Hello there,

I recently came across a thread that taught me about Lunatics and how it could optimize performance with SETI. I installed the latest version (0.44) and set the options that were pertinent to my hardware and driver versions. I have noticed that I can run tasks more efficiently now, as CPU tasks seem to take about a half hour less time (perhaps that was just because of the type of task, but it was consistent across all of the tasks that had been running simultaneously), and my GPU tasks require only .04 CPUS instead of .225. I was hoping to see that I would end up running more tasks concurrently on my GPU, but I am not sure if that is happening.

Can anyone help me understand what to change to get that to happen, or even if it is possible with my hardware?

And I would also like to know why suddenly, after installing Lunatics, why the estimated remaining time for tasks has suddenly sky rocketed to many extra hours, even though it doesn't actually take that long?

Thanks!

The estimates are like that because it takes at least 11 validated results for the times to come back down to a reasonable estimate and right now it's starting from scratch so to speak once you installed the Lunatics.

The easy way to change the number of instances is with a app_config.xml which also goes into the same setiathome folder on your computer.

I'm going to let someone else post theirs as the one I've been giving out seems to have issues for whatever reason.

The other option is to manually go through the app_info and change the ratios for each type of work unit you want.

Lastly, even though it may say 0.04 CPU on the BOINC Manager (a value assigned to it by lunatics), it probably is more than that (usually it's around 0.22-0.25 CPU except for Astropulses which are around 0.04)

To know how much CPU you are actually using you would need something like Boinc Tasks that shows you actual CPU usage per work unit.

Before all that though, do you know where the setiathome folder is located? Usually it is a hidden folder so you need to unhide it first.

Then you will need to located it.

After that, you will need to know how to make an XML folder or how to edit the app_info.xml if you choose that route.

Thanks for the reply Zalster

I'm sure I can track down the setiathome folder with no problem, and I know how to edit files. I just don't yet know what to edit inside the file, but I imagine it shouldn't be hard to figure out. I've seen some other people's posted files, but haven't really looked through them to understand what all of the terminology means. If someone could explain that to me when they post a file, that would be immensely helpful.

Thanks for that info, and I am glad to hear that the estimated time will settle back down after a few more verified tasks.

I would start with an app_config.xml similar to:

<app_config>

<app>
<name>setiathome_v7</name>
<gpu_versions>
<gpu_usage>0.4</gpu_usage>
<cpu_usage>0.4</cpu_usage>
</gpu_versions>
</app>

<app>
<name>setiathome_v8</name>
<gpu_versions>
<gpu_usage>0.4</gpu_usage>
<cpu_usage>0.4</cpu_usage>
</gpu_versions>
</app>

<app>
<name>astropulse_v7</name>
<gpu_versions>
<gpu_usage>0.6</gpu_usage>
<cpu_usage>0.4</cpu_usage>
</gpu_versions>
</app>

</app_config>

REMEMBER this is a TEXT file, so use notepad to edit/create it.

Hi Brent,

Thanks for replying.

Can you tell me what this file and the individual settings will do specifically, please? I'd like to know, so that I may modify them to suit my usage if needed.

Thanks!

Can you tell me what this file and the individual settings will do specifically

Read:
app_config.xml

The posted version will do one of the following combinations (only for GPU tasks):
2 SETI@home tasks (<gpu_usage>0.4</gpu_usage> so 0.4 + 0.4 < 1)
1 AstroPulse + 1 SETI@home tasks (0.6 + 0.4 = 1 GPU)
1 AstroPulse task (if no GPU SETI@home tasks exist)

<cpu_usage>0.4</cpu_usage> will do nothing:
as only 2 GPU tasks run 0.4 + 0.4 = 0.8 = 0 = no CPU core will be free
The sum have to be >= 1 for BOINC to run one less CPU task
 

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

Hi BilBg

I finally got around to trying to implement the app_config that was posted by Brent. I think I understand how it works, and as soon as I had the BOINC Manager read the configuration file, it started another GPU task right away. I am currently seeing 7 seti@home v8 CPU tasks and 2 seti@home v8 GPU tasks being executed at once.

Thanks for supplying me with that website. It really helped to detail what each part of the file does.

The only thing I am still curious about is that, now that I have began using the file, my GPU tasks show that they require 0.4 CPUS to run instead of the 0.04 that it used to say from when I installed Lunatics.

I imagine that this is because of the entry in each app sub-heading of the app_config file that reads <cpu_usage>0.4</cpu_usage>. Am I correct in assuming this? If I were to change this to 0.04 to match what I was getting before, will that drop the performance I am able to contribute or is it completely arbitrary?

Also can you expand on why <cpu_usage>0.4</cpu_usage> does nothing? I am hoping that only 1 CPU core can be used to run both GPU tasks. I think that is what is happening now, but I am uncertain how.

Thanks again for all of your help, and sorry it took so long to try this out.

I'd leave it.

0.04 is good for APs but MB usually require about 0.2 CPU despite what is written in the Lunatics app_info.xml

If you have the CPU to spare it will not harm. Even if you put 0.04 in there,the computer will use what it requires (0.2CPU) to crunch that work.

the 0.4 or 0.04 are really meaningless if you are only running 2 tasks on your GPU

<gpu_usage>0.4</gpu_usage>
<cpu_usage>0.4</cpu_usage>

0.4 gpu usage means, use 0.4 of gpu for each task, 0.4 + 0.4 = 0.8, there is not enough room to start another task since that would be greater that 1 (1.2 gpu's required)

much the same for CPU, it is used to reserve CPU cores (not cpu usage) so if you are running 2 tasks it reserve 0.4 +0.4 (0.8) so is won't shut down a CPU core for processing GPU tasks. If you were to change that to 0.5, it would shutdown a core for the GPU task since it =1.

Awesome, thanks to everyone for giving me all of this info.

I have a pretty good understanding now of how the app config file works and I think I am getting some pretty good performance out of my computer.

Happy Crunching!