I'm new to all this . Can some one explain what is happening . I spend a lot of time crunching and am losing a lot of credits. This is the error message .
<core_client_version>6.10.18</core_client_version>
<![CDATA[
<message>
WU download error: couldn't get input files:
<file_xfer_error>
<file_name>params_011510_030623_1.ini</file_name>
<error_code>-200</error_code>
</file_xfer_error>

</message>
]]>
oldtroupador

I'm new to all this . Can some one explain what is happening . I spend a lot of time crunching and am losing a lot of credits. This is the error message .
<core_client_version>6.10.18</core_client_version>
<![CDATA[
<message>
WU download error: couldn't get input files:
<file_xfer_error>
<file_name>params_011510_030623_1.ini</file_name>
<error_code>-200</error_code>
</file_xfer_error>

</message>
]]>
oldtroupador

You are not losing credits for this error.

It has been an ongoing issue at this project but has not been fixed in about a year now.
All that happens is that the download fails so that work unit never got downloaded so was not received at your computer and was not processed by your computer either.

If like me you run Linux it may cause an issue depending on your version of Boinc. I had Boinc stop working twice when the download failed and my Boinc Manager could no longer talk to the client and Boinc then stopped working (had to disable internet access abort the download and then reconnect the internet to get things going again).

On Windows I have not had this problem, still get the failed downloads (seems to be increasing) but no lock ups. I am using a later Boinc Client version on the Windows machine so that might be the reason for it not locking up.

So basically the failed downloads don't cause too much of an issue other than taking up bandwidth, it will then download a good one and you can keep crunching.

---

My computer (44218) is running a task (wu_010810_161743_0_1_0) that doesn't want to complete. Like most tasks, it initially projected about 24 CPU hours to completion. Until now, no tasks from this site have taken more than 27 CPU hours to complete. Currently, the GridRepublic desktop window reports this task has run for 41 hours and 20 minutes, and counting. Every so often, the time to completion column increases the remaining time by 10 to 20 hours or so. At the moment, it shows 48 hours and 33 minutes to completion. I suppose something is wrong, but I have no way of knowing. The task has now passed its deadline and my computer is reported on your site as not reporting on this task. Once the deadline passed a few hours ago, efforts were made to assign the task to other computers, but all of the download efforts failed. If the task can be completed I would like to do so, but if it can't, I don't want to keep taking CPU time away from useful work. What should I do?

Bruce

If its passed its sell by date `abort` it in boinc manager,
Do you have `Leave applications in memory when suspended` set on or off
I wonder if this is a problem because cosmo checkpoints are a long way appart
setting it `on` uses more rem but may help long running work units finish.

As there's still no answer in the thread, here's just a friendly reminder in case only this thread is monitored by the admins:
Accounts deleted
You can see quite clearly when it happened to Autofuzzy in this picture:

And no, it's no CPID-glitch.

---

Grüße vom Sänger

As there's still no answer in the thread, here's just a friendly reminder in case only this thread is monitored by the admins:

There are no "admins" here anymore. The project is on auto-pilot. Unless there's a crash of the server or a failure of one of the daemons, your 15-hour no response to the other thread will pale in comparison to the length of time you'll actually spend waiting on an answer...

The cost of electricity has gone up 15% where I live, so I am likely going to be stepping out of BOINC completely in the near future. Due to the excessive memory utilization (and thus higher power consumption), even if I were to remain active in BOINC, this project can't be run on my Intel system (slows the system down too much), and it significantly impacts the performance of my AMD system as well.

Best of luck with the wait...

---

There are no "admins" here anymore. The project is on auto-pilot.
[snip]
Best of luck with the wait...

That was my impression as well from the other threads here, that's the reason for this post.
Probably to be followed by some emails to Ben Wandelt later today or tomorrow.

---

Grüße vom Sänger

Probably to be followed by some emails to Ben Wandelt later today or tomorrow.

Done so, and recieved an answer:

Hello Ben,
I'd like to make you aware of the deletion of some accounts from my team, SETI.Germany, as we have posted in the forum.
As I've seen only little interaction by the project team in the forum I decided to contact you by email as well.

Here is the link to the relevant thread:
http://www.cosmologyathome.org/forum_thread.php?id=758

I hope you can get the accounts back in the database.

