CPU tasks still download even I selected GPU-only tasks when GPU is present

AEM74
AEM74
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Topic 198353

Hi,

I have a machine that I only want to run GPU tasks on and I've selected the option, "Run CPU versions of applications for which GPU versions are available" to no. It's still downloading CPU tasks. I had to uncheck the get CPU tasks option, meaning I won't get tasks for RPI unless I recheck it.

Is there another way to have Einstein download GPU only tasks on my main machine?

Thanks.

Zalster
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CPU tasks still download even I selected GPU-only tasks when GPU

In your Einstein@home Preference on your account page, in the Run the selected applications, have you unclicked Gamma Ray Pulsar search #4?

archae86
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Also, the preferences are

Also, the preferences are specific to a location (aka venue), of which there are four default, home, school, and work, with default confusingly represented by an empty field or by three hyphens in some representations. If you modify a preference for a different location than the one your host of interest has currently assigned--it won't affect work distribution for that host.

AEM74
AEM74
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RE: In your Einstein@home

Quote:
In your Einstein@home Preference on your account page, in the Run the selected applications, have you unclicked Gamma Ray Pulsar search #4?


No, but will I still be getting tasks for RPI?

AEM74
AEM74
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RE: Also, the preferences

Quote:
Also, the preferences are specific to a location (aka venue), of which there are four default, home, school, and work, with default confusingly represented by an empty field or by three hyphens in some representations. If you modify a preference for a different location than the one your host of interest has currently assigned--it won't affect work distribution for that host.


Sorry but I don't understand what you mean. I don't see anything there to make it not get CPU tasks.

Gary Roberts
Gary Roberts
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RE: I have a machine that I

Quote:
I have a machine that I only want to run GPU tasks on and I've selected the option, "Run CPU versions of applications for which GPU versions are available" to no. It's still downloading CPU tasks.


It would have still downloaded FGRP4 CPU tasks because that science run currently doesn't have a GPU app - only a CPU app. That preference would only work if there was a GPU app as well.

Quote:
I had to uncheck the get CPU tasks option, meaning I won't get tasks for RPI unless I recheck it.


If you are talking about the check boxes for various device types on the Einstein specific project preferences page, I believe they don't impact any other project except Einstein. I could be wrong since I've never needed to prevent CPU tasks at this project. You should test it out by unchecking the preference setting here and going to the other project's page and making sure it is still checked there. I don't believe the two should be in conflict.

Quote:
Is there another way to have Einstein download GPU only tasks on my main machine?


When you mention "main machine" I presume you have multiple machines, perhaps needing different settings? If so you should put each machine needing unique settings in its own 'venue' and set the different venue preferences accordingly. You could uncheck the "Use CPU" setting just for the main machine venue without affecting machines in other venues. An alternative would be to uncheck the Gamma Ray Pulsar (FGRP4) CPU science run (since it's the only CPU run at the moment) to avoid CPU tasks on the main machine. This wouldn't affect machines in different venues if they still have that box checked. Just be aware that there will be a new CPU science run for gravity waves when advanced LIGO data becomes available so turning off just FGRP4 is not a complete solution.

Cheers,
Gary.

AEM74
AEM74
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RE: When you mention "main

Quote:

When you mention "main machine" I presume you have multiple machines, perhaps needing different settings? If so you should put each machine needing unique settings in its own 'venue' and set the different venue preferences accordingly. You could uncheck the "Use CPU" setting just for the main machine venue without affecting machines in other venues. An alternative would be to uncheck the Gamma Ray Pulsar (FGRP4) CPU science run (since it's the only CPU run at the moment) to avoid CPU tasks on the main machine. This wouldn't affect machines in different venues if they still have that box checked. Just be aware that there will be a new CPU science run for gravity waves when advanced LIGO data becomes available so turning off just FGRP4 is not a complete solution.


I have one with a GPU and an RPI. If I change venue settings, this will override local settings and affect other project settings on that machine correct?

Gary Roberts
Gary Roberts
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You should read all about

You should read all about BOINC and project preferences on this page.

Please note the following statement, taken from that page:

Quote:

Project preferences

These only apply to the project you set them at. Example: should BOINC use the CPU when computing this project?

This is what I thought was the case so you can just uncheck the "Use CPU" project setting for the Einstein project and you will not get CPU tasks here.

