Bjorn3D's guide to folding and FAQ
Bjorn3D's guide to folding and FAQ
this thread is consolidated from several others to put everyting in one place
This page is geared for users wanting to know more about Folding@Home, and first time users looking to get started. This is by no means supposed to be the most comprehensive guide to folding ever written. It's purpose is to get you started relatively painlessly. First thing we recommend is that you get a passkey, this will qualify you for bonus points on several of the folding clients.
You can find more information about Passkeys at
http://www.stanford.edu/group/pandegroup/cgi-bin/edit/English/FAQ-passkey,
Our Folding guides include
Linux SMP Folding in Windows with VMWare Server
Folding@Home GPU2 &3 (both systray and console clients)
Setting up multiple cilents for GPU2 & 3
Folding@home Windows SMP (both systray and console clients)
Easier methods include the v7 beta from Stanford (which will be added here when it gets out of beta or I get to it, which ever comes first)
And the GPU tracker v2(link) which will download, install, and configure all the clients with only a minimal input from you. just make sure you put your user name, passkey, and team # (41608 ) in, before configuring the clients to run. And check for typo's. nothing hurts worse than finding out that you folded all day as someone else.
FAQ
Original post from Kougar on 07-22-2008 (updated as necessary)
Unfortunately, there is no quick answer. There is so much information that Stanford had to create a FAQ just to list all of their FAQ pages! To help narrow things down for you, their FAQ index very likely holds the answer to any questions you may have:
Folding@Home Master FAQ Index -> http://folding.stanford.edu/English/FAQ
Another helpful site is the wiki. This provides a short synopsis on what Folding@home is and does, and importantly links to the results achieved from all the Folding@Home work!
Folding@Home Wiki -> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folding@Home
First time users should at least read the Main FAQ here: http://folding.stanford.edu/English/FAQ-main
This guide assumes you have read the Main FAQ page and know what Folding@Home is about, and will attempt to answer any lingering or other questions you may have.
Q: Does it cost anything or require anything from me?
A: No, the project and software are free, but do require the time to install and set up the software. Once set up F@H will run automatically in the background upon being launched. As Folding@home will fully load your computer it will have a small impact on your electric bill, mostly seen by those users that choose to leave their systems on to fold 24/7.
Q: What can I fold on?
A: Folding@Home can be run on almost any OS on any computer using the CPU and graphics card (GPU). It can even be run on your PS3. Linux, OS X, and Power PC based computers are supported but require specific builds that can be found on the Stanford download page.
GPU folding can run on Windows OS systems that have an NVIDIA GPU 8000-series (8600 and up recommended) or newer, and for ATI 2000-series and up. Support for dual-GPU is supported but has special install instructions. You should get updated drivers, links are availible at the bottom of this post and several places in this thread.
Newer ATI Cards (6000 series for sure, and possibly 5000 series) should use the v7 client to get the core_16 WU's which will maximize their PPD
The same user name can be run on multiple machines if you wish.
Q: Is my XYZ computer fast enough? What do you recommend?
A: Work units (WU's) are time sensitive and have deadlines that they need to be returned within. The bare minimum hardware would be a Pentium 3 or 700Mhz Athlon assuming it is left to fold 24/7.
Personally we do not recommend using anything slower than a 2GHz Pentium 4 or 1.5GHz Athlon for CPU folding. Slower computers than these would need to run for over 24 hours to complete a single WU, and burn through a significant amount of electricity in the process for little gain.
Suggestions for folding are Athlon X2, Phenom, and Core 2 Duo/Quad CPUs and 8800 (8600 and up recomended) or greater model graphics cards for NVIDIA or ATI’s 4000 model graphics cards. Any system from the last 4 years should do just fine.
Overclocking can affect the stability of a system. If the client's get errors, try turning down the overclock first.
Q: How will it impact my computer?
A: Having a stable system is critical. Running F@H will load the CPU and/or GPU and will generate moderate levels of heat in addition to loading down the computer's power supply. Computers with poor airflow could possibly overheat, and no-name "cheap" brand power supplies may not be able to handle the load. Otherwise for normal, stable computers there should be no impact whatsoever provided you set the clients to run on "idle" system processes.
turning off the GPU clients for gaming is recommended, the CPU clients will automatically give up whatever system resources you need without any effort or action on your part.
Q: Will folding affect my internet speed?
A: No. The only time Folding projects consume any appreciable bandwidth is during the uploading of completed work units, which takes roughly a minute or less depending on size. Otherwise except for very brief kb-sized project and core downloads at the start of a new WU the internet connection is not used. Broadband users will not notice anything unless they are in the middle of a game where the upload may raise their ping slightly for a brief period.
Q: Anything I should know before configuring Folding@Home?
A: Usernames are CASE SENSITIVE, and only letters, numbers, and underscores ( _ ) are supported. For Bjorn3D contests it is recommended that your B3D forum name and F@H name match, but this is not mandatory. The clients do not check for typo's as they have no idea how you want to spell your user name, So double check it.
Make sure that if you wish to join our team that you input the Bjorn3D team number! 41608. Double check this also.
Q: Is it possible to run multiple F@H clients on a single computer?
A: Short answer, yes! Long answer, each client must be configured to run as to not interfere with other F@H programs.
Each F@H program uses a "Machine ID" ( 1-16 ) to uniquely identify itself to the host Operating System. Each install must therefore be given a unique number to not conflict or corrupt other F@H programs. By default the SMP client uses a Machine ID of 1, and the GPU client uses a Machine ID of 2.
An install on second system has no effect on the machine id #'s of the first system.
