Screensaver CPU usage separate from regular CPU usage?

Message boards : Number crunching : Screensaver CPU usage separate from regular CPU usage?

To post messages, you must log in.

AuthorMessage
John

Send message
Joined: 18 Mar 07
Posts: 24
Credit: 0
RAC: 0
Message 37961 - Posted: 18 Mar 2007, 17:02:26 UTC

Is there any way that I can set Rosetta to be ~20-40% of my non-idle usage but 80-100% while in screensaver?
ID: 37961 · Rating: 1 · rate: Rate + / Rate - Report as offensive    Reply Quote
Profile bob
Avatar

Send message
Joined: 16 Mar 07
Posts: 3
Credit: 733
RAC: 0
Message 37962 - Posted: 18 Mar 2007, 17:19:42 UTC - in response to Message 37961.  

I don't know the answer to your question as it relates to boinc, but if have a multi-processor chip, under xp, if you go to the process in taskmanager, right click and set the affinity of the task to specific cpu's.

This won't give you exactly what you want, but it might help to balance out any performance degradation you experience when using the computer for other purposes.

Of course you have to reset the affinity every time xp boots fyi.

Out of curiosity, since the priority for rosetta tasks is set to low, are you sure that's what's causing your problem?
ID: 37962 · Rating: 0 · rate: Rate + / Rate - Report as offensive    Reply Quote
John

Send message
Joined: 18 Mar 07
Posts: 24
Credit: 0
RAC: 0
Message 37963 - Posted: 18 Mar 2007, 17:25:14 UTC

What problem? And how do you know that my priority is set to low? My PC recently burnt out thanks to PSU failure, so I'm doing as much as I can to help cure diseases without exploding my chip (in turn failing PSU) and not cause global warming and yeah.

BTW, would slower PCs be more fitted to shorter WUs (2 hours)?
ID: 37963 · Rating: 0 · rate: Rate + / Rate - Report as offensive    Reply Quote
Mod.Sense
Volunteer moderator

Send message
Joined: 22 Aug 06
Posts: 4018
Credit: 0
RAC: 0
Message 37964 - Posted: 18 Mar 2007, 17:40:41 UTC - in response to Message 37963.  

...how do you know that my priority is set to low?


Because BOINC tasks always run at low priority. This allows your computer to run other tasks when they need to, and only use CPU time that would otherwise be idle for BOINC.

BTW, would slower PCs be more fitted to shorter WUs (2 hours)?


The WUs are the same regardless of your runtime preference. The difference is in the number of models your machine will crunch. It makes sense to crunch more models against the same WU, especially if you are trying to save on download bandwidth.

A slower PC and a faster PC, both running with a 2hr preference should both finish in about 2 hours. But the slower PC will see a larger varience in that actual runtime. This is because the time it takes a slower PC to calculate a single model will be longer. So, if you have a 2hr runtime preference and it takes that machine 75min. to complete the first model, then it's going to end the task there rather then begin a second one which would be predicted to run well past your desired runtime.

Also, if a faster PC takes over an hour to run a model on a specific WU, then the slower machine may take 3-6hrs to run a single model. One completed model is the minimum amount of work you can report back, so Rosetta will take those 3-6hrs to complete that first model, in spite of the runtime preference. This is why it is called a preference and not a limit.

So, the first example the slow machine completes tasks earlier then you expect, and in the second it can take significant'y longer then you expect. If you run through the same thought with a faster machine, it's actual runtimes will average much closer to the target, because it's average crunch time per model is shorter.

I generally suggest people select a runtime preference that allows them to crunch one task per day per processor. If they typically have their machine on for 10 hours per day, then I'd suggest an 8 - 10 hr runtime preference. This would be true for fast or slow machines.
Rosetta Moderator: Mod.Sense
ID: 37964 · Rating: 0 · rate: Rate + / Rate - Report as offensive    Reply Quote
Mod.Sense
Volunteer moderator

Send message
Joined: 22 Aug 06
Posts: 4018
Credit: 0
RAC: 0
Message 37965 - Posted: 18 Mar 2007, 17:47:35 UTC - in response to Message 37961.  

Is there any way that I can set Rosetta to be ~20-40% of my non-idle usage but 80-100% while in screensaver?


Not that I am aware of. BOINC Manager handles that type of control. It does allow you to establish the % of CPU to use, but not to designate a seperate % of CPU for idle versus in-use time. It also allows you to schedule hours of the day for BOINC to run though. If you know your idle time will be 6PM through 7AM for example, you can set your General Preferences to designate this is when CPU should be used, then update the project, and set your BOINC Manager to run based on preferences on your PC.
Rosetta Moderator: Mod.Sense
ID: 37965 · Rating: 0 · rate: Rate + / Rate - Report as offensive    Reply Quote
John

Send message
Joined: 18 Mar 07
Posts: 24
Credit: 0
RAC: 0
Message 37967 - Posted: 18 Mar 2007, 18:08:12 UTC

Ahh.. "Low priority". I guess that's why my PC was running smooth but my task manager was going nuts..

