NEW WIN SMP CLIENT

SPIKE09SPIKE09 Scatland
edited August 2008 in Folding@Home
the current win smp beta has expired next time you stop it it won't start. news here and here

http://foldingforum.org/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=4372
http://foldingforum.org/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=4270
«1

Comments

  • WinfreyWinfrey waddafuh Missouri Icrontian
    edited August 2008
    I just got it running. Will look into any performance gains or losses. I'm pretty sure it is running in smp mode. Could some one check my logs and make sure?
  • DanGDanG I AM CANADIAN Icrontian
    edited August 2008
    Just check your task manager to make sure that all the F@H processes are adding up to 100% CPU usage.
  • WinfreyWinfrey waddafuh Missouri Icrontian
    edited August 2008
    Its not, only 25% right now. Must've missed a step somewhere.
  • SPIKE09SPIKE09 Scatland
    edited August 2008
    thats the uniprocessor version need to add the -SMP flag to get SMP working
  • WinfreyWinfrey waddafuh Missouri Icrontian
    edited August 2008
    SPIKE09 wrote:
    thats the uniprocessor version need to add the -SMP flag to get SMP working

    When/Where were you supposed to add that. I added -smp when it asked for advanced commands, but apparently that was not the time.

    // ok I got it now. I followed this guys directions and got it to work.
  • csimoncsimon Acadiana Icrontian
    edited August 2008
    There seems to be a lot of confusion around the net about how to configure this client. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

    What is the consensus on the disable cpu affinity lock setting? Yes or no?
    I've read that the answer may be different whether you're running intel or amd.
  • WinfreyWinfrey waddafuh Missouri Icrontian
    edited August 2008
    I'm not sure about affinity either. I have noticed about 2-3 minutes longer per frame with this client though.

    I am running a Q6600 BTW
  • csimoncsimon Acadiana Icrontian
    edited August 2008
    The more I read the more confused I get. Now I'm stuck on the function of the "-deino" flag.

    Also, these three specific (new) config variables:

    Disable CPU affinity lock [no/yes]? (doesn't seem to have an effect on this cpu)
    Additional client paramaters []? (this is where I set the "-smp" flag)
    IP address to bind cores to <for viewer>? (no clue)


    edit\ same questions being asked here http://foldingforum.org/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=4471
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited August 2008
    There seems to be a lot of confusion around the net about how to configure this client. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

    What is the consensus on the disable cpu affinity lock setting? Yes or no?
    I've read that the answer may be different whether you're running intel or amd.
    Don't consider me an expert on 6.20. I'm still working with it and observing. What I can do though, is offer what I've learned so far. Keep in mind, my comments are based on overclocked Q6600 systems running WinSMP 6.22b2 for MPICH. I have not touched any of DEINO configured clients.

    The following I've found to be the best, that is high performance with good stability for single and double client Q6600 systems:

    -- leave the Affinity entry in the config file at default, which is "No"
    set the -SMP" flag in "additional parameters," or it will fold on only one core; of course, set the -smp flag in the shortcut properties of you start file shortcut if you use one

    For systems (Q6600) running two WinSMP clients, same as the above, but install and run Affinity Changer. Based on my systems' performance, I believe Affinity Changer is just as important with the 6.22 client as it was with the 5.92. AF should bring you anywhere from 20-30% more production.
  • botheredbothered Manchester UK
    edited August 2008
    Leonardo wrote:
    set the -smp flag in the shortcut properties of you start file shortcut if you use one

    Cheers Leo, I have it and it only uses one core. Where exactly do I put the flag? I've had a lot of messing about so far and I'd like to avoid any more. :D
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited August 2008
    In the configuration file, there will be a prompt to change advanced settings. Select yes. Within advanced settings there will be an entry for additional "parameters." At that point, simply type in "-smp" (without quotation marks). If you start the client from a shortcut add SMP to the startup properties. I've provided a screenshot. Note: there is a space between the quotation mark and the - (dash).
  • botheredbothered Manchester UK
    edited August 2008
    Cheers Leo,
    I've done that but now get this whenever I try to start it.
  • csimoncsimon Acadiana Icrontian
    edited August 2008
    rerun the install.bat. I had to do that too. Then my firewall went down and I put it back up and it's worked fine ever since.
  • botheredbothered Manchester UK
    edited August 2008
    Thanks again guys. I don't know what I did exactly, I restarted it and changed some config, restarted, changed something else, messed around a bit. Anyhow, now it's folding 2 cores 100%. What a messy thing to set up.
    Cheers.
  • edcentricedcentric near Milwaukee, Wisconsin Icrontian
    edited August 2008
    be careful with the flags. some of the SMP versions want you to set " -smp x" where x is the number of cores.
  • QeldromaQeldroma Arid ZoneAh Member
    edited August 2008
    bothered wrote:
    What a messy thing to set up.

    Indeed. And, if I'm reading this right, I'm wondering if they are trying to merge all their clients into one- unicore, multi-core, GPU, etc.- the version numbers seem to be converging as well (6.2 GPU, 6.22 SMP).