There are many combination's that can work effectivly ask in the forum if you want to know what is best for your system. One (or more) of our Team members will help you out.
Q: I am noticing EUE (early unit end) or NaN (Not a Number) messages, what does this mean and what should I do now?
A: First, don't ignore this! EuE/NaN's are useless for Stanford's research and also mean any work done on the Work Unit before it ended prematurely was wasted. Even if other WU's complete fine they are likely based on incorrect calculations and detrimental to the Folding@home research.
In almost every single case these arise from the computer hardware not being stable. (most likely due to overclocking) In the case of the SMP client it could mean the program was not installed properly. For the GPU2 client if it occurs after installation it can also mean supported graphics drivers were not used. However, 98% of the time, it is an unstable machine or unstable overclock.
In very rare cases these issues can be caused by "bad WU's" and core library bugs, however when these are detected they are quickly removed and or updated to fix the problem. We have been folding for several years and only recall EuE's occuring for this reason a couple times.
If you believe the hardware to be stable then please check the Stanford forum for known issues with your particular client. 9 times out of 10 the problem and solution has been posted about already.
Q: How do I get that nifty box with the folding stats I see in peoples sig's?
A: go to your settings/profile page and find the link to edit your signature. click the box that looks like this http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/d...switchmode.pngand add the following;
Code:
{URL="http://folding.extremeoverclocking.com/user_summary.php?u=usernumber"]{IMG]http://folding.extremeoverclocking.com/sigs/sigimage.php?u=usernumber&t=41608[/IMG][/URL]
There are 2 places you will see { replace it with [. I had to do this to keep the vb forum code from making the box and hiding the neccessary code.
Replace usernumber with your user number which can be found at the EOC stats pages. find yourself on our team page (clicky), click on your name, and in the address bar you will see something that looks like this http://folding.extremeoverclocking.c...y.php?u=507655. the # at the end will be your user # (that example uses mine)
Please be aware that you will not show up on the team page untill you have completed at least one WU, and the page has updated. This could take up to 3 hrs after the compleation of your first WU. DOUBLE CHECK your F@H config for typo's!!! BEFORE you start folding.
More helpful URLs:
Personal and team stats can be checked at quite a few places:
Stanford: http://folding.stanford.edu/English/Stats
ExtremeOC: http://folding.extremeoverclocking.c...php?s=&t=41608 (most of our team members use these stats, and they are used for our folding contests.)
Hard Forum: http://www.hardfolding.com/fh_stats_test/index.php?pz=101&tnum=41608
Kakao Stats: http://kakaostats.com/t.php?t=41608
Other usefull links:
Please read!Best Practices FAQ: http://folding.stanford.edu/English/FAQ-BestPractices Please read!
Folding@home Points FAQ: http://folding.stanford.edu/English/FAQ-Points
Official Stanford Folding@home support forum: http://foldingforum.org/index.php
Folding Server Status can be found at: http://folding.stanford.edu/serverstat.html
Some info from Nvidia on the Folding at Home program: http://www.bjorn3d.com/articles/NVID...U_QA/1416.html
Get the Nvida drivers here: http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us
Get the ATI drivers here: http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/Pages/index.aspx
Some info on the v7client : (from a post in the stanford folding forum)
by bruce » Wed Jun 01, 2011 2:34 pm
The original announcement of the V7 beta client can be found in the News blog. You'll also find a special announcement about the FahCore_16 which can be used with your (ATI) GPU.
The rest of the information about V7 can be found here in this forum.
V7 makes installation very easy for the new donor since there is only one client to install. It can simultaneously manage assignments for GPUs and CPUs (including either Uniprocessor or SMP assignments). Rather than installing a separate V6 client for each type of WU you wish to receive, you create separate "slots" in the one V7 client. The 3rd party monitoring tools don't work with it yet and the log is difficult to read, but it does provide a GUI interface that can tell you what's being folded and from which you can control everything.
V6 will continue to be supported, so for many people with established installations, there's no real urgency to convert. For those who want to use the latest FahCores, including OpenCL assignments for your HD 6950, I'd recommend converting your V6 GPU client first. As you gain familiarly with V7, you can decide what makes sense for the rest of your V6 clients and proceed at your own pace.
The V7 client is now out of Beta and we will be updating this guide soon.
Updated 4/20/2010 (SonicWRX): Now reflects proper GUP information. (update of original thread)
Linux SMP Folding in Windows with VMWare Server
Linux SMP Folding in Windows with VMWare Server
Original post from slugbug on 09-23-2008
This guide was written by WFO from PlanetAMD64.com.
http://www.planetamd64.com/index.php?showtopic=29163
I made a few changes to reflect program updates released since then.
This guide was written with Windows Xp in mind, but the latest VMWare Server beta supposedly is Vista x64 compatible.
VMware only supports two cores in each guest OS. To take advantage of all 4 cores you'll need 2 complete Linux installs in VMware with different machine IDs.
First stop is the VMware website: http://www.vmware.com/download/server/
Click the link at the top to register for your free serial number(s).
The latest release is VMware Server 1.0.7 which will work with Windows XP and Vista 32 bit.
For Vista 64 bit you can try VMware Server 2.0 Release Candidate 2 which is Vista x64 compatible: http://www.vmware.com/beta/server/overview.html
I tried it with Vista x64 and while it installed just fine, I was unable to install Linux in the Virtual Machine I created. It may have been a compatibility issue with my machine though, I'm not sure.
http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download
Choose the Desktop Edition and 64bit AMD and Intel computers. Choose the download location and Start Download.
