Question

[airbornflght]

Okay, I installed F@H on my computer today, the no nonsense console version. What I want to know, is if there is anyway I can get certain items to fold that will go faster on my processor. I have heard discussion on certain ones that do better on certain processors. I have a 2800+ A64.

Also, I installed it as a service, so it will start when I boot the computer, but I have a question, can I send this thing to the tray or anything? I tried minimizing it, but that didnt work. what can I do?

[Park_7677]

In advanced setup there is an option for which type you would prefer. Not sure what the option's wording is but it will be something like "Tinker/Gnome/No-Pref".

For the tray part, yes. I run mine in the tray as opposed to a service.

1) Uninstall as a service.
2) Download (http://en.softonic.com/ie/32372/TrayIt!) TrayIt and install.
3) Create a shortcut to F@H in "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup" (So it will load at boot)
4) Right click the shortcut and go to Properties. Change "Run" to "Minimized". Click OK.
5) Open F@H using the shortcut. It will minimize but just open it up by clicking on it.
6) Now right click the Minimize button and click "Place in System Tray".
7) Minimize it if necessary

Edit:// Also make sure TrayIt is set to load at StartUp as well.

[airbornflght]

Is there anything that I can do with the console installed as a service?

[Park_7677]

Is there anything that I can do with the console installed as a service?
No. By nature Windows Services are not seen. They run in the background. Having an icon in the system tray is in the foreground.

[airbornflght]

if it is supposed to run in the background then why is this thing sitting on my taskbar, I just want to get it off of there.

[Park_7677]

Once it's installed as a service it will be in the background. If you still have the initial window open that you configured it with then the service is not running yet.

Close the window and go Start > Run > "services.msc" (without quotes) > Enter

You will find F@H in the list under the "F"s. Right click and choose Start. It will be out of the way from there on out.

[airbornflght]

I just thought of that as I was wondering why It didnt come back when I loged off and then back on, so its all fine now, will this run when im at the log on screen since it is a service? or will it only start when I log on?

[Park_7677]

As a service it will run while the log on screen is displayed. No one has to be logged in.

[airbornflght]

cool.

one more question, with the gui client, you can set the cpu usage to auto, which will use 100% if the cpu isnt being used, or 10% if 90% of the cpu is being used. In the console I saw no option to put auto, it just said to put from 10%-100%, I have it at 50% right now. is there any way to do auto

[Park_7677]

The percentage you set in the console is the maximum. The priority is Low, meaning anything else with a higher priority will get to use the CPU.

Set it to 100% and you'll be able to use the computer like it isn't even there. I play games with it at 100% because F@H will give processing power away when it's needed.

[airbornflght]

so what happens if I put idle? I saw that and just put low as it was the default I believe.

[profdlp]

Check out Reconfiguring The FAH Console (http://www.short-media.com/folding.php), should you want to change anything around.

For Athlon-based computers you can squeeze a lot more points out by going for WU's without deadlines, which is found under Advanced Options. That will get you "Tinker" WU's, which do well on AMD machines. :)

[airbornflght]

ok.

prof, is it odd that my machine has been folding for almost one whole day and not turned anything it. you said the machine only needed to get to the internet once every few days, but it sees it at least every day, for 10-12 hours, just not constantly.

[profdlp]

Look in the FAH log and see what percent of the way you are through the current WU. Even better, get Electron Microscope (http://www.em-dc.com/) (EMIII) and monitor your progress with ease.

It is normal for a WU to take several days, depending on the size. Tell us which protein you're working on and I'll give you an idea of how long to expect it to take. EMIII will also give you an estimated time to completion.

Good to see you joining up, buddy! :wave: :fold:

[airbornflght]

You knew it was coming, like katrina :vimp:

hey, I moved the client from my desktop to c:\folding. now it wont work. I tried downloading it again and setting it up, but didnt work. it says:

Benchmarking
Preparing to get new work unit.
Attempting to get work packet
Connecting to assignment server
sucessful...
Loaded queue successfully
+could not connect to work server

:wtf:

[Donut]

Are you trying to run timeless units? It seems Stanford has a server problem. I had to switch one rig over to reg. wus (1 proc of ic6 was idle for 10hrs. just waiting....)

sorry I didn't read your log first (Doh!) Same server, just out of work units.

[profdlp]

What Donut said is likely to be the problem. They let their timeless WU server go wacky a few months ago and nearly wiped me out. :(

Post a copy of your log and the client.cfg file. We'll get you going. :)

[airbornflght]

I have them both uploaded now in the previous post. Im starting to get mad at this thing.

[Donut]

Try this, change "use iE settings" to no. I don't remember why, it just works. (edit- type 2 in your config file is for timeless units.)

Stanford server page,http://fah-web.stanford.edu/serverstat.html


The server your trying to connect to (171.64.122.133) is showing 1 wu available, it's been that way all day. I haven't been able to get through.

[airbornflght]

Is there any way to change the server you connect too?

[Donut]

AFAIK, the timeless units are on their own servers. You could re-configure your client to accept regular wu's. That's what I had to do with 1 of mine. (So far.)

[airbornflght]

Dang. I'll give it a try.

EDIT:

Hot dang, it worked!:vimp: now I am folding at 100%, I have a gromacs I believe.

[Donut]

Hooray!
:smokin:

If you want to you can change your config. back for the tinkers. It should let you finish out the one your on and then go to the timeless units.

