SETI.Germany's 13th Annual Pentathlon (2022)

The first obstacle has been announced. If anyone has a Universe bunker going that won't interfere with another bunker, let it drop.

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If you drop 1M points you will get 200% bonus (+2M) for a final tally of 3M for the next 24 hours.

Just like buy one and get two free!! Where can you get such a good deal ;)
 
The competition is certainly proving how tough it is on projects. Work units are still struggling to upload to Universe after left to do its thing all night. Keep on it guys, It's not just you.
 
Thanks, I was going to ask if anyone was still not working- don't know when I ran out of local units but have not picked up new for at least a couple of hours.
 
DWolvin said:
Thanks, I was going to ask if anyone was still not working- don't know when I ran out of local units but have not picked up new for at least a couple of hours.
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Same, logs are showing "too many units to upload. Not downloading new tasks." or something similar. Switch to Numbers Field.
 
Saw that this morning when I checked the boxen, multiple units "frozen" in various stages of uploading or downloading. So set it to not download any more units and left it for a couple of hours. Checked again and it was now clear of units. Decided to pull out an extra drive and install Ubuntu vs Win10 based on y'alls comments. Spent the next several hours trying to get that to work and cussing consistently. Long story short, Ubuntu desktop 22.04 (current) and the BOINC manager do not like each other. When you go to run it Boinc says it can't switch to / find a folder and that's it. So finally gave up on that and went back a version to 20.04 and installed that. Boinc fired right off and is running on that box now. Don't know if anyone else has run into this, but that's been my morning. :jimlad:
 
The_Heretic said:
Saw that this morning when I checked the boxen, multiple units "frozen" in various stages of uploading or downloading. So set it to not download any more units and left it for a couple of hours. Checked again and it was now clear of units. Decided to pull out an extra drive and install Ubuntu vs Win10 based on y'alls comments. Spent the next several hours trying to get that to work and cussing consistently. Long story short, Ubuntu desktop 22.04 (current) and the BOINC manager do not like each other. When you go to run it Boinc says it can't switch to / find a folder and that's it. So finally gave up on that and went back a version to 20.04 and installed that. Boinc fired right off and is running on that box now. Don't know if anyone else has run into this, but that's been my morning. :jimlad:
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Ouch...thanks for the heads up on 22.04. I've moved to Mint and haven't had any issues with installing BOINC on those.
 
Gilthanis said:
Ouch...thanks for the heads up on 22.04. I've moved to Mint and haven't had any issues with installing BOINC on those.
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The good news is it's working and there's a definite difference in completion times vs windows like y'all said. That should cover any time lost this morning getting it working.👍

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adies and gentlemen, here it is, the 2nd dose of our wonderful elixir. Today we have added some variety in the strength. You will undoubtedly feel the effect, and do not be afraid of blurred vision or dizziness. Let it sink in while looking forward to tomorrow, when we add the iron tip of the javelin as a new component to the formula.

Obstacle Run (Universe@Home) & Overall Standings
There is nothing like a little variety. Today is a bonus day! This provides the teams an opportunity to get an extra boost. Even KITT fades away in comparison and remorsefully retires to its garage.

This boost kicked up heavy dust, and the current track conditions are challenging for the participants. The visibility is limited, but who would want to be successful without a challenge. Unfortunately, one obstacle or two have also crept in on the scoreboard at the moment. Maybe gremlins or goblins, who knows. But the exterminator is on the way.

TAAT has now taken the lead, but has to face the counterattack of P3D (#2). The Green Planet has mobilised all its lawnmower horsepower and is fighting back! The single malt faction of TSBT has also woken up and moved up to #3. Here is to a glass of Lagavulin.

The victim of this is SG, who now find themselves in #4. The Germans have to be extremely careful not to accumulate too much of a deficit, otherwise it will be difficult for them to win a precious metal. [H] (#5) also used the boost for an attack and made a strong advance.

