UK BOINC Team Forum

Here's a something and nothing question,

What are the criteria used by the SETI "My Account" page to generate the number of Tasks (Total, In Progress, Valid, Inconclusive etc.) as my figures are up and down and all over the place? I expect them to change, but sometimes the change is not what I am expecting (sudden drops of several hundreds)....

I am assuming that any task considered completed (Valid, Invalid, Error) stay on there based on a rolling time window (haven't worked out what it is yet), and that Inconclusive & In Progress stay on there until they hit a completed state, and Total is just a sum of the others.

Just bored with the code I am trying to write I suppose and found myself trying to work out how the task counts are worked out!!

Steve

Hi Steve,

There are a number things to take into account:

Obviously the number of Tasks "in progress" will vary, depending on how quickly your PC(s) process them. Once the results are returned, then each result will be categorised depending on the next part of the process. If your result is confirmed by another member (once they return their WU), then you'll receive credits...otherwise, if your result isn't confirmed, then it'll be set aside.

The reason why the numbers vary is that SETI is one of the most used BOINC projects and they issue many tasks, which are returned (when completed) almost randomly, depending on the speed of the other members PC's....as well as the almost random effect of "external influences", such as loss of broadband, or another project suddenly coming online (and hence slowing down the return of SETI tasks from all crunchers, as SETI allow a long time - upto 3 or 4 weeks to return a WU - whereas some other projects expect results within hours or a couple of days, and hence the BOINC Manager scheduler will pause SETI tasks so it can switch to other "more urgent" tasks).

Likewise, the SETI@home "back-office" scripts do take a while to process all the thousands of tasks returned 24/7....and hence why on your account the Tasks shown can vary by so much.

Hope this helps,
regards
Tim

Hi Tim,

I don't have a problem with the figures or the rate of credit or anything like that. I was just taking a break from coding some "inter process communication" when I noticed that whilst yesterday my account was reporting a "Total Tasks" of around 1200, when I had a quick look whilst goofing off that had dropped to about 430 or so, a drop of 700+. I have just checked it again now and it is back at 934, an increase of 200+

I just got to wondering why it was up and down so much is all. Not worried by it - just my inquisitive mind I suppose ... looking at it as a programmer and trying to work out what its algorithm or criteria was for what it was holding in the list to create the "counts".

Steve