I am running SETI@Home CPU only. Full configuration is at the end of this message.

I updated to BOINC 7.6.6 Monday and 7.6.9 today. Considering only the 7.6.9 version, I have a 4 core CPU. Starting the BOINC manager starts 8 SETI processes and 2 boinc.exe processes. The SETI processes each get about 10% of the available CPU. BOINC manager shows 4 running tasks.

Exiting the BOINC manager with the "Stop running" option set leaves all of this running.

Restarting BOINC manager now has 4 boinc.exe processes and 16 SETI processes running.

I will revert to 7.4.42 for this time being.

Configuration:
BOINC version 7.6.9
Windows 7, 64 bit
CPU AMD Phenom 4 core.
CPU Nvidia GTS 450

---

Sounds more like a runaway process on your computer. Just try to use Windows task manager to kill the runaway processes after exiting BOINC, then just start BOINC once.

---

As Jord said, this sounds like a one time issue. I've had similar issues when the RPC breaks and the manager can no longer control the jobs. Kill them, or if you aren't happy using the task manager, just reboot the computer. The above is a bit windows specific. In linux and Mac O/S boinc and the science are in the same process group, when the parent exits all the children will so there will be noting left to kill.

Following does not apply to Seti, but is for general information.
There is an instance when a job will run away from control. If the project does not checkpoint and the job is longer than the switch between jobs time the manager will issue a call to pause but the job will ignore it, however the manager won't know this and will start another job.

Also if you are using a project with the virtual machine, then there will be more processes yet as the manager starts the job which is just a dummy to start the virtual machine to do the real work.

---

The OP said very specificslly:

Starting the BOINC manager starts 8 SETI processes and 2 boinc.exe processes. The SETI processes each get about 10% of the available CPU. BOINC manager shows 4 running tasks.

That's very similar to a bug that Charlie thought he observed, and tried to fix in v7.6.8

But the fix was flawed, and reverted so that v7.6.9 could be released to replace the even more flawed v7.6.6. I thought we might get a second attempt at Charlie's patch (which was related to service mode installations and how to control them - the conversation continued privately after the boinc_alpha discussion went silent), but no sign of it yet.

I have now uninstalled and reinstalled BOINC 7.6.9 and rebooted numerous times. Each time I start BOINC I get two BOINC.exe processes and 8 SETI processes. It is completely consistent, it happens every time.

Is there a place where I can download an older version that might not have this bug?

Thanks,
++PLS

---

BTW, killing processes is pretty iffy. Killing a seti process flatly does not work. BOINC just fails the task and starts a new one. Killing a boinc.exe will kill the seti processes it started, but if I kill the wrong one the manger will just restart it.

Of the two boinc.exe processes, one is controlled by the boinc manager and the other is just sitting there running.

++PLS

---

Well, this is just disgusting.

I went back to 7.4.42 and have exactly the same problem.
- Starting boing manager starts two boinc processes, both children of boincmgr;
- and each boinc process has 4 seti processes as children.
- exiting boing manager with the stop processing box checked does not stop ANY boinc.exe processes, so two are left running, each with 4 seti child processes.
- restarting boinc manager starts 2 more boinc child processes, each with 4 stei processes.

This isn't useful to run.

What can I do now?

---

The normal start-up process for current versions of BOINC is to launch an instance of BOINC Manager through the Windows Registry. That instance of the Manager, in turn, launches boinc.exe, and boinc.exe launches the child project processes.

Many years ago, it was commoner to launch BOINC from a shortcut in the StartUp folder in Start Menu\Programs. Could you perhaps have a left-over StartUp link launching the second copy?

Without an addition through the command line or through cc_config.xml that says allow_multiple_clients, boinc.exe can only start once on any system. Try to start it more than once and you'll get an error saying that boinc.exe is already running, also stored in stderrdae.txt (Another instance of BOINC is running).

When you first start BOINC after a bootup, and you check in WIndows Task Manager, you'll see temporarily that two instances of boinc.exe run, this will put the entries in stderrdae.tyxt. One of these goes away, leaving only the other.

But as said, only when there's nowhere that says that starting multiple clients is allowed.

---

BOINCTasks also has an option to start the BOINC client. I don't normally use it, but that might start a second instance(?). Otherwise, I am running 7.6.9 in service mode on two machines (Win7 64-bit) and don't see the problem.

What can I do now?

Ageless hinted at the right direction but lets be more clear about it.

Open in Notepad cc_config.xml from BOINC's data directory, usually at C:\ProgramData\BOINC . If there is the following line:

<allow_multiple_clients>1</allow_multiple_clients>

then change the 1 to 0 and save.

Otherwise you need to hunt down all the shortcuts to the BOINC client and remove '--allow_multiple_clients' from the command line.

That may be it.

Recalling that when stepping back to 7.4.42, I still had the same problem. I uninstalled 7.4.42 and went through the registry and the file system and deleted any references to BOINC or any of its components that I found. I reinstalled 7.4.42 and it is now working correctly.

It may be noteworthy that I do not presently have a cc_config.xml file at all.

I find "allow_multiple_clients" a very confusing name. Does this mean it allows multiple boinc.exe processes or does it allow multiple boincmgr.exe clients? It might be nice to rename this to make it clear.

Also, where do I get the skeleton cc_config.xml file? I would have though that reinstalling 7.4.42 would have installed one in the data directory. It did not.

Thanks

---

I find "allow_multiple_clients" a very confusing name. Does this mean it allows multiple boinc.exe processes or does it allow multiple boincmgr.exe clients?

BOINC consists of two main parts: the client that does all the scheduling, communications with projects, caching of work. This client is boinc.exe
The second part is the graphical user interface, also called BOINC Manager. It allows you to easily control the client.

So when you have set somewhere to allow multiple clients, this always is about the BOINC client, never the BOINC Manager. It's always possible to run multiple managers, to contact and control multiple clients running on remote systems.

Also, where do I get the skeleton cc_config.xml file? I would have though that reinstalling 7.4.42 would have installed one in the data directory. It did not.

BOINC runs fine without a client configuration file. It does not install with an empty one available. You either have to make on yourself by hand, or by using the daily schedules in BOINC 7.4, or by using the Event Log Options preference in BOINC 7.6.9 BOINC Manager.

Most of what cc_config.xml is used for is setting of debug flags to check for bugs within the client, or setting advanced user settings. As a normal/novice user you don't need it.

---