CNT (#7) also tried to take advantage of the moment, but RKN (#6) is fighting back with all its might. But still, the Rechenkrafties lost contact with the podium, unfortunately. AF also lost ground, only #8 at the moment. They probably need a dose of magic potion, er, elixir.

Ukraine is doing well in #9 and even manages to leave TC (#10) behind. No matter how much the Chinese dragon grumbles, that is the reality. OCN (#11) is also one of the teams that have been able to make the most of the bonus day so far. And the top 10 is not far away.

However, there is already a small gap behind them. Meisterkuehler (#12), BOINC.Italy (#13), EVGA (#14), and the AMD Users (#15) form an illustrious quartet, but they do not seem strong enough to work their way upward.

Another quartet appears to be forming behind them. Led by Chinese Dream (#16) and UBT (#17), LITOMYSL (#18) and BOINC@AUSTRALIA (#19) are also quite close. However, the latter two have to be careful not to lose touch.

TFFE (#20) and 2ch (#21) would certainly like to have some company, as they are traveling at a similar pace. However, the hope that someone from behind can catch up to this duo seems to be bursting at the moment. BOINCstats (#22) and BOINC Synergy (#23) are too busy with cuddling, and Crystal Dream (#24) is still mourning the end of yesterday's dream community.

BC (#25) and Russia (#26) are very slow and complete the field. But at least they got on their way.

It still remains to be seen what the final impact of the first bonus day will be. There is still a lot of dust on the track and we cannot quite see clearly yet. But this will certainly improve soon. And then there is the first attempt at the Javelin Throw tomorrow. While the first day may not be very meaningful on its own, it will certainly rewrite the overall standings a bit.

And now?

  • Can TAAT maintain the lead at the obstacle?
  • Will [H] trouble SG at the obstacle?
  • Who will throw best tomorrow?

You see it remains exciting at the BOINC Pentathlon.

Yours, Jeeper
 
Anyone having connection issues with universe? Not getting any new work or waiting to upload completed work.
 
Yes, Universe is mostly frozen, but Numberfields seems to be sending out work.
 
So start Numberfields to get work but turn off networking for the next few hours until the event starts?
 
oblox said:
So start Numberfields to get work but turn off networking for the next few hours until the event starts?
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Numberfields website is timing out for me. Any difference in workload between these two? It seems like universe@home is mostly CPU focused? Going to try getting BOINC installed and running but sounds like both challenges are having issues.
 
Andrew_Carr said:
Numberfields website is timing out for me. Any difference in workload between these two? It seems like universe@home is mostly CPU focused? Going to try getting BOINC installed and running but sounds like both challenges are having issues.
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Yeah it's timing out for everyone but I think it will do better than the universe server. Give it an hour or two and i bet it comes back *fingers crossed and all that.

Edit: despite the website going down tasks are uploading very quickly
 
Numbers is sluggish, but moving. Starting to get more work, slowly, too.
 
motqalden said:
Yeah it's timing out for everyone but I think it will do better than the universe server. Give it an hour or two and i bet it comes back *fingers crossed and all that.

Edit: despite the website going down tasks are uploading very quickly
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Ah, ok. Yeah, I still need to make an account there I guess before I can start working. Going to work on BOINC setup in the meantime.
 
Andrew_Carr said:
Ah, ok. Yeah, I still need to make an account there I guess before I can start working. Going to work on BOINC setup in the meantime.
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You can make an account through the boinc client itself. Just add the project and use the option to create account.
Can also start working on a bunker for PrimeGrid which is 2 days away from starting. If you want to throw your GPU's at primegrid I would suggest running PPS Sieve sub project for GPU only.

Edit on adding project through client. It won't let you join the team so do that part later when site comes back up. as long as you are bunkering and don't release tasks till you join the team you should be good to go.
 
