I don't remember seeing this problem back when I was still seeing any 
rosetta
workunits.  However, one of the mini-rosetta processes running now has 
peaked
at 942 KB used.  Rosetta@Home has never made it clear if they've completely
stopped generating rosetta workunits, but it's been months since I've 
seen any.

Where do I find Process Explorer?  64-bit Windows Vista Home Premium SP2
does not seem to include anything with that name.

I did find Resource Monitor, but the results from it appear to imply 
that three
workunits are making heavy use of the three CPU cores I allow BOINC to use,
something else is using about half the time on the fourth CPU core, and 
nothing
else it will display is in heavy use.

- Robert Miles
.
> .
> ----
> Date: Fri, 27 Apr 2012 21:09:39 -0400
> From: "Rom Walton"<[email protected]>
> Subject: Re: [boinc_dev] boinc_dev Digest, Vol 95, Issue 23
> To: "Robert Miles"<[email protected]>,
>       <[email protected]>
>
> Mini-rosetta or just rosetta?
>
> Maybe there is a resource that is shared between all of them that can be
> identified through Process Explorer.
>
> ----- Rom
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Robert Miles [mailto:[email protected]]
> Sent: Friday, April 27, 2012 9:06 PM
> To: [email protected]
> Cc: Rom Walton
> Subject: Re: boinc_dev Digest, Vol 95, Issue 23
>
> The applications typically running during such slowdowns are a few of
> the more memory-hungry 32-bit workunit application programs, such as
> those from Rosetta@Home,  a few of the svchost.exe programs for SysWOW64
> (64-bit), the dwm.exe (64-bit) program that lets me look at the
> resources used, and a rather small kbd.exe (32-bit) program that does
> some of the keyboard input processing.  There's usually a variety of
> other programs, but nothing that appears to have relevant features.
>
> - Robert Miles
> .
>> .
>>
>> -----
>>
>> Date: Fri, 27 Apr 2012 18:06:31 -0400
>> From: "Rom Walton"<[email protected]>
>> Subject: Re: [boinc_dev] boinc_dev Digest, Vol 95, Issue 22
>>
>> I'm that person.
>>
>> Unlike 16-bit applications back in the day that expected to all exist
>> within the same address space, 32-bit applications have always existed
>> within separate address spaces.  You actually have to go through great
>> lengths to share information/memory between processes.
>>
>> BOINC uses the generic CreateProcess/CreateProcessAsUser Windows API
>> to launch 32-bit/64-bit applications.  Windows handles the details as
>> to whether or not to use WOW64 based on the executable header.  In any
>> case, both 32-bit and 64-bit applications expect to exist within their
>> own virtualized address space by default.
>>
>> Which applications typically run when you experience this slow down
>> issue you are experiencing?
>>
>> ----- Rom
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Robert Miles [mailto:[email protected]]
>> Sent: Friday, April 27, 2012 5:55 PM
>> To: [email protected]
>> Cc: Rom Walton
>> Subject: Re: boinc_dev Digest, Vol 95, Issue 22
>>
>> It looks to me more like this is saying that 64-bit versions on
>> Windows ALLOW methods of starting processes that will put each 32-bit
>> process in a separate 32-bit address space, but nothing about whether
>> BOINC actually uses these methods.  Could we bring someone more
>> familiar with the internals of 64-bit Windows BOINC clients into this
>> discussion to say more about whether the clients actually use such
> methods?
>> - Robert Miles
>>
>> .
>>> --------
>>>
>>> Date: Fri, 27 Apr 2012 13:51:10 -0400
>>> From: "Rom Walton"<[email protected]>
>>> Subject: Re: [boinc_dev] boinc_dev Digest, Vol 95, Issue 20
>>> To:<[email protected]>, "Robert Miles"
>>>     <[email protected]>
>>>
>>> Microsoft provides a good starting place for this topic:
>>> http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa384249(v=vs.85).aspx
>>>
>>>>    From the looks of it, each process (32-bit/64-bit) is contained
>>>> within a
>>> separate virtualized 64-bit address space.  32-bit applications load
>>> the additional WOW64 binaries to handle thunking.  kernel handles
>>> only contain 32-bits of relevant information so that they can be
>>> truncated for use by 32-bit applications.
