My node seems to have difficulties fetching work. I especially have difficulties understanding backoffs, while the node itself seems to be rarely active.
To tyr to undertsand what is (not) happening, I activated most of the debug features.
Here is a status example:

boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [https://boinc.loda-lang.org/loda/] [prio] -0.000000 rsf 1.000000 rt 0.000000 rs 0.119154
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [https://boinc.multi-pool.info/latinsquares/] [prio] -0.000000 rsf 1.000000 rt 0.000000 rs 0.119154
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [https://boinc.bakerlab.org/rosetta/] [prio] -0.000000 rsf 1.000000 rt 0.000000 rs 0.119154
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [odlk] [prio] -1.000000 rsf 1.000000 rt 0.119154 rs 0.119154
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [BOINC Central] [prio] -0.000000 rsf 1.000000 rt 0.000000 rs 0.119154
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [DENIS@home] [prio] -0.000000 rsf 1.000000 rt 0.000000 rs 0.119154
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [RNA World] [prio] -0.000000 rsf 1.000000 rt 0.000000 rs 0.119154
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [Universe@Home] [prio] -0.000000 rsf 1.000000 rt 0.000000 rs 0.119154
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [https://boinc.loda-lang.org/loda/] [prio] -0.000000 rsf 0.250000 rt 0.000000 rs 0.119154
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [https://boinc.multi-pool.info/latinsquares/] [prio] -0.000000 rsf 0.250000 rt 0.000000 rs 0.119154
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [https://boinc.bakerlab.org/rosetta/] [prio] -0.000000 rsf 0.250000 rt 0.000000 rs 0.119154
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [odlk] [prio] -4.000000 rsf 0.250000 rt 0.119154 rs 0.119154
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [BOINC Central] [prio] -0.000000 rsf 0.250000 rt 0.000000 rs 0.119154
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [DENIS@home] [prio] -0.000000 rsf 0.250000 rt 0.000000 rs 0.119154
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [RNA World] [prio] -0.000000 rsf 0.250000 rt 0.000000 rs 0.119154
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [Universe@Home] [prio] -0.000000 rsf 0.250000 rt 0.000000 rs 0.119154
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [---] [work_fetch] ------- start work fetch state -------
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [---] [work_fetch] target work buffer: 8640.00 + 43200.00 sec
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [---] [work_fetch] --- project states ---
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [https://boinc.loda-lang.org/loda/] [work_fetch] REC 0.000 prio -0.000 can't request work: master URL fetch pending (28205.93 sec)
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [https://boinc.multi-pool.info/latinsquares/] [work_fetch] REC 0.000 prio -0.000 can't request work: master URL fetch pending (85854.46 sec)
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [https://boinc.bakerlab.org/rosetta/] [work_fetch] REC 0.000 prio -0.000 can't request work: scheduler RPC backoff (2821.11 sec)
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [odlk] [work_fetch] REC 0.119 prio -4.631 can request work
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [BOINC Central] [work_fetch] REC 0.000 prio -0.000 can request work
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [DENIS@home] [work_fetch] REC 0.000 prio -0.000 can't request work: "no new tasks" requested via Manager
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [RNA World] [work_fetch] REC 0.000 prio -0.000 can request work
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [Universe@Home] [work_fetch] REC 0.000 prio -0.000 can request work
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [---] [work_fetch] --- state for CPU ---
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [---] [work_fetch] shortfall 1922.13 nidle 0.00 saturated 49917.87 busy 0.00
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [https://boinc.loda-lang.org/loda/] [work_fetch] share 0.000
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [https://boinc.multi-pool.info/latinsquares/] [work_fetch] share 0.000
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [https://boinc.bakerlab.org/rosetta/] [work_fetch] share 0.000
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [odlk] [work_fetch] share 1.000
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [BOINC Central] [work_fetch] share 0.000 project is backed off  (resource backoff: 36816.11, inc 38400.00)
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [DENIS@home] [work_fetch] share 0.000 project is backed off  (resource backoff: 25350.93, inc 38400.00)
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [RNA World] [work_fetch] share 0.000 project is backed off  (resource backoff: 12488.99, inc 19200.00)
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [Universe@Home] [work_fetch] share 0.000 project is backed off  (resource backoff: 23807.83, inc 38400.00)
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [---] [work_fetch] ------- end work fetch state -------
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [https://boinc.loda-lang.org/loda/] choose_project: scanning
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [https://boinc.loda-lang.org/loda/] skip: master URL fetch pending
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [https://boinc.multi-pool.info/latinsquares/] choose_project: scanning
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [https://boinc.multi-pool.info/latinsquares/] skip: master URL fetch pending
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [https://boinc.bakerlab.org/rosetta/] choose_project: scanning
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [https://boinc.bakerlab.org/rosetta/] skip: scheduler RPC backoff
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [BOINC Central] choose_project: scanning
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [BOINC Central] can't fetch CPU: project is backed off
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [DENIS@home] choose_project: scanning
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [DENIS@home] skip: "no new tasks" requested via Manager
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [RNA World] choose_project: scanning
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [RNA World] can't fetch CPU: project is backed off
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [Universe@Home] choose_project: scanning
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [Universe@Home] can't fetch CPU: project is backed off
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [odlk] choose_project: scanning
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [odlk] can fetch CPU
boinc-1  | 01-Aug-2024 18:30:17 [---] [work_fetch] No project chosen for work fetch

How do I optimise settings so that my node is more efficiently used?

How do I optimise settings so that my node is more efficiently used?

If you want control over fetching work, your best bet is to ditch BOINC central and attach to projects directly.

I am using the Science United Account Manager.

Is there no way to improve this through that? I though local settings overrides could help, but the configuration directives are a tad overwhelming.

Quit using Science United Account Manager. Add projects manually to get better control over them.

Many of the projects you are trying to get work for currently have NO work to send out.

+NO WORK - Don't know when or if work available. Check project forum periodically for more information.+
LODA
https://boinc.loda-lang.org/loda/

+NO WORK - Server crash some months ago, Project owner hopes to get running 'soon'.+
Latin Squares
https://boinc.multi-pool.info/latinsquares/

+NO WORK - Don't know when or if work available. Currently a test project+
BOINC Central
https://boinc.berkeley.edu/central/

+NO WORK - Currently intermittent work for Northern Hemisphere summer.+
DENIS@home
https://denis.usj.es/denisathome/

+NO WORK - Project future unknown at this time. Check project forum periodically for more information.
Universe@Home
https://universeathome.pl/universe/

** DEAD / RETIRED PROJECT **
RNA World

Alright: thanks for the heads up!

I was trusting the account manager to manage this globally, but it seems they have not taken action.
I will then manage the projects I subscribe to on their website.

Where did you get all this information about the death/lack of work of those projects?

Thanks again!

Where did you get all this information about the death/lack of work of those projects?

Mostly from each individual project websites forums and also from other BOINC related forums.

Here on the BOINC FORUMS News on Project Outages

BoincSTATS - Various forum topics.
This is one of the oldest BOINC aggregate statistics sites. It allows you to see all your projects points, etc in one place.

... Continued in next post >>>

WUProp@Home Various forum topics --
The 2 best topic to follow here are in Numbers Crunching:
* [Beta] New / Intermittent applications
* News of Projects and Apps Starting and Ending...

Thanks for all this!