Regards,
Uwe Herzke aka Sänger

Dear Uwe -

I looked into it and apparently your account had been hacked and contained inappropriate terms. Since we regularly clean out accounts that contain advertisements or inappropriate language your account was removed.

Would you contact Scott at skruger_at_illinois_dot_edu . To see if your credit can be restored. Please note that we are currently without an administrator (looking to hire one!) and Scott is doing this out of the goodness of his heart so we cannot guarantee efficient communications at this time.

I hope we will soon find someone who can perform the necessary day to day activities to keep cosmology@Home in good working order.

Best regards,
Ben Wandelt

Anyone interested in a new job (link is PDF)?

---

Grüße vom Sänger

I hope we will soon find someone who can perform the necessary day to day activities to keep cosmology@Home in good working order.

Best regards,
Ben Wandelt

Anyone interested in a new job (link is PDF)?

That job has been vacant for around 8-9 months now. That current ad, complete with a keyboard mishap at the very top which is glaringly obvious, has been up for almost 4 months. They are not wanting to pay the money that a job like that should be paid, even if it is for "a college student" to do. I know of several places where entry-level interns with minimal programming skill requirements were paid $15/hr. Pay needs to be more around $20/hr instead of $15. Flipping burgers generally is 8-9, maybe even 10. General customer service call center work is probably 8-11, and if technical, 10-14, for just answering phone calls.

---

I got my email bounced back in the first 2 attempts, both addresses seem to be wrong:
skruger_at_illinois_dot_edu got this reply from my mail provider:

<skruger@illinois.edu>: host incoming-relays.cites.uiuc.edu[128.174.4.69] said:
550 5.1.1 <skruger@illinois.edu>... User unknown (in reply to RCPT TO command)

Next try came from an address I found here, my providers reply was this:

<skruger@uiuc.edu>: host incoming-relays.cites.uiuc.edu[128.174.196.10] said:
550 5.1.1 <skruger@uiuc.edu>... User unknown (in reply to RCPT TO command)

The one that didn't com back asap (but was not granted an answer nevertheless) was this one, found in the BOINC mailing lists: skruger2_at_illinois_dot_edu

---

Grüße vom Sänger

Hmm maybe now is not the best time to come back. Saenger, did you ever get back the missing credits? And I don't follow when Ben said the account had inappropriate information. Can anyone elaborate on that?

---

Hmm maybe now is not the best time to come back. Saenger, did you ever get back the missing credits? And I don't follow when Ben said the account had inappropriate information. Can anyone elaborate on that?

I never lost my credits, just the poor fellows that got their account deleted without any reason.
And no, they didn't get their credit back, the project team doesn't care about it's crunchers.

There was nothing inappropriate in their profiles, but they got deleted nevertheless by some ruthless bot or jerk in care of this random deletion spree. They didn't get a warning, they didn't get an explanation, they didn't do anything wrong, they got just kicked in their ass.

---

Grüße vom Sänger

I already warned everybody in my team to not participate untill the problem is properly resolved....

Hi,

since today I cant' download any single task.

BOINC messages transcript of one such download errors follows.

Bye

darkpella

27/04/2010 18.16.08 Cosmology@Home Sending scheduler request: To fetch work.
27/04/2010 18.16.08 Cosmology@Home Requesting new tasks for CPU
27/04/2010 18.16.13 Cosmology@Home Scheduler request completed: got 1 new tasks
27/04/2010 18.16.15 Cosmology@Home Started download of params_041110_190328_3.ini
27/04/2010 18.16.16 Cosmology@Home Giving up on download of params_041110_190328_3.ini: file not found

Hi darkpella
I get this from time to time. I generally finish the work queue, do an update to get my credit on the finished WU's, and, then reset the project.

Happy crunching.

Hi,

since today I cant' download any single task.

BOINC messages transcript of one such download errors follows.

Bye

darkpella

27/04/2010 18.16.08 Cosmology@Home Sending scheduler request: To fetch work.
27/04/2010 18.16.08 Cosmology@Home Requesting new tasks for CPU
27/04/2010 18.16.13 Cosmology@Home Scheduler request completed: got 1 new tasks
27/04/2010 18.16.15 Cosmology@Home Started download of params_041110_190328_3.ini
27/04/2010 18.16.16 Cosmology@Home Giving up on download of params_041110_190328_3.ini: file not found

Hi!

