testmy.net Folding@Home team

[mudmanc4]

Great info Blako

Ca3le just chuck all that jazz you have now and create a dir /folding in your favorite area , download the client only ( and dont click it ) as it installs in the pref pane ) , cd to the folding dir and run the -config only flag. Answer all the questions then near the end , it will ask of you want to set any oher parameters , use the flags Blako suggested , mainly the -smp, that'll get all the cores running.

Sure it runs hot, I'm sitting at 200 F hahaha, there is a flag to use a percentage of the CPU , I forget it and I do need it myself , so I'll be looking for it when I get a second.

Also I dunno if you want to start with changing items deeper in your new system, but you can use SMC fan control, unless Apple decided to do something about a slow to raise fan RPM issue itself ?

Here's a snippet from my current core Blako

[02:08:40] *------------------------------*

[02:08:40] Folding@Home Gromacs SMP Core

[02:08:40] Version 2.22 (May 7 2010)

[02:08:40] 

[02:08:40] Preparing to commence simulation

[02:08:40] - Ensuring status. Please wait.

[02:08:49] - Looking at optimizations...

[02:08:49] - Working with standard loops on this execution.

[02:08:50] - Previous termination of core was improper.

[02:08:50] - Files status OK

[02:08:50] - Expanded 1764816 -> 2254597 (decompressed 127.7 percent)

[02:08:50] Called DecompressByteArray: compressed_data_size=1764816 data_size=2254597, decompressed_data_size=2254597 diff=0

[02:08:50] - Digital signature verified

[02:08:50] 

[02:08:50] Project: 6061 (Run 0, Clone 27, Gen 314)

[/code]

[Blako]

O Im so sorry Cable, I gave you the right page but didn't mention that you need to do the "installation of a console" on the bottom of the page and not "installation of a installer" at the top of page. http://folding.stanford.edu/English/MacSMPGuide#ntoc2 If you want to try the terminal window client you can pull up your advanced tab and add the parameter "-oneunit" so it will finish the current job. But if the computer is restarted it will run another -oneunit.

Mac OS X 10.4+ Intel SMP2 Console (no installer)

For my console I created a shortcut to the "folding.exe" with the following target: My Documents\Folding\CPU 0\Folder 0.exe" -configonly

Folder_0.exe on a windows machine

Arguments: -configonly


[14:07:30] Configuring Folding@Home...


User name [BlakeA.]?

Team Number [44352]?

Passkey [__________________]?

Ask before fetching/sending work (no/yes) [no]?

Use proxy (yes/no) [no]?

Acceptable size of work assignment and work result packets (bigger units may have large memory demands) -- 'small' is <5MB, 'normal' is <10MB, and 'big' is >10MB (small/normal/big) [big]?

Change advanced options (yes/no) [no]? yes <--Gives detailed options

Core Priority (idle/low) [idle]?  

CPU usage requested (5-100) [100]?  <---------cpu usage

Disable highly optimized assembly code (no/yes) [no]?

Pause if battery power is being used (useful for laptops) (no/yes) [no]?

Interval, in minutes, between checkpoints (3-30) [15]?

Memory, in MB, to indicate (2046 available) [1024]?

Set -advmethods flag always, requesting new advanced scientific cores and/or work units if available (no/yes) [yes]? <-- beta cores,some give more points some crash

Ignore any deadline information (mainly useful if system clock frequently has errors) (no/yes) [no]?

Machine ID (1-16) [1]?

Launch automatically, install as a service in this directory (yes/no) [no]?

The following options require you to restart the client before they take effect

Disable CPU affinity lock (no/yes) [no]?

Additional client parameters. Use space to clear. [-forceasm -verbosity 9 -local

]?

My CPU is at 55 Celsius and GPU at 74 Celsius

[mudmanc4]

So I haven't been on the cutting edge of folding as of late. So I'll need a bit of advice on any new advancements on old architecture. As it appears development had headed towards everything new , I suppose thats where the people took it , so thats where it went.

However amazing I may find it to be, to have left everything 32 bit in the dust , as folding started out as using the extra CPU cycles to do calculations is leaving a large chunk of " outdated " hardware out of the possible results.

Aar, here sits an HP DL380 G3 X3 2x 3.06 Ghz 4GB

At the moment it's loaded with centOS , and Id'e like to keep it that way. However I can re image with almost anything. So knowing what is here , the best core with this hardware is the goal.

