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I'm not the only dev who folds. Two other devs folds: kth5 and codemac. There might be others as I went through the list rather quickly.
Thanks Snowman. That's one stat I'm happy to be wrong on.
Pudge
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Took me a while to get here... I am, probably, one of the most listed/active cores out of most members, if you check.
I have tons of machines. Scaling from Pentium iii 933MHz to older gen 8 core Xeon up to 1 PS3. My thing is every little thing can contribute and gather into bigger things! :cool:
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Hi all,
I have noticed my client seems to have slowed down by an enormous amount. I stopped the client to logout and back in then where it was taking around 15 minutes to complete 1% it is now taking 7 hours:
[22:29:37] Completed 172500 out of 250000 steps (69%)
Writing checkpoint, step 2672590 at Thu Aug 14 23:30:16 2008
[22:44:26] Completed 175000 out of 250000 steps (70%)
Writing checkpoint, step 2675150 at Thu Aug 14 23:45:18 2008
[22:59:06] Completed 177500 out of 250000 steps (71%)
Writing checkpoint, step 2677700 at Fri Aug 15 00:00:17 2008
[23:13:28] Completed 180000 out of 250000 steps (72%)
Writing checkpoint, step 2680320 at Fri Aug 15 00:15:19 2008
[23:27:51] Completed 182500 out of 250000 steps (73%)
Writing checkpoint, step 2682920 at Fri Aug 15 00:30:19 2008
[23:42:16] Completed 185000 out of 250000 steps (74%)
Writing checkpoint, step 2685530 at Fri Aug 15 00:45:18 2008
[23:57:59] Completed 187500 out of 250000 steps (75%)
Writing checkpoint, step 2687740 at Fri Aug 15 01:00:18 2008
Writing checkpoint, step 2688220 at Fri Aug 15 01:16:24 2008
........SNIP.......
Writing checkpoint, step 2689780 at Fri Aug 15 07:30:59 2008
Writing checkpoint, step 2689850 at Fri Aug 15 07:47:03 2008
Writing checkpoint, step 2689920 at Fri Aug 15 08:03:17 2008
Writing checkpoint, step 2689970 at Fri Aug 15 08:19:04 2008
[07:26:56] Completed 190000 out of 250000 steps (76%)
This WU is an 'IBX in water'.
The last unit exceeded the deadline and was scrapped, this has not happened before. Has anybody seen this kind of behaviour before?
Diesel1.
Last edited by diesel1 (2008-08-17 08:58:00)
Registered GNU/Linux user #140607.
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Pudge wrote:We have ALL lost Work Units. When you are done configuring, restart the client with ./fah6 -smp
List your setup, like what type of CPU you are using, single core, dual core, etc. and Arch i686 or Arch x86_64, and which client you are using and we'll get you set up one way or the other.
Thanks for joining the Arch folding team.
Pudge
Thanks for the help, Pudge. I followed the instructions more carefully this time, and, from the screen output when I restarted the client, I'm certain that my designate username ("dhave") is at work for the Arch team.
The info from FahMon still doesn't make me happy -- it shows my old progress with Anonymous (Team "0") as user, and I can't seem to manipulate its config files or preferences to produce any change. But as long as the live screen output from fah6 is showing dhave at work on behalf of the Arch folding team, I'm not sweating it.
@ Pudge: Just to let you know, everything's working smoothly, my first WU was properly credited both on the team stats page and on my individual page (username="dhave"). Now I'm starting my second WU.
This makes me feel a lot less lazy, like I'm always accomplishing something
Thanks for your help.
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I have noticed my client seems to have slowed down by an enormous amount. I stopped the client to logout and back in then where it was taking around 15 minutes to complete 1% it is now taking 7 hours:
The last unit exceeded the deadline and was scrapped, this has not happened before. Has anybody seen this kind of behaviour before?
Diesel1.