It is very important that you get the 64 bit edition.
Burn your Linux .iso and you are ready to begin.
Click the VMWare exe to start the install. You will get an error message about ISS not being installed or improperly configured. Ignore it and continue. It will appear to hang when the blue progress bar has traveled across the screen. Don’t worry. It’s still installing. Give it time. Enter the S/N when prompted and click finish. Reboot if prompted to do so. Otherwise launch VMware/Local Host/OK.
Click New Virtual Machine/Next. Typical/Next. Select Linux/Ubuntu or Other Linux 64bit. Use network address translation. Select disk space allocated. I used 8GB. Selecting less and you won’t have room for pictures, music or other extras you may want to add Check allocate disk space now/ finish. Click edit Virtual Machine settings. Highlight Processor. Select 2. Double check ram settings. I recommend 512.
Insert the Ubuntu/Xubuntu CD. Click Open Existing Virtual Machine and the CD will launch. If by some chance it doesn’t, open and close the CD tray. Or you may have to close and re-launch VMware. Select Start or Install Ubuntu. The Live CD will boot. When the Desktop is loaded, click “Install.”
My selections during install were?
English/Forward
Time Zone: Your time zone
Set time/ your local time whatever it is
Keyboard -U.S. English/ Forward
Select your Username and password
Select Use Entire Disk. It will only use what you previously allocated. Don’t worry. Your data is safe.
The next screen will show all choices previously selected. Select Install or back if you need to change something. After the install you will be prompted to remove the CD and restart the OS. When the desktop is reached, from the drop down menus on top of the screen, click System/Administration/Update Manager. Install all updates. Feel free to get a cup of coffee or an adult beverage while this takes place.
When the updates are installed, you’ll need to open the terminal. Applications/Accessories/Terminal. Minimize the Terminal. Open the Firefox browser and come to this page. Copy and paste the following command into the Terminal Window. I say copy and paste because any typing errors will just ruin your day. Leave the browser open. You will be bouncing between these instructions and the Terminal as you copy and paste.
sudo apt-get install ia32-libs
Press "Enter." Enter password when prompted. Press “Enter” again. Enter y to continue when prompted. Note the smp will not run without the above 32bit compatibility libraries.
Open your home folder. “Places/Home Folder.” Right click and create a new folder called “folding” Open it right click and create another new folder called FAH
In Firefox go to the F@H download page: http://folding.stanford.edu/English/Download and download the Linux (x86) and BSD *combined uniprocessor and SMP client 6.02.
Download the Linux client to the desktop in the guest OS(Ubuntu). Right click and choose extract here. Open that folder, highlight the two files, right click and copy. Go back to the FAH folder you created, open it, right click and paste.
You can move the .tgz file and the FAh6.02-Linux folder on the desktop to the trash once that is done.
Close the FAH folder and go back to your Terminal.
To configure the client type:
cd folding/FAH ...press “enter”
./fah6 –smp –configonly ... press “enter”
Enter your folding name and Team 41608.
When asked to enter a passkey you can simply hit enter to ignore that step.( do not do this! )
Enter the advanced options and make sure you say yes to WUs greater than 5MB or you will get error messages while folding. Don't disable highly optimized assembly code. And don’t select more ram than you gave the Virtual Machine. Now just type:
./fah6 –smp –forceasm –verbosity 9
Press “Enter” and away you go. I always leave the Terminal up and just minimize VMware. The screen will be black when you bring it up. Just click the cursor in the black part of the screen and you are in Ubuntu. To free the cursor, press Ctrl-Alt. You can disable screensaver to avoid the black screens. You can also close the VMware box and vmware will continue running as a service.
With the V6 client you must use the –smp flag or it will download a standard client. Failure to use the –smp will destroy a smp client on a restart. You will lose your work!!! Stanford will have a check in place when the client comes out of beta.
Please note... if you have shut down the client, use Ctrl+C. To shut down VMware, first use System/quit/shut down from Ubuntu/Xubuntu. When the guest shuts down, click File and Exit in VMware. Not using this procedure will cause your computer to hang on shut down because Linux and VMware are still running. When restarting Ubuntu and the SMP client, bring up the Terminal and navigate to the folder the SMP is in. Type:
cd folding/FAH
press enter
And lastly the command...
./fah6 -smp –forceasm –verbosity 9
OPTIONAL: To make it a little easier for yourself, one can make a script by running following commands:
echo "./fah6 -smp –forceasm -verbosity 9" > FaH
chmod +x FaH
Now you'll just have to run
./FaH
The above are case sensitive.
To Monitor the client in FahMon. right click the FAH folder click sharing options and check "share this folder". You will be asked to install samba share. Once that is done go back to the FAH folder, right click sharing options, and check "share this folder" once more.
Feel free to ask questions if you run into any problems.
Folding@Home GPU2 or GPU3
Folding@Home GPU2 or GPU3
Original post from Kougar on 06-30-2008
(heavily re-written due to the GPU2 leaving the beta stage the GPU3 being released, and to add how-to info. Guides are current as of 5/26/20011)
For a current, up to date Folding@home ATI/NVIDIA GPU FAQ: http://www.stanford.edu/group/pandeg...sh/WinGPUGuide
To find the a current, multi-GPU FAQ please see: this section (our setup guide is in the next post below this)
For GPU drivers, your current driver should support F@H natively. The current drivers from ATI and Nvida do this as of the date I write this, 5/26/20011. This shouldn't change in the future but any given driver update could cause problems. If after updating your drivers the folding client suddenly ceases to function , roll back your driver and wait for the next release to update.
