power to the cause

Asus

Asus

Newbie
Joined
Aug 22, 2003
Messages
10,346
Reaction score
0
What cause? Well, to help research protein folding to fight cancer of course. Also alzheimer's, parkinson's, huntington's, cystic fibrosis, BSE, osteogenesis etc. Just run Stanford's folding@home. FAH runs in idle mode so it doesn't take any cycles away from programs running. It only hits up the CPU when it is waiting for stuff to do.
hint: you guys should fold
/end plug

/start thread
So I just passed 100,000 points with 300 work units total. woot
Been going at it for a couple years.
In addition to my old Athlon 64 3000+ running FAH, mid November I started my main box (AMD X2 4600+) with the SMP client and a PS3 too. My average points per day (PPD) has shot up quite a bit. From just under 100 to 1200+.
Think my bro is going to start running a couple console clients too.
 
Ok, is there a team number I should enter?
 
Are there any "Thanks to F@H we have accomplished x" comments other than just big numbers? I know I'm being cynical and there are few to no reasons why I shouldn't run it (Especially since this PC is on almost 24/7) but I'm just curious.
 
Well I don't understand how they can hope to make a predicatable model.

I've been told that the of the number of ways for the average sized, average folding speed protein to fold is on the scale of knowing the position of all the atoms of the universe...

I'm surprised that they've been able to simulate folding for the very smallest and very fastest.
And the scale of things also increases exponentially with bigger and slower proteins.
Like Huntingtin protein causes disease because it becomes so much larger than the natural form.


I guess it's worth doing to get it started, but don't expect a complete working model of protein folding this side of quantumn computers imo.
 
HL2.net doesn't have a team. You don't need to fold under a team but it's more interesting to since you can climb within the team and not get lost in the millions of folders world wide. Maybe we should start a hl2 one...
Im folding under Tech Report atm.
My brother has 2 clients now installed on his dual core. He hasn't restarted his PC yet so they are not started. :\

I know on my PS3 it says that it is simulating a few hundred nano seconds of time for a work unit that takes a few hours to complete. I have no clue what the size or scope is of the units though. So the work loads and focus is really broken down in very small chunks.

They do have a few links to the science, awards and results on the main FAH link above.
results (papers) with a few videos explaining things.
 
I'll switch my team number as soon as my clients finish their units.

Here are some links to HardOCP's guides to setting up FAH.
Console client works 1 CPU core. You can setup more than one of these for multiple CPU cores. Also there is a console SMP client (beta) works multiple CPUs and gives a lot more points since it is in beta. Worth it if you don't mind messing with it a bit if it gets stuck. This shows ya how to setup the console clients. You can set them up as a windows service (except the SMP client) so it will automatically start up with windows and run in the background with no window. Can run multiple single clients if you have more than one CPU core or two SMP clients for quad core.

This shows ya how to setup a program to monitor the progress of the work units on your PC.

Graphical FAH client guide. (Does not use the GPU to fold)
Also linux and MAC clients. Supposedly the SMP linux version runs a bit faster. Could also run VMWare and Linux SMP on the windows box.

Usually my dual core box turns in a 1700 or 2200 point unit every 1 or 2 days running the SMP client. With the regular client it would turn in a 500 pointer every 1 or 2 days (running 2 would make ~1000 points).
 
Its amazing Asus. Well done bro.

Every time I read about FAH, I get flabbergasted about how computing is helps us solve the biggest puzzle in humankind.
IMHO. I believe once solved will mean the judgement day is imminent. Why? If we ever find how proteins fold, then creating a life is also solved, therefore, messing with God's creation.

There are lots of things God does not want us to know.
 
I switched my main box and the PS3 to fold under team# 96276. Probably will be turning in a WU later tonight.
 
With the SMP client your windows login does need a password and not blank. Could that be it?
Glad you got one of them setup. You have dual core right? By chance, do ya have 2 of the regular console clients going with different IDs and the -local command? :)

kakaostats shows HL2.net ranked now. If we don't have much competition at the bottom, we should be able to hit the top 2000 teams pretty quick (half a year?).
 
