On two of my computers, I installed BOINC back in '07. Version 5.10. I see a much newer version is now available. Should I update my software to this newer version? If so, how do I do that? Do I need to uninstall the older BOINC, then install the new. Or can I install the new on top of the old?

If you don't want to do the "new" GPU computing, 5.10.x is just fine. I'm running 5.10.45 on an XP laptop and 5.8.16 on an NT4 one without problems. (5.8.16 was the last version to support NT4 :-)

Gruß,
Gundolf

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Computer sind nicht alles im Leben. (Kleiner Scherz)

..."new" GPU computing...

Could you tell me what this is? I've not a clue and I can't find it referenced here. Thanks so much for your help.

Perhaps you have more hits when searching for CUDA (Nvidea) or CAL (ATI).

In the newer versions of BOINC, tasks can be processed not only on the CPU but also on the GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) of a computer.

Gruß,
Gundolf

Hey Gundolf-

Just a wee caution. I have just come through - I think - a horrendous start up of my brandy new Win with I7-920 processor.

I have had days and says of almost constant help from the great CA's at WCG, especially Sekerob, but also Ingleside.

It became apparent that not all projects are happy with all GPU possibilities. On my new machine, SETI- was happy, Einstein was not. And only these two projects on my list had GPU options in their web site prefs. Leiden, with nothing in their prefs, kept asking for work for the GPU, as did Rosetta, and, I think WCG.

So, with guidance from a BOINC FAQ, I added a line to my C:\ProgramData\BOIN\cc_xml file to kill off any GPU possibilities. I do not know if gthey worked at all or when; but they were apparently keeping everything else from happening and I would run out of work.

I bought the I7-920 to crunch on 8 "cores" and that is what I am doing.

Somewhere down the road when things have become very stable, I *may* look into the GPU thing.

While technically ignorant, I will be bold enough to say that some of these new machines, I7's, Win7 64bit, present possibilities that may be beyond BOINC's core logic.

Best,

>>RSM

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http://sciencesprings.wordpress.com
http://facebook.com/sciencesprings

Projects that don't currently have gpu apps will get constant requests for some gpu work for a while. This is "just in case they've recently added that to their apps."
These requests will get less frequent over time, as BOINC 'learns' about them, and will end up being (I think), once a day.

So, just be patient, and let BOINC get on with it's learning.

Les-

Well, that does explain a lot of what I saw, lots of requests.

I did some hunting around about GPU's. This is a very complicated business and apparently not for the weak at heart and impatient. Speedy, yes; solid no.

My conclusion was that it's not a yes or no situation. Too many if's, memory, cores, etc. The average non-technical participant - like me - will not do well with this stuff.

Most of the rest of BOINC processing is relatively just install, go with the defaults and you will probably be all right. That is where GPU processing must get if it to be anything more than a curiosity.

All of this is, of course, just the opinion of a technical illiterate.

>>RSM

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http://sciencesprings.wordpress.com
http://facebook.com/sciencesprings

Most of the rest of BOINC processing is relatively just install, go with the defaults and you will probably be all right. That is where GPU processing must get if it to be anything more than a curiosity.

That isn't going to be possible, ever, as BOINC isn't installing any videocard drivers. That's something the user will have to do at any point in time. BOINC will check against the drivers you have installed if you have GPU capability, it won't install the thing for you, never will.

All defaults are even not to use the GPU while the computer is in use.

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Hey Jord-

But I was given the impression that BOINC was being hung up and I was running out of work due to the GPU thing not being stopped by me in projects prefs, and/or locally through the cc_config.xml file.

Also, from what I saw in Messages, SETI was O.K. with whatever I have - NVIDIA GeForce GT220 - and Einstein was not O.K. with it. This is the first time that I have run into specifications being different from one project to another, at least where they effect the user.

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http://sciencesprings.wordpress.com
http://facebook.com/sciencesprings

Hey Jord-

But I was given the impression that BOINC was being hung up and I was running out of work due to the GPU thing not being stopped by me in projects prefs, and/or locally through the cc_config.xml file.

By default, web preferences for "Suspend GPU work while computer is in use?
Enforced by version 6.7+" is Yes.
Local preferences puts it as "Use GPU while computer is in use", which is NOT checked.

Also, from what I saw in Messages, SETI was O.K. with whatever I have - NVIDIA GeForce GT220 - and Einstein was not O.K. with it. This is the first time that I have run into specifications being different from one project to another, at least where they effect the user.

So? Projects can define what they need all independently. There is usually a bit of news on the front page, or a thread in the forums which says what their requirements are.

For Einstein, from this post by Bernd Machenschalk:

We have finally begun to automatically deliver CUDA work & applications (plan class "ABP1cuda23") to machines that satisfy the following requirements:

- enabled NVIDIA GPU work in Einstein@home preferences
- NVidia GPU with at least 450MB of free memory
- Display Driver version 190.38 (&up), i.e. CUDA 2.3 capability
- BOINC Core Client version 6.10 (&up)

CUDA Beta App testers should drain their work cache and switch back to the normal project work.

Those are absolute their minimum requirements.

Even BOINC 6.10 has already got a different requirement than 6.6 had: required minimum driver is 185.85 or else you have a good chance that your GPU will not be detected.

I understand that GPUGrid changed its requirements as well and that the GF 8x and 9x cards cannot be used there anymore. That's live.

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