'Suspended-podman initializing' for weeks

[jptrahan]

Describe the bug

My m4 Apple laptop suddenly stopped processing tasks and gave me this error message on all my tasks: "suspended-podman initializing (0.5 CPUs + 1 Apple GPU). I'm a casual user and no computer scientist, so there's that. Suggestions/ideas welcome and appreciated. It's been stuck like this for weeks, not performing any new tasks in any project.

Questions: jtrahan@gmail.com

Here are the logs from today. Not sure how to go back to older logs in BOINC.

Tue Jan 20 08:03:02 2026 | | cc_config.xml not found - using defaults
Tue Jan 20 08:03:03 2026 | | Emulated CPU detection failed: process exited with status 86: Bad CPU type in executable
Tue Jan 20 08:03:03 2026 | | Starting BOINC client version 8.2.8 for arm64-apple-darwin
Tue Jan 20 08:03:03 2026 | | log flags: file_xfer, sched_ops, task
Tue Jan 20 08:03:03 2026 | | Libraries: libcurl/8.16.0 OpenSSL/3.0.0 zlib/1.2.12 c-ares/1.28.1
Tue Jan 20 08:03:03 2026 | | Data directory: /Library/Application Support/BOINC Data
Tue Jan 20 08:03:04 2026 | | OpenCL: Apple GPU 0: Apple M4 Pro (driver version 1.2 1.0, device version OpenCL 1.2, 17.76GB, 17.76GB available, 128 GFLOPS peak)
Tue Jan 20 08:03:04 2026 | | Computer name: Jasons-MacBook-Pro.local
Tue Jan 20 08:03:04 2026 | | Processor: 12 Apple Apple M4 Pro
Tue Jan 20 08:03:04 2026 | | Processor features: amx_version_0 arm64 armv8_1_atomics armv8_2_fhm armv8_2_sha3 armv8_2_sha512 armv8_crc32 floatingpoint neon neon_fp16 neon_hpfp ucnormal_mem
Tue Jan 20 08:03:04 2026 | | OS: Mac OS X 26.2 (Darwin 25.2.0)
Tue Jan 20 08:03:04 2026 | | Memory: 24.00 GB physical, 358.22 GB virtual
Tue Jan 20 08:03:04 2026 | | Disk: 460.43 GB total, 358.22 GB free
Tue Jan 20 08:03:04 2026 | | Local time is UTC -6 hours
Tue Jan 20 08:03:04 2026 | | Docker: version 5.6.1 (podman)
Tue Jan 20 08:03:04 2026 | | Computing prefs: from https://scienceunited.org/ (last modified 21-Jun-2025 22:38:20)
Tue Jan 20 08:03:04 2026 | | Computing prefs: computer location unspecified; using default
Tue Jan 20 08:03:04 2026 | | Reading preferences override file
Tue Jan 20 08:03:04 2026 | | Computing preferences:
Tue Jan 20 08:03:04 2026 | | - When computer is in use
Tue Jan 20 08:03:04 2026 | | - 'In use' means mouse/keyboard input in last 1.00 minutes
Tue Jan 20 08:03:04 2026 | | - don't compute
Tue Jan 20 08:03:04 2026 | | - don't use GPU
Tue Jan 20 08:03:04 2026 | | - max CPUs used: 12
Tue Jan 20 08:03:04 2026 | | - Use at most 100% of the CPU time
Tue Jan 20 08:03:04 2026 | | - suspend if non-BOINC CPU load exceeds 25%
Tue Jan 20 08:03:04 2026 | | - max memory usage: 12.00 GB
Tue Jan 20 08:03:04 2026 | | - When computer is not in use
Tue Jan 20 08:03:04 2026 | | - max CPUs used: 6
Tue Jan 20 08:03:04 2026 | | - Use at most 50% of the CPU time
Tue Jan 20 08:03:04 2026 | | - max memory usage: 12.00 GB
Tue Jan 20 08:03:04 2026 | | - Suspend if running on batteries
Tue Jan 20 08:03:04 2026 | | - Store at least 0.10 days of work
Tue Jan 20 08:03:04 2026 | | - Store up to an additional 0.50 days of work
Tue Jan 20 08:03:04 2026 | | - max disk usage: 358.27 GB
Tue Jan 20 08:03:04 2026 | | - (to change preferences, visit a project web site or select 'Options / Computing preferences...' in the Manager)
Tue Jan 20 08:03:04 2026 | | Setting up project and slot directories
Tue Jan 20 08:03:04 2026 | | projects/virtualbox is not a project directory
Tue Jan 20 08:03:04 2026 | | Checking active tasks
Tue Jan 20 08:03:04 2026 | | Using account manager Science United
Tue Jan 20 08:03:04 2026 | | Account manager login: jptrahan
Tue Jan 20 08:03:04 2026 | Asteroids@home | URL https://asteroidsathome.net/boinc/; Computer ID 815180; resource share 100
Tue Jan 20 08:03:04 2026 | BOINC Central | URL https://boinc.berkeley.edu/central/; Computer ID 39970; resource share 100
Tue Jan 20 08:03:04 2026 | DENIS@home | URL https://denis.usj.es/denisathome/; Computer ID 263381; resource share 100
Tue Jan 20 08:03:04 2026 | Einstein@Home | URL https://einstein.phys.uwm.edu/; Computer ID 13239377; resource share 100