When you install the console client it asks if you would like to run it as a Windows Service. It would then run in the background only viewable by opening up task manager (ctrl alt del). No window open for FAH after you restart from the setup.

You can only run 1 graphical client. With the Console client you can flag them as -local and set them with different IDs (e.g. 1 and 2). Then they will work correctly using different cores. like this

I've had issues with the SMP client off and on as well. Usually if I delete the work folder and restarting my machine (so all FAH related processes get restarted) that fixes fixes whatever issue I had.
 
Pfft, n00bs, I've been doing this for years. This and UD and SETI@Home.

I'll join up the group later tonight.
 
Javert said:
I'll join up the group later tonight.
Click to expand...
Great. ;)

Got my brother to switch his stuff to this team. My SMP client should be turning a WU in a couple hours...@ 90% right now. Same with the PS3.
 
The SMP client has a lot of issues running as a service and it's not really supported by Stanford. I don't run mine as a service. Just a minimized command prompt window. The regular client is a lot less of a hassle. Which is why my brother is running those. But I guess that is why the SMP one gives more points. D:
I wait until it says (in the command prompt window when not running as a service) "SSE boost OK" and starts writing local files and giving a percent complete before I leave it alone.

Are you guys getting close to turning in a WU? (can check the log file for % complete if you don't have monitoring software)
So far HL2.net has almost 3k points from 4 WUs over the last 24 hours.

edit: my SMP client recently turned in a work unit and is sitting waiting for another. Could that be what yours was doing? They do run out of work from time to time on the special clients (SMP, GPU folding client).
I just restarted it and got a unit to work on.
 
So I went to move my A64 box to this team and I noticed it was running with cool&quiet enabled (@1GHz). hah
The idle mode of FAH is a low enough profile that the CPU didn't think it should have been running at full speed. So now it's running for HL2.net and at 2GHz.
 
Sweet! Sedako is listed. Have 2 members who have turned in WUs now.
This stats page has us going from 21,000 rank to 12,000 in 30 days with just the 2 of us. Can't wait to see what it says once a few more of you guys turn in WUs.
sea said:
Is there a point to using Cool'N'Quiet? From what I understand, all it does is lower temperatures by a tiny fraction and degrades performance by about 5%.
Click to expand...
It decreases CPU power consumption a lot by lowering CPU voltage and clock speed (the multiplier) when it is idle. Memory, Front Side Bus and everything else still runs at full speed. When a program demands a good amount of CPU time it switches off and CPU clock speed goes back up to full speed. It's all about the idle power.
 
Yeah, I'm not sure why it's taking so long to complete a WU. I really haven't been doing too much other than browsing the web. Do I have to do something special to get it to use more of both cores? Right now it's hovering around 50% on each. I've got the slider set to max.
 
Both the graphic client and the console version take a bit to complete a unit. They just run on one core and you would get 50% usage by just running 1 of them. You can run 2 instances of the console client with some different commands. Not the graphic one though. There is a link above in this thread on how to set 2 console clients running on both cores 100%.
Or ya could try the SMP beta client (SMP = multiple processing). Runs off 2+ cores so it is fairly fast. But it's temperamental and has tight deadlines to get the points (that is why it is worth more points).

Running the SMP client seems to take a little more than a day to turn one in but it's at least 1700 points for one WU. Sometimes 2200+.
 
Asus said:
Running the Windows graphic or console client? Just 1 or do you have 2 FAH instances going?
Or the SMP beta client? (SMP = multiple processing)
Click to expand...

Graphic client with 1 instance. Right now it's at about 55s per frame. I noticed they also have a GPU client. May give that one a shot.

Edit: Looks like the GPU client doesn't support Nvidia hardware. Oh well.
 
I wouldn't do the GPU client. It polls the CPU a lot so the CPU FAH clients don't run as fast. And you can't have it running while playing games etc. And if you don't have a 512MB card then it can be really sluggish just web browsing when it is on. At least it was with my X1900gt 256mb. Plus graphic cards use a lot of power to run at full speed compared to CPUs.

