Still - my I-5 (4-cores) can run 4 CPU and 3 GPU if I set:
<max_concurrent>9</max_concurrent>
<gpu_versions>
<gpu_usage>0.33</gpu_usage>
<cpu_usage>0.3</cpu_usage>
</gpu_versions>

and 100% CPU in Boinc

using:
<max_concurrent>9</max_concurrent>
<gpu_versions>
<gpu_usage>0.33</gpu_usage>
<cpu_usage>0.4</cpu_usage>
</gpu_versions>

will give me 3 CPU and 3 GPU as 3*0.4 > 1

yes , 0.4 x 3 = 1.2 effectively 2 cores so 1 less CPU unit

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Can I add something to the discussion?

It's a lengthy answer so please give me a few minutes

I have a feeling that my english is not good enough and we are saying the same in different ways.
My I-5 definately runs 3 CPU and 3 GPU with the last setting, and I read you to say I only run 2 CPU and 3 GPU, but my Boinc tell me different.

I think there are 2 misconceptions going on here.

Let's just leave Max concurrent out of this for now.

This is how it was explained to me

You have 3 GPU work units using 0.3 CPU so 0.9 CPU total

0.9 is less than an a whole number, as such the system doesn't do partials it will round down to 0 ( I think it ends up stealing a little bit of CPU time from the CPUs that are crunching)

So setting the percentage of CPU used to 50% (which is 4 of the 8)

With a value of 0.3 per GPU work units, you will have 4 CPU work units and 3 GPU work units.

When the value is changed to 0.4 per GPU work unit, you get 1.2 or 1 (as it's rounded down)

Therefore you would have 3 CPU work units and 3 GPU work units.

Agreed - that's what I try to say.

Now, as to why you would want a max concurrent.

In multiple GPU systems, you would want to have an extra CPU core to support feeding work to the GPUs.

You can do this by allowing the computer to use all of the cores of the CPU and not running any work on the CPU.

But some people want to crunch on the CPU as well as the GPU.

Here's where we argue the best way to do this.

So people say you figure out how much CPU the GPUs need and then you subtract that from the total number of CPU cores. Then you decide on how many CPU work units you want and also subtract that as well.

Example..

8 core CPU with 2 GPU running 3 apiece at 0.4 per work is 2.4 or 2 cores

I want to run 4 CPU( 1 core a piece) as well

so 2 + 4 is 6

So I want to use 6 of the 8 cores so they say set max % at 75

But we still need that extra core to support the GPUs so we really need 7 of 8 cores but you can't tell the computer to use 87.5 because it will add another CPU work unit.

So how do you get that extra core to support the GPU?

I don't believe you can this way. Some people will say, it will use 1 of the 2 core that you told the computer it can not use. Sounds like double speak to me.

This is where the Max concurrent comes in.

we set use at most to 100% of all cores

Then we set max concurrent to 10 (6 work units on the 2 GPU and 4 work units on the CPU) that leave the last 2 core free to support both the GPU and the OS of the machine.

I am running SETI@home, SETI@home Beta, vLHC@home and CPDN.net on an Opteron 1210 at 1.8 GHz with 2 cores. From the "top" Linux command I see that CPDN and vLHC@home all use 75% CPU, while the GPU SETI task on an AMD HD 7770 uses 17% CPU. All this standard, without any app_config.xml file.
Tullio

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Boy, this is a lot of info to absorb :-)
I copied the xml file and put it in my BOINC directory ( I assume that's where it goes). Re-started BOINC and was still only using 3 of the 4 cores. Tried some of the modifications to the XML file and still just 3 cores were running.
In my case I just deleted BOINC and re-installed it. Now all four cores are processing.

I am still a little confused on the GPU angle. I can have the GPU run more than 1 CUDA process on one GPU card?

I do appreciate all the info.

