Data on root of secondary drive causes Boinc to lose GPUs.

[hucker75]

Describe the bug
If Boinc is told to use for example D:\ as the data directory, it will run but say there are no usable GPUs. But it's fine in D:\somename

System Information

• OS: Windows 10
• BOINC Version: 7.16.20

[AenBleidd]

Are you sure you didn't install BOINC to run as a service?

[hucker75]

No, that would stop GPU work altogether, but it works ok when changing the data directory. It was installed with defaults, just changed the data directory. It just doesn't like root directory. It doesn't warn against it, and I would expect a file not found error, not a GPU missing.

[CharlieFenton]

Did BOINC write a file coproc_info.xml on the C: drive by any chance?

In the Options->Event Log options ... menu, please set the coprocessor_debug flag and look for items starting with [coproc] in the event log. Copy them and put them in a comment here.

[photohac]

I have the exact same problem. I was trying to install the data files on a M.2 in the root and BOINC gave me this same problem.

I got a second M.2 and the same thing happened.
I traded that for a SATA SSD, had the same problem, then created a folder and it works.

The file you mention above does not show up when I have the folder installed. Would it have showed up with the files written to the root?

[computezrmle]

Did you check ownership and access rights of the new drive's root directory?
Ownership of the drive and it's root dir may be SYSTEM while the ownership of a directory you created may be hucker75.

[photohac]

How do you do that? I'll check around 6pm CET when I'm done. How many places do you hang out in? I've seen your name before. LHC or RAH?

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On Tue, Feb 8, 2022, 08:30 computezrmle ***@***.***> wrote: Did you check ownership and access rights of the new drive's root directory? Ownership of the drive and it's root dir may be SYSTEM while the ownership of a directory you created may be hucker75. — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#4629 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AXVFKRHCC6ELPPMVY6IMSDTU2DBBPANCNFSM5NV5NFJA> . Triage notifications on the go with GitHub Mobile for iOS <https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id1477376905?ct=notification-email&mt=8&pt=524675> or Android <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.github.android&referrer=utm_campaign%3Dnotification-email%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_source%3Dgithub>. You are receiving this because you commented.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[CharlieFenton]

@photohac: are you on a Windows 10 computer? My response to @hucker75 was regarding his Windows 10 system. Also, did you set the coproc_debug flag as I requested? I don't see the items starting with [coproc] from your event log here.

(I incorrectly referred to it as the coprocessor_debug flag in my earlier post; the correct item to check is coproc_debug.)

[RichardHaselgrove]

This problem is so simple that anybody with two drives and a GPU should be able to debug it. So I did.

08/02/2022 10:51:48 |  | [coproc] launching child process at D:\BOINC\boinc.exe
08/02/2022 10:51:48 |  | [coproc] with data directory "D:\"
08/02/2022 10:51:48 |  | GPU detection failed: process exited with status 0x1: Incorrect function. (0x1)
08/02/2022 10:51:48 |  | [coproc] read_coproc_info_file() returned error -108
08/02/2022 10:51:48 |  | No usable GPUs found

Boinc has created:

and

This test performed with BOINC v7.16.20 and Windows 7 Professional SP1.

[photohac]

Win10 yes. Flags, not yet, tonight when I get home. That will be in 5-6 hours

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On Tue, Feb 8, 2022, 11:09 CharlieFenton ***@***.***> wrote: @photohac <https://github.com/photohac>: are you on a Windows 10 computer? My response to @hucker75 <https://github.com/hucker75> was regarding his Windows 10 system. Also, did you set the coproc_debug flag as I requested? I don't see the items starting with *[coproc]* from your event log here. (I incorrectly referred to it as the coprocessor_debug flag in my earlier post; the correct item to check is coproc_debug.) — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#4629 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AXVFKREL6GJ6KMPL7CY2ZK3U2DTURANCNFSM5NV5NFJA> . Triage notifications on the go with GitHub Mobile for iOS <https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id1477376905?ct=notification-email&mt=8&pt=524675> or Android <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.github.android&referrer=utm_campaign%3Dnotification-email%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_source%3Dgithub>. You are receiving this because you were mentioned.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[photohac]

But the question is why does it say no Co processors found when in root, but not when in a folder?!?! That's been my question all along!! No one answers that directly. It works fine when project data is in a folder, but not in the root. So why does this happen? What makes the difference? The physical setup of the system has not changed only the path of the project data! Then it gives you this stupid non specific error.