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Ok, I've been playing around with boinctasks and it's detecting my computers remotely but no luck so far adding the project and starting it remotely, so I'll have to do it the hard way I guess. I think bam.boincstats.com is supposed to help you manage all your boinc-related accounts through one login? but I can't get boinctasks to add anything ("Error in creating an account" is all I get).

Ok, well whatever I did on the remote install seems to have worked even though boinctask wasn't seeing it. The computer seems to have been running for about 45 minutes and receiving tasks from universeathome. So far 0% are done and it looks like it'll take a few hours until my first batch is done, if that makes sense. Going to see about setting up numberfields as well on some other computers and test the switching between mining & boinking but seems like that'll be seamless.
 

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I'm Ok with number fields this morning processing WUs. Still have completed units from Universe sitting waiting to upload even though I shut those off yesterday. So will "run the numbers" for 24 hours.
 
The_Heretic said:
I'm Ok with number fields this morning processing WUs. Still have completed units from Universe sitting waiting to upload even though I shut those off yesterday. So will "run the numbers" for 24 hours.
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It is easier to get Universe uploaded with some persistence this morning luckily. However, I would hold off reporting them if you can in case another bonus day is announced.
 
Jeeper's 3rd day commentary

"[H] (#3) benefits from the lackluster performance of several competitors with the javelins." According to Jeeper, it seems that we get good position because of other teams are reserving for the 2nd big throw. We shall see.

Welcome oblox , Col._Kurtz, Andrew_Carr and arnemetis to the [H] team (y)
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Day 3 - 07 May 2022 - 3rd Dose​


Ladies and gentlemen, would you like to experience a very special touch of taste and effect? Then come closer. Can you smell it already? This unique touch of obstacle with a strong touch of javelin, which you can experience for the first time today? You will not be able to experience this combination again anytime soon. So take this opportunity to experience the regenerative effect of today's elixir.

Obstacle Run (Universe@Home)
The Empire has struck back. P3D was able to beat back what to the Green Planet appeared as a Phantom Menace from TAAT (#2). After it briefly looked like TAAT could outsmart the Greens, the tide has now turned again.

Now TSBT (#3) also tries to attack TAAT. It remains to be seen whether the Scots will use further booster days here to achieve a change of places. Behind them, SG has settled into #4. The Blue and Yellows will feel pretty lonely, as there is hardly any room for improvement. CNT (#5), [H] (#6), and RKN (#7) have sorted themselves out for now, ignoring AF (#8). The Francophones at least keep Ukraine (#9) at bay, who in turn have to fight off TC, who do not see #10 as the end of the line for them.

OCN in #11 appears to be safe for now, but behind them it is a skin-tight race between Meisterkuehler (#12) and BOINC.Italy (#13). The AMD Users (#14) and EVGA (#15) blasted their quartet. UBT (#16) and LITOMYSL (#17) cannot keep up and may even be in danger of being caught by Chinese Dream (#18), BOINC@AUSTRALIA (#19), or TFFE (#20). 2ch in #21 will probably not be able to do so.

BOINC Synergy and BOINCstats continue to wrestle for #22. A constant change of position is well possible. Behind them, unfortunately, Crystal Dream (#24), BC (#25), and Russia (#26) cannot intervene in this fight.

Javelin Throw (NumberFields@home)
The first attempt in the Javelin Throw is today. This is the start of the second discipline and presents the teams with the tactical question of when they should go for their three important throws. Therefore, the current ranking is not really meaningful yet.

P3D (#1) and TAAT (#2) are going in the strongest so far, while [H] (#3) is also doing quite well. The results behind suggest that some teams skip the first throw. RKN would probably be dlighted with #4 in the end, as would AF with #5. And we do not find LITOMYSL in #6 every day either.

Meisterkuehler are currently in #7, followed by OCN (#8). Only in #9 we find SG, which probably hints at them taking a deletion result. TSBT in #16 seems to be taking it easy at the moment as well. We will not know more until tomorrow; therefore, I already leave the javelins for now.

