I think this is a Core bug. Dunno.
Anyway, I just attached QMC and noted it was using 200+MB of RAM. That's a bit obscene IMHO so I went to their pages and tweaked my preferences to the following:

Use at most 50% of page file (swap space)
Use at most 12% of memory when computer is in use
Use at most 12% of memory when computer is idle

Note that I have 768MB or RAM. 12% of that is about 92MB. I updated QMC then let it run.
It's STILL using 220MB of RAM.
In fact, I just double checked by setting all those numbers to 50% again, and QMC is using the EXACT same amount of RAM.

I know my BOINC is being updated because I set it a little too low (10%) and QMC failed horribly:

09/02/2007 19:54:35|QMC@HOME|Starting task six_bench22_jsch2005s22.12_0 using Amolqc-preRC1 version 501
09/02/2007 19:54:47|QMC@HOME|Aborting task six_bench22_jsch2005s22.12_0: exceeded memory limit 77.37MB > 76.75MB
09/02/2007 19:54:47|QMC@HOME|Reason: Unrecoverable error for result six_bench22_jsch2005s22.12_0 (Maximum memory exceeded)
09/02/2007 19:54:48|QMC@HOME|Computation for task six_bench22_jsch2005s22.12_0 finished

Is this me messing up somewhere, or is BOINC not doing as it's told?

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I think you're misunderstanding that preference.

That setting won't limit the amount of memory the science application is using. BOINC and the science app are separate programs. What that setting will do is pause a work unit (or I guess abort it...) if it goes beyond what you set. When some RAM is freed up (either because you've shut down other running programs or because the computer is idle) BOINC will see if there is enough free memory to run the work unit. So to get memory usage on a work unit lower, the science apps have to be changed (I know the Rosetta team has worked very hard to get their science app more efficient).

I've only tested that setting briefly to make sure it actually works. So I'm not that familiar with it.

To see what that setting is doing, you can create a configuration file and turn on the <mem_usage_debug> flag.

I will also say that you should report that RAM usage over at QMC because it does seem high. I'm having computer troubles right now and trying to run QMC on it would be absolutely insane so I can't see what RAM usage is on one of their units. You can create a thread to report RAM usage and I'll point Martin (the admin) to it once you do.

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Kathryn :o)

RAM usage on QMC used to be... ooh Can't recall, about 20MB. Then, yesterday I noticed it had jumped to 250MB. That's what prompted my sudden re-interest in BOINC - having 1/3rd of my RAM used by a background process is a distinct no-no.


Anyway, I don't really get your explanation - I do understand all the programs are seperate as that's fairly obvious, and I do know that I've updated my QMC profile to only use 12% of my RAM.
So the question is - why is it using 30% of my RAM when it's only allowed to use 12%?
And if that's not what that setting does .... what DOES it do? It can't be BOINC RAM usage because that's insignificant and that'd be illogical anyway.

You can create a thread to report RAM usage and I'll point Martin (the admin) to it once you do.

??? But I thought this thread dealt with RAM usage? Or do you mean over on their boards (wherever they are)?




OK, I've set up the mem log and I get the following:

09/02/2007 21:09:19|QMC@HOME|Restarting task five_bench22_jsch2005s22.1996_0 using Amolqc-preRC1 version 501
09/02/2007 21:09:29|QMC@HOME|[mem_usage_debug] five_bench22_jsch2005s22.1996_0: RAM 77.54MB, page 220.33MB, 1931.79 page faults/sec, user CPU 8.406, kernel CPU 0.094
09/02/2007 21:09:39|QMC@HOME|[mem_usage_debug] five_bench22_jsch2005s22.1996_0: RAM 77.54MB, page 220.33MB, 0.00 page faults/sec, user CPU 17.734, kernel CPU 0.094
09/02/2007 21:09:49|QMC@HOME|[mem_usage_debug] five_bench22_jsch2005s22.1996_0: RAM 77.55MB, page 220.33MB, 0.30 page faults/sec, user CPU 26.906, kernel CPU 0.109

So 77MB of ram used and 220MB of Page file used.
Except that I don't think those 220MB are in the page file. Task manager shows them as being in my "Phyiscal memory", as does Process Explorer (more advanced version of task manager). Indeed, what process explorer showed was that about 77MB was in the Page file and 220MB was in RAM. Obviously they seem to be swapped around.


So it seems to be a QMC bug, though it could be a BOINC bug too (why is BOINC reporting Page and Physical ram usage the wrong way around?)

But I'd still be interested to know what that setting is supposed to do.
Thanks again.


p.s. a "preview" function would be useful for making posts.

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I think you're misunderstanding that preference.