Suggestions on OS best suited for this hardware is welcomed.

[Blako]

Mudmanc4 , I found a 3.06 Ghz Xeon thats a few years old and a 3.06 Ghz thats made in 2010. Im guessing this one. http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=27278

Question 1: How many threads in the box?

Question 2: Is CentOS basically Linux?

There is a CentOS folding team so it must be possible.

Google Search: Folding on CentOS

Testmy.net has 8.999 Million folding points! (May 31 2011)

Edited May 31, 2011 by Blako

[mudmanc4]

Mudmanc4 , I found a 3.06 Ghz Xeon thats a few years old and a 3.06 Ghz thats made in 2010. Im guessing this one. http://ark.intel.com...t.aspx?id=27278

Question 1: How many threads in the box?

Question 2: Is CentOS basically Linux?

There is a CentOS folding team so it must be possible.

Google Search: Folding on CentOS

Testmy.net has 8.999 Million folding points! (May 31 2011)

I ended up installing windows server 2003 for this task as well as a few others locally.

Installed the SMP client with -smp -verbosity 9 -forceasm -local

Everything seems to be running ok , but on the four cores there only running at 25% , Now i would run three more instances in other directories , but from what I gather utilizing the full potential of the hardware with the SMP flag / client will prove many times over the results of several directories.

Any suggestions ?

And I have no idea about these procs and there thread capabilities. I used the server for several things in the past but never had to deal with it.

[Blako]

A quad core with early return bonus far out does four classic clients.

If you have a quad core at 1/4 usage then its only working in one thread as you stated.

The smp client defaults to 4 cores but if you forgot the -smp flag then it becomes a single cpu client. If you downloaded the single core client then the -smp flag has no effect. Do you remember visiting the

High Performance Client

page? Look for the bold font "

Windows: V6 Beta SMP2/CPU clients

"

For those special people who have a 16 thread server: (lol I can dream, 128 threads )

The smp client with the -smp flag will use 4/16 of power and also report 25% cpu usage. In that case change "-smp" to "-smp 15"

A 10% overclock on the gpu gave a 10% increase in production. If left on for 24 hours which it can't, gtx460 at 10k point per day stock, bumped to 11k. The X4 965 if left on 24/7 returns 1k point per day without bonus and 5k ppd with early return bonus. I use something called Process Lasso, with probalance (autoTuning) turned off, where cpu folding is left unchanged at idle priority and gpu folding is set to below normal priority on startup. You can even set your work on core 1 and your play on core 2.

PS. Where is the "view replys to your posts" button? I didn't know you posted a reply Make sure you have a passkey to qualify for bonus points.

Edited June 15, 2011 by Blako

[mudmanc4]

Yes I grabbed the smp client yes i used the smp flag. I was able to get them up to 100% in the end , 490 pnts +- for three days work , something is way wrong. Same thing with the mac , only 59 pnts. So I chucked it all until I have more time to play.

Hell I used to be able to assign each core it's own directory and have at it , getting 1000-1600 ppd . I'm thinking they have drastically changed the hardware requirements to strictly high end components only.

The way Iv'e got it set up at this point , it isnt returning enough data to warrant running the mac at 200 degrees F , and this HP server blazin hot. It's more self defeating.

[Blako]

The old quad core client would launch 4 folders.exe while the new version has a single folder.exe with as many threads as you specify. Interesting Mud, my phenom at 3ghz is more then twice as fast as my Pentium 4 at 3ghz in single threaded apps. Can you confirm if you have 4 physical processors? (and not a pair of hyper-threaded single cores) Here is the benchmark client list:

CPU: Pentium 4, 2.8ghz = 110 PointsPerDay

SMP: 2 x Woodcrest 5140 dual cores = 1760 ppd

SMP2: i5-750 = 6189 ppd

SMP2 Big Adv = 9284 ppd? before early return bonus *requires 8 logical cores and 0.5GB of ram per core (recommend 8+ physical cores, .75GB ram per core)

PS3: 900 ppd

GPU2: ATI Radeon 3850 = 1500 ppd

GPU3: GeForce GTX460 = 9787 ppd

If heat, power usage, or processor load is a factor on a multi-core machine you can always use the classic uni-core client.