…

On Tue, Feb 8, 2022, 12:02 RichardHaselgrove ***@***.***> wrote: This problem is so simple that anybody with two drives and a GPU should be able to debug it. So I did. 08/02/2022 10:51:48 | | [coproc] launching child process at D:\BOINC\boinc.exe 08/02/2022 10:51:48 | | [coproc] with data directory "D:\" 08/02/2022 10:51:48 | | GPU detection failed: process exited with status 0x1: Incorrect function. (0x1) 08/02/2022 10:51:48 | | [coproc] read_coproc_info_file() returned error -108 08/02/2022 10:51:48 | | No usable GPUs found Boinc has created: [image: image] <https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/14886436/152973729-58a786f1-4c95-40af-939e-3cd9898516ae.png> and [image: image] <https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/14886436/152973950-89a57b7b-a0c5-4e72-b99c-6c4f5b9688ab.png> This test performed with BOINC v7.16.20 and Windows 7 Professional SP1. — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#4629 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AXVFKRA74FAWRUCE6GQ4RTDU2DZ3DANCNFSM5NV5NFJA> . Triage notifications on the go with GitHub Mobile for iOS <https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id1477376905?ct=notification-email&mt=8&pt=524675> or Android <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.github.android&referrer=utm_campaign%3Dnotification-email%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_source%3Dgithub>. You are receiving this because you were mentioned.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[photohac]

BOINC works fine as long as there is a folder that the project data is in. If the data is NOT in the folder then it coughs up the no coprocessors found. Why is this happening?

…

On Tue, Feb 8, 2022, 12:11 Greg Hall ***@***.***> wrote: But the question is why does it say no Co processors found when in root, but not when in a folder?!?! That's been my question all along!! No one answers that directly. It works fine when project data is in a folder, but not in the root. So why does this happen? What makes the difference? The physical setup of the system has not changed only the path of the project data! Then it gives you this stupid non specific error. On Tue, Feb 8, 2022, 12:02 RichardHaselgrove ***@***.***> wrote: > This problem is so simple that anybody with two drives and a GPU should > be able to debug it. So I did. > > 08/02/2022 10:51:48 | | [coproc] launching child process at D:\BOINC\boinc.exe > 08/02/2022 10:51:48 | | [coproc] with data directory "D:\" > 08/02/2022 10:51:48 | | GPU detection failed: process exited with status 0x1: Incorrect function. (0x1) > 08/02/2022 10:51:48 | | [coproc] read_coproc_info_file() returned error -108 > 08/02/2022 10:51:48 | | No usable GPUs found > > Boinc has created: > > [image: image] > <https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/14886436/152973729-58a786f1-4c95-40af-939e-3cd9898516ae.png> > > and > > [image: image] > <https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/14886436/152973950-89a57b7b-a0c5-4e72-b99c-6c4f5b9688ab.png> > > This test performed with BOINC v7.16.20 and Windows 7 Professional SP1. > > — > Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub > <#4629 (comment)>, or > unsubscribe > <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AXVFKRA74FAWRUCE6GQ4RTDU2DZ3DANCNFSM5NV5NFJA> > . > Triage notifications on the go with GitHub Mobile for iOS > <https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id1477376905?ct=notification-email&mt=8&pt=524675> > or Android > <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.github.android&referrer=utm_campaign%3Dnotification-email%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_source%3Dgithub>. > > You are receiving this because you were mentioned.Message ID: > ***@***.***> >

[RichardHaselgrove]

I think it's probably because of a (little known) security feature in Windows. Before running this test, I tried to make a backup of my working BOINC data folder (D:\BOINCdata). 7-zip failed to write to D:, although I had a older (2018) backup in there already.

This probably requires a change to the BOINC Windows installer program, or failing that the documentation. New users need to be prevented from, or at least advised against, using the drive's root as a BOINC data folder.

[photohac]

Well, I figured since it's a drive dedicated to BOINC Data (because RAH python tasks consume so much space and memory) that I could install it in the root. As you said, the installer needs to be reprogrammed to not allow this or BOINC needs a code change to allow it. BOINC program is on C and project data is on a dedicated D drive. But why does the program allow CPU tasks to run from root and not GPU? This does not make sense to me.

…

On Tue, Feb 8, 2022, 12:26 RichardHaselgrove ***@***.***> wrote: I think it's probably because of a (little known) security feature in Windows. Before running this test, I tried to make a backup of my working BOINC data folder (D:\BOINCdata). 7-zip failed to write to D:, although I had a older (2018) backup in there already. This probably requires a change to the BOINC Windows installer program, or failing that the documentation. New users need to be prevented from, or at least advised against, using the drive's root as a BOINC data folder. — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#4629 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AXVFKRCTYWEOTDMMXXN43DDU2D4X5ANCNFSM5NV5NFJA> . Triage notifications on the go with GitHub Mobile for iOS <https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id1477376905?ct=notification-email&mt=8&pt=524675> or Android <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.github.android&referrer=utm_campaign%3Dnotification-email%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_source%3Dgithub>. You are receiving this because you were mentioned.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[CharlieFenton]

@RichardHaselgrove Your output says with data directory "D:\", and you wrote:

Boinc has created:

But you didn't say where BOINC created these files. Is the root of the D drive "D:\" actually where BOINC is putting the files sdoutdae.txt, etc.? If so, that is also where it should be writing the coproc info file coproc_info.xml, so the obvious question is why it can write these other files but not that one.

[RichardHaselgrove]

In the root of D:

I was running the installer as an administrative user, but not as "the administrator". I'll try and explore why Windows has marked the files, and two of the four folders, with a 'padlock' symbol - implying some sort of security restriction.