Hi all,
I am so lost in this CUDA thing. On one side I read magnificent things about running CUDA, others say they only get 40 credits per day.
I also read complicated things on how to start using CUDA. What has to be done?

I now use Boinc Manager 6.4.5
wxWidgets version 2.8.7.

As crunch program I use: AK_V8_SSSE3_LX64 on Ubuntu Hardy 8.04, 64-bits.

I have a Q6600, running with 4GB ram and a8500GT nVidia card.

Boinc manager tells me:
Tue Dec 30 17:47:51 2008||CUDA devices found
Tue Dec 30 17:47:51 2008||Coprocessor: GeForce 8500 GT (1)

So from what I know now is that my hardware is OK for using CUDA.
What do I need to do to use the GPU as a cruncher? Please explain it step by step using simple terms since I do sometimes have problems understanding the technical stuff because of languages problems. English is not my first language.

Please somebody help me so I also can start using CUDA.

Thanks a lot.

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DeMus

1. Stop boinc running.
2. Delete app_info.xml from seti directory
3. restart boinc and reset seti

That should be it to crunch cuda.
Best of luck. I have 3 rigs going. All my seti credits be from the cuda app.

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"The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not Eureka! (I found it!) but rather, 'hmm... that's funny...'" -- Isaac Asimov

Hi,

That's all I have to do? I read threads where people write I have to download this, and change xml files and you only tell me to erase a file and restart the program?
Well, I hope it works that way. I'll try it as soon as my cache is empty.
Thanks for your help. Really appreciate it.

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DeMus

1. Stop boinc running.
2. Delete app_info.xml from seti directory
3. restart boinc and resset seti

That should be it to crunch cuda.
Best of luck. I have 3 rigs going. All my seti rac is from the cuda app.

Btw, when you say that your 3 computers are responsible for the total Seti RAC and I see that your RAC is 1500 then it looks to me I don't even have to start CUDA. I have 1 computer as mentioned in the original message and my RAC is around 5.000 without CUDA.
What can I expect if I do start using it? Will my RAC go up or down?

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DeMus

Hi,

That's all I have to do? I read threads where people write I have to download this, and change xml files and you only tell me to erase a file and restart the program?
Well, I hope it works that way. I'll try it as soon as my cache is empty.
Thanks for your help. Really appreciate it.

Don't want to be a wet blanket, but be aware that without a cc_config.xml file one of your cores will be dedicated to servicing the GPU and will be 95% idle. The other 3 cores will crunch anything except Seti-Enhanced (MultiBeam) tasks.

F.

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Ubuntu Hardy 8.04, 64-bits.

Unless I missed the announcement, I don't think there's a CUDA application yet on Linux. As far as I know, there's only one available for the various Windows versions.

BOINC may be able to detect your CUDA capable card, but you'd need the application for your OS as well. Unless you run BOINC under WinE.

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Hi,

That's all I have to do? I read threads where people write I have to download this, and change xml files and you only tell me to erase a file and restart the program?
Well, I hope it works that way. I'll try it as soon as my cache is empty.
Thanks for your help. Really appreciate it.

Don't want to be a wet blanket, but be aware that without a cc_config.xml file one of your cores will be dedicated to servicing the GPU and will be 95% idle. The other 3 cores will crunch anything except Seti-Enhanced (MultiBeam) tasks.

F.

Can you explain that to me a little more? I do need to do more than what Westsail wrote me?
Can you tell me what I do need to do to make things work well without my CPU being idle and just servicing the GPU?
Now it starts to get complicated. The first answer to my question sounded so easy, but now I get confused again.
Please help.

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DeMus

Can you explain that to me a little more? I do need to do more than what Westsail wrote me?
Can you tell me what I do need to do to make things work well without my CPU being idle and just servicing the GPU?
Now it starts to get complicated. The first answer to my question sounded so easy, but now I get confused again.
Please help.

Well I would, but Ageless has hit the nail on the head in the post immediately preceding. Since there is currently no CUDA App for Linux it would not help. If you were running Windows, I would probably draw on one (or more) of Byron's posts in other CUDA threads here.

F.

