1) Message boards : CMS Application : What is this nonsense? (Message 50530)
Posted 27 Jul 2024 by Profile rbpeake
Post:
I agree that a more prominent notice of the new CMS requirement would be a good idea.

What is somewhat misleading is that under project setup for CMS you can choose different numbers of CPU’s to use without being aware that 4-CPU’s is the only configuration that will return valid CMS results. It is different than the other LHC projects.
2) Message boards : CMS Application : no new WUs available (Message 50481)
Posted 12 Jul 2024 by Profile rbpeake
Post:
Is the system setup to provide continuous work without human Intervention? I thought that was the goal?
Thanks.
3) Message boards : ATLAS application : Why are Runtimes so Variable? (Message 50425)
Posted 20 Jun 2024 by Profile rbpeake
Post:
Assuming each work unit consists of 400 tasks, there are instances when the runtimes (on the same machine, no change in setup) vary widely.

For example, a typical runtime for my setup is approximately 26,000 seconds, but this can vary sometimes from 8,800 up to 32,000 seconds.

Thanks.
4) Message boards : ATLAS application : 3-core task crunches slower than 2-core task - why so? (Message 50369)
Posted 10 Jun 2024 by Profile rbpeake
Post:
I think this is due to the extra shuffling the OS has to do it make the tasks a little slower each time
well, I would understand "a little slower" - but in this case the difference is tremendous.
Why would I waste 3 cores per task if I can achieve the same computation result with 2 cores?
It I were not limited with 32GB RAM, I would now try eight 1-core tasks in order to find out how this relates to the 2-core and 3-core operation.

Do these observations remain valid currently? In other words, the fewer cores you use the more efficient is the process?
Thanks.
5) Message boards : ATLAS application : Download failures (Message 50298)
Posted 30 May 2024 by Profile rbpeake
Post:
For me on one computer resetting the project does not fix the problems, I will monitor further.


I did like Crystal did and removed the project and then attached to it again and the problem was solved.


Agreed, resetting the project does not work. You have to remove the project, and then reattach.
6) Message boards : ATLAS application : 2000 Events Threadripper 3995WX (Message 49627)
Posted 24 Feb 2024 by Profile rbpeake
Post:
I agree.
7) Message boards : ATLAS application : queue is empty (Message 48609)
Posted 22 Sep 2023 by Profile rbpeake
Post:
They could have announced it on the forum and leave the decision to abort to the crunchers. They could also have tested them on the dev-site first. But it is what it is, there's no point in crying over spilled milk.
I wasn't aware Boinc had the facility to remotely abort a started task. Perhaps it's just other projects don't like doing so. I'm not sure why anyone would want to finish a task which is just going to be discarded at the project end.


Is the way to successfully complete these long units is to use more processors to accelerate completion time of the work unit? When does the "kill switch" appear, after about a day and a half of processing?

I just answered my own question. Both units were cancelled by the server at precisely 112,671.63 seconds.
8) Message boards : ATLAS application : queue is empty (Message 48543)
Posted 13 Sep 2023 by Profile rbpeake
Post:
I recall that with the faster processing time, David was considering a 500-event work unit.
9) Message boards : ATLAS application : queue is empty (Message 48534)
Posted 11 Sep 2023 by Profile rbpeake
Post:
Sounds good to me.

Thanks for picking this up this project!
10) Message boards : CMS Application : no new WUs available (Message 48507)
Posted 7 Sep 2023 by Profile rbpeake
Post:
Thank goodness you are OK! Head injuries can be the worst, as we learned when the actor Bob Sagat died from a head injury resulting from a fall. I have been hoping for the best for you, and it's great to hear from you again!
11) Message boards : News : Server upgrade (Message 48470)
Posted 23 Aug 2023 by Profile rbpeake
Post:
... Ivan isn't the only one running CMS ...
however, it looks like, doesn't it ?


It seems to be a typical bureaucratic organization where changes are implemented slowly, imho.
12) Message boards : ATLAS application : Virtual Box Error? (Message 48038)
Posted 26 Apr 2023 by Profile rbpeake
Post:
Same error as described here:
https://lhcathome.cern.ch/lhcathome/forum_thread.php?id=5982&postid=47976
Same solution, except that here (so far only!) the ATLAS vdi is affected.

This worked great, thank you!

