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Updated Sporadic Applications (markdown)

David Anderson 2023-10-02 19:31:50 -07:00
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Sporadic-Applications.md

@ -2,22 +2,26 @@ BOINC was originally designed as a batch processing system:
you submit jobs, they run (independently of each other) you submit jobs, they run (independently of each other)
and eventually finish. and eventually finish.
But some potential uses of volunteer computing don't fit this model. But some potential uses of volunteer computing don't fit this model.
They may require that their apps run simultaneously on different computers, They may require that apps run simultaneously on different computers,
and perhaps that they communicate directly with each other. and perhaps that they communicate directly with each other.
Examples include MPI-type parallel computing and distributed machine learning. Examples include MPI-type parallel computing and distributed machine learning.
BOINC's 'sporadic application' mechanism is designed to support these types of systems, BOINC's 'sporadic application' mechanism is designed to support these types of systems,
and to allow them to coexist with batch processing. and to allow them to coexist with batch processing.
The jobs of a sporadic app run (i.e. are present in memory) The jobs of a sporadic app run (i.e. are present in memory)
all the time, like non-CPU-intensive jobs, all the time, like non-CPU-intensive jobs,
but compute only some of the time. but compute only some of the time.
Like regular apps, a sporadic app can have multiple app versions. Like regular apps, a sporadic app can have multiple app versions.
Each of these app versions has a plan class, Each of these has a plan class,
which determines the processor usage (CPUs and GPUs) of its jobs. which determines the processor usage (CPUs and GPUs) of its jobs.
A project's BOINC scheduler can send multiple jobs for a given sporadic app, A project's BOINC scheduler can send multiple jobs for a given sporadic app,
using the same or different app versions. using the same or different app versions.
A BOINC project can provide any combination of
regular, sporadic, and non-CPU-intensive apps.
A client can be connected to multiple projects with sporadic apps.
Like regular jobs, a sporadic job can compute only when Like regular jobs, a sporadic job can compute only when
* computing (and GPU computing if relevant) is enabled by user preferences * computing (and GPU computing if relevant) is enabled by user preferences
* there are sufficient processing resources and RAM * there are sufficient processing resources and RAM
@ -122,5 +126,18 @@ enum SPORADIC_AC_STATE {
extern void boinc_sporadic_set_ac_state(SPORADIC_AC_STATE); extern void boinc_sporadic_set_ac_state(SPORADIC_AC_STATE);
extern SPORADIC_CA_STATE boinc_sporadic_get_ca_state(); extern SPORADIC_CA_STATE boinc_sporadic_get_ca_state();
``` ```
## Prioritization of sporadic apps
In the initial implementation of sporadic apps (client 7.26),
sporadic apps have strict priority over regular apps.
Thus if a sporadic app does lots of computing
it can starve regular app.
If multiple sporadic apps compete for a resource (say, a GPU)
the prioritization is fixed; one of them can starve the others.
In a later version, sporadic apps will be scheduled using the same
scheme that is used for regular apps,
in which resource share determines prioritization
and starvation is eliminated.