Switching between engine versions causes long startup times

[knorke]

Beside current 91.0 I also have kept 88.0, 89.0 and 90.0 so I can watch replays of my best victories again and again. (all portable mode, sharing one springcontentdir)
Problem is the first time version XY is started, it takes around two minutes to load. After that it will load instantly.
for example:
1) start 88.0 after last playing 91.0 - long load
2) start 88.0 again - instantly loaded
3) start 91.0 - long load
4) start 91.0 again - instantly loaded

Anyone else noticed the same?
When it takes long to load the HDD is also being accessed a lot.
So maybe spring is scanning the mods and maps and making checksums and filelists or something? And they have to be remade for each version?

[gajop]

suggest you do what ZK has been doing:
make maps/mods/games shared through engines and have cache in engine specific dirs

[Beherith]

Its because you have tons of .sdd folders in your main mods/maps folders. Those really impact first load times (takes more than 5 minutes for me)
.sdd should really be a temporary thing, but its just too comfortable to keep svn's of mods there.

[abma]

can you please check in ArchiveCache.lua if:

internalver = 9,

changes when you switch the engine?

if so, problem is clear: spring regenerates the cache if version isn't identical...

[knorke]

It says internalver = 9, for both 91.0 and 88.0
Though even in spring-88.0\cache\ArchiveCache.lua it says 9?

But yes, it rewrites ArchiveCache.lua on engine switch:
Different file size.
Each engine folder also has a pool\ folder, from rapid I guess, could that be the problem? That the pool folders have different stuff in them?

make maps/mods/games shared through engines and have cache in engine specific dirs

How to set that? Actually I noticed on top of the cache folder in springdatadir each engine also has a cache folder in its directory.
Is engine switching instant for you?

.sdd:
Hm, I will see if moving them to mods\ and moving real games to games\ works.
Then for playing I could rename mods\ folder to disable it..

[gajop]

make maps/mods/games shared through engines and have cache in engine specific dirs

How to set that? Actually I noticed on top of the cache folder in springdatadir each engine also has a cache folder in its directory.
Is engine switching instant for you?

No idea how to set it up, I just use the ZK setup on windows.
I think it's instant (although I can't check now as I'm on linux).
Each engine still has to write to the cache once, but after that it shouldn't need to redo it.
Although for some reason there's a cache directory in the top level dir (shared dir) as well as the engine specific ones, so I suggest you actually try it for yourself and see how it works.

[abma]

@knorke:

in your case it seems spring shares one ArchiveCache.lua for multiple engines. spring seems for some reason to recreate the cache when you switch the engine.

to solve: make spring think its in portable mode... afaik add a springsettings.cfg next to spring.exe / look into infolog.txt to see whats happening. if it recaches stuff, there are entries like "new map found..."

[knorke]

all the spring.exe's have a springsettings.cfg next to them.
I have attached some infologs.

Warning: Failed to scan C:\Spiele\spring_88.0_portable\spring-88.0\maps\ramptest.sdd (missing modinfo.lua/mapinfo.lua)
Scanning: C:\Spiele\spring_88.0_portable\spring-88.0\base
Scanning: C:\Spiele\spring_88.0_portable\spring-88.0\games
Warning: Failed to scan C:\Spiele\spring_88.0_portable\spring-88.0\games\Brickcraft.sdd (missing modinfo.lua/mapinfo.lua)
Error: Error opening C:\Spiele\spring_88.0_portable\spring-88.0\games\journeywar.sdz
Unable to open archive: C:\Spiele\spring_88.0_portable\spring-88.0\games\journeywar.sdz

I have removed those files but did not make a difference in speed.
(and the messages show too when it is loading fast on second start)

In C:\Users\dell\Documents\My Games\Spring there are just empty folders..(maps, mods, packages, pool, repos)
maybe from testing alphalobby since there is also an
alphalobby.conf
deleting that also made no difference.

No idea how to set it up, I just use the ZK setup on windows.

hm, I want to avoid installing zkl just for test because last time I was always redownloading stuff I already have to places I did not know.

[jK]

add the following to your spring config

Code: Select all

LogSections = ArchiveScanner

[knorke]

dumdidum

[Forboding Angel]

I run in isolated mode and portable on various engine versions and I can confirm that this happens. I've reported it, but no one seems to care.

Oh also, different issue, but still related, hang detection still causes hangs even if it is turned off.

[abma]

@knorke:
88.0 & 91.0 is using the same read-write directory:
Using read-write data directory: C:\Spiele\springcontent\

if you can change that, your problem should be solved...

you can hack-arround this by creating an folder named

Code: Select all

C:\Spiele\springcontent\ __$testfile42$.test

see https://github.com/spring/spring/blob/d ... n.cpp#L360

@Forboding Angel :

infolog.txt please

[knorke]

88.0 & 91.0 is using the same read-write directory:
Using read-write data directory: C:\Spiele\springcontent\

yes, atm there is
Using read-write data directory: C:\Spiele\springcontent\
Using read-only data directory: C:\Spiele\spring-91.0\
it should be switched around, but how?

you can hack-arround this by creating an folder named

folder or file? I tried both but no difference on startup time. Only thing I noticed is if if there was a file __$testfile42$.test it was gone after start.

[jK]

you shouldn't put any maps/games into `C:\Spiele\spring-xx.y\` just use a single dir where to put everything, or use 2 portable spring installs.

[abma]

as i wrote... a folder

[knorke]

you shouldn't put any maps/games into `C:\Spiele\spring-xx.y\` just use a single dir where to put everything

i never intentionaly downloaded to there, guess it is some lobbies/downloader.
(I have since moved over the files into same folder)

I now combine the pool & packages folders into one to see if that makes a difference..takes a bit time to copy because so many small files.

@abma, was wondering because it says "string testfile"
how do i know it worked?

[knorke]

you shouldn't put any maps/games into `C:\Spiele\spring-xx.y\` just use a single dir where to put everything

i never intentionaly downloaded to there, guess it is some lobbies/downloader.
(I have since moved over the files into same folder)

I now combine the pool & packages folders into one to see if that makes a difference..takes a bit time to copy because so many small files.

@abma, was wondering because it says "string testfile"
how do i know it worked?

/edit
guess jk was right with "put everything in one folder", combining the pool&packages files from rapid did the trick.
both versions start instantly now.

[FLOZi]

How do I set my springs to use one folder?

[abma]

@abma, was wondering because it says "string testfile"
how do i know it worked?

infolog.txt... the line "Using read-write data directory: "...

[knorke]

ah! did not notice it puts infolog in spring-91.0\ too now, not in springcontent\
yes, now says:
Using read-only data directory: C:\Spiele\springcontent\
Using read-write data directory: C:\Spiele\spring-91.0\