Can't meet the deadline

Message boards : Number crunching : Can't meet the deadline
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Profile John Buchanan

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Message 893887 - Posted: 12 May 2009, 8:41:23 UTC

I am running a Pentium 4 at 1.8GHz with 1.25 GB RAM
Using Win XP Sp3.

The S@H system seems to think this is good enough for Astropulse, but several times over the past couple of months the deadline has passed before the unit is completed.

My machine is on for a minumum of 14 hours per day, except two days at weekends, and when I check the running applications list, the Astropulse program is usually running between 80 and 95% frequently over 95 with very occasional short term drops to 75%.

I have checked this pretty thoroughly and the average seems to be close to 90%.

However, I still can't seem to make the deadline, and this means that the time processing appears to be totally wasted.
The current unit still has 21 hours to run and is two days overdue. I hate to think of all this wasted processing time.
What can be done about it please?
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Richard Haselgrove Project Donor
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Message 893890 - Posted: 12 May 2009, 9:24:03 UTC

Hi, and welcome.

It certainly sounds as if your computer is a little bit underpowered to cope with Astropulse tasks, especially given the hours it's turned on.

The best thing to do would be to visit your SETI@home preferences page, and change the block "Run only the selected applications" to read 'yes' for SETI@home Enhanced, and 'no' for both types of Astropulse. Unless you want to live dangerously, you'll also want to say 'no' to the next question: "If no work for selected applications is available, accept work from other applications?".

That should mean that in future, you are only sent the much shorter 'multibeam' tasks, which you should have no difficulty completing within deadline.

For the current task, you're so close to finishing that I would take a risk on letting it finish. When you pass the deadline, BOINC sends the task out to a replacement user to finish on your behalf. But everyone finds these AP jobs tough, and will take time to finish them. In effect, you have a 'grace period': if you get the task finished before the replacement user does, it'll still be accepted. In this case, your replacement - computer 4383011 - has about 15 more tasks to finish before it reaches yours, so it'll take the best part of 4 days to reach it. If you can get this one finished and reported before the weekend shut-down, you should be OK.
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Ianab
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Message 893891 - Posted: 12 May 2009, 9:24:11 UTC - in response to Message 893887.  

There are two things you can do.

1 - (Easy) Go in the preferences section of your account and turn off the Astropulse units for your machines. If you have several machines you can use the groups to set different preferences for different machines.

2 - (not quite so Easy) Install an optimised application. Check the stickies at the top of the forum, and ask if they dont makes sense. With an optimised app my P4 1.6 can do an Astropulse in about 4 days (24/7). So even running part time, maybe 6-10 days, well within deadlines anyway.

Ian
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Message 893892 - Posted: 12 May 2009, 9:27:30 UTC - in response to Message 893887.  
Last modified: 12 May 2009, 9:28:56 UTC

I think the best thing you can do is go to your preferences and unsellect 'Astropulse' and 'Astropulse v5' at 'Run only the selected applications'

That way you will no longer receive Astropulse wus and only the MultiBeam wus (=SETI@home Enhanced)

[edit]Ahh Ianab was faster ;) (with an other option too)[/edit]
The SETI@Home Gauntlet 2012 april 16 - 30| info / chat | STATS
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EPG

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Message 893903 - Posted: 12 May 2009, 10:48:05 UTC

Hi!

I recommend too, to use opt. Astropulse apps. For me, the speed is increased about 2-2,7 times. 2Ghz Celeron from ~1.000.000 sec. to ~360.000 sec.
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Message boards : Number crunching : Can't meet the deadline


 
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