From your FAHlog.txt listing, it look's like you are running the fah6.2 x86_64 SMP client. Based on that assumption, here's my recommendation on what to do. Something has gotten corrupted. My guess is mpiexec is corrupted, but it also could be fah6 or the FahCore_ax.exe cores themselves. I've been through this before, and the easiest and fastest way to fix it is to basically start over. Get into the folder where fah6 is located. Stop the client. Then remove the following:
-rwx------ 1 don don 252676 Jul 2 10:03 fah6
-rwxr-x--- 1 don don 3625104 Aug 16 23:44 FahCore_a1.exe
-rwxr-x--- 1 don don 4099248 Aug 2 11:00 FahCore_a2.exe
-rw-rw-r-- 1 don don 79833 Aug 16 16:48 FAHlog-Prev.txt
-rw-rw-r-- 1 don don 16609 Aug 17 08:03 FAHlog.txt
-rwx------ 1 don don 68492 Jul 16 2007 mpiexec
-rw-rw-r-- 1 don don 7168 Aug 16 23:44 queue.dat
-rw-rw-r-- 1 don don 3532356 Aug 16 23:37 state.cpt
-rw-rw-r-- 1 don don 3532356 Aug 16 23:24 state_prev.cpt
-rw-rw-r-- 1 don don 169 Aug 17 08:03 unitinfo.txt
drwxr-x--- 2 don don 4096 Aug 16 23:45 work
do a $ rm -rf work to remove the work directory and all it's contents.
You should be left with something like this. Notice that I keep a copy of FAH6.02-Linux.tgz handy in my folding directory.
Remember, this is Beta version clients and cores. They are quite stable for Betas but they do occasionally mess up.
-rwxr-x--- 1 don don 190 Aug 16 23:44 client.cfg
-rw-r--r-- 1 don don 139883 Jul 3 12:03 FAH6.02-Linux.tgz
-rw-r--r-- 1 don don 8 Apr 11 16:56 machinedependent.dat
-rw-r--r-- 1 don don 1493 Apr 11 16:56 MyFolding.html
Untar FAH6.02-Linux.tgz to get fresh copies of fah6 and mpiexec. Now just restart with fah6 -smp
Since you retained cient.cfg you don't need to re-configure. That way you don't loose your User ID which isn't a big deal. Every time you run fah6 -smp -configonly you are assigned a new User ID. When a Work Unit is completed and sent in, it lists how many Work Units have been completed for that User ID on the screen and in FAHlog.txt. I just like to keep that string going instead of starting over.
You will loose the current Work Unit the computer is working on, but if they are exceeding the deadline anyway, it really doesn't matter.
HTH
Pudge
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@ Pudge: Just to let you know, everything's working smoothly, my first WU was properly credited both on the team stats page and on my individual page (username="dhave"). Now I'm starting my second WU.
This makes me feel a lot less lazy, like I'm always accomplishing something
Thanks for your help.
Glad to hear you got it working, and you're Welcome my friend.
Pudge
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Untar FAH6.02-Linux.tgz to get fresh copies of fah6 and mpiexec. Now just restart with fah6 -smp
Since you retained cient.cfg you don't need to re-configure. That way you don't loose your User ID which isn't a big deal. Every time you run fah6 -smp -configonly you are assigned a new User ID. When a Work Unit is completed and sent in, it lists how many Work Units have been completed for that User ID on the screen and in FAHlog.txt. I just like to keep that string going instead of starting over.You will loose the current Work Unit the computer is working on, but if they are exceeding the deadline anyway, it really doesn't matter.
HTH
Pudge
Thanks for the comprehensive reply Pudge.
While I was waiting to see what I could do the clent has suddenly started producing what looks like normal output again.....
Writing checkpoint, step 2500090 at Sun Aug 17 08:14:37 2008
Writing checkpoint, step 2500170 at Sun Aug 17 08:29:09 2008
Writing checkpoint, step 2500260 at Sun Aug 17 08:44:52 2008
Writing checkpoint, step 2500340 at Sun Aug 17 08:58:48 2008
Writing checkpoint, step 2500430 at Sun Aug 17 09:14:27 2008
......SNIP......
