Recent average credit (RAC)

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Message 60972 - Posted: 3 May 2009, 21:42:48 UTC

I've noticed that the RAC of most teams and some users seems to have fallen off a cliff. This appears to have coincided with the recent server outage.

Here's one example:



The team hasn't just stopped - daily work done has dropped a little, but is still comparable:



And, just to confirm, I noticed the problem with the live Rosetta@home stats and then checked my stats site afterwards - it's a real phenomenon. :)

PS - is there a good way to contact the site admins? I need to ask them to fix a broken link.
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Message 60974 - Posted: 3 May 2009, 23:06:55 UTC

I have also noticed the same. What is going on?
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Message 60976 - Posted: 4 May 2009, 1:45:15 UTC

You can EMail me the details on the link. Thanks in advance for reporting it.

As for RAC, RAC is based on credit history, and credit was not issued as quickly as results were being reported during that timeframe. This is why the estimate project teraFLOPs dropped during that time as well. But then you see a spike, and then the normal trendline. Please post again in a couple of days if your figures don't look back to normal by then.
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Message 60979 - Posted: 4 May 2009, 6:01:04 UTC - in response to Message 60976.  
Last modified: 4 May 2009, 6:14:26 UTC

You can EMail me the details on the link. Thanks in advance for reporting it.

As for RAC, RAC is based on credit history, and credit was not issued as quickly as results were being reported during that timeframe. This is why the estimate project teraFLOPs dropped during that time as well. But then you see a spike, and then the normal trendline. Please post again in a couple of days if your figures don't look back to normal by then.


I have the same to my team....

Big RAC drop. (Smaller credit for WU... about 15%)
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Message 60983 - Posted: 4 May 2009, 9:00:23 UTC - in response to Message 60976.  

You can EMail me the details on the link. Thanks in advance for reporting it.

Thanks - though thinking about it, I might as well tell everyone:

The Team OcUK stats URL is http://www.teamocuk.co.uk (not .com as is currently shown here). My bad for not making that more public when I was unable to renew the old domain.

As for RAC, RAC is based on credit history, and credit was not issued as quickly as results were being reported during that timeframe. This is why the estimate project teraFLOPs dropped during that time as well. But then you see a spike, and then the normal trendline. Please post again in a couple of days if your figures don't look back to normal by then.

I would expect that to produce a more gradual drop-off - not a sudden fall to near zero - and would also expect it to pick back up when the problem is fixed (which it seems to be as I have no pending credit). However, even though I know the algorithm used for RAC, it is still a mystery to me, so I could be wrong.

You're right though in that it probably will recover over time if there isn't some other underlying problem.
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Message 60986 - Posted: 4 May 2009, 10:57:55 UTC - in response to Message 60983.  

I would expect that to produce a more gradual drop-off - not a sudden fall to near zero - and would also expect it to pick back up when the problem is fixed (which it seems to be as I have no pending credit). However, even though I know the algorithm used for RAC, it is still a mystery to me, so I could be wrong.


RAC is determined this way: RAC(new) = RAC(old)*d(t) + (1-d(t))*credit(new)

Here is the Wiki: http://www.boinc-wiki.info/Recent_Average_Credit
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Message 60991 - Posted: 4 May 2009, 14:27:22 UTC

Yes, you are both correct. I wasn't thinking it through. You hadn't acknowledged the validator problems and so I was on the wrong train of thought. RAC, even if you stopped computing all togteher, should change gradually. I will inquire about it.
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Profile Emigdio Lopez Laburu

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Message 60997 - Posted: 4 May 2009, 16:59:52 UTC

Hi.

This problems is affecting all the teams.

Thanks for checking.
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Message 61007 - Posted: 4 May 2009, 20:34:58 UTC

Most teams, including yours...

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Profile David E K
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Message 61011 - Posted: 4 May 2009, 23:50:21 UTC

I'm looking into this. Don't really know what is going on.
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Message 61037 - Posted: 6 May 2009, 19:06:10 UTC - in response to Message 61011.  

I'm looking into this. Don't really know what is going on.



it is very strange...
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Message 61039 - Posted: 6 May 2009, 21:40:46 UTC

Looks like the numbers are starting to bounce back from whatever happened. If something got fixed, then thanks.
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Message 61164 - Posted: 13 May 2009, 16:52:22 UTC

down again :-(
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Message 61169 - Posted: 13 May 2009, 20:52:36 UTC

Hi everybody.
My name is Emanuele and I'm from Italy.

Sorry for my worst english....

In my Rosetta accounts there are some host... normally I reached an average of 7000 points per day (RAC)

About three weeks ago, i notice a clamorous decrement of my rac... approximately around 2500/3000

Now my RAC is stable on 4500/5000, but the strange thing is that if i sum the RAC of all my host i obtain over 7000 points.

Moreover, in the "total credit chart" i see an incremenet about 7100/7200 point every day.


This is very strange. Why my RAC is so heavy instable??

Bye
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Profile Paul D. Buck

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Message 61194 - Posted: 14 May 2009, 20:08:01 UTC

Because RAC is a weighted moving average using a rather strange formula.

Which is why sensible people pay no attention to it. The number you are looking at, the daily increase number is the only one that counts. As long as that is good ... you are golden.

RAC always has been a real poor indicator because server outages can crank it badly ...
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Message 61195 - Posted: 14 May 2009, 22:55:40 UTC

Paul, if you look closely at the chart, you will see they RAC, the average, dropping faster then should be possible, even if you completely stopped crunching. That's why it is an issue. It implies that the formula used changed dramatically for some reason.
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Profile Paul D. Buck

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Message 61206 - Posted: 15 May 2009, 20:26:07 UTC - in response to Message 61195.  

Paul, if you look closely at the chart, you will see they RAC, the average, dropping faster then should be possible, even if you completely stopped crunching. That's why it is an issue. It implies that the formula used changed dramatically for some reason.

Which is the very reason I suggest, since BOINC was in beta, to ignore RAC... I don't ever look at it ... it is a worthless metric ... it measures nothing, does not track minor changes well, and in general is only something Dr. Anderson likes ...

But, hey, if you guys want to waste your time ... :)

I just think looking at Willy's 30 day charts is a smarter way to go ...

Theory says RAC should be a good metric, practice has shown that it isn't ... even DA has stopped trying to fix it ...
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Message boards : Number crunching : Recent average credit (RAC)



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