Hi there!

I already found the configuration possibilities for exclusive applications, where BOINC shuts down all calculations and the exclusive GPU application, where BOINC shuts down GPU crunching. I found no way to configure BOINC to free one core for the use of an specific application. This would be a great feature and would easing my daily life extremely! ;)

Maybe someone already figured out a way to do this with the current BOINC, then please share your ideas!

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Aloha, Uli

Since BOINC doesn't have a boinccmd.exe option to adjust CPU usage on the fly I did this.
-Make copies of cc_config.xml with desired <ncpus>N</ncpus> value

cc_config.1 = <ncpus>1</ncpus>
cc_config.2 = <ncpus>2</ncpus>
cc_config.4 = <ncpus>4</ncpus>
cc_config.all = <ncpus>-1</ncpus>

-Have a script to copy desired cc_config over cc_config.xml & then tell BOINC to update.

copy cc_config.2 cc_config.xml /y
boinccmd --read_cc_config

You could then automate the whole process.

set boincdir=z:\BOINCdata
pushd %boincdir%
copy cc_config.2 cc_config.xml /y
boinccmd --read_cc_config
start /wait notepad.exe
copy cc_config.all cc_config.xml /y
boinccmd --read_cc_config

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SETI@home classic workunits: 93,865 CPU time: 863,447 hours
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That's a great idea! :O

Will test it this evening - thank you very much!

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Aloha, Uli

Thanks again, works like a charm! :)

Only downside:
While the program/script runs, there is an additional command window open.
For now i start this command shell window minimized.

Addition:
I now start the shell script using Quiet:
http://www.joeware.net/freetools/tools/quiet/index.htm
Now the process is completely invisible!

Many thanks again! :D

Addition2:
For using all cores again, i have to apply the real number of cores (4 in my case) for using all cores.
If i specify "-1" as original, there is no change and BOINC continues to use only 3 cores.

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Aloha, Uli

Thanks again, works like a charm! :)

Only downside:
While the program/script runs, there is an additional command window open.
For now i start this command shell window minimized.

Addition:
I now start the shell script using Quiet:
http://www.joeware.net/freetools/tools/quiet/index.htm
Now the process is completely invisible!

Many thanks again! :D

Addition2:
For using all cores again, i have to apply the real number of cores (4 in my case) for using all cores.
If i specify "-1" as original, there is no change and BOINC continues to use only 3 cores.

Normally I used this when playing a game that needed a bit more free CPU time. So I didn't see the command shell open. Using the tool like you found it one way to make the windows go away. There are probably other ways to do this, but this is the quick and easy way to get the result.

I was working from memory. I guess setting -1 for CPUs only works on startup. Maybe it is a bug that it doesn't work on cc_config reread?

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SETI@home classic workunits: 93,865 CPU time: 863,447 hours
Join the [url=http://tinyurl.com/8y46zvu]BP6/VP6 User Group[

I more and more love this feature and it would really be a cool feature, to have a list of applications in BOINC, for which 1 (one) core is freed while the application is running.

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Aloha, Uli

I more and more love this feature and it would really be a cool feature, to have a list of applications in BOINC, for which 1 (one) core is freed while the application is running.

Maybe something like <exclusive_app>. Where an app can be specified & then have a specific "use at most X % of the processors" value applied to it.

So for a 4 core/thread system to reserves 1 core for an app you would specify 75%. Along the lines of:

<cpu_intensive_app>
      <app>filename.exe</app>
      <max_pct_cpus>75</max_pct_cpus>
</cpu_intensive_app>

<cpu_intensive_gpu_app>
      <app>filename.exe</app>
      <max_pct_cpus>75</max_pct_cpus>
</cpu_intensive_gpu_app>

Being able to adjust the current "use at most X % of the processors" BOINC setting via boinccmd would be nice as well.

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SETI@home classic workunits: 93,865 CPU time: 863,447 hours
Join the [url=http://tinyurl.com/8y46zvu]BP6/VP6 User Group[

That are great ideas, how can i forward this request to the BOINC developers?

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Aloha, Uli

That are great ideas, how can i forward this request to the BOINC developers?

Previously I posted a question on the BOINC fora under BOINC client section. Regarding an issue with BOINC and virtual box. Ageless was kind enough to communicate the matter to the devs and now we have the <dont_use_vbox>0|1</dont_use_vbox> feature.

I'm not sure what the current method to submit features is now. They do have a contact section on the BOINC site. However they do list those avenues of contact for "issues".
Also given the current funding status of BOINC I'm not sure if or when new features may get added. Rom did some work on ATI GPUs detection for non-CAL GPUs recently, but that hasn't made it into an official build yet.

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SETI@home classic workunits: 93,865 CPU time: 863,447 hours
Join the [url=http://tinyurl.com/8y46zvu]BP6/VP6 User Group[

Previously I posted a question on the BOINC fora under BOINC client section.

That's still the best and quickest way. Please when posting there do write out in detail what's being asked, do not just put a link down to this thread with the 'request' to add it as that's not going to work. I am not reading all these threads/fora in detail and am certainly not going to try to figure out what it is you meant if you're too lazy to spit it out in detail. (You being generic, I am not talking to HAL here).

At least when you write it out in detail, all I have to do is copy everything, including your name and email it to the correct person. Who will then either tell you through the forums what's going to happen with it, or he'll tell me.

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Previously I posted a question on the BOINC fora under BOINC client section.

That's still the best and quickest way. Please when posting there do write out in detail what's being asked, do not just put a link down to this thread with the 'request' to add it as that's not going to work. I am not reading all these threads/fora in detail and am certainly not going to try to figure out what it is you meant if you're too lazy to spit it out in detail. (You being generic, I am not talking to HAL here).

At least when you write it out in detail, all I have to do is copy everything, including your name and email it to the correct person. Who will then either tell you through the forums what's going to happen with it, or he'll tell me.

Done: http://boinc.berkeley.edu/dev/forum_thread.php?id=10868
Hope, it works out well. Thanks!

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Aloha, Uli