BOINC 5.8.8 is out in public release. Mac and Windows only for now, Linux version soon to follow.

http://boinc.berkeley.edu/download.php

5.8 Release Notes

---

Explanation on a couple of things, by JM7, ported from the Seti forums.

What is different about these two items in the new version?

* New work fetch policy
* Improved memory management

First the memory management. You can set the maximum fraction of RAM that the tasks can use in total for both the times you are using the keyboard and mouse as well as the times that you are not using those. Reducing RAM usage when you are active can improve the responsiveness of the computer.

Second for the work fetch policy. 5.4.11 and earlier kept "connect every X days", or min_queue, work for each project that was attached with a couple of exceptions. 5.8.8 divides min_queue among the projects that are reachable so that the host has a bit more than min_queue work on hand. (see this post for an example on that)

5.4.11 would not fetch any work if there was a task that was in deadline trouble. 5.8.8 will always attempt to keep min_queue work on the host with the exception of the case where all projects that are attached have a task that is in deadline trouble.

The CPU scheduler is also changed. 5.4.11 would enter a strict Earliest Deadline First mode when any task on the system was in deadline trouble. In this mode all of the CPUs would be working on the earliest deadline tasks. 5.8 does this differently. If a task is in deadline trouble, then the task with the earliest deadline from that project is started. There may be other tasks from other projects that do not have deadline trouble - these tasks are ignored for EDF for the moment. Also, if the host has multiple CPUs, it is possible for one to be running a task in EDF, and have another running a task picked by Highest Short Term Debt First.

The determination of when a task is in deadline trouble has also changed. In 5.4.11 if any of the following failed the task was in deadline trouble. If the deadline is less than 24 hours in the future, if the deadline is less than 2* min_queue in the future, if the task will not complete by round robin simulation in < 90% of the time to the deadline. This has been replaced. 5.8 uses only one criteria. If the task will not complete by round robin simulation in < 90% of the time to the computation deadline it is in deadline trouble. The computation deadline is the report deadline - (min_queue + project switch interval + 1 day).

---

5.8.8 would not work on my Windows machines until I changed the remote_hosts.cfg file to IP Addresses, instead of host names.

I do not recall seeing any previous information saying we would have to do this.

5.8.8 would not work on my Windows machines until I changed the remote_hosts.cfg file to IP Addresses, instead of host names.

Were they long names? Or short names? I reported it to the developers, but they are unable to reproduce this. So please give an example of your old remote_hosts.cfg file.

---

5.8.8 would not work on my Windows machines until I changed the remote_hosts.cfg file to IP Addresses, instead of host names.

Were they long names? Or short names? I reported it to the developers, but they are unable to reproduce this. So please give an example of your old remote_hosts.cfg file.

6100m701
6100m901
6100m902
dual01
dual02
dual03
exercise
jinspiron
k8vt800
km3mv01
km3mv02
km3mv03
km3mv04
km3mv05
km3mvraid5
m7vig
m7vkl
mega
ogtestbox
sdtestbox
testbox

They worked perfectly up until 5.8

Forgot to mention, they seemed to work fine on the Linux boxes...although the D&H WUs all crashed. I could get to all the Linux boxes with BV.

They worked perfectly up until 5.8

OK, David has found a small bug and fixed it for the next version of BOINC: 5.8.9

With thanks for the report so far.

---

I've just installed 5.8.8 and I'm disappointed. I tested 5.8.6 and it had all sorts of nice features such as the sliding "percent done" on the progress of tasks and the ability to sort the various columns.
Although they were cosmetic, they were nice features.

I've just installed 5.8.8 and I'm disappointed. I tested 5.8.6 and it had all sorts of nice features such as the sliding "percent done" on the progress of tasks and the ability to sort the various columns.
Although they were cosmetic, they were nice features.

And literally a hundred bugs with the new cosmetic stuff. That's why it was removed until it works correctly.

and excuse, the manager does not change the different projects...only a project which can be moved back only manually always runs...this was not the go at the old version...cu

hk

and excuse, the manager does not change the different projects...only a project which can be moved back only manually always runs...this was not the go at the old version...cu

I don't understand what you mean...

Am I the only person who gets two browsers opening when they use the link buttons on the 'advanced' view?

If I have no browser open and press any of the links, it opens two copies of iexplorer - one with the page requested and one blank.

---

Am I the only person who gets two browsers opening when they use the link buttons on the 'advanced' view?

If I have no browser open and press any of the links, it opens two copies of iexplorer - one with the page requested and one blank.

I've replicated this with IE6, but not IE7, FF1.5 or FF2.0.

I sent an email to David and Rom with links to the appropriate threads here on the boards.

Just to be complete... what OS and what version of IE are you using?

It's been reported for Win 2K and I replicated it on XP Pro.

---

Kathryn :o)

Just to be complete... what OS and what version of IE are you using?

It's been reported for Win 2K and I replicated it on XP Pro.

Ah, I'm using IE6.0 on WinXP Pro, so sounds like it is covered.

Cheers,
MacDitch

---

Am I the only person who gets two browsers opening when they use the link buttons on the 'advanced' view?

If I have no browser open and press any of the links, it opens two copies of iexplorer - one with the page requested and one blank.

Have seen this also on WinME and WinXP in the past.
It all seemed to depend on which (alpha) BOINC manager version was running.

Now running 5.8.9,Vista and IE7... no problems seen yet.

;-)

---

That's been discussed: Were erroneously included features under development. Personally i had no issues with any of them. Expect a fanfare Vista release..... not seen a Vista Capable statement yet :O

As far as I can tell it's Vista capable... ;-)

Runs nice... even under "Aero"... and that includes the advanced and simple view.



If it's "Vista premium"? I think I will leave that up to the devs to announce.

:-P

---

Now running 5.8.9,Vista and IE7... no problems seen yet.

;-)

It seems to be an IE6/BOINC interaction. IE7 on my laptop is fine. IE6 on the other computer still shows the two windows opening. Both running 5.8.9 and XP Pro. Firefox (both 1.5.x and 2.0.x) has no problems.

---

Kathryn :o)

That's been discussed: Were erroneously included features under development. Personally i had no issues with any of them. Expect a fanfare Vista release..... not seen a Vista Capable statement yet :O

As far as I can tell it's Vista capable... ;-)

Runs nice... even under "Aero"... and that includes the advanced and simple view.

If it's "Vista premium"? I think I will leave that up to the devs to announce.

:-P

And how was the installation? :) That's the main BOINC problem on Vista, especially if you don't have admin privileges (Program files folder not writable afaik).

And how was the installation? :) That's the main BOINC problem on Vista, especially if you don't have admin privileges (Program files folder not writable afaik).

Installation did not cause any problems, but I only did use the "single user" install option.
Both RC1 and the official Home Premium (dutch) I own now, did a perfect job.

There's also an option to "run as admin" while installing programs.
Used that for my TV-card... and gives all the privileges you need.
(right click option under Home Premium)

;-)

---

BOINC 5.8.11 is now the recommended version. Please update if you haven't done so yet.

It's available for Windows, Mac and Linux this time!

---

The 5.8.11 core client is unusable on my Mac OS X box. It is apparently creating pipes and not releasing them, so that it exhausts the available filehandles (confirmed with lsof). This causes the client to fail in opening the state files.