Hi

Thought I'd share a problem I've encountered with BOINC under Kubuntu 17.10 so that others can find answers.

I recently upgraded from Kubuntu 17.04 to 17.10 and noted that BOINC would not seem to resume form idle. Memory fails me but I suspect a similar situation under 17.04 but I wasn't taking much notice.

I also upgrade to a Nivida GTX 1060 graphics card (keeping the old GTX 730 also). The GPU processing across both boards seems to work well but the resume from idle not.

Linux 4.13.0-16-generic #19-Ubuntu SMP Wed Oct 11 18:35:14 UTC 2017 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

DISTRIB_ID=Ubuntu
DISTRIB_RELEASE=17.10
DISTRIB_CODENAME=artful
DISTRIB_DESCRIPTION="Ubuntu 17.10"

boinccmd --version
boinccmd,  built from BOINC 7.8.3 

Preferences as follows. Resume should be after 1 minute.

<global_preferences>
   <run_on_batteries>1</run_on_batteries>
   <run_if_user_active>0</run_if_user_active>
   <run_gpu_if_user_active>0</run_gpu_if_user_active>
   <idle_time_to_run>1.000000</idle_time_to_run>
   <suspend_cpu_usage>30.000000</suspend_cpu_usage>
   <start_hour>0.000000</start_hour>
   <end_hour>0.000000</end_hour>
   <net_start_hour>0.000000</net_start_hour>
   <net_end_hour>0.000000</net_end_hour>
   <leave_apps_in_memory>1</leave_apps_in_memory>
   <confirm_before_connecting>0</confirm_before_connecting>
   <hangup_if_dialed>0</hangup_if_dialed>
   <dont_verify_images>0</dont_verify_images>
   <work_buf_min_days>0.200000</work_buf_min_days>
   <work_buf_additional_days>0.500000</work_buf_additional_days>
   <max_ncpus_pct>75.000000</max_ncpus_pct>
   <cpu_scheduling_period_minutes>120.000000</cpu_scheduling_period_minutes>
   <disk_interval>60.000000</disk_interval>
   <disk_max_used_gb>0.000000</disk_max_used_gb>
   <disk_max_used_pct>90.000000</disk_max_used_pct>
   <disk_min_free_gb>1.000000</disk_min_free_gb>
   <vm_max_used_pct>75.000000</vm_max_used_pct>
   <ram_max_used_busy_pct>50.000000</ram_max_used_busy_pct>
   <ram_max_used_idle_pct>90.000000</ram_max_used_idle_pct>
   <max_bytes_sec_up>0.000000</max_bytes_sec_up>
   <max_bytes_sec_down>0.000000</max_bytes_sec_down>
   <cpu_usage_limit>75.000000</cpu_usage_limit>
   <daily_xfer_limit_mb>0.000000</daily_xfer_limit_mb>
   <daily_xfer_period_days>0</daily_xfer_period_days>
</global_preferences>

Downloading the master branch I compiled 7.9 and uncommented some of the debug lines. Output as follows:

tty: /dev/pts/2 1509684457 1509686099
tty: /dev/pts/1 1509686080 1509686099
tty: /dev/pts/3 1509684128 1509686099
tty: /dev/pts/0 1509669223 1509686099
tty: /dev/pts/ptmx 1509715852 1509686099
not idle 29753

Would appear I have a ptmx sessions (what ever that is - researching) that is inhibiting the idle resume. I'll share once I track down what this is and why.

ASIDE: I did get resume to idle to work twice but could never nail down why, seemed random.

SUGGESTION: Would be good if the "idle_detection_debug" output which tty is potentially blocking resume. I resorted to the code as debug was outputting nothing.[/code]

stat /dev/pts/ptmx 
  File: /dev/pts/ptmx
  Size: 0               Blocks: 0          IO Block: 1024   character special file
Device: 15h/21d Inode: 2           Links: 1     Device type: 5,2
Access: (0000/c---------)  Uid: (    0/    root)   Gid: (    0/    root)
Access: 2017-11-04 02:30:52.508000039 +1300
Modify: 2017-11-04 02:30:52.508000039 +1300
Change: 2017-11-04 02:30:52.508000039 +1300

date
Fri Nov  3 18:40:44 NZDT 2017

Appears to be modified with a timestamp in the future, hence the idle will be a long time coming.
[/code]

Forwarded to the Linux Release Manager.

---

touch /dev/pts/ptmx 

Reset the timestamp on ptmx and all seems good. Not found a cause for why ptmx was in the future, will monitor.[/code]

You forgot to install the delorean module.

You forgot to install the delorean module.

oh I wish :)

Further investigation has identified that the future timestamp of /dev/pts/ptmx (not to be confused with /dev/ptmx which seems ok and not linked in any way that I can see) is been set on fresh reboots/start up.

Finding what creates this device is going to be interesting.