Posts by trux

1) Message boards : Number crunching : Unofficial BOINC Wiki closing 2006-03-31 (Message 255000) Posted 28 Feb 2006 by trux Post: I understand the frustration, Paul, but on the other hand you have to understand that the project developers have their own priorities (and their real life, depressions, and frustrations) too. This is why I never got too frustrated myself with them not listening our ideas, but rather tried to change it on my own - and that's why I am offering modified enhanced versions of the core client since a long time. It is not the perfect solution, but it is better doing something myself than complaining and being frustrated. And you did the same - you bypassed the limitations of the system and the lack of the information by creating, managing and maintaing the Wiki. It is a big disapointent you gave up, but the work you've done stays with us, and it is incredibly valuable. Just please try to think about other people (both developers and users) exactly like about yourself - it is not only you who has the right to be depressed and frustrated - all of us (or almost all) are subjects of depressions time to time, so please try to overcome it, and get into the work again. You are definitely not alone who suffers with depressions and frustrations, so please pack up all your effort and start anew. Work heals. And even if your decision to leave BOINC is definitive, please do not give up to the beast (I mean the Depression you know so well), and fight again - you are not alone, we are with you!
2) Message boards : Number crunching : Calibrating Client v5.3.12.tx37 - fair credits in all projects (Message 254989) Posted 28 Feb 2006 by trux Post: As for the configuration file - it is perfectly, to the last detail, described in the documentation (including a sample file, and including release version compatibility comments). As noted on the download page, the Linux tarball comes from a 3rd party, and as such I take no responsability for its content. The configuration file is though contained in my own (Windows/FreeBSD) download files, if really needed or if you do not understand the documentation. I run the tx36 version and since I like to test the various boinc releases for bugs I've noticed that every time I updated boinc and then copy the tx36 boinc version back in the seti calibration process restarts. Why would one do that? Either you want to use the newer official version for some specific reason, and then you won't overwrite it with an older calibrating version, or you want to keep the calibrating core and then there is no reason to update it with the official version. And even if in such rare case the calibrating restarts (what I doubt it is the case - some adjustment may be needed, but I do not think it starts from the scratch), then what is the problem with it exactly?
3) Message boards : Number crunching : News from the top - file compression (Message 253963) Posted 26 Feb 2006 by trux Post: You all seem to be going on about bandwidth here but where is the cpu power coming from to do the compression/decompression at the server end? As I explained, that will happen only once per four 4 WU downloads, and once per ~830,000 2.6MB application downloads, saving more than a Terrabyte of bandwidth. Although we can speculate about the impact of the additional CPU load on the servers because of the packing at WU downloads and/or results uploads, it is absolutely no question at the application downloads.
4) Message boards : Number crunching : News from the top - file compression (Message 253760) Posted 25 Feb 2006 by trux Post: I wondered since long time why the compression mechanism is not used at S@H, especially since the zip libraries are being present in the the BOINC client source code since a long time. I understand that the CPU load might have been of a concern at downloading WU's, but (as Honza already pointed out on our forum) there is no reason for not using the compression when downloading the applications: they need to be conmpressed only once for all the hundreds thousands of downloads, saving so great part of the bandwidth. So for example imagine the pending transition to S@H Enhanced - the new application together with the FFTW library that is included weight 2.63MB. When ziped, it compresses to 1.13MB (more than 50% compression). Now, there are ~835,000 hosts in S@H. If all of them should download the new application, it would represent 2,196,050 MB ~= 2.2TB! By simply using the compression one single time on the server side (it means 0 CPU load), you can cut the bandwith consumption by more than 50% to just ~1TB! Well, I know that probably not all hosts will download the new application, but still we are speaking about really huge volumes of data. Also, at the WU's the CPU load is actually much lower (at least in the download direction) - you need to compress each WU only once, but each of them is being downloaded by users at least four times - meaning the CPU load per WU is more than 4 times lower than if compressed each time.
5) Message boards : Number crunching : Calibrated clients by Trux development state (Message 252032) Posted 22 Feb 2006 by trux Post: I can't speak for Trux...but..what further development needs to be done with a client that merely has to calibrate claimed credit? Well, the calibration is only a small part of enhancements I added to the client (besides others: CPU affinity, process prority, priority/backup projects, debt resetting, network masks, configurable RPC port, etc.), and more of them are on the way. Unfortunately I do not have enough free time lately, so the next version with some announced features may take more time than previewed.
