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World Community Grid Forums
Category: Support
Forum: BOINC Agent Support
Thread: Prioritize start of queued tasks |
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Thread Status: Active Total posts in this thread: 13
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Capitol2
Cruncher Joined: Oct 2, 2005 Post Count: 7 Status: Offline |
Why doesn't the BOINC agent start execution of a new task based on scheduled return date? If I have 15 tasks queued and a task completes, the client should always start the task with the earliest scheduled return date--not the first task put into my queue or any other waiting task.
The client also should sort scheduled tasks correctly on date/time. My version of the client, v6.2.28, will sort "12/28/2008 1:25 PM" in front of "12/28/2008 6:25 AM" . |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Hello Capitol2,
That is not the way the scheduler works. It just goes through the queue in sequence unless a deadline forces it to work out of sequence. I would prefer your way, but I will cheerfully allow the developers to do it any way they like, since they are the ones writing the code. Lawrence |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
The BOINC CPU scheduler is considerably more sophisticated than that.
I thought the sorting bug was fixed, now? Maybe it's fixed, but just not in the 6.2 branch. |
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Capitol2
Cruncher Joined: Oct 2, 2005 Post Count: 7 Status: Offline |
The agent is NOT fixed. Right now I have--
-- two tasks "Running, high priority" and a third at normal priority -- two halted tasks "Waiting to run", with reported progress of 80% and 67% -- seven tasks in the "ready to start" category, -- and four more of the pending tasks have report deadlines (1/4/09--1/5/2009) that are earlier than the two stopped jobs!!!!!!!!!!! There's nothing wrong with the number of jobs in my queue but the scheduler does NOT start jobs in the proper sequence. The result is that I discard tasks before wasting time processing them. I'm tired of manually scheduling these jobs using the "suspend" option when computers and networks have processed standard and military time correctly for decades. |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Capitol2, I don't wish to be rude - but what makes you think you know the proper sequence?
I do see your problem, though. BOINC does not perform well if constantly micro-managed. If you try to second-guess the scheduler, it will end up making sub-optimal decisions, and require further intervention. Just leave it be, and all will be fine. The ordering problem is just a display bug, it does not affect scheduling in any way. Perhaps this is what first threw you off? |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Capitol2, I don't wish to be rude - but what makes you think you know the proper sequence? The 2 tasks Waiting were changed from Running to Waiting because the scheduler automatically started the 2 High Priority jobs. You have 5-6 days to complete the 16 tasks in your buffer. Your system has 3 jobs running making it a Triple core which means you have 15-18 days to complete the 16 tasks. Unless you have 16 jobs that are all estimated at over 24 hours each, you have no issue and no need to tell the Techs how to do their job. There is a reason the system runs the way it does and the people who made it work that way are following the fundamental system design that we do not get to question or criticize. |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
We can certainly question.... BOINC does have plenty of bugs and design flaws.
This just isn't one of them - BOINC is working as designed, and there is a good reason for it being that way. I think things should be criticised for the things they actually get wrong, not for what we think might be wrong. But I'm funny that way. It's the only way things can actually be improved, I believe. |
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Capitol2
Cruncher Joined: Oct 2, 2005 Post Count: 7 Status: Offline |
How do I know the proper sequence?????????
-- Open World Community Grid - BOINC Manager - (local host) -- Select "View" -- From the list of options, select "Grid View" If I could cut-n-paste from the screen I'd give it to you! |
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Capitol2
Cruncher Joined: Oct 2, 2005 Post Count: 7 Status: Offline |
Astrolab, your analysis of my machine is basically correct (4-core rather than 3) and two jobs were halted in order to start jobs with earlier deadline dates. Tasks were changed from "Running" to "Waiting to Run" in order to start tasks with earlier deadline dates to "Running at High Priority". Of course this keeps the number of active tasks constant. (I've never been able to tweak performance adequately for WCG, WoW with minimum lag, day-to-day functions, and 3 grandchildren.)
The Agent does not, absolutely, under all conditions start the task with earliest start dates before other queued tasks. It appears to select tasks based on the date (& time?) they were pushed to my computer. If the BOINC client runs with few interruptions this is not a problem and it is not necessary to shuffle tasks and priorities. However, given the high probability that a home computer will be turned off--or the BOINC client halted or not started temporarily--it is very possible the Client's time estimate will not work as well as expected. If the queued task with earliest deadline date is always given "start priority" the possibility of missed deadline dates would be reduced. Thank you and all your team for the time and effort put into this project! I'm NOT complaining about the design or programming of the client. (Been there & done that work for 30+ years before retiring.) I very much dislike the possibility of 8-15 hours of computing time wasted if there's a way to avoid it. |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Capitol2, that doesn't show you the proper sequence.
Perhaps you haven't considered it carefully enough. If all tasks are started in deadline order, then some tasks may never be started - and this would cause deadline misses. I know this is counter-intuitive - but I'm afraid it is one of those situations when common sense fails us. |
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