ECM with 3GB memory requirement

[JohnMD]

It was very welcome when ECM P2 took 'monster' WU's.
Some other ECM WU's now require 3GB, and this gives problems for ordinary PC's if one runs 2 or more in parallel.
Is it possible to split ECM again ?

[joe carnivore]

Which PC still has 4 GB of RAM today. I mean that's what is meant.
3 GB is not a lot for current PCs.
Only run 1 WU?

[yoyo]

Time has past and computer get faster and have more RAM. So I increased max memory to 4000 MB. Seems that now some ecm are taking it.

[JohnMD]

Time has past and computer get faster and have more RAM. So I increased max memory to 4000 MB. Seems that now some ecm are taking it.

Thanks for the explanation - maybe the "Applications" section could include memory requirements.
There are lots of old computers out there - and 32bit machines - which have limits to installed RAM - they would like to know

By the way, we were warned that ecm p2 could require up to 10GB. I have recently had one which allocated 12½GB !

[mister.marmot]

Time has past and computer get faster and have more RAM. So I increased max memory to 4000 MB. Seems that now some ecm are taking it.

But, DDR4 RAM is WAY more expensive than DDR3 was.
16GB is the standard RAM shipped from most retail outlets for a new laptop pr desktop and those machines have 16 threads.
The RAM/thread in new machines is still hovering around 1GB/thread as it was 10 years ago.
Heck, you use to be able to get Core 2 Duo's with 8GB RAM so that was 4GB/thread.

Amazon and Google Android/Chrome OS devices are being shipped with 2GB for 8 cores.
The price of DDR4 RAM pushes the price above the $199 price they want to sell at.
Laptops and desktops are becoming obsolete.
BOINC will have to function on tablets, phablets and phones eventually and they are typically 0.5GB/core.

This increase in size to 4000 explains why my WU's on the 3 servers are crashing and the RAC has dropped below 1000 on Indus server.

Is there an app_config.xml setting to force ECM to stay under 2000 per WU?

[yoyo]

I don't know how to deal with app_config.xml. But ecm uses a -max_mem command line option which limits ram usage.

[gemini8]

What will happen if you limit ram usage?
Will the workunits crash?
Or will they use less ram?

[yoyo]

The workunits are only downloaded if you have the required RAM free and will only started if the required amount of RAM is free.

[gemini8]

I'll try to be more precise:
By using app_config.xml it is possible to add command-line parameters.
You add some line on the server.
I understand that I can change the command-line locally, but only after download.
What will happen then?

[yoyo]

On the BOINC server a workunit is configured with an amount of RAM which is needed. This individual per workunit.
You can download this workunit if this amount of RAM is free and the workunit is started if this amount is free.
This all has nothing to do with the command line option.

If afterwards the workunit is started your locally changed value of max_mem option is used.

[gemini8]

I see.
So I had the proper idea of it.
Thanks for clarification.

[JohnMD]

I don't have numbers for 32-bit machines out there on BOINC, but it's tens of thousands - including lots of core 2 Quadro on 32-bit motherboards.
Would it be possible to segregate ecm WUs requiring less than 2GB ? - Eg. ecm- ? eller ecm32 ?
I have bought extra ram for ecm 2 - which is in too short supply - it is difficult to follow your strategy.
Yours faithfully, John Dewar