6) Message boards : Number crunching : BOINC & Security (Message 249982) Posted 18 Feb 2006 by trux Post: I wouldn't recommend running SETI@Home #2/BOINC suite as a service, personally, because of the article written about it by Trux (nice read man by the way)... ???? Quite in contrary, it is much safer running it as service under unpriviledged and isolated user, than directly under your own user account! And, of course, as already written, you need to use a file system allowing detailed file and dir permissions. NTFS is today probably on most XP machines by default (or they can be converted to), so it should not be any big issue.
7) Message boards : Number crunching : I have been remiss again - Donations (Message 248993) Posted 16 Feb 2006 by trux Post: Well, if you plan donating monthly, it is quite a different case - some of the costs they have with processing the donations will aply only once, so donating 12 times $10 (or maybe even $5) is certainly a welcome contribution.
8) Message boards : Number crunching : I have been remiss again - Donations (Message 248918) Posted 16 Feb 2006 by trux Post: ...A small ten dollar dontaion helps... Actually, I quite disagree. From what I saw, I bet that if you do not donate at least 50 dollars, the University actually loses money on your donation. I'd tell that at the minimal choice of $25, their profit is close to zero, so I think that giving anything what is less than that is just wasting of your money and their time. You should be aware that processing credit card payments costs money, and the minimal fee at small trasactions may take considerable part of it away. Additionally, the Berkeley University prints and sends you a donor certificate - that costs again time and money (may be considetrable if you are abroad). The may also send you couple of other letters later with different information about their activity - it again costs money. Frankly, I believe if you decide to donate, it is not such a difference for your pocket if you give $10 or $50. So please do not be stingy, and make your donation in reasonable height. Sending them 10 bucks or less just to get the flashy green star is unfair, and probably costs them more moeny than you give. I come from a country where the average income is several times lower than in the USA, and spending such amount of money is correspondingly more difficult, but I would consider giving just $10 a great insult and dishonest act in sake of own profit (gaining the stupid green star) Please note that this is my personal opinion. I bet that the University or the S@H team will tell you that they are happy for every even the smallest donation, regardles if they gain or lose moeny.
9) Message boards : Number crunching : Calibrating Client v5.3.12.tx37 - fair credits in all projects (Message 248270) Posted 15 Feb 2006 by trux Post: Am I missing something? Yes, you missed the note in the documentation, that the syntax you used is just for the release tx40 and above. Use the proper syntax, or simpler just use the conf file attached with the client.
10) Message boards : Number crunching : BOINC & Security (Message 247525) Posted 13 Feb 2006 by trux Post: Nice paper there to help with security. Have you thought about giving it to Paul Buck for the Wiki? Would be good to have it there too I think. Good work though! Sure, if Paul is interested in posting it on Wiki, I'd be happy to help. I suppose he will see the thread and post here if he thinks it is worth of putting there. I do not propose it myself, because I am aware my English is far to be perfect, and although it is not a problem on my own website, I am not sure if it would be acceptable elsewhere.
11) Message boards : Number crunching : BOINC & Security (Message 247499) Posted 13 Feb 2006 by trux Post: Yes, thanks, Miras, for the comments. I'll add them to the page too.
12) Message boards : Number crunching : BOINC & Security (Message 247486) Posted 13 Feb 2006 by trux Post: ...but normally the 1st part of your quide is unusable Well, on Home systems, or with PRO not being a domain member or not having the "simple file sharing" disabled, you can use the installation hints to some extend anyway: although it is dangerours and not recommended, most people on such systems work logged into an account with full administrator priviledges, not into a plain user account, because in this way they can easier manage the system and install programs. Users are either unaware of the risks of working in the admin account, or too lazy to switch among the accounts. Only few people are aware of the possibility to launch applications under another user ID (right-click + "Launch as") that facilitates the installation and maintenance even if you are logged in as a plain user. So even if you run XP Home system, you can create a separate plain-user account specifically for BOINC, and install it as service running under this user id. Finetuning the permitions may not be as much possible as on XP Pro systems, but already assuring that BOINC does not run under administrator user id (or as "local system") is extremely important.
13) Message boards : Number crunching : locking up (Message 247448) Posted 13 Feb 2006 by trux Post: In this post the user states he does NOT use any optimization. Well, I prefer telling it anyway, possibly also for the case he uses other means for changing the process prority. Besides it, my later core clients are no optimizations at all. They are simply modified or enhanced (not optimized) clients. Though, that's just a word game, I guess the user understood what was meant when asked for 'optimized application'. On the other hand he answers rather cryptically, always appedning at least two question marks, so it is not quite clear if he really answers the question, or asks what you meant
14) Message boards : Number crunching : locking up (Message 247441) Posted 13 Feb 2006 by trux Post: ya mouse and all First of all, I'd try localizing whether it comes from the boinc core client, from the manager, or from the application. Remove boinc from the StartUp menu, disable the service (if used) and then first try starting manually the S@H application in one of the slot subdirectories (or create a separate folder with just the exe file and a WU renamed to work_unit.sah). If it works, stop it, and try launching the boinc.exe. If it works too, try launching the boinc manager. If you use my core client, make sure you did not set the process priority to the level 5 (Real Time - that will bring most systems close to the point of freezing). Also check the stderrdae.txt and stdoutdae.txt files in BOINC directory, and events in Event Viewer - it may reveal the culprit too.
