home v7 v7.07 (opencl_ati_sah)) from your result list for the OpenCL runtime version you are using.

You are using "Catalyst 13.1 legacy" driver for older GPUs, which is the correct driver for your card. It provides OpenCL runtime version :
Version: OpenCL 1.0 AMD-APP (937.2)

addition: looks like there is also a driver update available at AMDs web site, but OpenCL runtime stays the same.

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U r s

There seems to be versioning subtleties!

Here is where I read 13.1 : a screen capture of the Catalyst Control Center, which manages my modest vintage but still valiant HD4670.



All in all I think I don't have to change anything about the drivers, I've had BOINC results accepted for some completed tasks! 2 validated, 2 pending for validation. The only failures were from the start, for this HD5xxx-series-only tasks .

Mmmm... Well after all, gonna install this 13.9 legacy Catalyst you pointed me to. I've understood it should keep the same relevant drivers.

Eric (Korpela) says he thinks he fixed it that older GPUs like yours could get applications for HD5xxx GPUs and above. Best thing to try to see if his fix fixed it, is continue using the default applications (i.e. not use the third party Lunatics apps) and see if you get a new HD5 task appointed.

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Good thing, so I won't have to abort them "by hand", like today when I got some.
My currently running GPU task is an opencl_ati_sah one (seems to be OK, at 15% completion) I have no other task waiting in the SETI@home queue by now.
Let's wait and see if I get HD5xxx ones I can't deal with...

If I haven't melted, I will keep an eye on your system as well. :)

But if you see any opencl_ati5_cat132, opencl_ati5_nocal or opencl_ati5_sah tasks in your list again, just post about it in this or your other thread and I'll forward the info to the administration.

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Thanks for this scheduler fix!

Well, four days later: it seems to be running fine, proceeding smoothly. I have been receiving only some generic ATI GPU tasks, compatible with my (low-end and "vintage", I know) graphics card.

All tasks run to completion, and get validated.

Cheers! just my (very) modest contribution to the quest for aliens... ;-D