Missing <app_config> in <app_config.xml> files and...
24 Nov 2020 2:01:56 UTC
Topic 224050
(moderation:
Greetings Crunchers!
I have recently changed my <app_config.xml> files for all three of my projects which I am currently running (Einstein, Milkyway, and Universe). Since then, I am getting a message, which I don't understand, in my BOINC Manager <notices> directory which says: Missing <app_config> in app_config.xml.
I have also noticed, and tried to correct, the missing preferences for Einstein but to no avail.
My current event log file begins with this:
11/23/20 6:10:30 PM | | Starting BOINC client version 7.16.11 for windows_x86_64
11/23/20 6:10:30 PM | | log flags: file_xfer, sched_ops, task, cpu_sched
11/23/20 6:10:30 PM | | Libraries: libcurl/7.47.1 OpenSSL/1.0.2s zlib/1.2.8
11/23/20 6:10:30 PM | | Data directory: C:\ProgramData\BOINC
11/23/20 6:10:30 PM | | Running under account georg
11/23/20 6:10:31 PM | | CUDA: NVIDIA GPU 0: GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER (driver version 456.55, CUDA version 11.1, compute capability 7.5, 4096MB, 3549MB available, 9062 GFLOPS peak)
11/23/20 6:10:31 PM | | CUDA: NVIDIA GPU 1: GeForce RTX 2060 (driver version 456.55, CUDA version 11.1, compute capability 7.5, 4096MB, 3552MB available, 6451 GFLOPS peak)
11/23/20 6:10:31 PM | | OpenCL: NVIDIA GPU 0: GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER (driver version 456.55, device version OpenCL 1.2 CUDA, 8192MB, 3549MB available, 9062 GFLOPS peak)
11/23/20 6:10:31 PM | | OpenCL: NVIDIA GPU 1: GeForce RTX 2060 (driver version 456.55, device version OpenCL 1.2 CUDA, 6144MB, 3552MB available, 6451 GFLOPS peak)
11/23/20 6:10:31 PM | | Windows processor group 0: 32 processors
11/23/20 6:10:31 PM | | Host name: GWG-PC
11/23/20 6:10:31 PM | | Processor: 32 AuthenticAMD AMD Ryzen 9 3950X 16-Core Processor [Family 23 Model 113 Stepping 0]
11/23/20 6:10:31 PM | | Processor features: fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush mmx fxsr sse sse2 htt pni ssse3 fma cx16 sse4_1 sse4_2 movebe popcnt aes f16c rdrandsyscall nx lm avx avx2 svm sse4a osvw ibs skinit wdt tce topx page1gb rdtscp fsgsbase bmi1 smep bmi2
11/23/20 6:10:31 PM | | OS: Microsoft Windows 10: Professional x64 Edition, (10.00.18363.00)
11/23/20 6:10:31 PM | | Memory: 31.91 GB physical, 36.66 GB virtual
11/23/20 6:10:31 PM | | Disk: 930.88 GB total, 812.02 GB free
11/23/20 6:10:31 PM | | Local time is UTC -6 hours
11/23/20 6:10:31 PM | | No WSL found.
