| Index | Recent Threads | Unanswered Threads | Who's Active | Guidelines | Search |
 |
World Community Grid Forums
Category: Completed Research
Forum: The Clean Energy Project - Phase 2 Forum
Thread: Magic formula for always crunching 2 CEP2 WUs? |
| No member browsing this thread |
|
Thread Status: Active Total posts in this thread: 21
|
|
| Author |
|
|
CandymanWCG
Senior Cruncher Romania Joined: Dec 20, 2010 Post Count: 421 Status: Offline Project Badges: 
|
More than a year ago, before I took my extended "break" from computing, I had managed (like many others) to configure a quad core machine to always crunch 2 CEP2s using a combination of app_config, maximum CEP2 WUs in cache and overall maximum cache allowed. I know this is probably still possible (or is it?), provided that on said machine you only have one other project checked.
----------------------------------------Now comes the tricky part: is there any way to still do this, while having all other projects checked as well? I know this is especially difficult because the CEP2 WUs are rated at ~11 hours (at least for my machine), but nowadays they take less than half that time to complete, so the feeder is thrown off and you end up with your cache full of other projects and 2 cores idling. If this is not possible, then I would have a follow-up question: what about CEP2 and more than one project (but not all)? Would that be feasible and how? I hope this makes at least a bit of sense to the more experienced crunchers out there. Cheers! Edit: come to think about it, not sure that even with just one other project this would work as expected anymore, so please provide your "magic formula" for that too, if you have it. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world! - Albert Einstein   [Edit 1 times, last edit by CandymanWCG at Nov 10, 2015 3:27:41 PM] |
|||
|
||||
|
Seoulpowergrid
Veteran Cruncher Joined: Apr 12, 2013 Post Count: 815 Status: Offline Project Badges: 
|
I've run CEP2 as the lone project on a Win box and Linux box without issue. I did tick "if this project has no WU give me others from another project" so I did occasionally get others, but I got a good constant stream of CEP2.
----------------------------------------Was CEP2 only allowed (in the past) if joined with another project? Edit: Go into Device Profile and make one of then just run CEP2. While on that page go to the bottom (Project Specific Settings) and under "Number of workunits per host for The Clean Energy Project - Phase 2?" select "unlimited".  [Edit 1 times, last edit by Seoulpowergrid at Nov 10, 2015 3:40:48 PM] |
||
|
|
Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Disclaimer - I am not actually running this configuration and as such is theoretical in nature. I am quite interested in upping my CEP contribution and decided this was a great time to try and think it through. This should work for as many projects you would like to run in addition to CEP. Might not be perfect but should get you close to always running 3 CEP.
----------------------------------------Set max CEP download = 16 At 11 hours estimated on your PC that = 7.333 days Set minimum cache to 7.5 days Set maximum additional cache = 0 days Set CEP max_concurent = 2 You could also set to only connect to network every 12 hours which would alleviate any issues that might be caused by a quick downtick on "remaining estimate" as each CEP WU is running. Let us know if / how this works so I can reconfigure my rigs this weekend  [Edit 2 times, last edit by Former Member at Nov 10, 2015 5:53:50 PM] |
||
|
|
deltavee
Ace Cruncher Texas Hill Country Joined: Nov 17, 2004 Post Count: 4842 Status: Offline Project Badges: 
|
More than a year ago, before I took my extended "break" from computing, I had managed (like many others) to configure a quad core machine to always crunch 2 CEP2s using a combination of app_config, maximum CEP2 WUs in cache and overall maximum cache allowed. I know this is probably still possible (or is it?), provided that on said machine you only have one other project checked. CandymanWCG, Yes it is still possible. For your quad core, first you need an app_config.xml file with this in it: <app_config> <app> <name>cep2</name> <max_concurrent>2</max_concurrent> </app> </app_config> Put the app_config.xml in c:\program data\boinc\projects\www.worldcommunitygrid.org (assuming you are running windows). Also, you may have to go to control panel - folder options (or file explorer options in win10) to show hidden folders and unhide extensions for known file types. Make sure to click on "Read Config Files" in Boinc Manager. Then you need to set your max cep2 download to something like 4. Then make sure your cache is small enough that you always have a cep2 WU next in line to start when one finishes, but not so small that you have less than two WUs for your other selected projects. This can take some trial and error in adjusting cep2 downloads and cache size but it works.  |
||
|
|
Yarensc
Advanced Cruncher USA Joined: Sep 24, 2011 Post Count: 134 Status: Offline Project Badges: 
|
I'm using the settings Deltavee suggested and they've been working for me for a year or so so.