[lorne]

I joined and should have a decent amount of power to throw at it. Right now added a Dell Poweredge SC1435 with x2 Dual Opterons and 12GB of ram. We were actually using it as a coffee table in our basement Soon as I find a PSU for this Acer I have sitting here there will be a Phenom Quad added and I am planning a massive build that will be watercooled and OCed to the max for this February and I'll add that rig when it's done.

Go testmy.net!

[lorne]

Seems most people went inactive on this. I hope maybe we can revive the team some! There is no real reason not to run this on your computer. It doesn't interfere with with anything as it only uses spare CPU cycles. It might increase your electric bill by a couple dollars but nothing noticeable. It is a good thing to do and benefits this generation and future generations. A free way to help people not to mention it can be competitive and that's fun!

Here is a stats update for today Dec. 4th 2011

I should showup on there pretty quick I'm crunching a monster right now

Please guys take the time to get this running on your computers. If you used to fold and stopped please consider getting active again. Lets see if we can start clawing our way back up the rankings!

Lorne

[mudmanc4]

I'll bite for a bit. Although the folding core for CPU had suffered tremendously in the last couple years. They have focussed more on the GPU, therefore running anything short of a high end system , really anymore is counter productive.

[lorne]

I'll bite for a bit. Although the folding core for CPU had suffered tremendously in the last couple years. They have focussed more on the GPU, therefore running anything short of a high end system , really anymore is counter productive.

Good to hear I don't understand what you mean by counter productive though. I am still in contact with some folding buddies of mine from a few years ago and they are still going strong with their farms which mainly consist of old and low to mid-range computers and they are still crunching along just fine. Could you go into a little more detail about this?

Stats Update for Dec. 5th 2011

We climbed a spot not much but a start If we can get a few more active people we'll climb fast!

Edited December 6, 2011 by lorne

[mudmanc4]

I cannot get into too much at the moment for lack of brain power left of the day. But looking at the points given for WU returned per client , tells us what the quality of the WU means to the researchers and mathematicians. Example would be running OS X C2D @ 2.4Gh produces roughly 40 ppd. Thats running full power to the CPU for 24 hours. Hence the counterproductive if we look at power cycles Vs return Vs power consumption.

[TriRan]

i just started throwing some cpu cycles towards this, i'm using my Phenom X4 4.1Ghz in smp mode i tried using my GPU aswell but apparently my HD5870 is not supported by f@h yet so i can't throw GPU cycles towards it aswell CPU is currently hovering around 52C and using 146W lol GG power bill and i'm going to have my first job completed in about 10 hours

i'm at

[05:27:01] Completed 0 out of 1000000 steps (0%)

[05:32:47] Completed 10000 out of 1000000 steps (1%)

[05:38:21] Completed 20000 out of 1000000 steps (2%)

[05:44:10] Completed 30000 out of 1000000 steps (3%)

[05:50:18] Completed 40000 out of 1000000 steps (4%)

[lorne]

Great TriRan! I see you active in the stats already I picked up a new PSU for this Acer Aspire and it's running now so that will add another Quad Core Phenom to the mix

Stats for Dec 8th

We'll start taking over a few teams next week and hopefully a few more people will decide to join us!

[Blako]

... i'm using my Phenom X4 4.1Ghz in smp mode ... i'm going to have my first job completed in about 10 hours

Superb man, the (common for me) 580-ish point projects were taking my Phenom x4 3.6 ghz about 12 hours My smp client yesterday (dec 9th) was assigned project "6098" worth 1593 points (before early return bonus) and its estimated to take 35-38 hours. I have only gotten one of these big projects before and it took 4 days of the 7 day deadline to complete. TriRan, you have a passKey to qualify for bonus points after your 10th completed smp project right? When I return jobs early i get 2-4 times the point value per job. If your cpu is faster and on more hours per day then my computer I expect you to surpass me. Hooah!

Well, mudmanc4 the classic single core clients are designed for people that have old computers or don't have them on 24 hours a day. Thus the projects have 14-40 day deadlines and are worth little. The SMP, GPU, and the upcoming Big Advanced projects have short deadlines to promote quick turn around from results of "step 1" to assignment of "step 2".

Please read: Folding at Home version 7 for windows (if your using windows)

The new Folding@home (FAH) software is configured, controlled, and monitored through a new graphical interface named FAHControl. This new application has incorporated many new features, including remote monitoring and configuration of all FAH installations on multiple computers. FAHControl is now the recommended interface for all FAH types (CPU, GPU, SMP), replacing both the Systray and Console versions of FAH.

