POEM GPU

[kashi]

Yes for Windows 7, cc_config.xml goes in C:\ProgramData\BOINC.

I know what you mean about getting work though, even with report results immediately it is hard to keep a cache in POEM for my single GPU. For those with multiple fast GPUs it would be worse. It may not get any better soon either, I was hoping the application would be improved so that it was not necessary to run multiple concurrent tasks to get higher than 50% GPU load, but the main developer of the GPU version has just announced he is leaving.

If you are reporting completed tasks immediately and thus requesting new work frequently you have a much greater chance of picking up resends though. Without resends and/or the occasional loosening of the severe trickle setting there is currently no way to avoid almost constantly running out of POEM tasks other than wearing out your update finger unless you're an officer and command your .batman to do it for you.  

Resends bypass the trickle setting of the POEM server so instead of only getting 1 or 2 tasks each request you can get up to 33 at once. As the resends get sent out in batches if you snag some early in the batch you can get more on the next request. So you sometimes get 50-60 resent tasks in a few requests.

It might not make much difference now as the trickle feed seems to be further reduced today. Previously BOINC would make another work request when it successfully got work but hadn't yet reached the minimum cache setting, but today it's not doing that. With a server throttled that heavily the only contributors remaining will be mainly those running a script. Much fairer to limit the total tasks in progress to a smaller number per GPU like MilkyWay does. Then it annoys everyone equally not just some.;D

Of course it also disbars anyone with an intermittent internet connection from contributing at all, but it seems as if BOINC/projects have chosen to abandon those people anyway for many GPU projects.

I got fed up with MilkyWay's unreliable server a fair while ago. I've had a good little run on POEM but just about had enough of fiddling with user unfriendly BOINC development versions now, so if POEM continues to not have enough work for much longer I will detach there also. Same goes for WCG GPU when they get it going, if they don't have enough work then I'll probably have a little dabble then give it a miss.

[veebee]

maybe a batch file (is that the right name??) where you can make the project keep "updating" every X minutes ?

but, every time I hit update, it says "not requesting new tasks" ANYWAY, so what is the point ?

I have gone over to Moo! with both machines now (and back to 6.12.34 client) but am looking forward to WCG having a go at GPU applications !!

[kashi]

maybe a batch file (is that the right name??) where you can make the project keep "updating" every X minutes ?

Yep a batch file is denoted by the file type ending .bat. It's the ".batman" I was cryptically alluding to, the "command" referred to the BOINC command tool  boinccmd.exe, the program that is called. It is also the "script" that I referred to later that is being used by many of the current top POEM hosts.

but, every time I hit update, it says "not requesting new tasks" ANYWAY, so what is the point ?

It's caused by a combination of the BOINC 7.0.xx work fetch policy working with the POEM server trickle settings. Needs high "Connect about every" setting as a workaround and even with that it often only requests ATI work every 2nd server contact.

I have gone over to Moo! with both machines now (and back to 6.12.34 client) but am looking forward to WCG having a go at GPU applications !!

Many others have also quickly moved to other GPU projects or stopped GPU crunching when they discovered an unreliable supply of work after they attached. I'm only using report results immediately and I've got about 1.5 days cache left but it's gradually dropping. If I don't snag a few decent size batches of resends in the next few days I'll be out of work and detaching too.

With new projects, CreditNew initial spikes and the potential of a reduced credit rate in the future prompt some to attempt to make hay while the sun shines. Very hard to move up the rankings later if the credit rate gets reduced to a half or a quarter of what it is now. In a way I'd like to use a script to get to 20 million but it's unfair on others struggling to get any work at all. Besides, it's a bit silly anyway, why use electricity on a project that already has more contributor GPU resources than it can handle. Better for me to turn off GPU processing, reduce my electricity bill and start up a few more CPU cores on GO Fight Against Malaria or DNA@Home when there is more work. Have to keep Travis busy to stop him freezing in North Dakota.;D

Sometimes it appears the different projects do not share their knowledge and experience about the methods of dealing with the high load placed on project servers by GPU processing. Unless the servers are really heavy duty, server load needs to be reduced by sending out longer running GPU tasks. If you have tasks that run for 1 minute like MilkyWay or under 10 minutes average like POEM, it's not really surprising that the servers are put under heavy load. Also need sufficient capacity to store, and sufficient staff resources to analyse the large amount of data returned by even a relatively small number of fast GPUs.

[tazzduke]

Greetings All

Due to the rarity of the POEM GPU tasks, I have got the HD 5850 crunching on other ATI GPU projects, and have upgraded to BOINC 7.0.12 (x64), still tweaking it to suit my setup, well I am attached to 8 ATI GPU projects and all are processing and getting new workunits bar POEM.

Just gotta watch out the cache does not get to big, also what might work for some projects doesnt necessarily work for other projects, ie grabbing 10 workunits on one project and the other project grabs 50 workunit on the same setting.

