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Important: How to connect to Berkeley with optimized apps

5/18/2007 8:28:25 AM

Xaak

1055 posts

Important: How to connect to Berkeley with optimized apps
(United States)

Ok, someone on the seti boards found a workaround to connecting if you're running optimized seti apps:

http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/forum_thread.php?id=39531&nowrap=true#570170

Bottom line only if you're running optimized apps and can't connect:

Stop BOINC

go to your BOINC\projects\setiathome.berkeley.edu directory.

Rename the app_info.xml file to something else

Restart BOINC

Your client should connect, report results and download new wu within about 10 minutes. don't switch the appinfo.xml file back untl you've downloaded wus properly.

Once you have wus, stop BOINC again.

Rename the file back to app_info.xml

restart BOINC.

I don't know if it'll continue to get wu, after switching back, but it worked for me on all boxes.

Gary
You can't fix dead.

5/18/2007 10:43:14 AM

Kinguni

2157 posts

Re: Important: How to connect to Berkeley with optimized apps
(Canada)

I think I'll wait for them to fix it on their end.

5/18/2007 4:02:26 PM

paul

1039 posts

Re: Important: How to connect to Berkeley with optimized apps
(N/A) Modified By paul on 5/18/2007 6:26:13 PM)

Kinguni wrote
I think I'll wait for them to fix it on their end.

Well, I'm trying it out on a new build. Also am keeping an eye on the various Berkeley threads to see what develops, and where the fix is, wether it's a bug in the Boinc anonymous platform code, or in the optimized app_info.xml file. I imagine Chicken is scrambling right now, pouring over his work....

Great catch, Gary, now Berkeley's problems make a bit more sense.

Co-owner, the Group of 10 ~~100~~ ~~200~~ 300

5/18/2007 4:05:17 PM

Greeri

104 posts

Re: Important: How to connect to Berkeley with optimized apps
(United States) Modified By Greeri on 5/18/2007 6:06:28 PM)

I'm not sure what the app_info.xml file does. But as long as I leave it renamed every thing seems to work just fine.

As soon as I set it back to normal comunication comes to a halt and most times I pull a single ghost WU.

So this seems to be more of a problem with the chicken app.

Currently ALL my machines are running seti, downloading and uploading WU just fine with the app_info file renamed.

When I look at the smiles on all the children's faces, I just know they're about to jab me with something.

5/18/2007 10:06:18 PM

Crystallize

612 posts

Re: Important: How to connect to Berkeley with optimized apps
(N/A) Modified By Crystallize on 5/19/2007 3:42:42 AM)

I don't get any new WUs anyways...

I get 5/19/2007 7:02:51 AM|SETI@home|Deferring communication 15 min 7 sec, because no work from project

How ever it does report WUs anyway, it didn't do even that before...

/edit/

Ok, with a little persistancy I actually managed to download new WUs to both my computers with "Retry now" a few times ...

The thing is if you don't rename the app_info.xml back to app_info.xml when your done BOINC will cruch the WUs with the offical (slow) version seti 5.15 and not the optimized app.

So at least I can live with this for the time being as long as I can do this and get WUs ever other day or so until they've fixed it...

Maybe we'll have and go and get a new "app_info.xml" for it to work, eventually... as it seems like some URL have changed...

/edit again!

Actually, when I got the upload and downloads going, now I can connect without any problems on the Conroe, even if I rename back the app_info.xml

the other computer also successfully connects every now and then, how ever not to seti beta on the other computer.

| >>> My RC-72 stats <<< | >>> My F@h stats <<< |

5/19/2007 2:21:20 AM

paul

1039 posts

Re: Important: How to connect to Berkeley with optimized apps
(N/A) Modified By paul on 5/19/2007 2:28:04 PM)

Crystallize wrote
The thing is if you don't rename the app_info.xml back to app_info.xml when your done BOINC will cruch the WUs with the offical (slow) version seti 5.15 and not the optimized app.

That's what we all thought last night, too. However, we saw that we were still running Chicken's app even when we renamed the app_info file. We had 6-8 of us in the IRC channel checking it out, so I posted about it on the Berkeley boards, looking for an explanation.

Crunch3r saw the post, and came over to visit us in the channel. His opinion is that the problem lies in the updated Boinc server version Matt L. installed during the outage. Something is broke there, perhaps the anonymous platform part of the code needs work, I dunno.