Overall Standings
Of course, the volatile ranking at the Javelin Throw also impacts the overall standings, which we therefore have to take with a grain of salt. P3D leads this ranking ahead of TAAT. [H] (#3) benefits from the lackluster performance of several competitors with the javelins. This also has flushed RKN into #4. But behind them are already SG in #5, AF in #6, and TSBT in #7. Particularly the Scots are currently losing a lot of ground at the Javelin Throw.

Meisterkuehler, CNT (both #8), and OCN (#10) are currently tied on points. And TC (#11) is just a whisker away from this trio. LITOMYSL (#12), Ukraine, BOINC.Italy (both #13), and EVGA (#15) are still hoping for some slip-ups to maybe slip into the top 10.

Chinese Dream (#16) and the AMD Users (#17) will have a tough job with this. UBT and 2ch (both #18) are ready to push forward, but they also have to keep an eye on BOINC@AUSTRALIA (#20).

TFFE is doing well in #21, followed by BOINC Synergy and BOINCstats, who share #22. Only one point behind them is BC in #24. At the bottom of the field are Russia in #25 and Crystal Dream in #26.

Especially the first day of the Javelin Throw raises more questions than answers:

  • Will SG and TSBT throw a javelin later today?
  • Can TSBT still attack in the Obstacle Run?
  • How do the teams prepare for the Cross Country race?

You see it remains exciting at the BOINC Pentathlon.

Yours, Jeeper

[Based on stats at 11:00 UTC]
 
Anyone have more info on the double precision tasks that are good for AMD GPUs? Are those specific tasks on the PG project that you have to select to run?
 
Andrew_Carr said:
Anyone have more info on the double precision tasks that are good for AMD GPUs? Are those specific tasks on the PG project that you have to select to run?
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For PrimeGrid GFN-21 and GFN-22: http://www.primegrid.com/forum_thread.php?id=7370&nowrap=true#106528

You have to select these projects in PrimeGrid preference. What amd card do you have?

Edit: BTW, GFN-21 and 22 require quorum of 2 and they take longer to validate. PPS-Sieve would be better for pent even though this project requires quorum of two as there are more people running it.

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If anyone is starting to plan for our next Javelin throw, pay attention to the deadlines of the work units.
 
1st Javelin throw completed. We finished with 7.74M credits. We will not be participating in the 2nd throw, so disable your network or block the NumberFields IP address and start bunkering the NumberFields again. The current team position is not meaningful until the 2nd throw result is out in which case we can start gauging other teams capability.

Again. we are not making a 2nd throw. Take a well deserve rest (sort of) ;)

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Andrew_Carr said:
Ok, I've been playing around with boinctasks and it's detecting my computers remotely but no luck so far adding the project and starting it remotely, so I'll have to do it the hard way I guess. I think bam.boincstats.com is supposed to help you manage all your boinc-related accounts through one login? but I can't get boinctasks to add anything ("Error in creating an account" is all I get).

Ok, well whatever I did on the remote install seems to have worked even though boinctask wasn't seeing it. The computer seems to have been running for about 45 minutes and receiving tasks from universeathome. So far 0% are done and it looks like it'll take a few hours until my first batch is done, if that makes sense. Going to see about setting up numberfields as well on some other computers and test the switching between mining & boinking but seems like that'll be seamless.
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Also keep in mind the default is for clients to check in every 6 hours. You can change that setting to something less if you want.
 
Peeps with Pi's:
Universe@home works fine on both the BCM2835 (Raspberry Pi 3 / Zero 2W) and BCM2711 (Raspberry Pi 4 / CM4).
RAM requirements are minuscule and even Zero 2W's 512 Megs is plenty.

It might take it a few hours to start processing tasks, but there's still 10 days of this part of the contest. Please spin them up if you have them.

