Implement 'Find task by name'
26 Nov 2018 13:37:26 UTC
Topic 217033
(moderation:
This has been available in the generic BOINC web code for some years now.
I'm actually trying to use it because I'm doing an extended test of Account Managers (at Gary Roberts' request), and I don't know my own username for Science United! I've put through some test tasks like LATeah1036L_188.0_0_0.0_25032588_0 - if I could find the task, then I could see the computer ID, and then I'd know who I am.....
It's useful more generally, too. If somebody posts an error log for a failed task on the message boards, and asks for help, it's a quick way of finding their details for diagnosis.
Richard Haselgrove wrote:This
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No edit link on initial posts? I was going to add
* Five years, to be precise. https://github.com/BOINC/boinc/commit/e798bf50ebce5159f800bcff08a6ed25caa147b5
Edit - I think I've found myself. I'm the anonymous user of Host 12745493
Richard Haselgrove wrote:This
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Just some follow-up questions. Where exactly would this search for task be located? On the Tasks page, https://einsteinathome.org/account/tasks/0/0?
Is there a reason why the application drop-box is not as useful? Thanks Richard.
Einstein@Home Project
account/tasks/0/0 is a
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account/tasks/0/0 is a reference to your own account, and can't refer to third parties. If other users - like my Science United alter-ego - have their computers anonymised, you can't even get to a computer task list, let alone a user task list.
My own account/tasks/0/0 currently has 4371 tasks listed - that's a lot of reading, even with the aid of the application and status filters.
Yes, the generic BOINC task search box was placed on the task list page, below the status filters. It's universal - you can quickly bring up your own task list, paste in a task name, and find the computer that crunched it even when anonymous.
Remember that Task and Workunit ID numbers aren't transmitted out to BOINC clients, so there's no way of marrying up local and website records except via the name.
Richard Haselgrove
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Richard,
What you are calling a 'task name' in your posts. Is it a string such as p2030.20170402.G43.43+01.38.C.b1s0g0.00000_1313_0? What in our Web table is named 'task Id'? I think I may be confused about what we are discussing.
Einstein@Home Project
Shawn Kwang wrote:What you
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Yes.
I would like such a feature as well so I'll add a bit of background as to how I see this.
My recollection is that before the switch to Drupal, a computer's task list was able to be reconfigured so that column 1 (Task ID) could be selectively changed to show the numerical IDs OR the alphanumeric full task names. Now, that same column (still called Task ID) always shows the full task name. If you hover the mouse on any particular name, it will reveal the numerical ID. So, if the relevant computer ID is known, it is possible (but a bit tedious) to find the task of interest if either the ID or name of the task has been given. However, if the computer ID is not known then forget it.
Previously, most users asking for help had visible (not hidden) computer lists. With GDPR, that has changed. If a volunteer wanted help with some sort of issue with a task, it was very likely that the computer list would be visible and the problem found, however brief the supplied information was. Now, the helper is forced to ask for a computer ID if the user doesn't supply it. This creates more work, extra back and forth messages and often adds significant delay.
It's a long time since I've had computers crunching for projects with BOINC based websites, so I have no experience with the particular BOINC feature Richard describes. However if it means that putting a task name into a search or filter box which would return the (possibly several) computer IDs that had crunched that task, that would be really helpful. Unfortunately, there is probably something in GDPR that would make it illegal to reveal a computer ID in this way if the owner of that computer had chosen to keep his computers hidden :-). If the owner had allowed the computer list to be viewed, it should be OK and the feature would make it very quick to track a particular task name supplied by the owner.
I'm sure Richard will correct me if I've misunderstood the feature he described ;-).
Cheers,
Gary.
I second the request to have
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I second the request to have the user's list of tasks searchable by Task Id. A user can waste hours, literally, trying to find out what happened to a particular work unit. I did this last week trying to find a CPU task that was returned late to see if I received any credit. I used IE's find facility, which is normally reliable, to search every sublist (In Progress, Pending, Error, etc.) of the task list. After at least an hour, I had to give up w/o ever finding the WU name.
For those who keep asking questions, such as, "Do you mean Task Id," about how the search facility is implemented, why don't you just create an account on SETI@Home, download a few work units, and then look at your task list to see how it is implemented. Creating an account on a different website is like calling a girl on the phone, or attending a church of which you are not a member -- it is terror-inspiring until you have done it a few times. Death rarely results.
Sorry, hadn't been monitoring
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Sorry, hadn't been monitoring this thread for feedback (been a bit busy).
@ Shawn: yes, by task name I mean the long text string like 'LATeah2001L_1060.0_0_0.0_2575047_0'. By Task ID I would mean the numerical index in your database result table, like 810440771 for the task above. https://einsteinathome.org/task/810440771
@ Gary: The beauty of the generic BOINC solution is that it is universal - if you paste a name (as above) into the search box, BOINC can find it, without needing to know the host or user IDs
@ CElliott: please observe the distinctions between 'name' (text) and 'ID' (numeric) above.
The whole problem arises because our clients (out in the field) only know the name of a task: efficient search and lookup requires the numeric ID (only known to the server). This is a way of linking the two.