Work in progress, but at least I am crunching away.

Happy Crunching to all

Tazzduke

[veebee]

Which are the eight projects you are running? I know Milkyway, Primegrid, Collatz, Poem, Moo and DNETC, but what are the other two?  ???

... even then, DnetC isn't "active" any more.. and I cannot think of 8 projects for ATI either !?

[tazzduke]

Hi Sean

Milkyway, Primegrid, Collatz, POEM, Moo, there is also

Albert

I also run SETI and SETI Beta using the lunatics app.

DNETC is now offline.

Regards
Tazzduke

[tazzduke]

Hiya Sean

That how I got my seti past 100K, now I just gotta get SETI Beta upto 100K, also ALBERT@Home is the beta for EINSTEIN and is testing ATI GPU at the moment, so that they can put it up at EINSTEIN once its all bug free, albeit they pay a fixed rate of 500 a workunit

Regards
Tazzduke

[kashi]

There's currently some POEM tasks available. Only had 50 left in cache last night and when I woke up 400 had downloaded, so I'm fuelled for 3 days.

I'm still moving up the POEM ranks, but as we all know it's a long way to the top if you wanna rock 'n roll.

Edit: Looks like all the tasks are gone now, more computers must have woken from their backoff times and gobbled them all up.

[tazzduke]

Hi Sean

Have sent you a PM regarding Seti and Seti Beta

Regards
tazzduke

[Dingo]

Mad Matt is sure crunching up a storm over here on Poem.  Well done and +1 karma     http://boinc.fzk.de/poem/show_user.php?userid=21782

[JugNut]

Some mighty powerful crunching Matt 

Now if you'd just leave a couple for the rest of us...


Mmmm 2 machines crunching air, no Poem gpu's WU's.  Back up project Prime Grid both server & site down mmm.   Next i'll check Boinc Stats "what the" it's down too..   It's a flippen conspiracy I tells ya...


EDIT: Well at least Boinc Stats & PG is back!! Sheesh what next..

[Mike Mitchell]

Damn, that is impressive!  Plus one if I can find you matt.

[Mad Matt]

I am happy you like it. I completely forgot until Pete told me it's of course the hottest time of the year for you, so hopefully I could help you a little bit over that heat-steaming period.

I have been working for months on optimization of POEM with a bunch of nice guys at SUSA, so if I can offer some knowledge to you, I will be happy doing so. Though I have to say basically since AMD's 12.11 'Never Settle' beta it's all easy on AMD and does not need a lot more than an app_info. But still there are some tips how to make it scream, both for AMD and NV... ;)

:penguin:

[Cruncher Pete]

I am happy you like it. I completely forgot until Pete told me it's of course the hottest time of the year for you, so hopefully I could help you a little bit over that heat-steaming period.

I have been working for months on optimization of POEM with a bunch of nice guys at SUSA, so if I can offer some knowledge to you, I will be happy doing so. Though I have to say basically since AMD's 12.11 'Never Settle' beta it's all easy on AMD and does not need a lot more than an app_info. But still there are some tips how to make it scream, both for AMD and NV... ;)

:penguin:

Thanks Matt.  You are a legend.  I have been using your app_info and compared to others I found they certainly doing a great job.  Previously, I could not get my HD 2xHD7970's going.  What are the tips to make it screem, and is there any way to run the CPU apps at the same time, that so far has escaped me and can not do..  In the New Year, I intend to put all on Pogs though and not  POEM and beat Terminal* for third spot.  I love breaking sici's run and hold. At least they won't be abl;e to say we hold first, second and third places.

[Mad Matt]

Cheers, Pete.   

Some of my favourite tips are:

Get Process Lasso from www.bitsum.com.  Set standard core affinity for all POEM cores (ideally you have one CPU per WU) and for CPU-project cores if you have any left. Next set POEM to standard priority high and standard I/O priority high.

Try to get as many PCIe lanes as possible, x16 is best and has a significant impact. If possible PCIe 3.0x16 for any capable card.

Put NV cards on old CPUs, in relation they perform better (except for the 6xx cards that really live up with highly-clocking CPUs and PCIe 3.0).  CPU load is high for NV, but you can safely clock GPU and Video-RAM to extreme levels.

For AMDs use highly clocked CPUs (best i7 using HT)  and try using your fastest CPU-RAM on good OC timings (look for OC references on the web to avoid crunching errors). You can usually get to extreme clocks since CPU load and temps will be extremely low. However, clocking V-RAM has little effect. On 5870s, you can downclock RAM to cut temps.

For AMDs 12.11 beta is a must. I found several rigs show great run times on Win 8 (especially the 7970). But if you want to work with your rigs, Win 8 is a risk and at best in public-beta stage...beware of Windows update. :P