Step by step directions to set up CPU SMP2 6.29 client?

TimTim Southwest PA Icrontian
edited May 2010 in Folding@Home
I could use some specific directions for this, as I've tried it a couple times and I don't think I ever got it right. Do we download the one with Deino in the name or the other one? Include the flags to use, I think it's -smp and -advmethods?

Comments

  • SnarkasmSnarkasm Madison, WI Icrontian
    edited April 2010
    Download SMP with MPICH, not Deino.
    Grab the new executable listed at the bottom, just in case, and replace the old one with that in your install directory.
    Right click install.bat and run as administrator if you're on Vista or 7; if on XP, I don't think you need to do anything special, just run it normally. Make sure you're logged in on an account that uses a password. Make sure it tells you MPI is working (twice).
    Right click the SMP executable and create a shortcut. Edit the shortcut and add the -configonly flag to the end of the target.
    Run that. Fill in your information. Make sure to say yes when it asks if you want to modify advanced options, and when it asks what flags you want to use, put in "-smp -advmethods". When you've finished running through the setup, it'll quit.
    After that, you should be free to start the regular executable, and it should go to town.
  • csimoncsimon Acadiana Icrontian
    edited April 2010
    Do you really have to add the "-advmethods" flag even though you've answered "yes" for that option?

    Just curious.
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited April 2010
    Do you really have to add the "-advmethods" flag even though you've answered "yes" for that option?

    NO, once is enough.
  • csimoncsimon Acadiana Icrontian
    edited April 2010
    Leonardo wrote:
    NO, once is enough.
    Thanks, the redundancy didn't make since. :fold:
  • TimTim Southwest PA Icrontian
    edited April 2010
    Not to sound like a bonehead here, but...

    Right click install.bat? Where? How? It downloaded the 6.29 MPICH version, and installed it as a console version. I didn't see any install.bat file anywhere. Whatever I clicked on led me to an automatic installer.

    Link to the correct file version to download?

    It seems to be running on only 1 core of the 4 core 9650. And I did put in the -smp - advmethods flags also.
  • clifford_cooleyclifford_cooley Arkansas, USA Member
    edited April 2010
    The automatic installer places the install.bat in the installed directory. You must run the install.bat to activate the multicore ability.
  • SnarkasmSnarkasm Madison, WI Icrontian
    edited April 2010
    Download this, then run it. It will unpack files into its install directory; I suggest changing the default installation directory to something outside of the standard Program Files directory (even C:\Folding is fine).

    Go to that directory with windows explorer and download this and replace the version that was in that folder with the one you just downloaded.

    When you do that, inside that directory you should see an install.bat file. Run that as administrator under a passworded account, make sure you see the MPI is running message twice, and then the program, when fed the -smp and -advmethods flags, should suck up all available CPU power. Don't forget to assign a different machine ID than the ones your GPUs are using.
  • clifford_cooleyclifford_cooley Arkansas, USA Member
    edited April 2010
    Snark what is the difference in the two files?

    I checked before downloading from the second link and the file date matches.
    Does the Installer not contain the very same file that your second link points to?
  • SnarkasmSnarkasm Madison, WI Icrontian
    edited April 2010
    They may have updated it. Occasionally they'll release a newer drop-in executable (it's listed after the SMP clients on the high-performance clients page), and the old one will no longer function; they give them expiration dates. Looks like the installer has the latest version of the drop-in for now, then.
  • clifford_cooleyclifford_cooley Arkansas, USA Member
    edited April 2010
    So even though the version number is the same, there maybe an expiration date change. Thats good to know.

    Thanks :)
  • _k_k P-Town, Texas Icrontian
    edited April 2010
    Ya, Stanford really sucks at letting people know stuff expires or when new alpha cores are ready for download. The F@h section of Panda Labs is slow about keeping their download section current, relatively for normal internet websites. Using the drop in binary on every install just makes sure you don't download the MPICH that still had the old binary that expires and wondering why it doesn't launch a window.

    Simply telling someone to do that by default saves a possibly confusing and annoying problem right after a correct install, if they are capable of doing a correct copy and paste.
  • TimTim Southwest PA Icrontian
    edited April 2010
    When I click on that install.bat, it goes to the black window and I'm supposed to put in the user name / password. How should I know what the user name and password is? I never made one for it! I tried my folding name and several others but it always rejects them.

    Here's what's in the install.bat file. 5 lines:

    @echo off
    smpd - install
    mpiexec -register
    mpiexec -np 2 foo
    pause

    And that's it!

    I did the thing with adding the -configonly flag to the end of the target on the desktop screen. It still sets up the folding and runs it on only one CPU core out of 4. :banghead:
  • clifford_cooleyclifford_cooley Arkansas, USA Member
    edited April 2010
    Hi Tim

    Its the username and password you use to login to windows.
    Don't ask me why its needed, I don't have a clue. That really doesn't make since too me. Out of all my years with computers this is the first time I have needed to setup a password on my windows login. However you can setup the password and tell windows not to require the password to login.

    Here is my thread on the topic - http://icrontic.com/forum/showthread.php?t=88975
  • TimTim Southwest PA Icrontian
    edited April 2010
    I THINK I got it working. I went and put in a simple password for the one and only account on the computer. Then I restarted the PC. Then I clicked on the install.bat file and put in the user name and password. Then it gave me the message 2 times about "if you can see this mpi is working".