Quick and dirty instructions (no boinc-manager needed, text-only installs):
sudo apt-get install boinc
sudo systemctl enable boinc-client
sudo systemctl start boinc-client
sudo chmod g+r /var/lib/boinc-client/gui_rpc_auth.cfg
sudo usermod -a -G boinc $USER
exec su $USER
boinccmd --project_attach https://universeathome.pl/universe/ 4d89xxxxYOUR KEY GOES HERExxxxd2b4d1
boinccmd --project https://universeathome.pl/universe/ update
 
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Ladies and gentlemen, do you already feel the beneficial effects of the elixir? Of course, after three days the brain is stimulated and you feel better all around. Today, our dose has to do without a javelin, but has a special external touch. It is Mother's Day here, and of course our studied quacks and labor rats have added an extra pinch of love. So if you feel a soothing warmth today, it is because of that.

Come get it now. Today a little earlier than usual. As you know, the early bird catches the worm. Why are you looking so shocked, young lady? You are vegan? No problem, that is curable. Just eat a ..., oh, no, our elixir does not have the worm in it. Here you go...

Javelin Throw (NumberFields@home)
The first javelin is thrown. But since only the third-best throw counts, the results are not very meaningful yet. At least P3D (#1) and TAAT (#2) seem to have put their full power in the first throw. Their lead is already very clear.

[H] has taken the bronze rank for now, followed by RKN in #4. The Rechenkrafties made a good first throw and thus keep AF (#5) behind them for now. LITOMYSL (#6), Meisterkuehler (#7), EVGA (#8), and Chinese Dream (#9) also have positioned themselves well for the next throws.

However, it is clear that some of the usual suspects did not put any power into the first throw yesterday. SG (#10), CNT (#14), and also TSBT (#18) will surely do a lot better next times. TC finds itself only slightly behind SG in #11. It is hard to assess what is still possible for the Dragon.

Things are close between OCN (#12) and AMD Users (#13), it remains to be seen what the next throws will bring. 2ch in #15 keeps at least BOINC.Italy (#16) behind them, although the Italians appeared suspiciously weak to me. This could also apply to Ukraine in #17.

A three-way battle might ensue between BOINC@AUSTRALIA (#19), UBT (#20), and TFFE (#21), as the gaps are very small here. The Confederation (#22) had a good throw for now and kept BOINCstats (#23) behind. However, the chief statisticians threw very short.

Russia follows in #24, followed by BOINC Synergy (#25), who are difficult to assess. At the bottom we find Crystal Dream in #26, who did not even pick up the javelin yesterday.

Obstacle Run (Universe@Home)
Here, P3D still sets the fastest pace and has a commanding lead over the field. Behind them, TAAT (#2) is able to pull away from TSBT (#3) again. It will be interesting to see here whether the lead is sufficient when the next bonus day arrives.

SG continues to find themselves in no man's land in #4 and appears to have a lonely race ahead of them. Neither CNT (#5), nor [H] (#6), nor RKN (#7) seem eager to catch up with SG. Instead, the trio is stalking each other.

AF in #8 is still undecided whether they still want to trouble the trio, but they would have to speed up a bit to do so. Behind them, TC has now made it into #9. We will soon see if more is possible for them after they have passed Ukraine (#10) now.

OCN is still safely in #11, but they should not become careless. The trio behind them could push each other to the maximum. BOINC.Italy has taken #12 from Meisterkuehler. On the other hand, the cooling experts have to be careful not to lose #13 as well, because the AMD Users (#14) are coming closer.

EVGA in #15 is also pulling closer, but there is a gap to the trio already. However, there is still a long way to go, so they could still catch up. UBT (#16) will hardly be able to do so. But the Brits have at least managed to pass LITOMYSL (#17), who almost came to a halt.

TFFE (#18) has identified the resulting opportunity and is preparing to set the blinker. BOINC@AUSTRALIA (#19) and Chinese Dream (#20) were already unable to stop the newcomer. The Chinese Dreamers now even have to be careful not to be caught by 2ch (#21) as well. The Japanese are working their way up slowly but steadily, so another change of places might be coming up here soon.