The other thing to note is that there is a heading further down the page for "Location-specific preferences". Read that section through and note in particular the statement:

Quote:
The default location is part of your project preferences, so to change it, edit your project preferences.


Because locations (or venues) are part of project preferences, I believe you can have a host in different venues at different projects. So my understanding is that a project preference change for a particular venue at Einstein will not affect the settings for that venue at another project. You may not even be using venues at all at a different project.

In any case, as stated above, don't bother with venues. Just uncheck "Use CPU" in your Einstein project preferences and keep it checked at the project (if any) where you want to receive CPU work.

Going back to your original message and since I don't have a clue what RPI means, I interpreted it to be the Milkyway project (milkyway.cs.rpi.edu) and I thought you were indicating that you wanted to get CPU tasks from there. I saw you had 4 different hosts attached to this project but hadn't noticed that only two had recent contact times. So now that you've used the term RPI again and I can see the 2nd active host is an ARM device, I'm guessing that RPI (whatever it stands for) is referring to this device and not a different project :-).

In that case the news is all good!! According to that same BOINC page linked above:

Quote:
Note: mobile devices, such as smart phones, tablets etc. running BOINC on Android only use local preferences. They will not have their preferences changed when the project preferences are changed.


I note you are running Linux on that device but you can use the same tactic of setting local preferences on it to override whatever website project preferences you set for your main host.

Sorry that it took me quite a while to figure out what you were really saying.

Cheers,
Gary.

MarkJ
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Rpi = Raspberry Pi Sounds

Rpi = Raspberry Pi

Sounds like he'll need 2 venues, one for the main cruncher (which I assume is the i7 with the GTX660Ti) and one for his Raspberry Pi2. The other two Xeon machines don't have any credit so I think they are unused. If he wants them as CPU-only crunchers then perhaps leave the Pi and two Xeon's on the default venue and use another venue for the GPU-only machine.

AEM74
AEM74
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Sorry for the confusion. I

Sorry for the confusion. I found the part of the venue the add. How do I apply the venue settings on my Raspberry Pi? I kept Default for GPU-only and used work for Raspberry Pi.

archae86
archae86
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As locations (venues) are new

As locations (venues) are new to you, I'll be detailed.

First: the location settings are specified by you on the preferences pages accessible from your primary Einstein account web page. But if you set a computing preference locally on your machine (from Boincmgr this function is reached at Options|computing preferences...) then the local computing preferences take precedence over those set at the web page.

Second: you may view which location is assigned to each of your hosts starting at your Einstein account web page and clicking the computer on this account link. The column is titled "location", and an empty box means that computer is assigned to the default location, which is one of the four (default, home, work, school) possible values.

Third: you may assign a particular host to a particular location starting at your Einstein account web page, clicking computers on this account, then clicking the "details" link for that host. Down at the bottom there is a scrollable box showing the current assignment of location for that host. In this case default is represented by three hyphens.

Fourth: You can specify desired computing preferences for a particular location starting at your Einstein account main page, clicking "computing preferences" then on the next page I suggest you click "switch views". In the alternate view the current computing preference values for the four locations are shown in four parallel columns which makes comparison easy. While some of the check boxes appear as though you could click them in this view, that has no effect--you must click the "edit" button at the bottom of the column for the location for which you wish to change the values. The computing preferences let you adjust the amount of work your host requests for download, the fraction of the CPU cores in use and some other things usually less interesting.

Fifth: You can specify desired preferences specific to the Einstein project starting at your Einstein account main page and clicking the Einstein preferences link. As with computing preferences, I suggest you switch view to get the four location specifications in columns, then click edit at the bottom for the column for the location you wish to change. This set of preferences allows you to choose specific Einstein applications to run on your hardware by name. It also allows you to specify use or non-use of your CPU and GPU. It allows you to specify that more than one task will run on your GPU at a time. It allows to you specify whether you wish to receive Beta-test work.

Generally web page specified changes will not take effect on your host until the next time the host updates. This will happen naturally in the normal cycle of work reporting and request, but you can force it early by clicking the update button on BoincMgr in the project view with Einstein selected.

An exception to this timing of effect occurs where you revise the number of simultaneous GPU tasks using the "GPU utilization factor" controls. A change here only takes effect when newly downloaded work arrives at your host.

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