But for now, just renaming the app_info file works. You can get work, and still use the optimized client. I still don't quite get how, but it's been duplicated by several people.

edit- and yes, Berkeley has another server up to help with the up/download traffic. Say hello to ptolemy, which is running feeder.i686, sah_validate1 through 6, and sah_assimilator 1 through 4. Eric K. built ptolemy from spare parts laying around the lab earlier this week. Glad it's up and running!

Co-owner, the Group of 10 ~~100~~ ~~200~~ 300

5/19/2007 12:33:41 PM

paul

1039 posts

Re: Important: How to connect to Berkeley with optimized apps
(N/A) Modified By paul on 5/19/2007 2:37:04 PM)

Here's a quote from Simon Zadras (whose optimized app we all use, better known as KWSN- Chicken of Angor) that pretty much sums up the current situation nicely-

The servers themselves are starting to settle down; the problem is in the new server code that was deployed recently.

On any host that has an app_info.xml file (and thus uses the anonymous platform mechanism), scheduler requests fail with an "Internal server error". The server thinks it has successfully sent you the WU header (which tells BOINC where to grab it from), but it never arrives.

The net effect - when you check your host's WUs, you will notice that the server thinks it got some, while they do not show up in BOINC at all. This is what some people call a "Ghost WU".

It's only been happening for a short time, and started during the outage. My 64-bit BOINC hosts also cannot fetch any more work - the server is telling them their platform doesn't exist and refusing any finished WUs as well as new downloads.

So while the servers may be up (accessible), not all is well yet (they don't fully work).

HTH,
Simon.

Once again, stuff happens late in the week, so the staff is away. Matt L. had implemented the updated Boinc sever software, and left for vacation Thursday night, I believe. So perhaps Monday we may see a resolution to the anonymous platform bug.

Until then just rename your app_info file and restart Boinc. You may actually crunch them with the optimized client, mine are doing so.

Co-owner, the Group of 10 ~~100~~ ~~200~~ 300

5/19/2007 2:10:00 PM

Xaak

1055 posts

Re: Important: How to connect to Berkeley with optimized apps
(United States)

I don't tend to blame the seti project guys because I understand that they're working on a shoestring budget, but the decision to upgrade boinc versions during the most severe outage of the BOINC era is sheer stupidity.

You don't introduce new potential points of failure until everything else is stable. How else are you going to be able to tell where problems come from?

You don't introduce a new version of any software before you assess the potential impact on your user base.

Sorry, but the seti team made a stupid decision in this case. Not because of low budgets, not because of being overworked, but because of very bad decision making and defective logic.

Gary
You can't fix dead.

5/19/2007 3:03:48 PM

Crystallize

612 posts

Re: Important: How to connect to Berkeley with optimized apps
(N/A)

Xaak wrote
Sorry, but the seti team made a stupid decision in this case.

Unfortunately not their first, neither their last.
I'm very ticked at the STAFF for the moment
and keeping my ass out of the main BOINC forum,
just not to get my self in too much trouble ...

I've been giving the staff a bit much of my 2 cents lately, and they know exactly what I think of them by now...

but I hope something went through...
This is my sig on the main forum and I've gotten some bad feedback on it from the staff who think I'm getting it all wrong but also some good feedback from members that agrees with me...

| >>> My RC-72 stats <<< | >>> My F@h stats <<< |

5/19/2007 6:12:18 PM

broadbandit

288 posts

Re: Important: How to connect to Berkeley with optimized apps
(N/A)

All is well now, even with optimized apps, no need to rename your app_info.xml file.

May 18, 2007
If your BOINC client is not able to upload to or download from the SETI@Home servers, look for the message Message from Server: Incomplete request received in the BOINC Manager messages area. If you see that message, stopping and restarting your BOINC client should fix the problem.

It ain't easy being greazy..
Load "*",8,1

5/19/2007 6:47:02 PM

Xaak

1055 posts

Re: Important: How to connect to Berkeley with optimized apps
(United States)

broadbandit wrote

All is well now, even with optimized apps, no need to rename your app_info.xml file.

Nope. If you put the app_info file back, it hangs on connects and still has problems connecting. I've had to rename it several times, as well as delete the sched_*.xml files to get stuff to move.