However, CEP WU's have a tendency to vary significantly in projected times depending on the batch. On my FX-8120 I've seen the projected times as low as 10 hours and as high as 35 hours (which really screws up the scheduler, since it doesn't know they cut off at 18 hours regardless). This leads to (occasional) need to micromanage how many CEP WU's you're profile is set to give. On this machine (8 cores, but one is used for GPU work on POEM) I find that 12 CEP WU's in the queue and a buffer of 1.2-1.5 works great (I have max concurrent set to 3). I'd say at least 90% of the time I have a couple CEP WU's at the front of the queue waiting to start, and also plenty of other work so the other 4 cores don't go idle. |
||
|
|
SekeRob
Master Cruncher Joined: Jan 7, 2013 Post Count: 2741 Status: Offline |
Yup and with app_config you can shoot yourself in the foot big time, for one those very long coming through and filling up your cache to stop work fetching of the other project work and suddenly you've got idle cores, regardless if you have a zero weight backup project or not.
[And as is quite normal], I proposed a catch all at the alpha mail list using the <project_max_concurrent>n</project_max_concurrent> tag, with absolutely zero response from the developers. You either have their ear or you don't... but who cares about idle cores... thousand separators in the right place is much more important.  |
||
|
|
Yarensc
Advanced Cruncher USA Joined: Sep 24, 2011 Post Count: 134 Status: Offline Project Badges:
|
Yup, I had 4 idle for a day or two last week before I realized the esitmated times had suddenly almost doubled.
----------------------------------------@SekeRob They have been going on and on about that new formatting for a while haven't they? While at the same time it seems like half the actual features/bugs being reported never get a response. Oh well. Edit: To avoid idle cores (or at least better avoid) lower the amount of CEP WU's on that device profile until when they're at an "average" runtime, there's only 1 or 2 in the front of your buffer waiting to be crunched. This way there is a higher percent of other workunits in your buffer (that aren't being limited by app_config). However, when the CEP puts out a batch of quick running ones, this will cause you to be using LESS than the max number you specified in your app_config. So you have to decide if always being at that max number of CEP WU's is more important than keeping all your cores busy (I vote for keeping them all busy, all the projects here are for good causes, but it's entirely your opinion/situation that maters). [Edit 1 times, last edit by Yarensc at Nov 11, 2015 5:54:56 PM] |
||
|
|
CandymanWCG
Senior Cruncher Romania Joined: Dec 20, 2010 Post Count: 421 Status: Offline Project Badges:
|
Thank you all for your suggestions. I'll be honest: it's not quite what I expected (a real, proven, custom tailored magic formula for the given example), but it helps a lot. Some ideas are new to me while others where also on my mind, but thought I could cheat and skip the trial and error part and go straight for the solution that somebody else had already implemented.
----------------------------------------Anywho, I've keeping an eye on this thread and I feel ready to embark on the not so exact science of testing what works best. I've already made some adjustments in the settings of the profile of my machine only (the app_config was already limited to 2 CEPs only already) and so far, so good. I will post back once I will have been confident that I found my coveted magic formula. Cheers! Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world! - Albert Einstein |
||
|
|
deltavee
Ace Cruncher Texas Hill Country Joined: Nov 17, 2004 Post Count: 4842 Status: Offline Project Badges:
|
Anywho, I've keeping an eye on this thread and I feel ready to embark on the not so exact science of testing what works best. I've already made some adjustments in the settings of the profile of my machine only (the app_config was already limited to 2 CEPs only already) and so far, so good. I will post back once I will have been confident that I found my coveted magic formula. Cheers! Always interested in improving cep2 crunching. Please report back when magic formula is uncovered. |
||
|
|
Eric_Kaiser
Veteran Cruncher Germany (Hessen) Joined: May 7, 2013 Post Count: 1047 Status: Offline Project Badges:
|
Run two clients on your computer.
----------------------------------------One set up for only CEP2 and the second for the other projects of wcg.  |
||
|
|
|