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Ubuntu Hardy 8.04, 64-bits.

Unless I missed the announcement, I don't think there's a CUDA application yet on Linux. As far as I know, there's only one available for the various Windows versions.

BOINC may be able to detect your CUDA capable card, but you'd need the application for your OS as well. Unless you run BOINC under WinE.

There is a way to run Windows apps on a Linux box. It is called wine, if I am not wrong, but I never used it. I am a Linux user and just now I am trying to read the smart card given to me by the National Health Service where all my personal health data should be encrypted on a microprocessor, but so far I have been unable to use it. Of course the NHS considers only Windows!
Tullio

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There is a way to run Windows apps on a Linux box. It is called wine, if I am not wrong, but I never used it.

I already touched that possibility. Another would be to compile the science application from source, but I can't guarantee it'll work.

Presumably the developers want to iron out the bugs first before attempting to port the app over to other operating systems.

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So in other words: I can forget about it. Take a Windows program and let it run under Wine is possible but I think I better leave it the way it is now. It's running fine and I don't like to mesh things up for something of which the outcome is not even sure yet. I mean how much would I gain in RAC or maybe even lose.

Thanks for all your answers and for all of you a Happy New Year.

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DeMus

So in other words: I can forget about it. Take a Windows program and let it run under Wine is possible but I think I better leave it the way it is now. It's running fine and I don't like to mesh things up for something of which the outcome is not even sure yet. I mean how much would I gain in RAC or maybe even lose.

Thanks for all your answers and for all of you a Happy New Year.

Just one more comment ...

After you have been 'round BOINC for a few years you will see this kind of excitement and yelling and bickering back and forth ... and lots of threads ... the smart move is to just sit back and relax ...

Especially if you are not a raving Geek ...

A month or so will pass and the excitement will die down ... and that is the time to ask questions... and then maybe dabble your toes in the waters ... because by then the geeks will have ironed out most of the bugs and those of us that are not so technical can start to use the latest and greatest.

There are plenty of bugs in the CUDA world and if one does not get you anther will ... I am "losing" quite a bit of capability on one core of my computers because of a problem in the GPU Grid application which means I do less than I would like on those computers ... but I get the productivity of the CUDA application on the other side ... mid January when they put out the new application, well, off we go ...:)

Paul's opinion CUDA is alpha state technology and while I am having luck with it, I also am spending a lot of time baby-sitting my computers to make things work ...

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I found a small issue with the cc_config.xml patch to use all cores + GPU, this is if you run out of seti CUDA workunits and seti doesn't give you any more due to AP WU's being run you still run 5 jobs but only on 4 cores, meaning 1 core is running 2 jobs at once. This probably isn't the best way of doing things, but what do I know, all this tweaking boinc is new to me.

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Bambi

I found a small issue with the cc_config.xml patch to use all cores + GPU, this is if you run out of seti CUDA workunits and seti doesn't give you any more due to AP WU's being run you still run 5 jobs but only on 4 cores, meaning 1 core is running 2 jobs at once. This probably isn't the best way of doing things, but what do I know, all this tweaking boinc is new to me.

You are correct. This has been raised as a Trak ticket with the BOINC developers.

Apparently BOINC 6.5.0 works correctly in regard to cuda and non-cuda tasks but has other issues. Its what you would call a alpha-test version at the moment.

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BOINC blog

http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/cuda.php says:

"(Note: CUDA apps are supported only on Windows and Linux; Mac OS X support is coming soon.)"

So, Linux is also supported. I wonder why I still get no CUDA work units on my Ubuntu 8.10 ...?

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Join team KRAFTWERK - all BOINCers welcome! :-)

http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/cuda.php says:

"(Note: CUDA apps are supported only on Windows and Linux; Mac OS X support is coming soon.)"

So, Linux is also supported. I wonder why I still get no CUDA work units on my Ubuntu 8.10 ...?

Eh, Because the Seti@home Cuda app is only out on Windows?

Claggy

Oh yes:

FAQ (http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/cuda_faq.php) says:

"Releases for MacOS X and Linux are planned in the near future."

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Join team KRAFTWERK - all BOINCers welcome! :-)