Team CFC: Folding@Home project

[AlanH]

So should I turn off the folding while playing games? Or is there an easier solution to the problem I am having when playing GTA San Andreas?

I believe there's an interaction between Folding@Home on Windows and games that use OpenGL graphics. I don't know whether GTA uses OpenGL, but if it does that may be the problem.

The best solution if this is the case is probably to run the non-graphical, command line version of Folding@Home, as that doesn't run a graphical display of the protein and therefore shouldn't have any interaction with OpenGL. The folding client software itself is supposed to have minimal impact on other programs. It should reduce its CPU usage as soon as other programs need heavy lifting.

I gave a link to the command line client in an earlier post.

If I pause it, then quit, does it lose all the work?

The folding client checkpoints its progress, and can usually restore its condition to the last checkpoint after a reboot, a quit, or even after a crash. I'm running the SMP beta for Mac OS X, and this works fine. The folding process seems to fail if I pause it, and it then has to restart the work unit when I resume it, but I suspect this is a bug in the beta version I'm running.

 

[Bamspeedy]

Yeah, the other version works just fine with GTA now. If anyone is curious, I'm using the "No-nonsense, text-only console' one, which is the third one on the download page.

Had to uninstall the first version I downloaded to get the new one to work. When I first ran it there was a window (kind of like DOS) that showed the progress that I just minimized. After I finished a WU I turned off my computer and when rebooting I didn't get the window anymore, but by checking the task manager I could see that it was running. There is a log I can open up if I want to check my progress.

They first gave me a 500,000 step WU and I guess they liked my effort because now they gave me 10X the work with a 5,000,000 step WU!

 

[GenMarshall]

welcome d.highland! You'll appear on the team listing pages after you complete your first unit.

So thats why I am not on the list :-/

I essentially stopped around Aug when it just caused lags on my computer. Plus I dont know if there is a text only version of this program.

And yes, I would like to re-join.

 

[Furiey]

Hi CG, Try using the No-nonsense text-only console version that Bamspeedy mentioned. I'm stuck on Windows ME so have to use an old version, but the console version seems to avoid quite a few problems, it just doesn't give the pretty pictures.

 

[ruff_hi]

I'm running two console service launched folders and they are folding ok. However, they cannot seem to get a new package after they finish the old one. It requires a re-boot to get them folding again ... any ideas / suggestions?

 

[RFHolloway]

Check your internet connection settings in F&H set up - it should be "no" to use internet explorer settings, I had problems after upgrading to IE7.

 

[RFHolloway]

They first gave me a 500,000 step WU and I guess they liked my effort because now they gave me 10X the work with a 5,000,000 step WU!

steps don't matter its the points that do!

some time in the next 36 hrs we should break into the top 300

 

[ruff_hi]

Check your internet connection settings in F&H set up - it should be "no" to use internet explorer settings, I had problems after upgrading to IE7.

That seemed to do the trick - thx.

 

[RFHolloway]

You know how all these multi-cored macs have suddenly started ripping up the charts (dojoboy & Alan H), well... they released the beta for the Windows version, so if you have a fast multicore machine we might just be able to catch them.

 

[IglooDame]

You know how all these multi-cored macs have suddenly started ripping up the charts (dojoboy & Alan H), well... they released the beta for the Windows version, so if you have a fast multicore machine we might just be able to catch them.

Muahahahaha...

 

[RFHolloway]

we are now at position 300!

 

[scienide09]

You know how all these multi-cored macs have suddenly started ripping up the charts (dojoboy & Alan H), well... they released the beta for the Windows version, so if you have a fast multicore machine we might just be able to catch them.

But starting on Thursday, you may have competition from a new platform. The PS3 firmware update is scheduled for release, this is the one that will allow Playstation owners to fold. It remains to be seen just how many people get on board.

Congratulations on hitting 300!

 

[RFHolloway]

Thats true - we had better see if we can recruit any Civ fanatics with a PS3

 

[scienide09]

After lurking for some time, I've decided to join the fold. (No doubt that's been used before.)

I've done the team number thing, and am running the service version of F@H. It seems to be slow going, but my box is old, so no surprise there. My first work unit is 200000 steps, if that means much in terms of size.

I'm sure I'll be back with questions.

 

[GenMarshall]

I'm stuck on Windows ME so have to use an old version.

You have ME-tan!?

My sympathies

 

[El_Machinae]

Apparenlty the PS3 is set up to receive the Folding@home software, and can fold many times better than most PCs. Booyah!

 

[El_Machinae]

Apparenlty the PS3 is set up to receive the Folding@home software, and can fold many times better than most PCs. Booyah!

Holy COW!, I didn't realise the impact of this move.

Check this out:
http://fah-web.stanford.edu/cgi-bin/main.py?qtype=osstats

A few days after making the option available, the processing power devoted to the F@H project QUADRUPLED. And that is obviously the beginning; the more people who buy a PS3 and the more people who hook it up, the more that's being added.

One of the reasons why this happened is because the F@H project has shown continued success, something we've all contributed to.

Maybe someone should mention this in a more appropriate forum.

 

[Furiey]

Yikes!

That's impressive and it's really only early days in PS3 sales. PCs are definitely getting left behind at the moment.

 

[taper]

Not to say that we should stop folding on our PCs. There's a general tradeoff between speed and flexibility on different hardware. They say the GPU client is still the fastest, but can run a very limited set of folding, the PC can run a wide variety, but is slower, and the PS3 is somewhere in the middle. Total folding is approaching one petaflops though, which is darned impressive.

 

[AlanH]

There *is* now a symmetrical multiprocessing (SMP) client beta for PCs. If you have a multicore PC then that may be worth trying. SMP runs like stink on a Mac.