𝕏

Posts by Rickjb

1) Message boards : Number crunching : DENIS_BETA v1.04 checkpoints are working (Message 1048)
Posted 5 Aug 2016 by Rickjb
Post:
Thanks for the update, Joel.
I'm pleased to see that you've cancelled the remaining unsent beta WUs.
I crunched a few for you but they ran very slowly - about 24hrs each on my Core 2 quad Q9650 desktop @ 3.6GHz.
I think that's too long for beta units unless you are planning the production units to run this long and there are features of them that really need to run for 24hrs to test them.
So I decided to stop downloading new beta WUs until I saw some feedback from you, and I've switched back to crunching Fight AIDS @ Home for https://www.worldcommunitygrid.org/ until you have some new work for us.

Please keep us informed of progress often during future beta test and production runs. Otherwise we can get the feeling that our efforts and electricity costs are disappearing into a black hole.
2) Message boards : Number crunching : Very long wus (Message 930)
Posted 17 Jul 2016 by Rickjb
Post:
Like others who've reported in this thread, I got some long-running 8000-series WUs, and I have now aborted them.
I have stopped accepting new work from DENIS on all but 1 computer until the problems with these WUs are fixed.
On the computer that is still accepting work from DENIS, I will abort any new 8000-series WUs even before they start running, but will run DENIS WUs that are not 8000-series.

Before I left my computers for a break of about 9h, the 8000-series WUs were showing over 80% complete after more than 20h run time each.
When I returned, they were still running and were showing only 23% and 0.07% complete, so I aborted them.

Aborted after 34h elapsed time (31h CPU time) showing as only 23% complete:
GD_jcarro_20160714202309000000_ThirdSimulations_SteadyState8000Schmidt98_conf_1441.xml_1
O/S: Windows 7-x64, CPU: Q9650 @ 3.6GHz

Aborted after 25h elapsed time (23h CPU time) showing as only 0.07% complete:
GD_jcarro_20160714202301000000_ThirdSimulations_SteadyState8000Schmidt98_conf_123.xml_0
O/S: Windows 7-x64, CPU: i7-3770K @ 4.0GHz, HT on.

It would seem that these WUs did what boboviz reported above in Post #920: "exited with zero status but no 'finished' file", and restarted from 0%.
In my experience on worldcommunitygrid, this error happens when something prevents a WU from sending a heartbeat message to the supervising BOINC client.
I can't recall ever seeing this with a WCG WU that's hung internally (eg infinite loop)(1,525,973 WUs completed), but it does happen if the O/S (Windows) pauses execution of a WU for too long due to some high-priority system event like waiting for slow disc activity.

It's time that we heard from the scientists on this problem, but I guess they are taking a break over the weekend.
But so soon after putting a new version of software and/or a new batch of WUs out here in DC-land, the scientists or techs should log in via the Net a few times over the weekend from wherever they are to check their project. Please, guys!
3) Message boards : News : Beta Version of DENIS Simulator (Natrium) now running (Message 822)
Posted 21 Mar 2016 by Rickjb
Post:
Hi from Sydney Australia.
Congratulations on getting the new simulation program and results database system to beta testing stage!
I hope that the results we compute for you can be of great benefit to cardiology.

About 1 hr ago I selected "Run test applications" in my DENIS@Home preferences, hit "Update" in my BOINC manager (BoincTasks), and 4 DENIS betas arrived. Running 2 now. [Update: Now have 20 betas, running 4. Linux, 64-bit]

Are there any tests that we can perform with them that might expose problems with the new version?
I mainly crunch for WCG, and at many times their beta WUs have failed to restart properly from checkpoints. I will perform a BOINC client restart shortly to test your betas for this.
[Update: DENIS betas restarted OK from checkpoints after a boinc-client restart under 64-bit Linux].

[OT] BTW, will this simulator figure out a way for me to stop my cardiac pacemaker registering lots of premature ventricular contractions (PVCs)? The medical people tell me that these PVCs are the reason that the pacemaker doesn't work about 90% of the time I'm on my bicycle, and riding up hills with a max heart rate of about 100 is no fun. [/OT]
4) Message boards : Cafe : Raspberry pi application (Message 767)
Posted 14 Jan 2016 by Rickjb
Post:
WorldCommunityGrid (WCG) have an Android version for 1 of their current projects, and like the rest of their work, it runs under BOINC.
So if the DENIS science program was compiled for Android, it would probably run under WCG's version of BOINC, which can be downloaded via WCG now.
No R.Pi stuff there though.

I have no experience with WCG on Android, but it seems to have problems.
Android devices do not have enough cooling for the CPU to run continuously, and I think overheating often causes crashes. Also, it's not feasible to run them on battery power, so the default settings are to run WCG only when on charge. But running on charge 24/7 damages the battery on many devices.
I think WCG made the Android app mainly to attract new volunteers, hoping that some would decide they wanted to contribute to science and that some of those would donate CPU time from their PCs and do some Real Work.
See WCG's Android Support Forum at http://www.worldcommunitygrid.org/forums/wcg/listthreads?forum=580
Note that the WCG Android app won't work on R.Pi, unless maybe you port Android to R.Pi.

Raspberry Pi could be much more useful than Android, because owners could put cooling heatsinks on the CPUs and cool them with fans. They would run off mains-powered PSUs instead of batteries. Clusters of R.Pi-s would do Real Work and may consume less power than PCs. But there are few R.Pi owners compared to Android owners, so it may not be worthwhile for scientists to make R.Pi versions of their software.
5) Message boards : News : Temporaly stop of new WUs (Message 302)
Posted 17 Jun 2015 by Rickjb
Post:
Intro: Just joined DENIS about 2 says ago too. Most of my DC crunching effort remains with WCG, but this project is of interest because I have a heart that has "sick sinus syndrome" and that produces lots of ectopic premature ventricular contractions at times. Maybe I'll learn something new as well as helping you.

On topic: The head post in News on the Main page is still the one about going off line to replace obsolete WUs. I suggest updating it with the things presented here (back on line, new version 1.05).

And thanks for doing research on hearts! - Rick