I would either setup 2 console clients or try a single SMP beta install.
I think my A64 3000+ (2ghz) with a console client does about 200 PPD (average rate - Points Per Day). This guy has not turned in a WU yet for the team. They do take a bit to process.
My A64 X2 4600+ (2.4GHz) with the beta SMP client does ~850 PPD. More than 4x as many points than the other machine.
 
Ok, I've got the SMP beta set up. Let's see how it run in comparison. BTW Asus, would you happen to have an Xfire account?
 
I do but I'm never on it. More likely I'd be on Steam.
 
Are they still doing those double point WUs for the regular client? 300 pointer Gromacs that use extra system memory for 600 points. Those were awesome.

The biggest explaination is what sea said, different WUs take different amounts of time to complete (points should reflect that compared among the same clients). Also different CPUs are better are working with different types of units. Tinker and Amber types like AMD CPUs a lot. Gromacs love Intel CPUs.
 
Hey, we got another member folding. ramdomthought
:thumbs:
 
ATM my brother has 2 clients going running as services on his dual core PC. I'm going to switch him over to the SMP version and try to get it running as a service.

Note: We do not officially support running the SMP client as a service, although people have found the following to work
-.NET 2.0 & Windows SMP Client must be installed from the same account with full administrator privileges.
-using the -configonly flag, say "yes" to services question & configure everything else as you normally would. Do not start the client yet.
-Open the services control pannel, go to the new FAH WinSMP service & open the properties and click the Log On tab. Select Log On As: This Account (instead of Local System Account), put the user name for the account under which .NET 2.0 and the SMP client were installed. Enter the password.
-Reboot. The SMP client will automatically start in service mode.
Click to expand...

If ya have a dual core you should try running the SMP version instead of 2 regular clients. Increases production a lot.
 
IS there any way to get the SMP client working so I don't need to have my account use a password? I have having to enter a password every time I start windows.
 
Of course. :)
It turns in a lot of WU's and fast. Although they are usually not worth very much individually.
 
Asus said:
Of course. :)
Click to expand...

Any idea as to the percentage of your daily folding output for it?

Btw, now that I'm done with college for the semester and all set up at home, I should be able to keep my output steady now.
 
I could try to figure it out. From the numbers below it works out to be about 35-40%. But the PS3 also gets played so it isn't always working on WUs. I think it has been said that PS3s do 800-1000 PPD.
Turns in 250 or 300 pointers quite often. Usually it estimates ~6-7 hours to complete.

Last 8 days I've done 13,942 points.
Subtract the big WUs from my SMP client. 4 1760 WUs for 7040 points (50%). That leaves 6,902 for 3 regular windows clients and a PS3. The windows machines have probably turned in 2 units each. Usually 300 points or so. So subtract 1800 and 5,102 is left for the PS3. Divide by 8 days and that is 637 PPD. Although I'm not sure if I estimated correctly for the other clients. 1800 might be too much.

2 of the regular clients are my brothers. Can't wait to get him switched over to SMP. I hope his X2 3800+ will be able to complete the SMP WUs on time. Those deadlines are short!

Sedako said:
Btw, now that I'm done with college for the semester and all set up at home, I should be able to keep my output steady now.
Click to expand...
Awesome.

I really have not said much about my production but tried to just promote HL2.net's numbers. Still need more members. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

MFL
Fascinating look at the ongoing psychological evolution of flat hieirarchies.
Replies
2
Views
2K
Tollbooth Willie
Tollbooth Willie
Asus
Installing Folding@Home
Replies
2
Views
1K
Asus
Asus
Asus
  • Sticky
Folding@Home - #96276
9 10 11
Replies
411
Views
55K
Robbo
Robbo
jverne
genetic manipulation...we need to come to an agreement here!
2
Replies
48
Views
3K
Danimal
Danimal
Back
Top