11/23/20 6:10:31 PM | | VirtualBox version: 6.1.12
11/23/20 6:10:31 PM | Einstein@Home | Found app_config.xml
11/23/20 6:10:31 PM | Einstein@Home | Missing <app_config> in app_config.xml
11/23/20 6:10:31 PM | Milkyway@Home | Found app_config.xml
11/23/20 6:10:31 PM | Milkyway@Home | Missing <app_config> in app_config.xml
11/23/20 6:10:31 PM | Universe@Home | Found app_config.xml
11/23/20 6:10:31 PM | Universe@Home | Missing <app_config> in app_config.xml
11/23/20 6:10:36 PM | Einstein@Home | General prefs: from Einstein@Home (last modified 12-Nov-2020 13:29:04)
11/23/20 6:10:36 PM | Einstein@Home | Host location: none
11/23/20 6:10:36 PM | Einstein@Home | General prefs: using your defaults
11/23/20 6:10:36 PM | | Preferences:
11/23/20 6:10:36 PM | | max memory usage when active: 19607.07 MB
11/23/20 6:10:36 PM | | max memory usage when idle: 32678.45 MB
11/23/20 6:10:36 PM | | max disk usage: 14.84 GB
11/23/20 6:10:36 PM | | max CPUs used: 25
11/23/20 6:10:36 PM | | suspend work if non-BOINC CPU load exceeds 80%
11/23/20 6:10:36 PM | | (to change preferences, visit a project web site or select Preferences in the Manager)
11/23/20 6:10:36 PM | | Setting up project and slot directories
11/23/20 6:10:36 PM | | Checking active tasks
11/23/20 6:10:36 PM | Einstein@Home | URL http://einstein.phys.uwm.edu/; Computer ID 12851564; resource share 150
11/23/20 6:10:36 PM | Milkyway@Home | URL http://milkyway.cs.rpi.edu/milkyway/; Computer ID 866629; resource share 45
11/23/20 6:10:36 PM | Universe@Home | URL https://universeathome.pl/universe/; Computer ID 574445; resource share 5
11/23/20 6:10:36 PM | | Setting up GUI RPC socket
11/23/20 6:10:36 PM | | Checking presence of 5167 project files
In the user manual for BOINC, the BOINC Manager Advanced View here, there is an image from Ageless (circa 2015) of a similar event which shows in his event log the same thing, though for a different project. (the image is down towards the end of the page) There is no mention of the "Missing <app_config> in app_config.xml file" anywhere on the page other than the same message I received, shown in the example image of "The Notices Tab" near the top of the page.
I have checked and rechecked that the <app_config.xml> files are actually placed in their correct DataFiles>project directories for each of my projects, that they are properly named, using Windows 10 File Explorer, Notepad, MS-Word, and an XML Validation for files online. They all check fine.
Here is a copy of Einstein@Home <app_config.xml> file for you to read. The Milkyway and Universe files are very similar.
[Einstein@Home]
<app_config>
<app>
<name>einstein_O2MD1</name>
<gpu_versions>
<gpu_usage>0.5</gpu_usage>
<cpu_usage>1.0</cpu_usage>
</gpu_versions>
<max_concurrent>4</max_concurrent>
</app>
<app>
<name>einstein_O2MDF</name>
<gpu_versions>
<gpu_usage>0.5</gpu_usage>
<cpu_usage>1.0</cpu_usage>
</gpu_versions>
<max_concurrent>4</max_concurrent>
</app>
<app>
<name>hsgamma_FGRPB1G</name>
<gpu_versions>
<gpu_usage>0.5</gpu_usage>
<cpu_usage>1.0</cpu_usage>
</gpu_versions>
<max_concurrent>11</max_concurrent>
</app>
<app>
<name>hsgamma_FGRP5</name>
<gpu_versions>
<gpu_usage>0.5</gpu_usage>
<cpu_usage>1.0</cpu_usage>
</gpu_versions>
<max_concurrent>11</max_concurrent>
</app>
</app_config>
As for preferences for Einstein, I do have preferences set at <https://einsteinathome.org/account/prefs> for 'computing>advanced' and 'project' in the home and generic tabs, and I've compared them to one another and they are the same, to the letter.
My reasons for wanting to update/change the said files is to give some levity to each of my projects so they use BOINC in equal shares, or be much closer than they are now. My resource shares for Einstein=150, Milkyway=45, and Universe=5, and Milkyway and Universe dominate the CPU use using all core threads available for either one one at a time while leaving Einstein on the GPUs only.
So, my question(s) are: What gives? I'm at a loss. Maybe, just maybe, the SETI/BOINC servers are getting backlogged too much and they're running much slower than expected, and a guy like me is to impatient too wait long enough for the servers to catch up? And am I confused in not knowing where to find the 'host' computer? I thought that was all settled when I configured BOINC Manager correctly. Or did I?
Help! :-(
George
Proud member of the Old Farts Association
You saifd this "I have
)
You said this "I have checked and rechecked that the <app_config.xml> files are actually placed in their correct DataFiles>project directories for each of my projects, that they are properly named, using Windows 10 File Explorer, Notepad, MS-Word, and an XML Validation for files online. They all check fine.