15) Message boards : Number crunching : Linux Q&A (Message 247436) Posted 13 Feb 2006 by trux Post: The Pirate ,why are u using Windows optimized S@H application by truXoft for Athlon XP SSE/3DNow on your linux box with the X2 ?! its very strange : Harold Naparst forgot to remove the info from his Linux clients. I later sent him modification with #ifdef block automatically suppressing the output when not compiled for Windows, but unfortunately he never included the latest changes into his source code, and did not recompile the clients. Since I did not feel comfortable with the incorrect info, I wrote him about it couple of times, but he was probably already busy with other work or the moving to Sweden, and ignored it.
16) Message boards : Number crunching : BOINC & Security (Message 247124) Posted 13 Feb 2006 by trux Post: After the later incidents, I feel security needs to be more promoted among BOINC users. I often see people to be far too carefree with the installation, project selection, 3rd party tools, and other related issues. I believe some security tips should be shown during the installation or be posted on some privileged place on the project websites. Or maybe, at least they could be pinned up here at the top of the forum. I attempted to put together an article discussing some of the security issues related to BOINC and posted it on my website: http://boinc.truxoft.com/security.htm For experts, it may be little interesting, but I hope that for some users it is informative enough. Though - I know that even experienced users often forget to protect themselves properly, or are too lazy for doing it - so for example the proper installation of BOINC under unprivileged user id with restriction to the rest of the system, as described in the first part of the article, is rare to see. If you see any mistakes, or have constructive comments, please feel free to post it here. Please avoid starting flame wars about security of Windows or other operating systems - such comments here are futile and do not help anyone.
17) Message boards : Number crunching : Calibrating Client v5.3.12.tx37 - fair credits in all projects (Message 246727) Posted 12 Feb 2006 by trux Post: When you follow that link, you actually find downloads for the Windows client AND for the Linux client. Hmm, the linux tar.gz file is right in the Download table, in the Linux column. I've just looked at it and it downloads just right. Or are you telling the tar.gz archve contains a Widows version instead? That would surprise me, but cannot exlude such a mistake. EDIT: ok, i see it now - you refer to the menu page (index.htm), not to the client page (core-cal.htm). Yes, sorry, I did not even notice it still referred just to Windows. I fix it, of course. (EDIT2 - done) The Linux calibrating client could us a "truxoft_prefs.xml" file also. It may save some of us non programmer types some trouble getting it going. The Linux client uses identical source code to the Windows version. It means it uses the truxoft_prefs.xml file of course too. Well, unlike the FreeBSD version, (and as stated on the download page) I did not compile this one alone, so cannot exclude Uftoun-Zmedelec (who compiled it) used oldfer version of my sources, but again it would very much surprise me. Afaik, it is the build tx36, hence it uses the truxoft_prefs.xml, of course too.
18) Message boards : Number crunching : stuck work unit (Message 246082) Posted 11 Feb 2006 by trux Post: Well, I can add it to the wishlist, but probably won't work on it with any high priority, unless there are more reports about such behaviour. Btw, what BOINC core version do you currently use (resp. what version did you use at the time of the issue)?
19) Message boards : Number crunching : stuck work unit (Message 246069) Posted 11 Feb 2006 by trux Post: No, I did not see such problem on any dual-cpu machine. Normally, the mechanism for starting automatically a new WU whenever a CPU is free, is already there, so if it does not work for some reason in your case, then it means that very likely the warning would fail too (because similarly as the cpu core scheduler, it might think it is not needed). If there is a bug in launching new WU's, it may be easier to fix it, then adding another watchdog function. Since I did not see any such behaviour yet, I suspect that you may either have some local configuration problem, or use an old version (though I did not see it at older versions either).
20) Message boards : Number crunching : stuck work unit (Message 245893) Posted 11 Feb 2006 by trux Post: If you use my BOINC core client, you can set up a watchdog function that suspends any unit being processed longer than defined. Optionally, it also pops up an alert dialogue allowing to delete the WU entirely.

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