    Then I closed all those screens, went to my desktop shortcut, and clicked on the icon to start the CPU folding, with no other folding instances running.

    Previously, the CPU folding would run 1 of the 4 CPU cores at 100% in Task Manager.

    Now, it runs all 4 cores, all in the 20%-30% range. The usage bounces around a bit but overall usage stays at 30%.

    Is it working right? I thought it would use all 4 cores at 100% each. If it's not working right, am I getting closer?

    When I open the Properties screen for the shortcut icon on my desktop, I do have -smp - advmethods in the comment section.
  • TimTim Southwest PA Icrontian
    edited April 2010
    Maybe it's not working right. When the CPU folding was running by itself, Task Manager showed about 30% usage spread across all 4 cores. Then I started up the 4 GPU instances, and CPU usage went back to 1 core at 100% and the other 3 below 10%. HFM monitor reports CPU production at 247 PPD.
  • SnarkasmSnarkasm Madison, WI Icrontian
    edited April 2010
    Still not quite right. The flags don't go in the comments section of the shortcut, they go in the target. Your "Target" field should contain the entire path of the executable, then with the flags afterwards, like so:

    "D:\Program Files (x86)\Folding@Home Windows SMP Client V1.01\Folding@home-Win32-x86.exe" -configonly

    Note that this path is MY executable path - I am 99.73% certain yours is different. Do not copy and paste this into your shortcut.

    Where -configonly is my flag. If you run that and do the setup correctly (enter Yes when it asks if you want to "Change advanced options", then answer "yes" to the "Set -advmethods flag always..." question, and add "-smp" when it asks for the "Additional client parameters." prompt), you won't need to add the flags to the shortcut, either. If you want to keep your shortcut flags, replace the -configonly tag with "-smp -advmethods" and go to town.

    Important part: they go in the target section. Click there, hit the end key on your keyboard, and add a space, then one of your flags (-smp), another space, then another flag (-advmethods).

    Once you have it set up correctly, all four cores will be pegged at 100%. You may have to finish whatever work unit you're currently chewing on before it pulls an SMP-capable work unit, though; if you want it to start going immediately, you can always delete the entire folder and reinstall (or, shortcut, delete the work folder, the core file (FahCore_a3.exe or what have you), unitinfo.txt, and queue.dat while the client is stopped). Then, next time you start up, if you've configured it correctly, it'll download the core you need and start churning.
  • TimTim Southwest PA Icrontian
    edited April 2010
    I went back, deleted everything, uninstalled CPU folding from Program Files, and started again. My Target line has the -configonly, and the -smp and -advmethods flags. I set up the client to always have advmethods on, and added smp in the extra parameter section.

    Right now it's folding a b4.exe work packet, with all 4 cores ~30%. All by itself. I turned on the 4 GPU instances and it did the same thing again, 1 core is near 100% and the rest are idle or near idle, below 20%.

    I don't know if this b4 packet is smp or not, I'll let it go for now and see what happens.

    How many PPD should a 9650 quad core @ 2.3 Ghz make, anyhow?
  • clifford_cooleyclifford_cooley Arkansas, USA Member
    edited April 2010
    What about the CPU priority? Do you have it set to idle or low?
  • TimTim Southwest PA Icrontian
    edited April 2010
    Idle.
  • TimTim Southwest PA Icrontian
    edited April 2010
    The SMP is working! :) It downloaded an A3 core and I saw the Task Manager go to 100% on all 4 cores. My Phenom 9650 @ 2.3 Ghz is currently folding a GRO-A3 P6024 at a rate of 3457 PPD.

    The 8800GTs are working on P6601-P6602-P6605 GROGPU2 packets, all at 4468 PPD each right now.
  • _k_k P-Town, Texas Icrontian
    edited April 2010
    I don't think anyone directly said this but if you want to get the extra time credit for the A3 core units you need to use a passkey.
  • TimTim Southwest PA Icrontian
    edited April 2010
    Yes, I am using my passkey.
  • csimoncsimon Acadiana Icrontian
    edited April 2010
    Tim wrote:
    Yes, I am using my passkey.

    Well I'll just sit back and watch you fly past me in the stats within the next few weeks! :thumbup;D:fold:csimon:
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited April 2010
    Nice work, Tim! :thumbup


    :fold::fold::fold:
  • TimTim Southwest PA Icrontian
    edited April 2010
    Assuming that nothing changes in our production rates, csimon, I should catch you somewhere in the later part of June! :)
  • QCHQCH Ancient Guru Chicago Area - USA Icrontian
    edited May 2010
    BTW... I've used this thread 4 times now. Thanks for info. :thumbsup:
  • QCHQCH Ancient Guru Chicago Area - USA Icrontian
    edited May 2010
    I was mistaken... the Two servers are single Quad core Xeons. I DID however, just install SMP on a dual Quad Xeon and waiting for approval for another dual Quad to start burn-in.
  • Sledgehammer70Sledgehammer70 California Icrontian
    edited May 2010
    I need to get this going on my 980x But am honestly so lost reading everything :(
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