You CAN NOT use anything except Notepad in Windows to make and save and edit the Boinc xml files!!!!!!! If you ever open or save them with Word etc extra junk will be embedded in the files and Boinc can't then process them correctly. My suggestion is to copy and paste the files into Notepad and then same them from there in the Project folders. Be sure it saves them with the .xml as the file extension and does not add a .txt at the end after the .xml To be clear the file goes into the folder c:\program data\Boinc\projects\einstein.phys.uwm.edu folder Just save it in the folder with all the other files, if it says it's already in there say yes to overwrite it. Then go back to the Boinc Manager and tell it to read the config files and then open the Event Log and see if everything is okay, if so you are good to go. It could come up with some unknown file application errors and that's okay as you may not have all those file applications on your computer right now, but as long as you are using the right names it will work when you do get them.
mikey wrote: You CAN NOT use
)
Hi Mikey! I am not using anything but Windows Notepad, and I just looked at my event log again tonight and it is still showing "Missing..."
I'm wondering...? Didn't I read something about Windows modifying Notepad in the last update? It has been a mainstay for ever it seems, with no changes or modifications at all since... well, since MS-DOS? Could that have anything to do with it?
Truncated event log file info:
11/23/20 10:26:42 PM | | Re-reading cc_config.xml
11/23/20 10:26:42 PM | | log flags: file_xfer, sched_ops, task, cpu_sched
11/23/20 10:26:42 PM | Einstein@Home | Found app_config.xml
11/23/20 10:26:42 PM | Einstein@Home | Missing <app_config> in app_config.xml
11/23/20 10:26:42 PM | Milkyway@Home | Found app_config.xml
11/23/20 10:26:42 PM | Milkyway@Home | Missing <app_config> in app_config.xml
11/23/20 10:26:42 PM | Universe@Home | Found app_config.xml
11/23/20 10:26:42 PM | Universe@Home | Missing <app_config> in app_config.xml
11/23/20 10:26:54 PM | Einstein@Home | General prefs: from Einstein@Home (last modified 12-Nov-2020 13:29:04)
11/23/20 10:26:54 PM | Einstein@Home | Host location: none
11/23/20 10:26:54 PM | Einstein@Home | General prefs: using your defaults
Proud member of the Old Farts Association
When you posted your
)
When you posted your app_config file, it started with the line
[Einstein@Home]
If that's in the file, take it out. <app_config> should be the very first line in the file.
Also, when using Notepad, ensure that the file type is set to ANSI. The recent versions seem to be defaulted to UTF-8.
Hi Richard, Thanks for
)
Hi Richard,
Thanks for responding.
I have done that now.
But I want to get a clarification on something.
From https://boinc.berkeley.edu/wiki/Client_configuration:
Use the following format:
<app_config> [<app> <name>Application_Name</name> <max_concurrent>1</max_concurrent> [<report_results_immediately/>] [<fraction_done_exact/>] <gpu_versions> <gpu_usage>.5</gpu_usage> <cpu_usage>.4</cpu_usage> </gpu_versions> </app>] ... [<app_version> <app_name>Application_Name</app_name> [<plan_class>mt</plan_class>] [<avg_ncpus>x</avg_ncpus>] [<ngpus>x</ngpus>] [<cmdline>--nthreads 7</cmdline>] </app_version>] ... [<project_max_concurrent>N</project_max_concurrent>] [<report_results_immediately/>] </app_config>All the tags use lowercase characters.
Both the <name> and <app_name> containers may contain uppercase characters for the application name.
Note: The sections in square brackets '[foo/]' are optional. When you want to use any, remove the square brackets.
Each <app> element specifies parameters for a given application:
I was under the impression that when I used square brackets [Einstein] that the software (whether BOINC or MS-Notebook) would not read it. I was unaware that <app_config> should be the very first line in the file.
Also, in the above example they use [<app> and [<app_version> with a square bracket to begin with, and <app>] and <app_version>] to end each of the elements. Why would they do that? And does the software read it?
I have also changed the file parameters to ANSI. I did not notice this before you mentioned it.
Proud member of the Old Farts Association
George wrote:Also, in the
)
I believe the square brackets have to go away too
I am guessing they are using them to seperate a set of instructions from the next set, set of instructions being like:
The answer to your
)
The answer to your question:
Is contained in the portion you quoted just before you asked the question:
The brackets are a notational construct, not a specification of something to be included in the file. The software won't read it because you will not include it in the actual file.
George wrote:I was under the
)
In programming manuals, square brackets are used to denote optional elements. They are part of the description, not part of the end product.
A comment in XML is anything between the delimiters
<!-- and -->.Once again, I thank you for
)
Once again, I thank you for responding to my questions Richard. You are considered to be one of the most knowledgeable people in SETI/BOINC related forums and I'm happy that you even read my posts, let alone respond.
Proud member of the Old Farts Association