Get the Nvida drivers here: http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us
Get the ATI drivers here: http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/Pages/index.aspx
What you need to know:
The F@H NVIDIA GPU Client will run on any 8000-series based graphics card and newer. For a complete listing, please see: http://www.nvidia.com/object/cuda_learn_products.html
Currently Windows XP/2003/Vista/7 are officially supported!
Getting Started:
The F@H NVIDIA GPU client should be run with the latest Nvida or ATI drivers:
After installing the drivers (and rebooting!) F@H NVIDIA GPU2 program can be downloaded from: HERE. The current version is GPU2 6.23 beta
Running multiple Folding@home programs:
the current GPU2 client bypasses SLI so that you can fold without turning it off. Multiple instances can be set up manually for each card in your system provided that they are able to run the folding client. Each will need it's own folder to run out of, and it's own shortcut telling it to use that folder. (how-to coming) ATI cards do not fair well with the GPU2 client. ATI ownwers should look into the GPU3. Users may use both the ATI GPU and NVIDIA GPU folding programs at the same time if they have supported ATI and NVIDIA graphics cards available. The ATI card will need it's own GPU drivers and ATI F@H program, and a dual-core or Quadcore will be needed to keep both GPU's fed with data.
The SMP F@H program may be run alongside the NVIDIA GPU program, however it is strongly recommended to do so only if you have a Quad core or better based PC. See below on configuring the F@H GPU client for settings.
Configuring the NVIDIA GPU2, GPU3 or SMP client:
When first running the program it will bring up the configuration panel. If you do not already have a screen name you wish to fold with, then please use your Bjorn3D forum name. (Remember you should fold with your forum name for any Bjorn3D contests.)
The Bjorn3D.com team number is 41608
On the Connections tab: if you have a PC with plenty of memory you may tick the checkbox to allow receipt of larger than normal Work Units. These WU's often come with higher points due to their higher system demands.
On the Advanced tab: If you use mutliple F@H programs on the same machine, be sure to set the Core Priority to "slightly higher". For best performance keep the CPU slider slid to the far right. The rest of the settings do not need to be modified.
Users should close OR pause the F@H program before playing any full screen games. Some users don't have issues with both the GPU2 client and games running, however others receive EUEs or complete BSOD system crashes while playing games.
If you are receiving "mdrun_gpu returned -1" errors, this is almost always a result of non-CUDA supported video drivers being used. .
How to set up GPU2 or GPU3 console version (taken directly from the Stanford site)
First, download the console client from the Download page (There is 2 distinct packages, one for Windows XP/2003 and one for Vista/Win7 so make sure to pick the correct one for your OS). If you wanted to use a installer, the Console client doesn't come with one so it's suggested to use the Systray client instead. After you are done downloading the package, unzip the package in any place except the Program Files folder (due to potential permissions issues). A good suggestion is to create a new folder on C:\Users\[username]\FAH for Vista/Win7 or C:\Documents and Settings\[username]\FAH for XP. You can also place it on the desktop or on a custom folder like C:\FAH\. After you are done unzipping, it's suggested you rename the executable file name to fah6.exe to make the following steps easier to do.
Note: If you are using the Vista/Win7 GPU Console client, don't install as a service since it's currently not working properly. If you need a unobstructive client under Vista/Win7, it's suggested to use the Systray version.
The next step is to configure the client. Open a Command Prompt and change directory to the location where you unzipped the FAH client.
Note: To install the FAH client to run as a service (a bit later in the setup), the Windows XP user account running the setup must have Administrator privileges. In Windows Vista and newer, the Command Prompt used to setup the FAH client as a service must be opened with Run As Administrator privileges. Do this by clicking on the Start button. In the Search box, type command prompt. In the list of results, right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator. If prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, enter the password or provide confirmation. This would be a good time to change to a user account with Administrative rights, or to open a new command prompt using the Run As option. Note that running the GPU client as a service is not yet supported in Vista/7.
Type this in the command prompt to begin (assuming you renamed the FAH executable to "fah6" or "fah6.exe" depending on the file view settings as noted above):
fah6 -configonlyThe client will display some information and then prompt you for answers to configuration questions. Note that for most answers, the default setting is the recommended setting. Here is an example of what is displayed on screen, with an explanation of each option:
Launch directory: C:\FAH Executable: fah6 Arguments: -configonly [16:25:22] Configuring Folding@Home... User Name [Anonymous]?
Enter your FAH User Name (not the Windows user name). Or press enter to accept the default user name Anonymous. Almost everyone selects a personalized user name.
Team Number [0]?
Enter your FAH Team #(41608 ). Or press enter to accept the default Team # 0 (don't do this!!) and go to the next question. You can join a team at any time by configuring the client again and entering the new team number. This applies to all client settings.
Passkey []?
Enter your passkey, or press enter to leave it blank and go to the next option. Use of a passkey is optional. (get a passkey!! before you setup) You can find more information about Passkeys here.
Ask before fetching/sending work (no/yes) [no]?
If you have a dialup internet connection, you may want to set this to yes. Then the client will prompt for your permission to upload / download work units. If you have a full time internet connection, just press enter to accept the default setting of no.
Use proxy (yes/no) [no]?
If you are connected to a proxy, enter yes and configure the proxy options for proxy user name, password, address, etc. Or press enter to skip.
Acceptable size of work assignment and work result packets (bigger units may have large memory demands) -- 'small' is <5MB, 'normal' is <10MB, and 'big' is >10MB (small/normal/big) [normal]?
