Add Client option --noisy, to reject all time-based workloads

Rejects fixed move time, fischer, and cyclic time controls. Also rejects any game with VERBOSE PGN reporting, as those results may be tainted as well.

Client/worker.py

@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@
 
 ## Basic configuration of the Client. These timeouts can be changed at will
 
-CLIENT_VERSION   = 35 # Client version to send to the Server
+CLIENT_VERSION   = 36 # Client version to send to the Server
 TIMEOUT_HTTP     = 30 # Timeout in seconds for HTTP requests
 TIMEOUT_ERROR    = 10 # Timeout in seconds when any errors are thrown
 TIMEOUT_WORKLOAD = 30 # Timeout in seconds between workload requests
@@ -108,6 +108,7 @@ def process_args(self, args):
         self.identity    = args.identity if args.identity else 'None'
         self.syzygy_path = args.syzygy   if args.syzygy   else None
         self.fleet       = args.fleet    if args.fleet    else False
+        self.noisy       = args.noisy    if args.noisy    else False
         self.focus       = args.focus    if args.focus    else []
 
     def init_client(self):
@@ -917,6 +918,7 @@ def server_configure_worker(config):
         'concurrency'    : config.threads,        # Threads to use to play games
         'sockets'        : config.sockets,        # Cutechess copies, usually equal to Socket count
         'syzygy_max'     : config.syzygy_max,     # Whether or not the machine has Syzygy support
+        'noisy'          : config.noisy,          # Whether our results are unstable for time-based workloads
         'focus'          : config.focus,          # List of engines we have a preference to help
         'client_ver'     : CLIENT_VERSION,        # Version of the Client, which the server may reject
     }
@@ -1226,12 +1228,13 @@ def parse_arguments(client_args):
     )
 
     # Arguments specific to worker.py
-    p.add_argument('-T', '--threads' , help='Total Threads'           , required=True      )
-    p.add_argument('-N', '--nsockets', help='Number of Sockets'       , required=True      )
-    p.add_argument('-I', '--identity', help='Machine pseudonym'       , required=False     )
-    p.add_argument(      '--syzygy'  , help='Syzygy WDL'              , required=False     )
-    p.add_argument(      '--fleet'   , help='Fleet Mode'              , action='store_true')
-    p.add_argument(      '--focus'   , help='Prefer certain engine(s)', nargs='+'          )
+    p.add_argument('-T', '--threads' , help='Total Threads'               , required=True      )
+    p.add_argument('-N', '--nsockets', help='Number of Sockets'           , required=True      )
+    p.add_argument('-I', '--identity', help='Machine pseudonym'           , required=False     )
+    p.add_argument(      '--syzygy'  , help='Syzygy WDL'                  , required=False     )
+    p.add_argument(      '--fleet'   , help='Fleet Mode'                  , action='store_true')
+    p.add_argument(      '--noisy'   , help='Reject time-based workloads' , action='store_true')
+    p.add_argument(      '--focus'   , help='Prefer certain engine(s)'    , nargs='+'          )
 
     # Ignore unknown arguments ( from client )
     worker_args, unknown = p.parse_known_args()

Config/config.json

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 {
-    "client_version"  : 35,
+    "client_version"  : 36,
     "client_repo_url" : "https://github.com/AndyGrant/OpenBench",
     "client_repo_ref" : "master",
 

OpenBench/utils.py

@@ -124,6 +124,16 @@ def control_base(time_str):
 
 
 
+def workload_uses_time_based_tc(workload):
+
+    dev_type  = TimeControl.control_type(workload.dev_time_control)
+    base_type = TimeControl.control_type(workload.base_time_control)
+
+    return  workload.upload_pgns == 'VERBOSE' \
+       or (dev_type  != TimeControl.FIXED_NODES and dev_type  != TimeControl.FIXED_DEPTH) \
+       or (base_type != TimeControl.FIXED_NODES and base_type != TimeControl.FIXED_DEPTH)
+
+
 def read_git_credentials(engine):
     fname = 'credentials.%s' % (engine.replace(' ', '').lower())
     fpath = os.path.join(PROJECT_PATH, 'Config', fname)

OpenBench/workloads/get_workload.py

@@ -106,6 +106,10 @@ def filter_valid_workloads(request, machine):
         workloads = workloads.exclude(syzygy_adj='%d-MAN' % (K))
         workloads = workloads.exclude(syzygy_wdl='%d-MAN' % (K))
 
+    # Skip any workload using, or measuring, Time, for --noisy workers
+    if machine.info.get('noisy'):
+        workloads = [x for x in workloads if not OpenBench.utils.workload_uses_time_based_tc(x)]
+
     # Skip workloads that we have insufficient threads to play
     options = [x for x in workloads if valid_hardware_assignment(x, machine)]