CPU Usage Issue

JakeJake Alec Baldwin's Chest Hair
edited November 2003 in Folding@Home
So, here's the story.

Just added the 3.25 console client to a few P4s running Windows XP Pro. Having a problem with CPU usage, however. Typically, I configure the clients with idle priority and 100% usage and have no problems; but not this time. There is a collections billing program run off of these systems called Collect One Tiger, it's an old app, probably circa Windows 98 days. Executable seems to be genuine Win32, but couldn't say for sure. The way the network is setup (and this wasn't MY setup, but it is the way it is and that's the way its gotta be), the systems map a network drive off the server and run COT off the mapped drive -- and they all map the same share. Data is entered, goes into a database on the server and yeah, it's assinine, but it works.

Anyhoo, here's the problem: even though the FAH client is set to idle priority, it doesn't give up any time to the COT app. I've run FAH with FireDaemon as a service, I've run it straight from command prompt, and in both cases CPU usage in the process viewer shows that FAH doesn't give any priority to COT. This is not a problem with any other apps, just this one.

Can't run XP app compatibility on the COT app either because its on a network share. Clearly, something ain't playing nice, and I'm pretty sure its because of some gimpy leg that COT is bringing to the party.

Just wanted to see if anyone has any ideas on how to fix this, because until a resolution is found, I had to scale back the CPU usage to 50% today on three of the machines (may end up being more later, as well, up to a total of six) so that COT would perform at an acceptable speed. Oh yeah, I tried the 4.0 pre-release candidtate too, had the same problem.

Comments

  • csimoncsimon Acadiana Icrontian
    edited November 2003
    this may be a temporary fix unitl someone comes up with a better solution but have you tried setting the priority higher for the app?
    If this works then I think there's a way to set it permanently thru the registry. May or may not work but it's worth a shot. :fold:
  • a2jfreaka2jfreak Houston, TX Member
    edited November 2003
    csimon: I don't think you need to--or even should--run coolmon on 2000 or XP. Maybe that has changed, though.
  • JakeJake Alec Baldwin's Chest Hair
    edited November 2003
    csimon had this to say
    have you tried setting the priority higher for the app?

    Yes, sadly, tried that already. Was one of the first things I tried. The app doesn't seem to behave properly at all when it comes to obeying whatever rules govern how apps request CPU time share -- including when its priority has been manually adjusted. :banghead:
  • mmonninmmonnin Centreville, VA
    edited November 2003
    Set folding to 99%? It sucks but it should help.
  • a2jfreaka2jfreak Houston, TX Member
    edited November 2003
    I had to set F@H to 85% on an Athlon 800 so that a scanning app that is used all during the day didn't stall noticeably. I figured 85% was better than 0%. So, 50% on your p4s may suck, but 50% is better than 0%.
  • EyesOnlyEyesOnly Sweden New
    edited November 2003
    csimon: I don't think you need to--or even should--run coolmon on 2000 or XP. Maybe that has changed, though.

    Why not???
  • a2jfreaka2jfreak Houston, TX Member
    edited November 2003
    Well, it had been a while but when I was still using 98se and W2K was out the coolmon site said that it wasn't needed, and in fact not recommended, to run it on NT systems (W2K and XP are NT) because they issue HALT anyway.
  • KwitkoKwitko Sheriff of Banning (Retired) By the thing near the stuff Icrontian
    edited November 2003
    If the executable is run off the network drive, FAH won't give up cycles because it's not your computer that's running the executable.
  • reelbigfishreelbigfish Boston, MA Member
    edited November 2003
    If you have access to the server, try upping the priority there maybe?
  • a2jfreaka2jfreak Houston, TX Member
    edited November 2003
    Perhaps I am misunderstanding you.

    Say the server is "SERVER"

    X is mapped to \\SERVER\E

    Now I have a link on my desktop to: x:\accounting\account.exe

    account.exe is run on my system, not the server.
    Mr. Kwitko had this to say
    If the executable is run off the network drive, FAH won't give up cycles because it's not your computer that's running the executable.
  • t1rhinot1rhino Toronto
    edited November 2003
    Even though the exe is located on a server, each client is running an instance of the exe locally. We have the opposite problem here at work.

    Some computers run an old order entry program that takes up 100% cpu even when it is sitting idle. There is a problem with the way the exe was written. Anyways, I can't even run F@H on them. :(
  • KwitkoKwitko Sheriff of Banning (Retired) By the thing near the stuff Icrontian
    edited November 2003
    No, account.exe is running on the server, accessed through your system. The server is the one using the CPU cycles to run that program. I tried 2 experiements, one where I ran 2 instances of F@H on my local PC, and one where I ran 1 instance locally and one my server.

    //EDIT: Well I feel silly. :o It appears I was wrong. After running F@H locally and off my server for a while I noticed that they split the available cycles. I guess I didn't let the simulation run long enough. :o
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