Tue Jan 20 08:03:04 2026 | Rosetta@home | URL https://boinc.bakerlab.org/rosetta/; Computer ID 6337415; resource share 100
Tue Jan 20 08:03:04 2026 | | Setting up GUI RPC socket
Tue Jan 20 08:03:04 2026 | | Checking presence of 79 project files
Tue Jan 20 08:03:04 2026 | | Number of usable CPUs has changed from 6 to 12.
Tue Jan 20 08:03:04 2026 | | Suspending computation - Podman initializing
Tue Jan 20 08:03:04 2026 | | Suspending network activity - computer is in use
Tue Jan 20 08:03:09 2026 | | Fetching configuration file from https://scienceunited.org/get_project_config.php
Tue Jan 20 08:03:17 2026 | | Contacting account manager at https://scienceunited.org/
Tue Jan 20 08:03:17 2026 | | Account manager contact succeeded
Tue Jan 20 08:03:17 2026 | BOINC Central | Already attached to a different account
Tue Jan 20 08:03:17 2026 | | Computing prefs: from https://scienceunited.org/ (last modified 21-Jun-2025 22:38:20)
Tue Jan 20 08:03:17 2026 | | Computing prefs: computer location unspecified; using default
Tue Jan 20 08:03:17 2026 | | Reading preferences override file
Tue Jan 20 08:03:17 2026 | | Computing preferences:
Tue Jan 20 08:03:17 2026 | | - When computer is in use
Tue Jan 20 08:03:17 2026 | | - 'In use' means mouse/keyboard input in last 1.00 minutes
Tue Jan 20 08:03:17 2026 | | - don't compute
Tue Jan 20 08:03:17 2026 | | - don't use GPU
Tue Jan 20 08:03:17 2026 | | - max CPUs used: 12
Tue Jan 20 08:03:17 2026 | | - Use at most 100% of the CPU time
Tue Jan 20 08:03:17 2026 | | - suspend if non-BOINC CPU load exceeds 25%
Tue Jan 20 08:03:17 2026 | | - max memory usage: 12.00 GB
Tue Jan 20 08:03:17 2026 | | - When computer is not in use
Tue Jan 20 08:03:17 2026 | | - max CPUs used: 6
Tue Jan 20 08:03:17 2026 | | - Use at most 50% of the CPU time
Tue Jan 20 08:03:17 2026 | | - max memory usage: 12.00 GB
Tue Jan 20 08:03:17 2026 | | - Suspend if running on batteries
Tue Jan 20 08:03:17 2026 | | - Store at least 0.10 days of work
Tue Jan 20 08:03:17 2026 | | - Store up to an additional 0.50 days of work
Tue Jan 20 08:03:17 2026 | | - max disk usage: 358.27 GB
Tue Jan 20 08:03:17 2026 | | - (to change preferences, visit a project web site or select 'Options / Computing preferences...' in the Manager)
Tue Jan 20 08:05:19 2026 | | Number of usable CPUs has changed from 12 to 6.
Tue Jan 20 08:05:19 2026 | | Resuming file transfers
Tue Jan 20 20:03:18 2026 | | Contacting account manager at https://scienceunited.org/
Tue Jan 20 20:03:19 2026 | | Account manager contact succeeded
Tue Jan 20 20:03:19 2026 | BOINC Central | Already attached to a different account
Tue Jan 20 20:03:19 2026 | | Computing prefs: from https://scienceunited.org/ (last modified 21-Jun-2025 22:38:20)
Tue Jan 20 20:03:19 2026 | | Computing prefs: computer location unspecified; using default
Tue Jan 20 20:03:19 2026 | | Reading preferences override file
Tue Jan 20 20:03:19 2026 | | Computing preferences:
Tue Jan 20 20:03:19 2026 | | - When computer is in use
Tue Jan 20 20:03:19 2026 | | - 'In use' means mouse/keyboard input in last 1.00 minutes
Tue Jan 20 20:03:19 2026 | | - don't compute
Tue Jan 20 20:03:19 2026 | | - don't use GPU
Tue Jan 20 20:03:19 2026 | | - max CPUs used: 12
Tue Jan 20 20:03:19 2026 | | - Use at most 100% of the CPU time
Tue Jan 20 20:03:19 2026 | | - suspend if non-BOINC CPU load exceeds 25%
Tue Jan 20 20:03:19 2026 | | - max memory usage: 12.00 GB
Tue Jan 20 20:03:19 2026 | | - When computer is not in use
Tue Jan 20 20:03:19 2026 | | - max CPUs used: 6
Tue Jan 20 20:03:19 2026 | | - Use at most 50% of the CPU time
Tue Jan 20 20:03:19 2026 | | - max memory usage: 12.00 GB
Tue Jan 20 20:03:19 2026 | | - Suspend if running on batteries
Tue Jan 20 20:03:19 2026 | | - Store at least 0.10 days of work
Tue Jan 20 20:03:19 2026 | | - Store up to an additional 0.50 days of work
Tue Jan 20 20:03:19 2026 | | - max disk usage: 358.27 GB
Tue Jan 20 20:03:19 2026 | | - (to change preferences, visit a project web site or select 'Options / Computing preferences...' in the Manager)
Tue Jan 20 22:51:06 2026 | | Number of usable CPUs has changed from 6 to 12.
Tue Jan 20 22:51:06 2026 | | Suspending network activity - computer is in use

