Windows Beta Test App 4.23 available

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Bernd Machenschalk
Bernd Machenschalk
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18 Jun 2007 13:06:40 UTC
Topic 13558
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    A new Windows App is available from our Beta Test Page.

    After failing in trying to reproduce the client errors on our own systems in order to fix them, this is an App release that is primarily meant to enrich the information returned from your machines in case of a client error.

    In case of a (debuggable) client error a debugger will be loaded (by newer BOINC Clients) that will in turn contact the Einstein@Home server in order to download debugging symbols ("phone home"). This means that the PDB is no longer distributed with the App, and symbol information will be downloaded compressed and only when needed.

    This version of the App also avoids the modf() call with the buggy CPU detection, which should eliminate one reason for instability and speed up tasks on machins with AMD CPUs (and probably non-SSE Intel, too).

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    Bernd Machenschalk
    Bernd Machenschalk
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    Windows Beta Test App 4.23 available

    18 Jun 2007 14:41:58 UTC
    Message 3136
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      Quote:
      The app_info.xml file seems to be unix file format(crlf/lfcr), so I post the content here again:


      Didn't it work anyway?
      I.e. are ther versions of the BOINC Client where the XML parser cares about linebreaks?

      BM

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      Bernd Machenschalk
      Bernd Machenschalk
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      RE: I don't know, I just

      18 Jun 2007 14:57:37 UTC
      Message 3137
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        Quote:
        I don't know, I just changed it to be on the save side. ;-)
        Anyway, I like it when the file is readable when I open it in TotalCommander with "F4"(edit). And there are people, that use a 64Bit Boinc Client and have to edit the file anyway.


        Sorry, didn't thought about those. I usually edit these files with Wordpad.exe anyway if I need to at all.

        BM

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        Bernd Machenschalk
        Bernd Machenschalk
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        RE: Maybe all that

        18 Jun 2007 18:05:12 UTC
        Message 3138
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          Quote:
          Maybe all that debugging code causes the slows down.


          Not much - the additional code should mainly slow down the App when it's terminating anyway.

          Quote:
          But I think first of all the validation problems should be solved, so let's hope. :-)


          My highest priority are still stability issues, i.e. client errors. The "validation problems" that may be fixed by this very App are only a few (i.e. those that occur in the sky position fields of the output - in case so cares). Reinhard Prix is currently looking into the differences in "singinficance field", which are probably the largest part.

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          Bernd Machenschalk
          Bernd Machenschalk
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          RE: BTW, to which URL would

          18 Jun 2007 18:49:45 UTC
          Message 3139
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            Quote:
            BTW, to which URL would the app "phone home" (for paranoid firewall config ;-) ) ?


            It will contact the "Symbol Store" at http://einstein.phys.uwm.edu/symstore/

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            Bernd Machenschalk
            Bernd Machenschalk
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            RE: "...speed up tasks on

            18 Jun 2007 18:51:22 UTC
            Message 3140
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              Quote:
              "...speed up tasks on machines with AMD CPUs (and probably non-SSE2 Intel, too)."


              You're right, I'll fix that.

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              Bernd Machenschalk
              Bernd Machenschalk
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              RE: Ah, OK, thanks. That

              18 Jun 2007 19:13:42 UTC
              Message 3141
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                Quote:
                Ah, OK, thanks. That string isn't in the executable, tho... Sure it won't go to berkely's symstore ?


                An Id of the pdb should be in there. The Core Client gets the location of the Symbol Store from the project config (should end up in the scheduler reply).

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                Bernd Machenschalk
                Bernd Machenschalk
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                Kind of status report: I got

                20 Jun 2007 10:02:08 UTC
                Message 3142
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                  Kind of status report:

                  I got the first "general access violation" from this App (85194770) with debugger output. It looks like there's still something wrong with the symbol store. I'm investigating. We may need another App "release" to get this working right (or a different BOINC Core Client).

                  Thank you all for helping!

                  BM

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                  Bernd Machenschalk
                  Bernd Machenschalk
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                  Status: This App will never

                  21 Jun 2007 14:13:49 UTC
                  Message 3143
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                    Status:

                    This App will never make it to become an "official" App. The "Symbol Store" feature is not working properly. And last night I discovered a bug in our code that is probably responsible for quite some trouble, at least for (some of the) cross-platform validation problems, and maybe memory access violations, too.

                    I'll build a new App (which will actually need to be a new generation of Apps for all platforms) and announce it for Beta Test here.

                    Thanks for testing! This was incredibly helpful!

                    BM

                    BM

                    Bernd Machenschalk
                    Bernd Machenschalk
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                    RE: Can we still use 4.23,

                    21 Jun 2007 15:33:37 UTC
                    Message 3144
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                      Quote:
                      Can we still use 4.23, or should we revert back to 4.17?


                      What's broken in 4.23 is broken in 4.17, too, so honestly I don't care.

                      Best,
                      Bernd

                      BM

                      Bernd Machenschalk
                      Bernd Machenschalk
                      Joined: 15 Oct 04
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                      RE: Did you get enough data

                      21 Jun 2007 19:39:07 UTC
                      Message 3145
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                        Quote:
                        Did you get enough data to find out if checkpointing has improved?


                        I know that it has improved, but the situations affected are actually very rare anyway. May add up to 1% of the errors related to checkpointing.

                        BM

                        BM

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