I see no movement here, but I found a problem and I'm reporting it. Maybe somebody will read this and fix the problem before next "big bang" wipes out this galaxy.

BOINC cannot upload results back to project server. I have 6 items in queue to upload.

2010-06-28 11:07:59 Cosmology@Home Requesting new tasks
2010-06-28 11:08:02 Cosmology@Home [error] No start tag in scheduler reply
2010-06-28 11:09:02 Cosmology@Home Fetching scheduler list
2010-06-28 12:06:07 Cosmology@Home Started upload of wu_062310_181819_1_0_0_0
2010-06-28 12:06:07 Cosmology@Home Started upload of wu_062310_181819_1_0_0_1
2010-06-28 12:06:10 Cosmology@Home Temporarily failed upload of wu_062310_181819_1_0_0_0: transient upload error
2010-06-28 12:06:10 Cosmology@Home Backing off 5 min 51 sec on upload of wu_062310_181819_1_0_0_0
2010-06-28 12:06:10 Cosmology@Home Temporarily failed upload of wu_062310_181819_1_0_0_1: transient upload error
2010-06-28 12:06:10 Cosmology@Home Backing off 5 min 11 sec on upload of wu_062310_181819_1_0_0_1
2010-06-28 14:02:56 Cosmology@Home Started upload of wu_062310_181819_1_0_0_0
2010-06-28 14:02:57 Cosmology@Home Started upload of wu_062310_181819_1_0_0_1
2010-06-28 14:03:00 Cosmology@Home Temporarily failed upload of wu_062310_181819_1_0_0_0: transient upload error
2010-06-28 14:03:00 Cosmology@Home Backing off 13 min 17 sec on upload of wu_062310_181819_1_0_0_0
2010-06-28 14:03:00 Cosmology@Home Temporarily failed upload of wu_062310_181819_1_0_0_1: transient upload error
2010-06-28 14:03:00 Cosmology@Home Backing off 14 min 51 sec on upload of wu_062310_181819_1_0_0_1
And so on...

BTW: Message preview on this forum is not working either...
I'm giving you for free two mashines and internet connection (24/7) to help "wise guys" in making something "good and creative". Other members are giving you much more, and you can't hire IT specialist like me for one day to get this mess fixed? Crunching one your task costs me 22 working hours of one mashine and you don't want the results! It's making me really nervous.

L.s.,

Last months I have all the times the same problem - wit C@H alone.

In the working the amount of resting time is increasing, second by second, and not decreasing.
In the same time the amount of done work is increasing, seconds, so as you expect. The procent work done will stand stop at e.g. 26%, or 47% or so, and doesn't increase further. Calculation error!

After hours time is wasted and i have to reset.

So i stop with C@H! Milky Way and Einstein calculate as i expect - no problem!

---

I haven't had too many problems lately with C@H, but the percentages have always been rather misleading. Usually, it starts out with the percentages going up quite quickly, and then the rate of progress seems to slow down with time. However, the work units do eventually complete - on my machine, they take about as long as an Einstein S5 work unit.

However, what works for me is to set the BOINC preferences to only switch between applications every two hours or more, to leave applications in memory while suspended, and if possible never power down the machine while a C@H work unit is running, otherwise you could lose a couple of hours of work. This is because the checkpoints are quite far apart (a checkpoint is when the application saves details of how much progress you have made with a work unit...most other projects have much more frequent checkpoints, meaning that you don't lose significant amounts of work when you power down your machine).

If your work units error out, maybe you don't have enough virtual memory, or your machine may have a problem with its physical memery (as C@H jobs are quite memory-intensive). That's just a guess BTW. Are they actually coming up with an error message, or are you just assuming that there must be an error because progress appears to be slowing down or stopping?

Hope this helps.

---

Thanks Rob, for the advise.
Before reading your letter I made choosing for use of the memory. And apart from that I see now a progress in the work units. Yes, in the beginning I receive a task of a 5 to 6 hours. In the work the grows to about a mere 20 hours. But I see a progress over time in the %% work done. Slowly but certain.

And now i follow your advise, taking more time before changing the task: 120 minutes instead of 60 minutes. I have working now MilkyWay, Einstein and Cosmology. That's enough for one machine.
/raimond

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