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Re: [Condor-users] Question concerning BOINC backfill and condor



So Basically if I set up my local config file like the following below
Condor will

1. Start BOINC Backfill immediately upon start of condor_master
(well..almost immediately)

2. Ignore all interactive activity and high CPU (our backfill is niced so we
don't care) and will start CONDOR jobs regardless as well.

3. Evict the Backfill if a CONDOR job needs the system

4. Give our CONDOR jobs a reniced priority of 10.

This is pretty simple for LINUX boxes, but what is the correct procedure for
windows boxes already running BOINC as a service background process? Should
I uninstall BOINC on those boxes and then get the stand alone boinc windows
executable, and then follow the same procedure for their config files? Or is
there a way to use the current BOINC installation by just disabling their
service in service manager and then having condor control it. (what do you
recommend?)

Thanks for the help!

-Doug


---local config---

START = TRUE
JOB_RENICE_INCREMENT = 10

# Turn on backfill functionality, and use BOINC
ENABLE_BACKFILL = TRUE
BACKFILL_SYSTEM = BOINC

# Spawn a backfill job if we've been Unclaimed for more than 5
# minutes 

# START_BACKFILL = $(StateTimer) > (1 * $(MINUTE))
START_BACKFILL = TRUE


# Evict a backfill job if the machine is busy (based on keyboard
# activity or cpu load)
# EVICT_BACKFILL = $(MachineBusy)
EVICT_BACKFILL = FALSE

# Define a shared macro that can be used to define other settings.
# This directory must be manually created before attempting to run
# any backfill jobs.
BOINC_HOME = /home/boinc/BOINC

# Path to the boinc_client to use, and required universe setting
BOINC_Executable = /home/boinc/BOINC/boinc
BOINC_Universe = vanilla

# What initial working directory should BOINC use?
BOINC_InitialDir = /home/boinc/BOINC

# Save STDOUT and STDERR
BOINC_Output = /home/boinc/BOINC/boinc.out
BOINC_Error = /home/boinc/BOINC/boinc.err

# Specify the user that the boinc_client should run as:
BOINC_Owner = boinc
----end local config


On 8/16/06 2:27 PM, "Derek Wright" <wright@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> 
> On Aug 15, 2006, at 7:36 PM, Baggett, Douglas wrote:
> 
>> I'm a little bit confused on the state rules for starting and
>> stopping backfill jobs (that chart diagram in the docs made my head
>> spin!) :)
> 
> sorry about that chart. ;)  it's complicated stuff, and i was going
> for completeness...  it does make the head spin, even for core condor
> developers at UW.
> 
> 
>> So here is my question. If I want to run boinc in the background at
>> all times EXCEPT when a condor job comes into the system, if I set
>> START = TRUE and don't use the EVICT_BACKFILL variable will that
>> achieve my goal? It's unclear to me if EVICT_BACKFILL is changed by
>> CONDOR in the event of a CONDOR job entering the system. Or is that
>> variable only used when you want to evict a BOINC backfill due to
>> high CPU.
> 
> START controls when condor jobs start.  "START = TRUE" basically
> means to ignore any activity on the machine, and always start a
> condor job if there's 1 that matches, even if someone else is "using"
> the machine.
> 
> if you always want BOINC jobs to start running when there's no other
> work on the machine, then you want to set:
> 
> START_BACKFILL = TRUE
> 
> if you never want the backfill jobs to be evicted because of an
> interactive user, you want:
> 
> EVICT_BACKFILL = FALSE
> 
> (if you leave it undefined, you'll keep getting warnings in your
> config file about it, though it will effectively be FALSE.  better to
> just define the behavior you want explicitly).
> 
> the backfill stuff will automatically evict BOINC when a real Condor
> job arrives on the machine, so you don't have to worry about
> configuring that.
> 
>> The system I'm configuring is dedicated and I don't mind running
>> BOINC all the time (since it's niced anyhow) but I DO want it to
>> vacate if a condor job needs to run.
> 
> right.  currently, it's impossible to configure Condor's BOINC
> support to keep BOINC running if there's a Condor job.  that's by
> design.
> 
> thanks,
> -derek (condor team)
> 
> 
> 
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