<< Jim >>

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Member
B-52 Stratofortress
Association
Retired Air Force

Zeltar you don't need to have the Cpu set to 0.4

0.25 is enough therefore 1 CPU core can do 4 , it's only older Chips or slower chips you may wish to increase the CPU to more

as for muti GPU's yes you would expect 1 CPU core per GPU

leaving 6 CPU cores free on 8 core chip for CPU units

Depending on your Chip like the AMD FX when doing AP's you will need to leave 1 core per unit but not MB

if you set the Bionc client to 50 % on a 4 core system you will lose a CPU , one core for the GPU

as for having maxconcurrent i'll leave it to others to explain , all I'm pointing out with it is if you use the app-inf.xml in this thread that it does need to be set high enough to allow you to do the units you expect and seti V7 are now longer being continued there are only 158 more units out in the field before there all done .Check the server page

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I can have the GPU run more than 1 CUDA process on one GPU card?

Definately, depending on the card you can run 3 or 4 wu concurrently on one card if it's fast enough.
My I-5 has one GTX 970 and run 3 concurrent Lunatics GPU-job.
My I-7 has one GTX970M (for mobile) and run 3 concurrent standard GPU-job.

Each job takes longer time to complete than running only one, but I get 3 job done in about 1.5 the time of one.

I'm not sure how many your GTX 260 can run but it might run 2, your GTX 550TI definately can.
That would be these settings:

<app>
<name>setiathome_v8</name>
<max_concurrent>9</max_concurrent>
<gpu_versions>
<gpu_usage>0.5</gpu_usage>
<cpu_usage>0.3</cpu_usage>
</gpu_versions>
</app>


The app_config.xml goes in the:
..\BOINC\projects\setiathome.berkeley.edu
folder

OK, I didn't have the directories im my BOINC directory so I created them and put the app_config.xml file in it. Exited BOINC and re-started.still only using 1 CUDA process on both machines, Kirk and Spock. Is that file suppose to be in a different directory?
My directory structure is:
C:\users\jim\BOINC\projects\setiathome.berkeley.edu\app_config.xml

<< Jim >>

---

Member
B-52 Stratofortress
Association
Retired Air Force

My I-7 has one GTX970M (for mobile) and run 3 concurrent standard GPU-job.

Just a warning IT's a Laptop not good to run them 24/7 @ 100% unless you can replace it in 18 months or less there not designed for that at least not the way Seti or some of the other projects work the computer

I mite think of it as 24/7 benchmarking the Laptop and there just not up to it like a desktop/server

with Luna you will be using app_inf.xml and not app_config.xml :-)

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Kirk and Spock. Is that file suppose to be in a different directory?
My directory structure is:
C:\users\jim\BOINC\projects\setiathome.berkeley.edu\app_config.xml

SPOOK here looks correct the root folder of seti@home.bearkly.edu so yes

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Just a warning IT's a Laptop not good to run them 24/7 @ 100% unless you can replace it in 18 months or less there not designed for that at least not the way Seti or some of the other projects work the computer

I mite think of it as 24/7 benchmarking the Laptop and there just not up to it like a desktop/server

with Luna you will be using app_inf.xml and not app_config.xml :-)

I use "Open Hardware Monitor" to keep an eye on my Laptop and run "Use at most 40% of CPU" plus I don't run 24/7.

Luna is on the I-5 desktop and I do use app_info there. Before I switched to Luna I ran standard apps with the same setup in app_config running 4 CPU + 3 GPU. I have changed that to 3 CPU and 3 GPU running Luna.

I have a FX4170 with 3 cores maxed out. The 4th is feeding a GPU and doing what ever else I want to run.

Check BOINC manager. Having to use my memory. On my mobile. Check preferences to see if CPU% use is 100. If set to 99 it will use 3 cores. Tbar showed me that.

. . Wouldn't the CPU Core usage be the one to set to 100%?

. . I have mine set to 75% to restrict my core i5 to just 3 CPU cores crunching with one free (No GPU running, my advice is never, ever run GPU crunching on the internal iGPU) and the CPU Time Usage to 100%. I am running BOINC 7.6.22 and it has the two options.

my advice is never, ever run GPU crunching on the internal iGPU

I second that - the IGPU produces much to much heat and isn't effective compared to the CPU.

Well I finally got the computers to run multiple CUDA WU's.
Thanks to everyone on the great tutorial on the app_config file. I have been running SETI since 2000-2001 and never realized you could do this. I always thought 1 GPU card, 1 CUDA process. Hell, I could have had another 10M WU's in that time.

Again, thank you :-)

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Member
B-52 Stratofortress
Association
Retired Air Force