Wrong calculation base for credits - please use CPU-time instead of run time

Message boards : Number crunching : Wrong calculation base for credits - please use CPU-time instead of run time
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Magiceye04

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Message 216 - Posted: 4 Apr 2021, 18:37:41 UTC

Boinc has the possibility to set any number of CPU-cores.
So it is possible to run 2 or 4 or 8 or 16 WUs on one CPU-core.
The WUs end always at about 4-5h run time - no matter how much cpu time they needed.
An old 4core Athlon CPU can get more credits than an state-of-the-art 16core 5950X cpu, when setting the number of cpu cores on the Athlon to 64.

Please change this from run time to cpu time - like all other boinc projects are doing.
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Aurum
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Message 217 - Posted: 4 Apr 2021, 20:12:26 UTC

I cannot think of a single BOINC project where it makes sense to run more than one WU per CPU logical thread. It increases the chance of returning inaccurate results. This project doesn't even use confirmation, i.e. Quorum = 1. They would not run faster if you use <cpu_usage>0.5</cpu_usage>.
This projects awards 200 credits per completed WU regardless of how long it took to run.
Implementing credit that is proportional to CPU run time would be nice.
Even better would be to implement checkpointing.
Also nice would be badges.
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zupa

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Message 218 - Posted: 5 Apr 2021, 6:44:21 UTC - in response to Message 217.  

In November a problem with the allocation of credits by the CPU time based BOINC mechanism was reported:

>18000s and 8.33 credits.
>Normally I get 90cr for 9000s.

Then I changed my credit allocation: credits per completed WU regardless of how long it took to run.

I can't understand why the basic BOINC mechanism doesn't work properly for this job .....
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Magiceye04

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Message 219 - Posted: 5 Apr 2021, 7:44:14 UTC

It seems that the 200 credit and the run time are fix - no matter which calculating power a CPU has, right?

Is it not possible to divide the CPU time by the run time and multiply this result with 200?
Then 2 WUs on one core would get only half of the credits, 4 WUs get 25% and so on.
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Magiceye04

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Message 220 - Posted: 6 Apr 2021, 20:20:37 UTC

Another good reason to use CPU-time:
If you get some WUs, start calculating and set the clock to +5hours, the calculation is immediately finished and one gets the full credits.
Using the run time is really a bad idea.
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zupa

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Message 221 - Posted: 7 Apr 2021, 6:23:07 UTC - in response to Message 220.  

I will try to use a CPU time based mechanism
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Conan
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Message 222 - Posted: 10 Apr 2021, 3:23:48 UTC

200 for 4 to 5 hours work is not too bad, I have seen far worse on some other projects.

Fixed credit is a preferred option to guard against people who see the need to cheat, might not beat them but reduces there effect on the project.

Conan
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Hal Bregg

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Message 242 - Posted: 27 May 2021, 13:21:31 UTC - in response to Message 221.  

I will try to use a CPU time based mechanism


Has this been tried?
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Message boards : Number crunching : Wrong calculation base for credits - please use CPU-time instead of run time

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