5 Files

[B^S] madmac
[B^S] madmac
Joined: 19 Jul 05
Posts: 32
Credit: 759460
RAC: 0
Topic 189938

As I am not running Einstein on this computer I got to check Einstein in Boinc and I came across to 5 File what are they are what do they do? Both of them are 6,236 KB long. So can anyone inform me please.

Bernd Machenschalk
Bernd Machenschalk
Moderator
Administrator
Joined: 15 Oct 04
Posts: 4267
Credit: 244930768
RAC: 16526

5 Files

Can you name the files you are talking about?

BM

BM

Ocean Archer
Ocean Archer
Joined: 18 Jan 05
Posts: 92
Credit: 368644
RAC: 0

MadMac -- Had you

MadMac --

Had you processed Einstein files on the machine in question in the past? Perhaps this is just a "left-over" from that work ...


If I've lived this long - I gotta be that old!

[B^S] madmac
[B^S] madmac
Joined: 19 Jul 05
Posts: 32
Credit: 759460
RAC: 0

Yes I have done work on the

Yes I have done work on the machine, both codes are exactly the same 1_0208.5 done in august. If this is of some use.

Ocean Archer
Ocean Archer
Joined: 18 Jan 05
Posts: 92
Credit: 368644
RAC: 0

Mac -- I checked my

Mac --

I checked my folders, and found a "5 file" too. Mine is w1_0343.5 and was also done in the August timeframe. My file size is 8,155 KB.


If I've lived this long - I gotta be that old!

Gary Roberts
Gary Roberts
Moderator
Joined: 9 Feb 05
Posts: 5842
Credit: 109403904644
RAC: 35493072

These are just the large data

These are just the large data files from which EAH constructs its "work units". If madmac is not intending to run EAH again he could delete them. They are usually automatically deleted when finished with anyway. If you delete one when you shouldn't, BOINC will simply notice this and then download a fresh copy to replace it :).

Cheers,
Gary.

[B^S] madmac
[B^S] madmac
Joined: 19 Jul 05
Posts: 32
Credit: 759460
RAC: 0

Thank you Gary Einstein has

Thank you Gary Einstein has deleted one on the machine that is running it. So Einstein should have deleted these files when they were completed.

Ocean Archer
Ocean Archer
Joined: 18 Jan 05
Posts: 92
Credit: 368644
RAC: 0

Thank you Gary for your

Thank you Gary for your information.

From your answer, I understand that the various "work units" are constructed/selected from this massive data file, and that several WUs are made from each data file. Once that file is used up, it is replaced with a new data file, and the process repeated. So, if I chose to stop processing WUs for Einstein, the last data file would remain.

I appreciate your help and assistance ...


If I've lived this long - I gotta be that old!

Gary Roberts
Gary Roberts
Moderator
Joined: 9 Feb 05
Posts: 5842
Credit: 109403904644
RAC: 35493072

Yes, I believe you are

Yes, I believe you are correct particularly if BOINC thinks there will be more to do on that large data file. If (by selecting no new work for example) BOINC thinks it has finished with the file it may very well delete it. However it probably doen't cost much to keep it around if it still has the potential to produce more needed results. Once the server decides that it is truly finished with that data file, BOINC will be instructed to delete it. Here's what happened to me once:-

I had a machine that had been crunching EAH but had not been turned on for about a month. I had the opportunity to start running it again so I thought I'd be clever and have a look through the BOINC folder before restarting BOINC. I looked in projects - einstein and saw all the configuration and other files (Config_*, earth*, sun*) as well as the large data files - eg W1_xxxx.5. As a month had elapsed and the data was sure to be out of date, I decided to be smart and delete those large files before firing up BOINC. Of course if I'd thought about it for more than half a second I'd have realised that those files would have entries stored in files like client_state.xml and that I was therefore going to stuff things up. In the event all that happened was that BOINC complained about missing file W1_xxxx.5 and proceeded to waste my internet connection by getting a fresh copy. Then, if I remember correctly, it proudly announced that it had received instructions to delete that file and so it did!!!

There is an important moral to this story. BOINC is reasonably sophisticated software that really does now what it needs to do. If you are stupid enough to try and "fool" it you had better really understand what you are doing otherwise you will make things worse. The best plan is to not meddle, and to let BOINC take care of things for you. This is becoming more and more true with the passage of time.

Cheers,
Gary.

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.