Run down the queue on MPRIME without quitting GIMPS

Rodrigo · 2018-05-23, 16:27

Prime95 has a setting under Options/Preferences where you can set the "Days of work to queue up" to a value of 0. This is useful if you want the PC to stop looking for new assignments but finish all current assignments, without having to unreserve exponents or quit GIMPS.

Is there a way to accomplish the same thing in MPRIME (Linux)? If I open the menu there and select item #14 (Options/Preferences), I cannot enter 0 as the value, it asks me to enter at least 1.

Nor can I set the queue to 0 by going to my GIMPS account at mersenne.org and changing the value there -- this, too, required me to enter at least 1.

Is there any way to do what I'm trying to do by changing some setting in MPRIME, or at least by fiddling with a configuration file?

Thanks.

GP2 · 2018-05-23, 17:13

You can edit the file prime.txt and modify the DaysOfWork= line to set it to 0.

I have done this before. I don't remember whether or not this requires stopping the mprime process first, it might not be necessary.

Rodrigo · 2018-05-23, 17:35

That did the trick, thanks!

I'll report back if MPRIME complains at some later point, but it's working for now at least.

Mark Rose · 2018-05-23, 22:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by GP2

You can edit the file prime.txt and modify the DaysOfWork= line to set it to 0.

I have done this before. I don't remember whether or not this requires stopping the mprime process first, it might not be necessary.

Any change to prime.txt and local.txt requires that mprime be stopped.

Rodrigo · 2018-05-24, 06:11

I can confirm that the new setting didn't stick when it was changed earlier today while MPRIME was running. I checked tonight and DaysOfWork was back at 1. Tonight I stopped the program (but did not close it) and edited Prime.txt, then resumed MPRIME.

We'll see what happens. Next try, if necessary, will be to exit MPRIME altogether and then change the setting.

Dubslow · 2018-05-24, 16:24

For what it's worth, despite the menus being somewhat bombastic about it, all that is done by the "Quit GIMPS" options is that it adds NoMoreWork=1 to prime.txt. That's all. It doesn't delete account data or results or assignments or anything, it just stops acquiring work. Removing that line or changing it to 0 results in getting work again according to settings. So really the "Quit GIMPS" description is something of a misnomer, targeted at the broader distributed computing/home volunteers group who otherwise don't do much fiddling around on computers.

Rodrigo · 2018-05-24, 21:29

Huh, so "Quit GIMPS" sounds more drastic than it really is. Thank you. I did think that it meant that the PC's listing on PrimeNet would get wiped out. So I ignored that setting, since I was looking more for a "leave of absence" than for it to "quit" altogether.

BTW I can also confirm now that pausing MPRIME without closing the terminal window or shutting the program down, then editing "DaysOfWork" to 0, does yield the desired result: the remaining exponents are getting done and no new work is being received.

Thanks everyone for your help.

ATH · 2018-05-25, 13:26

There is even a 3rd options for prime.txt to not receive any work:
MaxExponents=0

This option is also useful to give finer control of how much work you receive:
MaxExponents=1
will only give you one work line no matter how long this takes, even if it is ECM CF that takes only maybe 30 min.

2018-05-24, 06:11	#5
Rodrigo Jun 2010 Pennsylvania 947₁₀ Posts	I can confirm that the new setting didn't stick when it was changed earlier today while MPRIME was running. I checked tonight and DaysOfWork was back at 1. Tonight I stopped the program (but did not close it) and edited Prime.txt, then resumed MPRIME. We'll see what happens. Next try, if necessary, will be to exit MPRIME altogether and then change the setting. Last fiddled with by Rodrigo on 2018-05-24 at 06:13

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2018-05-23, 16:27	#1
Rodrigo Jun 2010 Pennsylvania 947 Posts	Run down the queue on MPRIME without quitting GIMPS Prime95 has a setting under Options/Preferences where you can set the "Days of work to queue up" to a value of 0. This is useful if you want the PC to stop looking for new assignments but finish all current assignments, without having to unreserve exponents or quit GIMPS. Is there a way to accomplish the same thing in MPRIME (Linux)? If I open the menu there and select item #14 (Options/Preferences), I cannot enter 0 as the value, it asks me to enter at least 1. Nor can I set the queue to 0 by going to my GIMPS account at mersenne.org and changing the value there -- this, too, required me to enter at least 1. Is there any way to do what I'm trying to do by changing some setting in MPRIME, or at least by fiddling with a configuration file? Thanks.

2018-05-23, 17:13	#2
GP2 Sep 2003 2×5×7×37 Posts	You can edit the file prime.txt and modify the DaysOfWork= line to set it to 0. I have done this before. I don't remember whether or not this requires stopping the mprime process first, it might not be necessary.

2018-05-23, 17:35	#3
Rodrigo Jun 2010 Pennsylvania 1110110011₂ Posts	That did the trick, thanks! I'll report back if MPRIME complains at some later point, but it's working for now at least.

2018-05-24, 16:24	#6
Dubslow Basketry That Evening! "Bunslow the Bold" Jun 2011 40<A<43 -89<O<-88 3×29×83 Posts	For what it's worth, despite the menus being somewhat bombastic about it, all that is done by the "Quit GIMPS" options is that it adds NoMoreWork=1 to prime.txt. That's all. It doesn't delete account data or results or assignments or anything, it just stops acquiring work. Removing that line or changing it to 0 results in getting work again according to settings. So really the "Quit GIMPS" description is something of a misnomer, targeted at the broader distributed computing/home volunteers group who otherwise don't do much fiddling around on computers.

2018-05-24, 21:29	#7
Rodrigo Jun 2010 Pennsylvania 947 Posts	Huh, so "Quit GIMPS" sounds more drastic than it really is. Thank you. I did think that it meant that the PC's listing on PrimeNet would get wiped out. So I ignored that setting, since I was looking more for a "leave of absence" than for it to "quit" altogether. BTW I can also confirm now that pausing MPRIME without closing the terminal window or shutting the program down, then editing "DaysOfWork" to 0, does yield the desired result: the remaining exponents are getting done and no new work is being received. Thanks everyone for your help.

2018-05-25, 13:26	#8
ATH Einyen Dec 2003 Denmark 3·1,151 Posts	There is even a 3rd options for prime.txt to not receive any work: MaxExponents=0 This option is also useful to give finer control of how much work you receive: MaxExponents=1 will only give you one work line no matter how long this takes, even if it is ECM CF that takes only maybe 30 min.