Writing checkpoint, step 2501670 at Sun Aug 17 14:16:38 2008
Writing checkpoint, step 2501710 at Sun Aug 17 14:28:30 2008
Writing checkpoint, step 2501780 at Sun Aug 17 14:43:59 2008
[13:48:25] Completed 2500 out of 250000 steps (1%)
Writing checkpoint, step 2504120 at Sun Aug 17 14:58:04 2008
[14:03:18] Completed 5000 out of 250000 steps (2%)
Writing checkpoint, step 2506640 at Sun Aug 17 15:13:04 2008
and so on.
I will let this unit complete and then see what to do next. Should I restart the client in single unit only?
Diesel1.
Registered GNU/Linux user #140607.
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Anytime a change of configuration, client version, etc. is planned, the best way to do it is to stop the client and restart it with the -oneunit flag. When that WU is finished, do the planned changes.
Pudge
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@ Pudge: (I guess this is the best place to be asking these questions.)
I'm running fah-smp on a Thinkpad T61p Core 2 Duo T9300 @ 2.5GHz, 4Gb RAM, 160Gb hard drive, Arch64. It's all working swimmingly, but I'm getting a little concerned about an increase in head due to steady use of the CPU (my little panel applet has both cores running at 85-95 percent all the time).
I just read in an older FAQ for the beta for fah-smp that it's intended for 4-core machines and up, typically desktops running 24/7 (or at least that was the desired beta platform).
I'm wondering if I should (1) drop back to the non-smp fah client, in hopes that it would make less use of my machine's processing power and thereby generate less heat or (2) configure the fah-smp client in such a way that processing load is limited.
What do you think?
My laptop is usually running 8-10 hours a day lately, so I'm happy to be folding all that time. However, I'm not sure I want to run my machine at the near-limit of its processing capability all the time.
Thanks.
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In my opinion, I do not recommend running any folding client on a lap top. It simply isn't what a lap top is designed for. I probably just lost Stanford a folder, at least temporarily, with that statement, but I'd hate to see you ruin your lappy.
EDIT: When I went back and re-read what follows this edit, I realized it kinda sounded like a tirade targeted at dhave. It totally isn't, it's just general information for people thinking about getting into folding.
The new SMP clients and the new GPU clients have very short due dates. To meet them, one almost has to run the client at least 12 or more hours a day if not full time. I know some people do not want to run their computers 24 X7 for various reasons, and I totally understand that. It's just something that needs to be taken into consideration when deciding about folding.
Another thing that needs to be taken into consideration is Electricity costs. I just bought a Kill A Watt EZ unit which measures how much power a device is using and how much that costs over time. A pretty slick unit actually.
For a AMD socket 939 4400+ dual core CPU, with 2 Gig of memory, WD hard drive, integrated 6100 chip set graphics, with the monitor turned off, and the speakers off, running the Linux fah6 SMP client, it draws 1.56 Amp at 120 VAC for 138 Watts. Right now at 11.7 cents per kilowatt hour that costs me $11.54 per month to run folding on it 24 X 7. Where I am located, in the winter rates drop so it will cost less per month in a month or two.
For a AMD socket AM2+ Quad core 2950, with 4 Gig of memory, WD hard drive, Geforce 9800 GTX vid card, with monitor and speakers off, running the Windows XP GPU2 client, it draws 1.87 Amp at 120 VAC for 221 Watts. That 9800 GTX really sucks up the juice. At 11.7 cents per killawatt hour that costs me $18.61 per month to run folding on it 24 X 7. Again, summertime costs.
I know the above information will prevent some from even trying folding at home, but it's like thinking about buying a puppy, you need to know what you are getting into. For me it is a great hobby which brings me a lot of gratification. I fold in memory of some family and friends who have succumbed to some of these diseases, and I fold for a possible future treatment, prevention, or cure for some of these diseases. I'm 58 years old and life has been good to me, so I want to give something back to society. I wish I had 59 billion dollars so I could set up a World Fund in my name, but I don't. I used to give to various charities, but then you see expose's on TV about how much of your money goes to administration, etc. and how little actually gets to the people who need it. The way I look at it, what I am donating is my computer to crunch a WU for research. The completed WU has no monetary value in and of itself, so I feel that close to 100% of what I donate actually goes to research which could help mankind.
Sorry I got on my soap box, but to do it right one is committing their computer(s) and the associated costs on a 24 X 7 basis and that should be known up front. Having said that, I hereby take my hat off to all the Archers who are folding. Thanks.
