Production Decline :(

BLuKnightBLuKnight Lehi, UT Icrontian
edited March 2006 in Folding@Home
Well, I'm sorry to say it... but my production is going to drop. Due to some issues with our network, not associated with me in any way, the sys admins have encountered my computer making connections using unusual ports. They had a look at my main box, and found FAH running. I've been politely asked to remove it. (In other, no official demands were made, but I've been prompted to move in that direction.)

So, I'm going to be loosing 2 P4s and 1 P4 with hyperthreading (it was running two clients). I already removed folding on one rig. I'm going to leave the other two up until I hit my goal of 100k. Then those two will be removed and I'll have to rely on the other 4 remaining computers I have folding.

I've put FAH on my new laptop, but in order to save battery life, I'm doing WUs without time limits and only folding when the laptop is plugged in.

It was nice while it lasted. I'm sure Hawk will be happy to catch up. :)

Comments

  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited March 2006
    Sad to hear it. About 18 months ago I lost a whole farm for P4 Dell Optiplex (crippled, HT off, can't be turned on) machines. It was a small office with six of them. I was the unofficial sysadmin, but after I left, the CPU count at Stanford under my name fell one by one.
  • QCHQCH Ancient Guru Chicago Area - USA Icrontian
    edited March 2006
    Every Work Unit you turn helps. You've done very well and sometimes thing happen. Sorry to hear the news but I'm glad you're still folding. Take care!!! :thumbsup:
  • dragonV8dragonV8 not here much New
    edited March 2006
    Unfortunately it does happen. Nobody can say you didn't have a go.:thumbsup:
  • GHoosdumGHoosdum Icrontian
    edited March 2006
    We appreciate the contribution, nonetheless. Besides, 4 computers folding is nothing to sneeze at! I've never had more than four PCs folding for me at any time, and I've managed to hit 400K recently. There's hope for ya yet!
  • muddocktormuddocktor
    edited March 2006
    Yeah, sorry to hear this, BLuKnight. One thing that you can do though (with the computer you are working with while at work) is to install the console client on a thumb drive and then run it strictly from the thumb drive while you are logged into that work computer. When you get ready to go home or leave for lunch, simply close down the console and unplug the thumb drive from the usb port and bring it home with you. And when setting the client up, make it ask for permission to connect to the servers to receive or send work, so you won't have it trying to connect to the net while at work. As for the client on the thumb drive, set it up to use a high machine id number like 7 or 8, so it won't conflict with your home computer's machine id's.

    Since you have already been folding on the work computers, they already have a user ID entered into the registry, so there is no reason for them to be contacting anything to do with the project on the net again. This is just a variation of sneakernetting, BTW. :)

    EDIT: A 256 MB thumb drive should be plenty big for this.
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited March 2006
    Great advice, Mudd.

    Thanks for letting us know, BluKnight :)
  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited March 2006
    It won't do the project any good for you to get in trouble with the powers that be. You've had a good run with them up to now, I'm betting that at some point down the road you'll replace the rigs you've lost.

    Looks like you're closing in on the 100K plaque, too. :clap:
  • csimoncsimon Acadiana Icrontian
    edited March 2006
    Sorry to hear it BK ...it happens to the best of us! :csimon:
  • BLuKnightBLuKnight Lehi, UT Icrontian
    edited March 2006
    Well, I wanted to take some time to update everyone on my situation. I've decided to take a mixture of advice in order to get my production back up.

    After a lot of thinking, and playing around with Windows Services, I think I've fixed up a little plan to let me fold. After a bit of browsing, I learned about the sc.exe which is the command prompt program to work with services. I still have FAH on my computer at work, but I've set the services to start and stop at the beginning and end of my shift (only weekdays). This way I can fold and not draw attention to my computer at work. As that FAH can only go through port 80, it'll look like regular web traffic. If for some reason IT comes to look at my computer outside that time period, they won't see my CPU running full blast.

    I'll just have to see how it works.
  • DonutDonut Maine New
    edited March 2006
    Sounds good, just so long as you have permission.
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited March 2006
    Please don't do anything to get yourself in trouble. Your work and income comes first.
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