Kathryn, the settings "Use at most X% of memory when computer is in use" and "Use at most X% of memory when computer is idle" set the amount of RAM that the (science) applications may use at maximum.

J1testa, please report this behaviour at the QMC forums at well. I just checked their forums and it seems they have a couple of large results up for crunching.
Ask them if there are changes in the amount of RAM needed.

A preview option is on Rytis his long long long to do list. Don't expect it any time soon.

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Thanks. Will do.

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Ok, I've created a thread here:
http://qah.uni-muenster.de/forum_thread.php?id=394

Thanks again folks.

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I'll email Martin about the thread in the morning as I'm heading off to bed now (I think).

Sorry for my blunder earlier... I'll get a question about this right next time. Thanks Jord for the clarification :)

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Kathryn :o)

Ok, oddity continues:
I Left mem debugger on and it's reporting for einstien @ home:

10/02/2007 05:40:25|Einstein@Home|[mem_usage_debug] h1_0594.0_S5R1__7489_S5RIa_1: RAM 5.34MB, page 6.34MB, 0.00 page faults/sec, user CPU 1601.063, kernel CPU 0.641

As you can see: RAM 5.34, Page 6.34.
Except looking at process explorer it's report that they are in fact the other way around. 6.34 for phsyical and 5.34 for page.
I'm 99.99% certain I'm reading process explorer correctly. "Private Bytes" is RAM and "Working Set" being Page/virtual. Therefore there is likely an issue in BOINC here too.

World Community Grid just started - looking at that:

10/02/2007 05:47:19|World Community Grid|[mem_usage_debug] 10000311-10001119_2: RAM 6.67MB, page 25.05MB, 0.00 page faults/sec, user CPU 75.703, kernel CPU 0.688

But PE says the numbers are reversed - 25RAM and 6.6Page.
Definately an oddity.

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Test if Boinc 5.8.11 shows it the same way for you, as I can't reproduce it on that version. Just install this version over the top of 5.8.9

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Last time I tried installing one version right over the other, Bad Things happened (namely the uninstall didn't work nor did the install and so I had to manually re-join all projects). Created a thread about it in the B-manager forum.
So I uninstalled and re-installed. :)

OK now using 5.8.11 - Bad Things are happening.
BOINC itself (the service) was using 100% of my CPU for several seconds. Never seen that before.
Anyway - still mis-using my RAM.

10/02/2007 20:19:11|World Community Grid|[mem_usage_debug] 10000315-10001118_0: RAM 6.83MB, page 25.20MB, 0.79 page faults/sec, user CPU 45.641, kernel CPU 0.172

PE says:
25 RAM, 7 page.

10/02/2007 20:20:52|QMC@HOME|[mem_usage_debug] five_bench22_jsch2005s22.1996_0: RAM 77.45MB, page 220.25MB, 1947.13 page faults/sec, user CPU 7.875, kernel CPU 0.109

PE says the reverse is true.

So still happenning.

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Also, now nothing whatsoever is either uploading or downloading (my net connection is fine). I have a bunch of completed tasks lying around and they aren't going anywhere - plus some things that seem to want to be downloaded too. Any ideas?

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Also, now nothing whatsoever is either uploading or downloading (my net connection is fine). I have a bunch of completed tasks lying around and they aren't going anywhere - plus some things that seem to want to be downloaded too. Any ideas?

Ok, ignore the connection thing - my bad. But the memory thing isn't quite so simple. :)

(editing posts would also be nice :-) )

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To start with the last thing, you can edit your posts using the "edit this post" option for up to 60 minutes after you posted something.

May I ask which version of Process Explorer you use? Maybe it's a problem in that one.

BOINC will use 100% of your CPU when you change versions as it's doing the benchmarks at that moment (also shown in the Messages tab and in the Tasks tab). This will take up to a minute. Nothing to worry about.

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Hmm, didn't see an Edit button before.

Using Process explorer 10.2 - It does seem to be a PE issue. I could have sworn Taskmanager said the same things PE was saying before. But now TM is saying the correct thing and PE is saying the wrong thing. Hmmm.
Oh well, sorry for troubling you folks and thanks for the help.

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I'm 99.99% certain I'm reading process explorer correctly. "Private Bytes" is RAM and "Working Set" being Page/virtual. Therefore there is likely an issue in BOINC here too.

Using Process explorer 10.2 - It does seem to be a PE issue.

I'm sorry to say so, but 00.01% rules - you are reading the Process Explorer wrong. It's vice versa, "Working Set" is RAM and "Private Bytes" is Page/virtual.

I could have sworn Taskmanager said the same things PE was saying before. But now TM is saying the correct thing and PE is saying the wrong thing. Hmmm.

Weird, they use to agree ;-)

Peter