Folding Forum

I understand that points are only awarded for successful WUs returned within the timeout cutoff; the timeout calculation is obvious but when is the "validity" of a WU checked?

Specifically, when the log shows something like:
Is that "final" or could the points allocation be invalidated by a later check?

(Reason for asking: yesterday a WU was uploaded with ~15 minutes in hand before the update, with an entry similar to the above in the log, but the points didn't show up. They appeared on the subsequent update so no real problem but it had me worried for a while! Examining the "Last Updated" timestamps suggested that it may have happened because the update may not have been performed for some reason.)

In general it take some time after the server acknowledged a WU and points get credited. Specially if you check via 3rd party tools it sometimes miss the 3hours timeframe for them to download the statistics.

But in addition to your question I would like to add: there is often a difference between what is in the log vs what the 3rd party pages show (e.g. EOC). Difference is not big; not really worried about. Just wonder ...

Normally, when we speak about the validity, we refer to the scientific integrity. There are multiple checks and they all should pass before the WU is a valid one. Failure in any of those checks, will invalidate the WU which may give partial points or zero, depending on the type of failure.

When it comes to points, the line printed in the log is calculated by the local client and is an estimate only. It may change on the server but that is highly unlikely and a minor points difference (usually in decimals for me) might be expected. It is very rare for the Work Server to loose the WU records which means that no points can be credited for the completed WUs. Sometime, it takes time for the Work Server and the Stats Server to sync up so some points might be missing until everything is synced.

Regarding the difference in points, with FahCore_a4, there is an additional 10% bonus (regardless if you are getting QRB or not) which is not calculated by the client since this is a temporary bonus and may change in the future. Thus, for FahCore_a4 WUs, the final points credited are higher than the one that is printed in the log file (if you are not getting QRB, your points will be lower). For other FahCore WUs, the points are virtually the same.

PantherX wrote: When it comes to points, the line printed in the log is calculated by the local client and is an estimate only. It may change on the server ...

Ah right, I didn't realise that- I assumed it was an estimate returned by the server along with the WORK_ACK.

So basically the simple rule is "Don't count your points until they show up in the stats"? I think even I can follow that

On a side note, in some rare cases when there have been server (connectivity) problems, credited points haven't propagated from WS/CS to stats server "immediately". I've seen a couple of occasions myself when there's been a "dry spell" in stats, and then there's been a massive spike in points at some later date.

billford wrote:I understand that points are only awarded for successful WUs returned within the timeout cutoff; the timeout calculation is obvious but when is the "validity" of a WU checked?

Specifically, when the log shows something like:

Code: Select all

20:27:23:WU01:FS00:Server responded WORK_ACK (400)
20:27:23:WU01:FS00:Final credit estimate, xxxxx.00 points

Is that "final" or could the points allocation be invalidated by a later check?

(Reason for asking: yesterday a WU was uploaded with ~15 minutes in hand before the update, with an entry similar to the above in the log, but the points didn't show up. They appeared on the subsequent update so no real problem but it had me worried for a while! Examining the "Last Updated" timestamps suggested that it may have happened because the update may not have been performed for some reason.)

The first statement isn't accurate. There are two deadlines, formerly called a "Preferred Deadline" and a "Final Deadline" and gradually changing to "Timeout" and "Deadline." Since you said timeout, your meaning is clear.

Bonus points are awarded only if you meet the timeout. Baseline points are awarded if you meet the (final) deadline. Assuming you uploaded the result approximately at the timeout, you'd still get points, no matter which side of that deadline the server noted the upload.

Differences between estimated bonuses and final bonuses are based on the server's clock when the WU is issued and when the WU is returned. Local estimates are not quite as accurate as the server-based measurement. Estimated bonuses can vary if the local clock is adjusted or extra time is downloading but those variations do not alter the official duration of the processing of the WU.