This option states a preference for the size of work units downloaded and uploaded to the project servers. Bigger units will also have bigger memory requirements. If you run on a slower broadband or dialup internet connection, small is the recommended setting to ease your bandwidth usage.
Change advanced options (yes/no) [no]? yes
If you want to change the advanced options, enter yes. It is not mandatory.
Core Priority (idle/low) [idle]?
This adjusts the FAH client priority level. This is similar to, but not the same as the Windows priority setting. In most cases, the default idle setting is recommended.
Note: For better performance when mixing CPU or SMP clients with GPU clients, raise the priority of the GPU clients by selecting the low priority setting. Do NOT change the Windows priority settings for the client or fahcore.
CPU usage requested (5-100) [100]?
This will adjust the percentage of CPU usage. The FAH client only uses spare CPU cycles not used by other programs, so reducing this setting is not typically necessary. However, if you want to lower system temperatures, or reserve CPU cycles for more intensive computer tasks, enter a number below 100.In the GPU client, changing this setting does not reduce CPU or GPU usage directly, although usage will drop a little.
Disable highly optimized assembly code (no/yes) [no]?
If you are having issues running the client, disable this. For 99.9% of the users, leave this at the default setting since this reduces the client performance a lot.
Pause if battery power is being used (useful for laptops) (no/yes) [no]?
If you run a laptop, set this to yes to pause if the laptop is not plugged on the wall. This will avoid the client draining the battery.(if name WinSMP*: )In the SMP client, this setting may not behave as expected.(if name WinGPU*: )In the GPU client, this setting may not behave as expected.
Interval, in minutes, between checkpoints (3-30) [15]?
Number of minutes between each checkpoint where the client is writing the client progress to disk in case of unexpected interruption. 15 is the recommended setting.
Memory, in MB, to indicate (1013 available) [1013]?
Sets the amount of memory seen by the work servers. By default, it shows the full system memory amount. Note that reducing this setting does not reserve more memory for other programs. However, reducing this setting will prevent the client from downloading memory intensive work units. A setting too low may prevent the client from getting any new work. (if name WinSMP*: )In the SMP client, .5 GB per CPU core is the minimum, while 1 GB per core is recommended.
Set -advmethods flag always, requesting new advanced scientific cores and/or work units if available (no/yes) [no]?
This is the same as using the -advmethods command line flag, except -advmethods will not appear on the arguments line in the fahlog. This option states a preference to request late stage beta work units, which may be less stable than regular work units. May cause work unit size and PPD to increase, decrease, or not change.
Ignore any deadline information (mainly useful if system clock frequently has errors) (no/yes) [no]?
Only set this to yes if your local computer clock is having issues keeping the correct date and time.
Machine ID (1-16) [2]?
This is the Machine Number of the client. If you are running more than one client under the same operating system, you need to have a different Machine ID for each client on that machine. If you are installing a single client on multiple computers, you do not need to change this since this is only for installing multiple clients on the same computer.
Launch automatically, install as a service in this directory (yes/no) [no]?
If you want the client to run as a service, say yes and it will install a new entry in the services list. The next time you restart the computer, the service will start automatically and run in the background.
Note: The current Windows user account must have Administrator privileges to install FAH as a service. And rebooting the computer to start the client running as a service is required.
The following options require you to restart the client before they take effect Disable CPU affinity lock (no/yes) [no]?
If you disable the affinity lock, the client will pick any free CPU core. Leave set to no if you want the client to be locked to a CPU core. If you run a NVIDIA card, you can adjust the affinity by using the NV_FAH_CPU_AFFINITY environment variable (check the NVIDIA FAQ for more details). Leave set to no if using the NV variable.
Additional client parameters []?
You can enter the client flags here so you don't have to type the flag each time you run the client. Enter flags like -forcegpu ati_r700 here to enable hardware specific support for GPU clients. Do NOT enter -config or -configonly or any single-use flag in this field to avoid problems.
Note: GPU manufacturers often release new video card types faster than the GPU client can be updated to automatically recognize that hardware. A GPU not supported message is a common indicator. The solution is to add a client switch to bypass the hardware detection. Please use the switch appropriate for your hardware, and add it to the Additional Client Parameters field on the Advanced tab. Do not use a switch unless it's needed to solve the GPU not supported error, or when specifying hardware types while running older and newer generations of GPUs in the same computer.
- ATI 3xxx series: -forcegpu ati_r600
- ATI 4xxx series: -forcegpu ati_r700
- ATI 5xxx series: -forcegpu ati_r800 (v6.30 client or newer)
- nVidia 8x, 9x, 2xx series: -forcegpu nvidia_g80
- nVidia GTX 4xx series: -forcegpu nvidia_fermi (v6.30 client or newer)
IP address to bind core to (for viewer) []?
For future use when the Viewer is working better. Specifies the IP address of the machine of which the viewer should display the client output.
When you press enter after the last question, the configuration will end and you will be back to the command prompt. You have successfully configured the client so the next step is to start the client. Here are 3 ways:
- By clicking on the executable icon (this assumes you entered the proper flags during configuration).
- By typing fah6 on the same command prompt window. Enter the necessary flags if you didn't enter those during configuration.
- Create a new shortcut to the FAH executable, and double click that shortcut icon (assuming you added all needed flags to the client setup).
Normally, if everything is done correctly, the client will be folding along fine. To verify the client is progressing, open the task manager and make sure there is a process called FahCore_xx.exe in the list. Or you can open the fahlog.txt file to see the client's progress.
