Tweaking cc_config.xml

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UBT - Timbo
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Tweaking cc_config.xml

Post by UBT - Timbo »

This is a small file located within the main BOINC folder of your PC.

It contains simple code that helps BOINC Manager manage the crunching on your PC.

A typical cc_config.xml file contains instructions as to how BOINC Manager should work and what preferences you have.

For instance, this is my current cc_config file:

Code: Select all

<cc_config> 
<options> 
<use_all_gpus>1</use_all_gpus> 
<save_stats_days>180</save_stats_days> 
<fetch_on_update>1</fetch_on_update>
<report_results_immediately>1</report_results_immediately> 
<skip_cpu_benchmarks>1</skip_cpu_benchmarks>
</options> 
</cc_config>
Each line is basically a "switch" that tells BOINC Manager whether to perform a specific action while crunching. You can probably tell what each function does, from the code shown...and I use these in order to speed up some of the tasks that BOINC Manager has to do, in order to service all the work units that you crunch.

If you want to see what is in your cc_config.xml file, then close BOINC Manager and then use File Manager to inspect your hard drive - or you can simply search for the file, using the full name as shown.

Once you find the file, right click on it and open it with Notepad. You can then see what the default code is, and if you want to use any of the above code, then simply cut and paste any of the relevant lines above (between the [options] and [/options] tags) into the same section in your existing cc_config file and then save it. Restart BOINC Manager and your new preferences should take effect.
Woodles
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Location: Cambridgeshire

Re: Tweaking cc_config.xml

Post by Woodles »

Some projects limit the number of tasks that you're allowed to have stored based on the number of cores available on the machine.

Normally this isn't a problem but occasionally, you may want a bigger cache than the project allows (intermittent internet connection, storing up work to submit all in one go as part of a competition)

The easiest way to do this is the tell BOINC that you have more cores than actually present.
  • Open Boinc manager and suspend computing (activity -> suspend)
    - Necessary to prevent the Boinc manager from trying to run work on all your new, theoretical cores.

    Create/modify your cc_config.xml file to include the line

    Code: Select all

    <ncpus>n</ncpus>
    Change 'n' to be the number of cores that you want Boinc manager to think you have, ie to persuade Boinc manager that your i3 is actually an i7, change 'n' to 8 ("<ncpus>8</ncpus>")

    Re-read the configuration files (Options -> Read config files)

    Download the required amount of work.

    There is no realistic limit to the number of cores you can claim (although claiming you have a 999 core processor may get commented upon!)

    Once you have enough work downloaded, change the setting back to an accurate one (or delete the line completely)

    Re-read the configuration files (Options -> Read config files)

    Re-enable computation.
Woodles
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Posts: 11757
Joined: Thu Dec 20, 2007 12:00 am
Location: Cambridgeshire

Re: Tweaking cc_config.xml

Post by Woodles »

Cross posting this to keep everything together.

For hosts with multiple GPUs, it's possible to specify which GPU runs on which project.

It's a little 'backwards' in that you first enable all of them then disable the one(s) that you don't want to run on a specific project.

To define which GPU is used for each project, you need to modify your cc_config.xml file:

Code: Select all

<cc_config>
  <options>
    <use_all_gpus>1</use_all_gpus>
    <exclude_gpu>
      <url>https://boinc.thesonntags.com/collatz/</url>
      <device_num>0</device_num>
    </exclude_gpu>
    <exclude_gpu>
      <url>http://moowrap.net/</url>
      <device_num>1</device_num>
    </exclude_gpu>
  </options>
</cc_config>
Don't forget that you're excluding a GPU from the project so the listed cc_config.xml will allow GPU 1 to run on Collatz and GPU 0 to run on Moo.

Mark
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