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Message boards : Number crunching : How to make PS3GRID Boinc clients use 8 SPUs?

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Message 527 - Posted: 4 Dec 2007 | 15:54:48 UTC

Currently, the PS3Grid Boinc application ga_5.04_powerpc is using 6 SPEs. On a QS20 or QS21 can the client be made to use 8 SPEs like the example on the main PS3Grid web page? Is there an environment variable like OMP_THREADS that can be used to override the Boinc application default of 6?

Thanks!
David

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Message 532 - Posted: 5 Dec 2007 | 17:48:36 UTC - in response to Message 527.

Currently, the PS3Grid Boinc application ga_5.04_powerpc is using 6 SPEs. On a QS20 or QS21 can the client be made to use 8 SPEs like the example on the main PS3Grid web page? Is there an environment variable like OMP_THREADS that can be used to override the Boinc application default of 6?

Thanks!
David


No, it is hard coded. In principle, we could look for how many SPEs are available and use them. For now, you have to stick to 6 SPEs for a little while. We are coming out soon with a new major revision.
However, the most recent client at least try to use both Cell processors on the blade. We could not test it. Can you confirm that you are running two jobs at the time on a single blade? Are you using our client pre-compiled client?

Best, g.

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Message 533 - Posted: 5 Dec 2007 | 18:22:35 UTC - in response to Message 532.

Yes, I am running two jobs on a single qs20 blade with the boinc client from
bloinc_client_ps3grid_25Oct.

[dcarver@qs20 boinc_client_ps3grid_25Oct]$ pwd
/home/dcarver/boinc_client_ps3grid_25Oct
[dcarver@qs20 boinc_client_ps3grid_25Oct]$ ls -l boinc
-rwxr-xr-x 1 dcarver support 751052 2007-10-25 11:09 boinc
[dcarver@qs20 boinc_client_ps3grid_25Oct]$ sum -r boinc
47736 734

BTW, When I build the latest boinc client from source the platform says
\"powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu\", instead of \"powerpc64-ps3-linux-gnu\" and no jobs from PS3GLID are downloaded. But, I bet you already know that. ;-)

Currently, the PS3Grid Boinc application ga_5.04_powerpc is using 6 SPEs. On a QS20 or QS21 can the client be made to use 8 SPEs like the example on the main PS3Grid web page? Is there an environment variable like OMP_THREADS that can be used to override the Boinc application default of 6?

Thanks!
David


No, it is hard coded. In principle, we could look for how many SPEs are available and use them. For now, you have to stick to 6 SPEs for a little while. We are coming out soon with a new major revision.
However, the most recent client at least try to use both Cell processors on the blade. We could not test it. Can you confirm that you are running two jobs at the time on a single blade? Are you using our client pre-compiled client?

Best, g.

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Message 537 - Posted: 7 Dec 2007 | 16:37:02 UTC

For those that want to know, i did a search for \'IBM QS20\'.

I found IBM BladeCenter QS20 and it had some good details on these, with a PDF data sheet that described the processors, which also relates to the PS3.

Now if you want to rush out an buy one, Try Dell PowerEdge 1955 Server or HP BladeServer.
I could not find prices, and they say if you have to ask you can\'t aford it. So don\'t ask, these are way more than a PS3.

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Message 538 - Posted: 8 Dec 2007 | 6:26:17 UTC - in response to Message 537.
Last modified: 8 Dec 2007 | 6:34:41 UTC

The price can be found at http://www-01.ibm.com/common/ssi/cgi-bin/ssialias?infotype=AN&subtype=CA&htmlfid=897/ENUS106-677&appname=USN#@2h@77@

For those that want to know, i did a search for \'IBM QS20\'.

I found IBM BladeCenter QS20 and it had some good details on these, with a PDF data sheet that described the processors, which also relates to the PS3.

Now if you want to rush out an buy one, Try Dell PowerEdge 1955 Server or HP BladeServer.
I could not find prices, and they say if you have to ask you can\'t aford it. So don\'t ask, these are way more than a PS3.

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Message boards : Number crunching : How to make PS3GRID Boinc clients use 8 SPUs?

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