I have a dual core Intel E2200 system. If I allow tasks only from Einstein, it will run 2 tasks one on each CPU. If I allow tasks only from Rosetta, it will only run one task. Is Rosetta leaving the 2nd cpu idle or can one task make use of both cpu's (multithreaded)?

Startup messages included here to show system configuration:

2/24/2009 8:37:31 AM||Starting BOINC client version 6.4.5 for windows_x86_64
2/24/2009 8:37:31 AM||log flags: task, file_xfer, sched_ops
2/24/2009 8:37:31 AM||Libraries: libcurl/7.19.0 OpenSSL/0.9.8i zlib/1.2.3
2/24/2009 8:37:31 AM||Data directory: C:ProgramDataBOINC
2/24/2009 8:37:31 AM||Running under account Jack
2/24/2009 8:37:31 AM||Processor: 2 GenuineIntel Intel(R) Pentium(R) Dual CPU E2200 @ 2.20GHz [Intel64 Family 6 Model 15 Stepping 13]
2/24/2009 8:37:31 AM||Processor features: fpu tsc pae nx sse sse2 pni mmx
2/24/2009 8:37:31 AM||OS: Microsoft Windows Vista: Home Premium x64 Editon, Service Pack 1, (06.00.6001.00)
2/24/2009 8:37:31 AM||Memory: 1.99 GB physical, 4.21 GB virtual
2/24/2009 8:37:31 AM||Disk: 219.47 GB total, 143.93 GB free
2/24/2009 8:37:31 AM||Local time is UTC -5 hours
2/24/2009 8:37:31 AM||Not using a proxy
2/24/2009 8:37:31 AM||No CUDA devices found
2/24/2009 8:37:31 AM||No coprocessors
2/24/2009 8:37:31 AM|rosetta@home|URL: https://boinc.bakerlab.org/rosetta/; Computer ID: 967211; location: home; project prefs: default
2/24/2009 8:37:31 AM|Einstein@Home|URL: http://einstein.phys.uwm.edu/; Computer ID: 1753970; location: home; project prefs: default
2/24/2009 8:37:31 AM|lhcathome|URL: http://lhcathome.cern.ch/lhcathome/; Computer ID: 9764714; location: (none); project prefs: default
2/24/2009 8:37:31 AM||General prefs: from rosetta@home (last modified 18-Dec-2008 11:24:09)
2/24/2009 8:37:31 AM||Computer location: home
2/24/2009 8:37:31 AM||General prefs: no separate prefs for home; using your defaults
2/24/2009 8:37:31 AM||Reading preferences override file
2/24/2009 8:37:31 AM||Preferences limit memory usage when active to 1018.20MB
2/24/2009 8:37:31 AM||Preferences limit memory usage when idle to 1832.75MB
2/24/2009 8:37:32 AM||Preferences limit disk usage to 5.00GB

You should have a task per available core. If Einstein can run 2 tasks, this indicates BOINC is configured to allow both cores to be used. So, perhaps one of the tasks is waiting for memory? What do you see for the status on the tasks tab of the advanced view?

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Rosetta Moderator: Mod.Sense

You should have a task per available core. If Einstein can run 2 tasks, this indicates BOINC is configured to allow both cores to be used. So, perhaps one of the tasks is waiting for memory? What do you see for the status on the tasks tab of the advanced view?

There is only one task from Rosetta on my system. It is in the Running state. Yesterday it downloaded a second task when the first got close to finished (about 3 hours). The second task started running immediately so for a short time Rosetta had two tasks running. When the first task finished, it uploaded, but no new task was downloaded so the system is now back to running only one.

Looks like you are running the 6.4.5 BOINC client. It has had some problems requesting the proper amount of work and maintaining proper runtime estimates (DCF). I'd suggest that until these issues are corrected, you increase the number of days of additional work specified in your network preferences to try and bring down more tasks.

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Rosetta Moderator: Mod.Sense

Looks like you are running the 6.4.5 BOINC client. It has had some problems requesting the proper amount of work and maintaining proper runtime estimates (DCF). I'd suggest that until these issues are corrected, you increase the number of days of additional work specified in your network preferences to try and bring down more tasks.

Yes I am running Boinc 6.4.5.
I increased the Additional Work Buffer to 2.0 days and decreased Connect About Every to .25 days. A Rosetta task finished 3/2 21:13. No new task was downloaded or requested, so only one task was running. At 3/3 12:16 Rosetta requested a new task and one was downloaded. It started running immediately. The older task finished at 3/3 14:11 and uploaded. No new task was downloaded.

I hope this info helps. For now I will open up my system so that Einstein gets a share so somebody gets the benefit of the second CPU.

Have you tried setting both the "additional" and "connect every..." to 2 days?

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Rosetta Moderator: Mod.Sense

Have you tried setting both the "additional" and "connect every..." to 2 days?

No. I thought reducing the Connect Every parameter (from 1.0 to 0.25) would make it check for more work more often. Having it connect only every two days would seem to make it less likely to download and queue up more work.

On the Boinc site, I saw a suggestion to set Connect Every to 0.00 if the system is connected to the Internet all the time (I have cable modem service).

Do you want me to try 2.0 days anyway?

You are assuming work is scarce. Check the homepage, there are more then 3 MILLION tasks for you to get your share of.

The setting will cause BOINC to behave as though it better store up enough work to go for up to 2 days without an internet connection. So, checking less often yields request more work from the server. And checking more often yields... well, in your case, an idle CPU.

Yes, until they (Berkeley) fix the BOINC client, please try 2.0 or 3 days in both entries.

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Rosetta Moderator: Mod.Sense

You are assuming work is scarce. Check the homepage, there are more then 3 MILLION tasks for you to get your share of.

The setting will cause BOINC to behave as though it better store up enough work to go for up to 2 days without an internet connection. So, checking less often yields request more work from the server. And checking more often yields... well, in your case, an idle CPU.

Yes, until they (Berkeley) fix the BOINC client, please try 2.0 or 3 days in both entries.

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I changed the Connect days to three and it seems to have helped. I had to wait for a couple of Einstein tasks to finish. As they ended, Rosetta left one cpu unused for a few hours, but then downloaded two tasks and now as a task nears finishing, another is downloaded.

I know work is not scarce, it just seemed to me that having the manager check less often would increase the possibility that a task could end and then the cpu would be idle until the next Connect time. I didn't allow for the manager anticipating the long connect time and downloading enough to keep busy.

I see that Boinc 6.4.7 is available. Does that work any better?

The settings do not LIMIT how often BOINC Manager can connect. They simply allow it to plan the schedule accordingly. So, if you have a network connection and are out of work for some reason, it SHOULD contact the project and get work. Regardless of the cache size you set up, or when it last contacted the project. But that's apparently part of what's not working properly at the moment. So we're just telling it to try and get several days worth of work (more then you really need), to try and keep CPUs from going idle.

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Rosetta Moderator: Mod.Sense

The settings do not LIMIT how often BOINC Manager can connect. They simply allow it to plan the schedule accordingly. So, if you have a network connection and are out of work for some reason, it SHOULD contact the project and get work. Regardless of the cache size you set up, or when it last contacted the project. But that's apparently part of what's not working properly at the moment. So we're just telling it to try and get several days worth of work (more then you really need), to try and keep CPUs from going idle.

I guess that was my misunderstanding on how the setting worked. It seems to be working well now, so I will close this issue.

Thanks for the help.