>>>
>>> ----- Rom
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: [email protected]
>>> [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of
>>> [email protected]
>>> Sent: Friday, April 27, 2012 1:24 PM
>>> To: Robert Miles
>>> Cc: [email protected]; [email protected]
>>> Subject: Re: [boinc_dev] boinc_dev Digest, Vol 95, Issue 20
>>>
>>> I am going to speculate for a bit.
>>>
>>> If 32 bit process handles do not translate from 32 bit apartment to a
>>> different 32 bit apartment, then
>>> 1)  32 bit processes started by a 32 bit process will have to come
>>> out of the same 4GB process space (yes, this includes the video space
>>> so some less space for programs).  It may be true only if the parent
>>> process stores the process handle of the child.
>>> and
>>> 2)  A 32 bit process started by a 64 bit process can get a new 4GB
>>> process space.
>>>
>>> jm7
>>>
>>>
>>> |------------>
>>> | From:      |
>>> |------------>
>>>
>>>> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>> -
>>>> --
>>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> -
>>> --
>>> ---|
>>>      |Robert Miles<[email protected]>
>>> |
>>>
>>>> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>> -
>>>> --
>>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> -
>>> --
>>> ---|
>>> |------------>
>>> | To:        |
>>> |------------>
>>>
>>>> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>> -
>>>> --
>>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> -
>>> --
>>> ---|
>>>      |<[email protected]>
>>> |
>>>
>>>> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>> -
>>>> --
>>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> -
>>> --
>>> ---|
>>> |------------>
>>> | Date:      |
>>> |------------>
>>>
>>>> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>> -
>>>> --
>>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> -
>>> --
>>> ---|
>>>      |04/27/2012 12:33 PM
>>> |
>>>
>>>> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>> -
>>>> --
>>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> -
>>> --
>>> ---|
>>> |------------>
>>> | Subject:   |
>>> |------------>
>>>
>>>> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>> -
>>>> --
>>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> -
>>> --
>>> ---|
>>>      |Re: [boinc_dev] boinc_dev Digest, Vol 95, Issue 20
>>> |
>>>
>>>> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>> -
>>>> --
>>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> -
>>> --
>>> ---|
>>> |------------>
>>> | Sent by:   |
>>> |------------>
>>>
>>>> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>> -
>>>> --
>>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> -
>>> --
>>> ---|
>>>      |<[email protected]>
>>> |
>>>
>>>> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>> -
>>>> --
>>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> -
>>> --
>>> ---|
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Then why have I sometimes seen 7 GB used at once when most of the
>>> programs running were 64-bit non-BOINC programs, and without such a
>>> drastic slowdown?
>>>
>>> By the way, earlier today, I saw about 4.5 GB of 32-bit programs
>>> running at once, but enough were non-BOINC to suggest that the 3.5 GB
>>> limit I've seen applies mostly to BOINC programs.  Could this mean
>>> that 64-bit Windows BOINC crowds all the 32-bit applications it
>>> starts into a single 32-bit memoryspace, even if running under a
>>> version of Windows that does not force such a restriction?
>>> If so, the only other 32-bit programs affected could be those that
>>> happen to run on the same CPU core as the main BOINC client
>> executable.
>>> If that's the case, BOINC needs the ability to set the memory limit
>>> for the sum of all 32-bit executables it runs to be less than the
>>> total it can use if 64-bit executables are included.
>>>
>>> I haven't found a good chance yet to check if something similar
>>> happens if all the workunits available are 64-bit, since such
>>> workunits are still rather scarce.
>>>
>>> -  Robert Miles
>>>
>>> .