For another Windows machine, I get this message in the BOINC log
4/25/2023 8:15:20 PM | LHC@home | Sending scheduler request: To fetch work.
4/25/2023 8:15:20 PM | LHC@home | Requesting new tasks for CPU
4/25/2023 8:15:21 PM | LHC@home | Scheduler request completed: got 0 new tasks
4/25/2023 8:15:21 PM | LHC@home | No tasks sent
4/25/2023 8:15:21 PM | LHC@home | No tasks are available for ATLAS Simulation

The project settings are for Atlas tasks, of which presently there are plenty. Weird.
13) Message boards : ATLAS application : Virtual Box Error? (Message 48034)
Posted 24 Apr 2023 by Profile rbpeake
Post:
Does anyone know what the VM failure is in the log for this work unit?
https://lhcathome.cern.ch/lhcathome/result.php?resultid=392169401
2023-04-24 10:34:15 (19704): Adding virtual disk drive to VM. (ATLAS_vbox_3.01_image.vdi)
2023-04-24 10:34:22 (19704): Error in deregister parent vdi for VM: -2135228404
Command:
VBoxManage -q closemedium "C:\ProgramData\BOINC/projects/lhcathome.cern.ch_lhcathome/ATLAS_vbox_3.01_image.vdi"
Output:
VBoxManage.exe: error: Cannot close medium 'C:\ProgramData\BOINC\projects\lhcathome.cern.ch_lhcathome\ATLAS_vbox_3.01_image.vdi' because it has 1 child media
VBoxManage.exe: error: Details: code VBOX_E_OBJECT_IN_USE (0x80bb000c), component MediumWrap, interface IMedium, callee IUnknown
VBoxManage.exe: error: Context: "Close()" at line 1875 of file VBoxManageDisk.cpp

2023-04-24 10:34:22 (19704): Could not create VM
2023-04-24 10:34:22 (19704): ERROR: VM failed to start
2023-04-24 10:34:22 (19704): Powering off VM.
2023-04-24 10:34:22 (19704): Deregistering VM. (boinc_59cce48668c5a14b, slot#0)
2023-04-24 10:34:23 (19704): Removing network bandwidth throttle group from VM.
2023-04-24 10:34:23 (19704): Removing VM from VirtualBox.
14) Message boards : ATLAS application : ATLAS vbox and native 3.01 (Message 48002)
Posted 12 Apr 2023 by Profile rbpeake
Post:
I can confirm we are now mostly running the Run 3 tasks. I asked for some test tasks here and got more than I thought :)

These tasks are processing 500 events but each event is faster than before so the overall run time should be only a little bit longer.

Also as you have noticed the console monitoring doesn’t work due to changes in the logging format. The “top” monitoring on Alt-F3 also shows a single python process instead of multiple athena.py processes.


Just idle curiosity, wondering what it is about the Run 3 tasks that make them run more efficiently than those of Run 2?
Thanks.
15) Message boards : ATLAS application : ATLAS vbox and native 3.01 (Message 47939)
Posted 29 Mar 2023 by Profile rbpeake
Post:
Is the VM RAM size going to be adjusted eventually or will the current defaults be used because 3.01 can run 'Run 2' and 'Run 3'? Will the VM change the RAM assigned by 'Run 2' vs 'Run 3'?

The RAM size is set to 4000 MB independend of running tasks from run 2 or run 3.
It also doesn't matter whether you run single core vbox tasks or multi-core e.g. 4 or 8 cores.

Was it determined in years past that runs using 4 or more cores resulted in a sharp reduction in processing efficiency?
16) Message boards : ATLAS application : ATLAS vbox and native 3.01 (Message 47930)
Posted 28 Mar 2023 by Profile rbpeake
Post:
I agree with this.

Thanks.
17) Message boards : ATLAS application : Endless Errors (Message 47866)
Posted 17 Mar 2023 by Profile rbpeake
Post:
Keep getting errors (I have since put on No New Tasks) and so have other people.
https://lhcathome.cern.ch/lhcathome/results.php?hostid=10787099&offset=40&show_names=0&state=0&appid=
18) Message boards : ATLAS application : queue is empty (Message 47733)
Posted 26 Jan 2023 by Profile rbpeake
Post:
The tasks that we crunch here are not results produced by LHC but simulations. So we are not depending on LHC running or not.

Be that as it may, I rather suspect what we crunch here is based on experimental reality. Otherwise, what is the point to any of it?


Simulations test the theory, which is then confirmed with reality. If reality does not match theory, then the theory is revised. So one can run simulations whether or not an experiment happens to be running at the same time.
19) Message boards : ATLAS application : No HITS File But Still Granted Credit? (Message 47566)
Posted 27 Nov 2022 by Profile rbpeake
Post:
A few of my completed work units have not produced a HITS file but were still granted credit. Is this correct?

2022-11-27 16:22:00 (22224): Guest Log: No HITS file was produced
2022-11-27 16:22:00 (22224): Guest Log: Successfully finished the ATLAS job!
2022-11-27 16:22:00 (22224): Guest Log: Copying the results back to the shared directory!
20) Message boards : CMS Application : New Version 70.00 (Message 47491)
Posted 4 Nov 2022 by Profile rbpeake
Post:
No, -dev was fine. It was the translation to the main project that threw up a problem.

Is it still OK to use this version? Or shall we switch to -dev until this gets sorted out?
Thanks.


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