CPU Slot Requirements

• Windows XP or newer
  
• Intel PII-450 processor or newer, or AMD equivalent
  
• Broadband internet connection or faster
  

SMP Slot Requirements

• Windows XP or newer
  
• 2 or more CPU cores
  
  • Dual cores of a more recent CPU architecture and/or higher clock speeds
    
  • Multiple cores and/or multiple sockets of an older CPU architecture
    

  [*]Client running at or close to 24/7 to meet shorter deadlines

  [*]Broadband internet connection or faster

GPU Slot Requirements

• Windows XP or newer
  
• 1 or more supported GPU video cards
  
• ATI/AMD
  
  • (GPU2 - fahcore_11)
    
    • 2xxx series or newer
      
    • 10.x AMD device driver or newer
      

    [*](GPU3 - OpenCL - fahcore_16)

    • OpenCL compatible GPU, 5xxx series or newer
      
    • 11.3 AMD device driver or newer
      

  [*]NVIDIA

  • CUDA supported GPU (8xxx series and above), see full list.
    
  • 26x.xx NV device driver or newer
    

  [*]Client running more than part time to meet shorter deadlines

  [*]Broadband internet connection or faster

[lorne]

Great post and information thanks Blako

[TriRan]

Superb man, the (common for me) 580-ish point projects were taking my Phenom x4 3.6 ghz about 12 hours My smp client yesterday (dec 9th) was assigned project "6098" worth 1593 points (before early return bonus) and its estimated to take 35-38 hours. I have only gotten one of these big projects before and it took 4 days of the 7 day deadline to complete. TriRan, you have a passKey to qualify for bonus points after your 10th completed smp project right? When I return jobs early i get 2-4 times the point value per job. If your cpu is faster and on more hours per day then my computer I expect you to surpass me. Hooah!

Well, mudmanc4 the classic single core clients are designed for people that have old computers or don't have them on 24 hours a day. Thus the projects have 14-40 day deadlines and are worth little. The SMP, GPU, and the upcoming Big Advanced projects have short deadlines to promote quick turn around from results of "step 1" to assignment of "step 2".

Please read: Folding at Home version 7 for windows (if your using windows)

maybe! i keep forgetting to turn FAH back on though after i'm done gaming.

but i've completed 8 of those large sized projects not sure really what i'm getting in ppd but hopfully its a lot

[lorne]

Look like your doing great to me Tri The main thing with F@H is consistency and following through with what you start. I see a life lesson here but maybe I'm just spouting

[lorne]

Stats Update for Dec. 11th 2011. We are holding our own and production is slowly but surely climbing I'll be adding another computer tomorrow to help the cause. Keep em crunching!

[Blako]

i keep forgetting to turn FAH back on though after i'm done gaming.

Wait a second! Are you running SMP or GPU? Depending on the game, the SMP client at 98% cpu load on idle priority hurts my frame rate on average by 0% - 10%. I could not tell the difference from SMP on or off in assassins creed (44 fps vs 43 fps). In contrast, running the GPU client cuts my game frame rate by 0% - 60%. Some games 60 fps when gpu folder on and 60 fps with gpu folder off. Well then theres minecraft with 100 fps when its off verses one frame per two seconds if running gpu folder. You could play with task manager core affinity to separate game/folder on the cpu. I dare you to gather some results with fraps or whatnot and produce something like this:

Blake's Folding while Gaming results:

SMP client cuts game frame rate by 0%-10% on avg (idle priority seems to wait its turn leaving my games uneffected)

GPU client cuts game frame rate by 0%-60% on avg (studders and pauses noticed in some games)

[mudmanc4]

Looking at Stanford's stat page , no one's point have updated since the 11th

Either way I'm sure things will come back online soon. I'll have a look at there forums.

[Blako]

Top left corner of http://folding.stanford.edu/ is the news.

Yes the stat page/records are down but at least the servers to get and return work units are online.

[TriRan]

I did some tests I was running smp at 100% idle now I'm running smp and gpu3 at 100% idle and haven't noticed any differences in framerate my computer is running quite a bit hotter though

[mudmanc4]

Top left corner of http://folding.stanford.edu/ is the news.

Yes the stat page/records are down but at least the servers to get and return work units are online.

Hope we did not lose too many WU's , the PS3 started the day he started cleaning things up, 6 WU's completed lol

The main server is back up caching right now , all external databases are shut until it's finished.