How to set up multiple instances of GPU2 or GPU3 (Systray Version)
How to set up multiple instances of GPU2 or GPU3 (Systray Version)
(one per cpu core recomended)
(taken directly from the Stanford site)
This Guide section describes how to install one or more additional copies of the GPU Systray client for use with multiple GPUs. This section is based on the GPU Systray client installation, and assumes the first GPU Systray client is already installed and running well. If not, please follow the GPU Systray version install guide before continuing with this multi-client setup. It is much easier to make additional copies from a working client.
Be sure to download the latest driver from the manufacturer, and the latest FAH client.
Get the Nvida drivers here: http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us
Get the ATI drivers here: http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/Pages/index.aspx
Here are the multi-GPU specific requirements:
- The current multi-GPU installation guide requires more than a basic knowledge of Microsoft Windows.
- SLI or Crossfire does not have to be disabled to run the GPU client. However, SLI and CF cannot be used to make a dual GPU card or cards perform like one super GPU. The SLI and CF link does not have enough bandwidth to support that functionality. Run one FAH GPU client for each GPU chip.
- If you are running multiple GPU cards with SLI or Crossfire, you may need to extend the desktop for the client to recognize multiple GPUs.
- If Windows prompts for a new driver, hit CANCEL. The default Windows driver may not be the best driver to use. Allowing Windows to install a driver automatically runs the risk of having sub-par performances and/or client installation issues.
- If you run Windows Vista or Windows 7, you may need to have each GPU connected to a monitor (a KVM can also work but not all models of KVM will provide a signal when it is not the active monitor). Another alternative is to use VGA dummy plug.
Note: As driver versions have been updated, some of these requirements have been dropped (extending desktop, dummy plug, etc.). But the driver updates are too frequent and vary too much from one OS to another, and vary too much between AMD and NV, so these changes have not been closely documented. If you have specific information to improve this guide, please see the last section to submit the new information for updating this guide.
Note: If the GPU Systray client installer created a shortcut in the Windows startup folder during the original installation, please delete that shortcut now. The shortcut is usually found in Start -> Programs -> Startup
Next, open up Windows Explorer and find the directory where the installer created a folder under your user name. Below is the path of the folder depending on the OS :
XP/2003 : C:\Documents and Settings\[username]\Application Data\
Vista/Win7: C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\
Note: This folder is usually hidden so you may need to type the whole path in the address bar or to enable the option to view all files and folders.
Once you’ve located the directory, copy the folder called Folding@Home-gpu and paste into the same location. Rename the new copy by cutting the “Copy of” off and adding a 2 (or more for extra cards) after the directory name. You will need to repeat the same steps if you have 3 or more GPU you want to use. Here is what it should look like :
http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/d...e/wpe17092.png
Note: Please delete the work folder and queue.dat file in the newly copied FAH client folder to prevent the new client from duplicating the work unit from the original client.
Now, go in the C:\Program Files\Folding@Home\Folding@Home-gpu folder (with Vista/Win7, it's in the x86 folder). You should find the client executable here so make a new shortcut of the client (right-click on the executable icon then select Create Shortcut). After creating the shortcut, move the shortcut to the desktop then rename with a short name like GPU1. Don't copy more than one shortcut since you will do it after doing some modifications :
http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/d...e/wpe37285.png
Right-click on the first shortcut then select Properties. It should bring up the following screen:
http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/d...e/wpe17093.png
Now, replace the Start in: path with the path of the data file which is stored in either those places (replace [username] with your Windows user name) :
XP/2003: C:\Documents and Settings\[username]\Application Data\Folding@Home-gpu
Vista/Win7: C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Folding@Home-gpu
Make sure there are quotes at the start and end of the Start in: path.
Add the -gpu 0 flag at the end of the Target: path, after the quotes (make sure there is a space between the quote and the flag). It should look like this in the Target: field:
"C:\Program Files\Folding@home\Folding@home-gpu\Folding@home.exe" -gpu 0
Once you are done, the properties should look like this for the first client. Click on Ok to close the panel afterwards :
Target: "C:\Program Files\Folding@home\Folding@home-gpu\Folding@home.exe" -gpu 0
Start in: "C:\Documents and Settings\[username]\Application Data\Folding@Home-gpu" (XP/2003) or "C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Folding@Home-gpu" (Vista/Win7)
Now that you are done editing the shortcut, it's time to create more for the other GPU cards. Copy the first shortcut and paste as many copies (based on how many GPU cards you want to run) you need on the desktop. Rename each shortcut copy with a simple yet distinct names (to help identify which client) like GPU2, GPU3, etc. When you are done, right-click on each new shortcut and select Properties to edit the properties. This time, since you did most of the configuration above, all you need to do is to point the Start in: path to each data folder that you created and put -gpu 1 flag (or higher for subsequent cards). After you are done, you should have something like that :
Target: "C:\Program Files\Folding@home\Folding@home-gpu\Folding@home.exe" -gpu 1
Start in: "C:\Documents and Settings\[username]\Application Data\Folding@Home-gpu2" (or gpu3 depending) (XP/2003) or "C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Folding@Home-gpu2" (or gpu3 depending) (Vista/Win7)
Note: The GPU3 beta client does not distinguish between 2xx and 4xx series NV GPUs. Add the -forcegpu nvidia_g80 switch to the 2xx client target field, and add the -forcegpu nvidia_fermi switch to the 4xx client target field.
When you are done editing each shortcut, click on the first shortcut and configure your client as demonstrated in the Systray installation guide above. The key things to make sure you do are :
On the Connection tab :
- Click yes to accept WUs larger than 10 megabytes.