>>>> ------------------------------
>>>>
>>>> Message: 6
>>>> Date: Fri, 27 Apr 2012 10:23:01 -0400
>>>> From: "Rom Walton"<[email protected]>
>>>> Subject: Re: [boinc_dev] 32-bit workunits under 64-bit Windows
>>>> To: "Robert Miles"<[email protected]>,
>>>>               <[email protected]>
>>>> Message-ID:
>>>>
>>> <[email protected]>
>>>> Content-Type: text/plain;          charset="us-ascii"
>>>>
>>>> Sounds more like paging than anything else.  Each process is
>>>> independent of each other.
>>>>
>>>> 32-bit processes are not treated like 16-bit tasks running under
>>>> NTVDM back in the day.
>>>>
>>>> I suspect you'll find that the same thing happens when you start a
>>>> few 64-bit processes that use a similar amount of memory.
>>>>
>>>> ----- Rom
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: Robert Miles [mailto:[email protected]]
>>>> Sent: Friday, April 27, 2012 9:57 AM
>>>> To: [email protected]
>>>> Cc: Rom Walton
>>>> Subject: Re: [boinc_dev] 32-bit workunits under 64-bit Windows
>>>>
>>>>       The 3.5 GB is not for just one process.  It's the total for all
>>>> 32-bit processes running at once, most of which are workunit
>>> applications.
>>>> The hard drive is a little busy at such times - enough for the hard
>>>> drive light to flash perhaps once a second.
>>>>
>>>> The best I can tell, at least one of the applications HP supplied
>>>> for processing keyboard input is also 32-bit, and therefore more
>>>> likely to be affected by crowding too much into the same 32-bit
> memoryspace.
>>>> - Robert Miles
>>>>
>>>> -----
>>>> Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:40:51 -0400
>>>> From: "Rom Walton"<[email protected]>
>>>> Subject: Re: [boinc_dev] 32-bit workunits under 64-bit Windows
>>>>
>>>> I'm confused. On Windows, out of the box, the largest amount of
>>>> memory a single 32-bit program can allocate is 2GB (3GB with a
>>>> special boot option). I believe that is even true on a 64-bit
> system.
>>>> When your system starts to slow down, is the hard drive busy?  It
>>>> sounds like what you are experiencing is paging related.
>>>>
>>>> ----- Rom
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: [email protected]
>>>> [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Robert
>>>> Miles
>>>> Sent: Sunday, April 22, 2012 5:36 PM
>>>> To: [email protected]
>>>> Subject: [boinc_dev] 32-bit workunits under 64-bit Windows
>>>>
>>>> I've found that my computer tends to slow down user response quite a
>>>> bit as the total memory used by 32-bit workunits and other 32-bit
>>>> programs approaches 3.5 GB, as I'd expect if all 32-bit programs
>>>> must fit within a single 4 GB memoryspace even though the computer
>>>> has 8 GB of memory installed.  Could you check if this is actually
>>>> what's happening, especially on 64-bit versions of Windows with the
>>>> lower limits on the total amount of memory they can use?  If so, can
>>>> you find a way to give each 32-bit workunit a separate 4 GB
>>>> memoryspace, even if some of it is shared with other workunits?
>>>>
>>>> Another possibility is that the portions of the SysWOW64 software
>>>> needed to run 32-bit programs is similar in size to the programs
>>>> that need it, and therefore you should consider counting SysWOW64
>>>> software against the memory limit allowed for BOINC.  Or just count
>>>> 32-bit workunits twice against the limit, but 64-bit workunits only
> once.
>>>> Or even allow setting the limit for 32-bit BOINC software and
>>>> workunits to be lower than the total amount of memory BOINC can use.
>>>>
>>>> I'm using 64-bit Windows Vista Home Premium SP2 on that computer.  I
>>>> haven't found any way to check which if either of the above
>>>> possibilities is correct.  Currently using BOINC 7.0.25, but I have
>>>> seen the same problem on earlier versions back to at least some of
>>>> the
>>>> 6.12.* versions.
>>>>
>>>> This may be a good reason for the more memory-hungry BOINC projects
>>>> to start offering 64-bit applications, even if those 64-bit versions
>>>> offer no performance improvements over the 32-bit versions.
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