LHC@home

For several months in a row we are in a situation of acute shortage of tasks for crunching. Server always in one of two states: "no work available" or "less work then active hosts". So, questions:
- We have already finished all calculations?
- Why so few calculating tasks?
- What can we expect in the near future?
- Does it make sense to us to hold on to this project?
Request to the administration of the project to clarify the situation.

Hi BosonHiggs,
30,000 available at 20:00 UTC

But in answer to your question, here are copies of my previous posts in reply to the same question;

This project regularly has periods where no work is available to us during which time the team will be analysing the work we have done and perhaps setting up the next batch of work or fixing stuff like the recent Linux errors. You can check the Server Status from the front page or just leave your machine(s) attached and they will pick up more work when it becomes available. Or you could have a look at Test4Theory, simulating the collisions within the LHC. It's a bit more tricky than simply attaching through Boinc as you need to download another program first. Check the boards over there for help and advice.

and

Since Eric came along we have had the most sustained period of regular work that I can remember. I've done 5 times more in the last year than I did in the previous 7 years. There may now be a hiatus while they analyse the results we have produced and sort out a reason for any discrepancies. Historically this project has had long periods of only sporadic work, some of them only lasting a few seconds, but I hope those dry spells are over. There has been talk of longer WUs so we may even get them once they have sorted out whatever problems they are resolving just now. Just leave your machines banging on the door and they will pick up the new work when it becomes available.
Patience is the key....

40k in progress yeah for now
let me explain why this question comes up all the time.
Having no-activity periods mean I need to allocate my resources for other projects therefore then new LHC tasks are coming they aren't pulled for execution.
Having no projects running also no good deal cause of resources waste.

I thought that is what resource share was all about.

I have LHC at 95% and a 'back-up' project at 5%. Works a treat. When there is no LHC it picks up work from the other project and when there is LHC it picks work up from LHC. Sometimes BOINC can be a bit slow to pick up LHC work but that is a BOINC issue not a LHC issue.

95 and 5% by priority?
doesn't work if you have other projects full of tasks

I only find this an issue on one of my pcs. I have countered it by setting one WU-rich application, SETI, to "No new tasks" until WUs run down to a point when I need to top up the stock. By that time the pc has usually called down some LHC units.

A simple measure like this should suffice whilst work goes on behind the scenes to address emerging issues and create more WUs. I am certain the team is more than aware of the present situation and the frustration some enthusiasts feel.

Meanwhile life goes on, the leaves are falling and raking is today's task. No shortage of work units there.

---

"Any fool can appreciate mountain scenery. It takes a man of discernment to appreciate the Fens."
[Harry Godwin - pollen analyst - circa 1932]

95 and 5% by priority?
doesn't work if you have other projects full of tasks

There is a way to make it work. I told you several weeks ago how to make it work but you said you don't want to do that. Now you get what you configured your hosts to ask for. Trust me... the project managers here aren't going to start creating more work just to please you.

---

6 bangers are for wussies.

95 and 5% by priority?
doesn't work if you have other projects full of tasks

Still is what resource share is all about, be it 2 projects or 3,4,5,...,10 etc. Set what you want and BOINC will do the rest. You just need to understand that we are here for the benefit of the projects not the other way around and not all projects have work all the time. That is why you have more than 1 project - but you already know that.

Live long and crunch.