On the Advanced tab :
- Check the Core Priority for Slightly Higher (very important when mixing GPU cleints with other client types)
- Click do not lock cores to specific CPU
- Make sure the Machine ID is different then any CPU or GPU client you have running. Note: default is 2.
Now hit accept and Repeat the setup above for each shortcut and make sure to pick a unique Machine ID for each client on that machine, and a unique -gpu x device setting. When you are done, all that remain to do is to click every shortcut to start the clients and monitor them closely to make sure they run fine (it's often tricky due to a possible driver version conflict).
Windows SMP (v6.30+) Client Installation Guide
Windows SMP (v6.30+) Client Installation Guide
The Windows SMP v6.30+ client installation and setup are much simpler than in previous SMP versions. However, it is still essential to read the whole guide first before attempting the installation. PLEASE follow the install guide carefully, or the client will not work properly.
Beta client warning
We often release clients early for donors to beta test. These beta versions likely have some rough edges, but we expect that they should work reasonably well for all donors.
As in the use of any beta software, please make sure to back up your hard drive before installing. DO NOT run a beta client if you or your machines cannot tolerate even the slightest instability or problems. Beta clients' and servers' performance may vary significantly from standard FAH clients during the development process, including but not limited to work unit shortages, server downtime for upgrades, short notice of client upgrades, and Points Per Day that differs a little or a lot from the developmental benchmark level.
Finally, note the beta clients may require a lot more maintenance due to their experimental or beta nature. If you would prefer to have a client which runs as smoothly as possible, we suggest you run our main public client, not a beta client. If you run a beta client, expect a much more complex experience and much more work to keep the client running.
What is new in version 6.30 and above?
- With the release of the mutli-threaded a3 fahcore and work units, and the retirement of the a1 and a2 work unit projects, the MPICH or Deino portion of the SMP client installation is no longer needed. As a result, the client installer and the install.bat have been dropped from the install process. This also removes the requirement to use a Windows user account with a password, although it's always a good idea to use a password.
- Installing the client as a service is also simpler. Editing the service login account is no longer needed.
- The SMP console client now behaves much like the CPU and GPU console clients, although the SMP client is still considered a beta client.
- v6.34 adds support for a new Fahcore_a5 for -bigadv. (i7 processor running at 3.4Ghz(?) or higher needed for -bigadv WU's)
Requirements for installation and running
Please review and confirm these requirements before beginning the installation:
- The system must have a recent dual core processor or better to run this client with the -smp switch in SMP mode. Four cores or more are strongly recommended. This means older single core processors cannot run this client with the -smp switch, and older dual cores will not meet the very short work unit deadlines. If after running this client with the -smp switch on an older dual or an older quad core system, and the client does not meet the work unit preferred deadline, please remove the SMP client and replace it with one or more instances of the CPU client and/or GPU client.
- Windows XP or newer is required to run v6.x clients. .NET 2.0 or newer is required in XP to run the SMP client. Windows Vista and newer meet both of these requirements. Windows 2000 is not supported.
- Use the -smp or -smp N switch at all times. If at any time you forget this switch, the client will probably be assigned a non-SMP WU. Without this switch, the client becomes a classic CPU client.
- Configure and use the big setting for "Acceptable size of work assignment" at all times. This 'BigWU' setting is hard coded in the client, so the configuration setting must match.
- In Windows Vista and Windows 7, installing the client to run as a service may be made simpler by temporarily lowering or disabling the User Access Control (UAC) feature in Windows.
Installation
(Quad core or better CPU recomended, do not install more than one SMP client per system, multiple cpu clients on multi core proccessors are fine at one per core, but will not get as many PPD as the SMP client alone)
First, create a new folder for the FAH SMP client. In Windows Vista and Windows 7, this location is suggested: C:\Users\[username]\FAH Please do NOT install the SMP client in C:\Program Files\FAH to avoid issues with permissions. Vista/7 have new security restrictions (not in Win XP) that prevent the client from running. In Windows XP, this location is suggested: C:\FAH and this location is used for the purposes of this guide.
Download and open the v6.34 SMP client executable file to the folder you just created.
To make the next steps easier to follow, renaming the client executable to something shorter and easy to remember is suggested. Right-click on the executable file, select Rename and change to fah6).
Note: Depending on the file name and folder display settings, the file extension may or may not be shown.
Rename Folding@home-Win32-x86 to fah6 or rename Folding@home-Win32-x86.exe to fah6.exe.
The next step is to configure the client. Open a Command Prompt and change directory to the location where you unzipped the FAH client.
Note: To install the FAH client to run as a service (a bit later in the setup), the Windows XP user account running the setup must have Administrator privileges. In Windows Vista and newer, the Command Prompt used to setup the FAH client as a service must be opened with Run As Administrator privileges. Do this by clicking on the Start button. In the Search box, type command prompt. In the list of results, right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator. If prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, enter the password or provide confirmation. This would be a good time to change to a user account with Administrative rights, or to open a new command prompt using the Run As option.
Type this in the command prompt to begin (assuming you renamed the FAH executable to "fah6" or "fah6.exe" depending on the file view settings as noted above):
fah6 -configonly -smpThe client will display some information and then prompt you for answers to configuration questions. Note that for most answers, the default setting is the recommended setting. Here is an example of what is displayed on screen, with an explanation of each option:
Launch directory: C:\FAH Executable: fah6 Arguments: -configonly -smp [16:25:22] Configuring Folding@Home... User Name [Anonymous]?
Enter your FAH User Name (not the Windows user name). Or press enter to accept the default user name Anonymous. Almost everyone selects a personalized user name.