BOINC Synergy bravely holds #22 in front of BOINCstats (#23). It is still very close here, so that every little stumble can have consequences quickly. This is also true for the duel behind them. BC has been enjoying #24, but Crystal Dream (#25) is preparing to correct this. Russia in #26 is calmly watching from behind.

I will skip the Overall Standings today, as there have been few changes and they are currently not very meaningful anyway. Tomorrow we will start the Cross Country as the third discipline, and this will change everything over again.

  • Who will stumble in the Cross Country?
  • How does the second day of the Javelin Throw go?
  • And can TSBT still take silver in the Obstacle Run?

You see it remains exciting at the BOINC Pentathlon.

Yours, Jeeper

Nothing spectacular in this report.
 
motqalden said:
You can make an account through the boinc client itself. Just add the project and use the option to create account.
Can also start working on a bunker for PrimeGrid which is 2 days away from starting. If you want to throw your GPU's at primegrid I would suggest running PPS Sieve sub project for GPU only.

Edit on adding project through client. It won't let you join the team so do that part later when site comes back up. as long as you are bunkering and don't release tasks till you join the team you should be good to go.
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Haven't gotten into bunkering yet, just got everything basic mostly worked out. Is that like doing stuff in advance and then waiting to submit it until the challenge time comes? Also, how do you do that with the PPS Sieve? For now I've set my GPUs to GFN21 and CPUs to GFN21 (old xeon E5-2630 v3s with not a ton of RAM). Working on updating linux and installing boinc on these machines so I can be ready in an hour or so when it starts.
 
Andrew_Carr said:
Haven't gotten into bunkering yet, just got everything basic mostly worked out. Is that like doing stuff in advance and then waiting to submit it until the challenge time comes? Also, how do you do that with the PPS Sieve? For now I've set my GPUs to GFN21 and CPUs to GFN21 (old xeon E5-2630 v3s with not a ton of RAM). Working on updating linux and installing boinc on these machines so I can be ready in an hour or so when it starts.
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That is exactly what it is. If you look up in post 3 I give some different options on how to bunker depending on what works best for you. If you are just using the one BOINC client, I would then recommend the firewall method. Otherwise it can get a bit difficult. I recommend switching to the PPS Sieve instead. The biggest issue will be whether you can keep enough work in your rig to keep it busy until release time. But we are getting close to go time with PrimeGrid so shouldn't be too much of an issue.

https://hardforum.com/threads/bunkering-why-you-should-or-should-not-do-it.1829159/
 
Andrew_Carr said:
Haven't gotten into bunkering yet, just got everything basic mostly worked out. Is that like doing stuff in advance and then waiting to submit it until the challenge time comes? Also, how do you do that with the PPS Sieve? For now I've set my GPUs to GFN21 and CPUs to GFN21 (old xeon E5-2630 v3s with not a ton of RAM). Working on updating linux and installing boinc on these machines so I can be ready in an hour or so when it starts.
Click to expand...

So the most simple form of bunkering is download as many tasks as you can get and set networking to suspend in the client. This will let you continue to complete the work but wont upload it till you turn networking back on. For primegrid i would suggest only doing gpu work and run your cpus on universe or numberfields.
 
Ok, yeah wasn't sure on the CPU side of things. Haven't messed around much with two separate sites at the same time though so I'd have to figure that out.
 
Ok, just started on PrimeGrid. Looks like both CPUs and GPUs are working. Not sure if it's utilizing all 9 GPUs though or just one per computer, and I might've screwed things up for BONIC by BIOS flashing these GPUs, will have to wait and see maybe to compare their workrate. Looks like 1 out of 3 is recognized properly as an AMD MI25.
 

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Next Javelin throw (3rd one) has been announced. That is the one we plan on participating in next so get those bunkers ready if you haven't already.
 
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