I've just stopped all new work requests, and am going to give some of the other projects some attention for a while.

Gary
You can't fix dead.

5/20/2007 2:01:03 AM

paul

1039 posts

Re: Important: How to connect to Berkeley with optimized apps
(N/A)

broadbandit wrote

All is well now, even with optimized apps, no need to rename your app_info.xml file.

BB, that's a fix Eric Korpola posted about another problem, entirely different from the broken anonymous platform code.

Co-owner, the Group of 10 ~~100~~ ~~200~~ 300

5/20/2007 7:29:35 AM

broadbandit

288 posts

Re: Important: How to connect to Berkeley with optimized apps
(N/A)

hmm, earlier this week, my units weren't going up, i had to rename the app_info file. but since last night, my updates were working. this morning they are also, however they seem a bit sluggish. some need me to update boincview twice but they all go up. i'm using kwsn_2.2b app on all hosts.

It ain't easy being greazy..
Load "*",8,1

5/20/2007 11:10:56 AM

paul

1039 posts

Re: Important: How to connect to Berkeley with optimized apps
(N/A) Modified By paul on 5/20/2007 1:15:05 PM)

Xaak wrote

You don't introduce new potential points of failure until everything else is stable. How else are you going to be able to tell where problems come from?

You don't introduce a new version of any software before you assess the potential impact on your user base.

Sorry, but the seti team made a stupid decision in this case. Not because of low budgets, not because of being overworked, but because of very bad decision making and defective logic.

I've asked Gary to post this in a thread on Berkeley's board, where a member is calling for team leaders to inform their teams about the broken anonymous platform code introduced with the Boinc Server update introduced a bit over a week ago during The Biggest SETI Outage Ever (TBSOE).

This post pretty much sums up what we feel about this latest mess. Hopefully tomorrow they can clean it all up.

Co-owner, the Group of 10 ~~100~~ ~~200~~ 300

5/20/2007 12:18:51 PM

kemp

166 posts

Re: Important: How to connect to Berkeley with optimized apps
(Uruguay)

I was running Seti with KWSN_2.2B_SSE_Ben-Joe_GFX.
Well, I'm tired to stop Seti service, rename app_info and rename it back, and restart service everytime. So I've downloaded Boinc 5.8.16 and I'm running setiathome_5.15_windows_intelx86 instead just to see what happens. If it fixes the download problem, I'm going to stick with a non opt cli till it back to work.

Brazil, not Uruguay!!!

5/20/2007 4:07:36 PM

Fuzzy Duck

36 posts

Re: Important: How to connect to Berkeley with optimized apps
(N/A) Modified By Fuzzy Duck on 5/20/2007 6:08:11 PM)

I don't always get the time to monitor and/or adjust my systems. I have detached all of my SETI clients for the time being.

In the mean time cunching rosetta. The BOINC system is adapted to overcome times like these. I guess I will switch back to SETI.... sometime.

5/20/2007 5:38:31 PM

Kinguni

2157 posts

Re: Important: How to connect to Berkeley with optimized apps
(Canada) Modified By Kinguni on 5/20/2007 8:24:04 PM)

Rosetta is good. I downloaded some SETI WUs on this machine, but won't bother again until they fix things right. 100% Rosetta.

5/20/2007 8:47:05 PM

broadbandit

288 posts

Re: Important: How to connect to Berkeley with optimized apps
(N/A)

Einstein is good too. ya, longer processing times, but so what.

It ain't easy being greazy..
Load "*",8,1

5/20/2007 10:37:45 PM

Kinguni

2157 posts

Re: Important: How to connect to Berkeley with optimized apps
(Canada)

broadbandit wrote

longer processing times, but so what.

That's what cobblestones are all about.

5/21/2007 3:21:15 AM

paul

1039 posts

Re: Important: How to connect to Berkeley with optimized apps
(N/A)

Quick summary as it stands early Monday morning-

Network traffic for the project is down. You can't up or download work. Get your backup projects going. Again.

If you have Seti work and are running optimized apps, rename your app_info file to something else, restart BOINC.

There's a big problem with ghost work units, but we can't clear them out because we can't connect to the project.

Hopefully we'll get some updates when the staff comes in this morning, we'll be monitoring any progress.

Co-owner, the Group of 10 ~~100~~ ~~200~~ 300

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