Team Number [0]?
Enter your FAH Team #. (41608 ) Or press enter to accept the default Team # 0 (don't do this!) and go to the next question. You can join a team at any time by configuring the client again and entering the new team number. This applies to all client settings.
Passkey []?
Enter your passkey, or press enter to leave it blank and go to the next option. Use of a passkey is optional. However, a passkey is required to be eligible for the quick return bonus on SMP2 work units. You can find more information about Passkeys here. (Get a passkey before installing!!!!)
Ask before fetching/sending work (no/yes) [no]?
Because of the short deadlines on SMP work assignments, persistent connections are strongly recommended and this option should be set to no.
Use proxy (yes/no) [no]?
If you are connected to a proxy, enter yes and configure the proxy options for proxy user name, password, address, etc. Or press enter to skip.
Acceptable size of work assignment and work result packets (bigger units may have large memory demands) -- 'small' is <5MB, 'normal' is <10MB, and 'big' is >10MB (small/normal/big) [normal]?
This option states a preference for the size of work units downloaded and uploaded to the project servers. Note that all SMP WUs are large in size, so big is the required setting. Bigger units will also have bigger memory requirements. If you run on a slower broadband or dialup internet connection, small is the recommended setting to ease your bandwidth usage and you may want to switch to the CPU client instead.
Change advanced options (yes/no) [no]? yes
If you want to change the advanced options, enter yes. It is not mandatory but is recommended for SMP installs. (to add the smp flag)
Core Priority (idle/low) [idle]?
This adjusts the FAH client priority level. This is similar to, but not the same as the Windows priority setting. In most cases, the default idle setting is recommended.
Note: For better performance when mixing CPU or SMP clients with GPU clients, raise the priority of the GPU clients by selecting the low priority setting. Do NOT change the Windows priority settings for the client or fahcore.
CPU usage requested (5-100) [100]?
This will adjust the percentage of CPU usage. The FAH client only uses spare CPU cycles not used by other programs, so reducing this setting is not typically necessary. However, if you want to lower system temperatures, or reserve CPU cycles for more intensive computer tasks, enter a number below 100.In the SMP client, changing this setting does not reduce CPU usage.
Disable highly optimized assembly code (no/yes) [no]?
If you are having issues running the client, disable this. For 99.9% of the users, leave this at the default setting since this reduces the client performance a lot.
Pause if battery power is being used (useful for laptops) (no/yes) [no]?
If you run a laptop, set this to yes to pause if the laptop is not plugged on the wall. This will avoid the client draining the battery.(if name WinSMP*: )In the SMP client, this setting may not behave as expected.(if name WinGPU*: )In the GPU client, this setting may not behave as expected.
Interval, in minutes, between checkpoints (3-30) [15]?
Number of minutes between each checkpoint where the client is writing the client progress to disk in case of unexpected interruption. 15 is the recommended setting.
Memory, in MB, to indicate (1013 available) [1013]?
Sets the amount of memory seen by the work servers. By default, it shows the full system memory amount. Note that reducing this setting does not reserve more memory for other programs. However, reducing this setting will prevent the client from downloading memory intensive work units. A setting too low may prevent the client from getting any new work. (if name WinSMP*: )In the SMP client, .5 GB per CPU core is the minimum, while 1 GB per core is recommended.
Set -advmethods flag always, requesting new advanced scientific cores and/or work units if available (no/yes) [no]?
This is the same as using the -advmethods command line flag, except -advmethods will not appear on the arguments line in the fahlog. This option states a preference to request late stage beta work units, which may be less stable than regular work units. May cause work unit size and PPD to increase, decrease, or not change.
Ignore any deadline information (mainly useful if system clock frequently has errors) (no/yes) [no]?
Only set this to yes if your local computer clock is having issues keeping the correct date and time.
Machine ID (1-16) [1]?
This is the Machine Number of the client. If you are running more than one client under the same operating system, you need to have a different Machine ID for each client on that machine. If you are installing a single client on multiple computers, you do not need to change this since this is only for installing multiple clients on the same computer.
Launch automatically, install as a service in this directory (yes/no) [no]?
If you want the client to run as a service, say yes and it will install a new entry in the services list. The next time you restart the computer, the service will start automatically and run in the background. SMP as a service is only supported in v6.30 and newer.
Note: The current Windows user account must have Administrator privileges to install FAH as a service. And rebooting the computer to start the client running as a service is required.
The following options require you to restart the client before they take effect Disable CPU affinity lock (no/yes) [no]?
Not useful for SMP since it use all cores.
Additional client parameters []?
You can enter the client flags here so you don't have to type the flag each time you run the client. We strongly suggest you enter the -smp Do NOT enter -config or -configonly'' or any single-use flag in this field to avoid problems.
IP address to bind core to (for viewer) []?
For future use when the Viewer is working better. Specifies the IP address of the machine of which the viewer should display the client output.
When you press enter after the last question, the configuration will end and you will be back to the command prompt. You have successfully configured the client so the next step is to start the client. Here are 3 ways:
- By clicking on the executable icon (this assumes you entered the proper flags during configuration).
- By typing fah6 on the same command prompt window. Enter the necessary flags (including the mandatory -smp flag) if you didn't enter those during configuration.
- Create a new shortcut to the FAH executable, and double click that shortcut icon (assuming you added all needed flags to the client setup).
Normally, if everything is done correctly, the client will be folding along fine. To verify the client is progressing, open the task manager and make sure there is one instance of the multi-threaded FahCore_a3.exe in the list. Or you can open the fahlog.txt file to see the client's progress.