[airbornflght]

I'll give it a try tommorrow, Im gonna let it go tonight.

[Donut]

Looks like you might want to hold off on switching them back.

Have a look.http://forum.folding-community.org/viewtopic.php?t=15567

Maybe keep an eye on the server, when it's full, then switch.

[airbornflght]

[02:04:57] *------------------------------*
[02:04:57] Folding@Home PMD Core
[02:04:57] Version 1.03 (September 7, 2005)
[02:04:57]
[02:04:57] Preparing to commence simulation
[02:04:57] - Looking at optimizations...
[02:04:57] - Created dyn
[02:04:57] - Files status OK
[02:04:58] - Expanded 83014 -> 561874 (decompressed 676.8 percent)
[02:04:58]
[02:04:58] Project: 1815 (Run 1, Clone 496, Gen 2)
[02:04:58]
[02:04:58] Assembly optimizations on if available.
[02:04:58] Entering M.D.
[02:05:05] Protein: p1815_Collagen_Brodskymore_refolding
[02:05:05]
[02:05:05] Completed 0 out of 500000 steps (0)
[02:19:59] Writing checkpoint files
[02:29:18] Writing local files
[02:29:18] Completed 5000 out of 500000 steps (1)
[02:35:00] Writing checkpoint files
[02:50:03] Writing checkpoint files
[02:52:26] Writing local files
[02:52:26] Completed 10000 out of 500000 steps (2)
[03:05:04] Writing checkpoint files
[03:16:42] Writing local files

...

[20:19:40] Completed 245000 out of 500000 steps (49)
[20:21:12] Writing checkpoint files
[20:36:14] Writing checkpoint files
[20:41:03] Writing local files
[20:41:03] Completed 250000 out of 500000 steps (50)
[20:41:03] Writing checkpoint files
[20:56:09] Writing checkpoint files
[21:02:32] Writing local files
[21:02:32] Completed 255000 out of 500000 steps (51)
[21:11:13] Writing checkpoint files
[21:23:51] Writing local files
[21:23:51] Completed 260000 out of 500000 steps (52)
[21:26:14] Writing checkpoint files
[21:41:23] Writing checkpoint files
[21:51:21] Writing local files
[21:51:21] Completed 265000 out of 500000 steps (53)
[21:56:26] Writing checkpoint files

Is that pretty good? How fast is that comparitivly.

That looks like 18 hours for 50%, so 36 hours per workunit, that seems a bit long?

Also, if my computer gets shut down, is all the work on the current WU lost, or can it continue?

[profdlp]

Looks like you might want to hold off on switching them back...
I had about half of my rigs switched back. Every one of them on the timeless Tinkers was sitting there doing nothing when I woke up this morning.

Back to the Gromacs & Ambers.

[profdlp]

...Is that pretty good? How fast is that comparitivly.

That looks like 18 hours for 50%, so 36 hours per workunit, that seems a bit long?
See the attached image for what that WU would take on an A64 3500+ at stock speed. :)

Also, if my computer gets shut down, is all the work on the current WU lost, or can it continue?
By default, it sets a checkpoint every 15 minutes. You can adjust that using the -configonly switch. :thumbsup:

[Daxx]

Check out Reconfiguring The FAH Console (http://www.short-media.com/folding.php), should you want to change anything around.

For Athlon-based computers you can squeeze a lot more points out by going for WU's without deadlines, which is found under Advanced Options. That will get you "Tinker" WU's, which do well on AMD machines. :)

How many more points (percentage) are the "Tinker" WU's worth over other WU's? Also, isn't there an issue with the servers running out of WU's without deadlines which causes your FAHcore to go into a waiting state and doing nothing? Oh, I see there is... you reported that your units were sitting idle this morning.

[airbornflght]

afaik they just go faster on amd systems, im not sure though. But yeh, that was my issue, right now I am just running gromacs.

[profdlp]

How many more points (percentage) are the "Tinker" WU's worth over other WU's? Also, isn't there an issue with the servers running out of WU's without deadlines which causes your FAHcore to go into a waiting state and doing nothing? Oh, I see there is... you reported that your units were sitting idle this morning.
At this point I can't really recommend the timeless WU's to anyone unless they are willing and able to monitor their machine very closely, the server issue is just too unstable right now.

Furthermore, Vijay Pande, the director of the project at Stanford, has requested that people don't opt for the timeless WU's unless their computer is just too old to finish a WU within any kind of deadline. According to what I read, only a small percentage of work on the project as a whole can be achieved with the Tinker WU's. Since the ultimate goal of providing the number-crunching to fuel the research is obviously more important than the competetive aspects of the project, I'll go with the WU's which best serve that end.

afaik they just go faster on amd systems, im not sure though. But yeh, that was my issue, right now I am just running gromacs.
Correct-O. The point value of WU's varies, it's just that some types finish faster on some types of machines (AMD vs Intel). If you can finish three 250-Point WU's in the same amount of takes someone else to do one 600-Pointer you'll come out ahead. :)

[Daxx]

Since the ultimate goal of providing the number-crunching to fuel the research is obviously more important than the competetive aspects of the project, I'll go with the WU's which best serve that end.
That's the best way to look at it. I've been crunching whatever they send me. I figured those are the WU's that they needed the most.