How long should it take until I get some credits? It says ~7.5 hours remaining but I'm sure I've done longer than that..
ID: 37967 · Rating: 0 · rate: Rate + / Rate - Report as offensive    Reply Quote
Mod.Sense
Volunteer moderator

Send message
Joined: 22 Aug 06
Posts: 4018
Credit: 0
RAC: 0
Message 37969 - Posted: 18 Mar 2007, 18:13:05 UTC

Credit is issued when your machine completes the task, and reports it back. Since this is your first task, BOINC really doesn't have any experience with how long it will take to run it. So, it will "learn" to estimate the time to completion to be near your run time preference over the next week or so. Until then, it is just an estimate. Nothing to worry about if it isn't perfect.
Rosetta Moderator: Mod.Sense
ID: 37969 · Rating: 0 · rate: Rate + / Rate - Report as offensive    Reply Quote
John

Send message
Joined: 18 Mar 07
Posts: 24
Credit: 0
RAC: 0
Message 37970 - Posted: 18 Mar 2007, 19:00:29 UTC

Is there a reason why the graphics are fast when in screensaver mode as opposed to launching the graphics window from the BOINC manager? Even right after I exit screensaver (no CPU usage), it seems to chug...
ID: 37970 · Rating: 0 · rate: Rate + / Rate - Report as offensive    Reply Quote
John

Send message
Joined: 18 Mar 07
Posts: 24
Credit: 0
RAC: 0
Message 37971 - Posted: 18 Mar 2007, 19:56:52 UTC

PS, I kind of went nuts since I was stuck at 1% it seemed indefinitely and yeah.. I have 2 "in progress" results, cancelled both, waiting for another to do.. What happens to the ones I didn't finish?
ID: 37971 · Rating: 0 · rate: Rate + / Rate - Report as offensive    Reply Quote
Profile anders n

Send message
Joined: 19 Sep 05
Posts: 403
Credit: 537,991
RAC: 0
Message 37973 - Posted: 18 Mar 2007, 20:03:13 UTC - in response to Message 37971.  

PS, I kind of went nuts since I was stuck at 1% it seemed indefinitely and yeah.. I have 2 "in progress" results, cancelled both, waiting for another to do.. What happens to the ones I didn't finish?


They will be sent to someone else. No problem there.

Anders n

ID: 37973 · Rating: 1 · rate: Rate + / Rate - Report as offensive    Reply Quote
John

Send message
Joined: 18 Mar 07
Posts: 24
Credit: 0
RAC: 0
Message 37974 - Posted: 18 Mar 2007, 20:20:03 UTC

Will my 1% go in vain or will they pick up from where I left off?
ID: 37974 · Rating: 0 · rate: Rate + / Rate - Report as offensive    Reply Quote
John

Send message
Joined: 18 Mar 07
Posts: 24
Credit: 0
RAC: 0
Message 37979 - Posted: 18 Mar 2007, 21:54:12 UTC

Question.. Rosetta is frustrating me.. I did WCG and it autoed to Aidsathome.. and it started at 0.000% and I could see a +0.002% about each second or so.. Rosetta starts at 1%.. It'd be good if Rosetta could start at 0% and have smaller increments (I'm not sure if I've ever seen any)

And I chose 1 hour run time but keep getting ~7 hour tasks..
ID: 37979 · Rating: 0 · rate: Rate + / Rate - Report as offensive    Reply Quote
John

Send message
Joined: 18 Mar 07
Posts: 24
Credit: 0
RAC: 0
Message 37988 - Posted: 19 Mar 2007, 0:17:25 UTC

More Rosetta weirdnesss. Maybe my "1 hour run time" is kicking in.. But taking a bath, my % was 3.3% and time to completion was ~7 hours. I come back less than an hour later to 67%.. Rosetta needs some fixing. And feel free to move this to the QA section that I just found.
ID: 37988 · Rating: 0 · rate: Rate + / Rate - Report as offensive    Reply Quote
John

Send message
Joined: 18 Mar 07
Posts: 24
Credit: 0
RAC: 0
Message 37989 - Posted: 19 Mar 2007, 0:56:07 UTC

And it completed and didn't validate.
ID: 37989 · Rating: 0 · rate: Rate + / Rate - Report as offensive    Reply Quote
Mod.Sense
Volunteer moderator

Send message
Joined: 22 Aug 06
Posts: 4018
Credit: 0
RAC: 0
Message 38009 - Posted: 19 Mar 2007, 14:34:27 UTC

John, you will be credit (and sanity) ahead if you just let it run for 24hrs without any manual intervention. I know it is confusing. There have been a reasonably large number of new participants joining up and pointing out how confusing it is. I will be encourageing the Project Team to address this issue of % completed and estimated runtime. Until then, please observe rather then correct. It DOES work just fine, if allowed to do so.
Rosetta Moderator: Mod.Sense
ID: 38009 · Rating: 0 · rate: Rate + / Rate - Report as offensive    Reply Quote

Message boards : Number crunching : Screensaver CPU usage separate from regular CPU usage?



©2024 University of Washington
https://www.bakerlab.org