Steps to reproduce

No response

Expected behavior

No response

Screenshots

System information

No response

Additional context

No response

[AenBleidd]

@CharlieFenton, could you please take a look?

[CharlieFenton]

@jptrahan Please upload your "/Library/Application Support/BOINC Data/stdoutdae.txt" and "/Library/Application Support/BOINC Data/stderrdae.txt" files here. If the file is large, please do the following:

• Make a copy of the file
• Double click on the copy to open it in TextEdit
• Delete everything in the copy before 20-Jan-2026 08:03:02
• Save it and upload that.

[jptrahan]

Which one of these event log options do I enable to get those two text files?

[CharlieFenton]

This does not involve Event Log options. These are text files that already exist in your "/Library/Application Support/BOINC Data/" directory / folder on your computer. They contain information in the Event Log plus additional information that does not show up there.

[jptrahan]

Here you go. Thanks for your help.

stderrdae.txt
stdoutdae.txt

[CharlieFenton]

@jptrahan Thank you for posting those files. And thank you for your patience while I analyzed them and built a small application which I would like you to download and run. I hope it will fix your problem. Please follow these instructions:

• Download the utility application RemovePodmanVM here.
• Double-click the RemovePodmanVM application you just downloaded.
• Your Mac will ask you if you wish to open it; click Open.
• Your Mac may tell you the RemovePodmanVM application wishes to access files in your Documents folder. Allow it.
• The application will ask you to enter your user name and password (your user name will probably already be filled in.) Do that and click OK.
• The RemovePodmanVM application should finish within a few seconds.
• The application will write a file RemoveVMLog.txt in your Documents folder. Please upload it to here.
• You may delete the RemoveVMLog.txt file after uploading it to this page.
• Restart your Mac.

If it worked, BOINC should again initialize Podman, BOINC Manager's Event Log should show "Podman VM initialized"within 5 or 10 minutes, and the Tasks tab should no longer say "Suspended - Podman initializing".

Please let us know whether this fixed your problem.

[jptrahan]

RemoveVMLog.txt

[jptrahan]

Thank you for your help with this. It doesn't seem to have worked. Any other ideas?