    There are Yins and Yangs to that, but getting the operation to behave with the configuration is why a lot of software programmers have full-time jobs.

    This update was ... not fun.
  • DanGDanG I AM CANADIAN Icrontian
    edited August 2008
    Very disappointed in this release. Tons of headaches trying to get this thing to run properly.
  • SnarkasmSnarkasm Madison, WI Icrontian
    edited August 2008
    Furthermore, I can't figure out where the new unitinfo.txt and logs are in the new SMP client. I put all my old files into the directory it insisted on setting up so it would submit my recently 100%'d unit, but no new logs are showing up there, and nothing's showing up on search. Not stuck in appdata with the GPU logs either. VERY confused.
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited August 2008
    This update was ... not fun.
    True dat. Once I found the -smp flag instructions at Folding Forums, then it worked immediately. I had already backed up the previous clients' folders, so to continue working on the uncompleted work units, all I had to do was copy over the old queue file and Work folder. Units completed normally.

    Hey, guys, we've just got to remember that WinSMP and GPU2 are beta projects. Stanford, Vijay & Co. realize it's a pain. That's one of the reasons the points rewards are so high for both of these clients. That's also why these clients can only be downloaded on the advanced users page, "For expert Folding@home donors."
  • SnarkasmSnarkasm Madison, WI Icrontian
    edited August 2008
    My desktop SMP crashed sometime last night with a long 1-4 interaction it couldn't resolve, and wouldn't do anything but crash out again with further client restarts. Deleted the work files, unitinfo, queue, and core and tried again. It tried downloading a new core 8 times before I halted it and threw in an old core from one of the other installs. No joy. Deleted the core again and let it run... but it tried to download 11 times before I had to leave for work. To my knowledge, it's still doing it.

    Any of you guys run into that yet?
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited August 2008
    I had a similar problem yesterday. Two identical work units, 2665 R0/C931/G35, on the same computer, ended early at 10 frames completed. The client's error message on the desktop was something like, "Folding has run into a serious problem with the core and must shut down." The effected machine has no clock or hardware changes from the past several weeks and had been performing SMP Folding perfectly with the previous client version. I wiped the client folder clean and copied the contents from another client Folder except for the queue and Work folder. I re-ran the configuration; the client downloaded an new core and work unit and it's worked fine since then. Those two work unit failures were the only ones I've had out of five computers in two months as far as I can recall.
  • SnarkasmSnarkasm Madison, WI Icrontian
    edited August 2008
    I completely wiped the folder and re-ran the installer. There should have been absolutely no data left. I'm terribly confused.

    Hopefully it sorts itself out, or I'm just churning through core downloads all day.
  • QeldromaQeldroma Arid ZoneAh Member
    edited August 2008
    Are you using the MPICH client or the MPI Deino client? They did mention that the Deino was more stable- hence it's the one I chose. I've also run the 2665 without issue.
  • SnarkasmSnarkasm Madison, WI Icrontian
    edited August 2008
    It's x64, so I'm running the MPICH x64 version. The actual client's still titled Folding@Home-x86 or whatever, though.
  • QeldromaQeldroma Arid ZoneAh Member
    edited August 2008
    You are in a pretty unique situation, Snark. You might want to try backing off overclocking and see if things improve. You may also want to research or even work with FCF- I think they are really doing a capital job of supporting this release.
  • csimoncsimon Acadiana Icrontian
    edited August 2008
    Apparantly it's not only the SMP clinet that was expired. When I got to work Monday morning my regular clients had shut down and would not start up either so they had to be updated as well.
  • SPIKE09SPIKE09 Scatland
    edited August 2008
    noticed that later it was all win version 6 clients it seem just all the hype was for SMP client :eek:
  • DanGDanG I AM CANADIAN Icrontian
    edited August 2008
    I've had the "F@H has encountered a serious error and must quit" accompanied by the Core error 0x1 on several machines, my new work laptop, and 2 of my 3 home systems. The only solution has been to delete the queue.dat file and restart the client.

    While I understand this is a beta project, I don't understand why there are so many problems with this release, in all the time I've been folding, I don't recall another release that had this many issues. I wonder if they just tried to incorporate too many updates/fixes into one update.
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited August 2008
    While I understand this is a beta project, I don't understand why there are so many problems with this release.
    Yes, same here. For me, 5.92 was more stable. I'm not having any problems now, though.
  • SnarkasmSnarkasm Madison, WI Icrontian
    edited August 2008
    Officially pissed off at this client. With an old core, it throws communications errors and just halts - won't restart, won't keep trying, just halts with an error that shows up BEHIND OPEN WINDOWS.

    Damn thing froze hours ago and I only just noticed. Then it can't pull down and unzip an old core, so it just sits there with its thumb up its ass and makes a mockery of my idling hardware.


    Edit: just deleted everything and ran it as administrator (would have been nice to have that anywhere in the notes) and trying it out; we'll see if it works this way. Leaving it overnight, I'll curse more in the morning if it fails me. :)
Sign In or Register to comment.