Pudge
Last edited by Pudge (2008-08-18 04:15:51)
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On a personal note, I turned in my first Work Unit on September 6, 2004 for Sudhian Media. I started folding for Arch Linux on February 23, 2006 and have been here ever since. I believe Misfit138 gave me the honor of being the first to have the "Arch Linux f@h Team Member" moniker. Misfit, correct me if I am wrong.
If any of the above statements are incorrect, please correct me.
If you come up with some milestones, etc. for Arch Linux folding, please list them.
Pudge
Yeah, I think you're right, Pudge. I also think I may have given the title to Crouse without even asking him. Too bad if he didn't want it. :P
Oh, and I'm gonna go ahead and disagree with you on Laptop Folding; there are tons of laptop folders on x86 and ppc hardware that are safely chugging along for years. A Thinkpad is a pretty rugged machine. IMO a T61 should fold for many years without failure. Setting the battery flag is an obvious choice, but aside from that I have no problem recommending lappy folding with a good well-built machine.
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In my opinion, I do not recommend running any folding client on a lap top. It simply isn't what a lap top is designed for. I probably just lost Stanford a folder, at least temporarily, with that statement, but I'd hate to see you ruin your lappy.
EDIT: When I went back and re-read what follows this edit, I realized it kinda sounded like a tirade targeted at dhave. It totally isn't, it's just general information for people thinking about getting into folding.
[...]
Sorry I got on my soap box, but to do it right one is committing their computer(s) and the associated costs on a 24 X 7 basis and that should be known up front. Having said that, I hereby take my hat off to all the Archers who are folding. Thanks.
Pudge
Your explanation makes sense. I should have done my homework more thoroughly. I was thinking that I have this hot newish machine (even hotter since I started folding!) and I'd like to see its computing power put to good use. What I'm gonna do -- after I finish the WU I'm working on right now -- is bring a decently powered desktop back online and set it up to run all the time. I'd been wanting to configure it as a backup server, anyway. It doesn't have the oompf that my laptop does, but it'll be on all the time and will enjoy being brought back into service. Plus, I can now justify to my wife why I like to keep old equipment around.
I'm prepared to make the commitment of time and money -- it's a very good cause, and a very cool way to combine technology and community for the common good. In fact, I've sent out recruiting messages to my brother and his sons, one of whom works for a huge international engineering company that I don't see represented among the folding teams. But well-intentioned people with fast little laptops need to realize that this cool project probably isn't best suited for them -- at least not for their laptops.
I wasn't in the least offended by your explanation. If anything, this info about the nature of the commitment should be made more prominent. Maybe it's all there; I'm bad about not reading docs until something breaks. I know, not wise, but I'm an old dog (see photo) who's slow to change bad habits.
I suspect the info on the web was written with a fairly specific audience in mind -- people in the tech field or academia with access to a lot of machines running 'round the clock -- and not so much the individual sitting in his den with a laptop. As more people in the wider world discover folding, maybe the intro info needs to be tailored a bit to a broader audience -- not to dumb it down, but to let people know more explicitly what's involved, and specifically to let them know that a fast or multi-core CPU isn't the only requirement.
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I fold 24x7 on three laptops and have yet to have a problem. But on one of them the Microsoft Windows key sticker on the bottom melted through. I was actually quite pleased to see that. Temps from the i2c sensors on my 2GHz Core 2 duo are usually 70-80c, running 2 non-smp instances of F@H. They usually have uptime of 60+ days... as you can tell, I don't usually use my laptops on the go...
The Internet...? Is that thing still around?
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I fold 24x7 on three laptops and have yet to have a problem. But on one of them the Microsoft Windows key sticker on the bottom melted through. I was actually quite pleased to see that.
Ha! I felt the same way when my "Designed for Windows XP" sticker rubbed off.
Temps from the i2c sensors on my 2GHz Core 2 duo are usually 70-80c, running 2 non-smp instances of F@H.
I'm curious: why 2 non-smp instances rather than a single smp instance?
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I'm curious: why 2 non-smp instances rather than a single smp instance?
Ahhh, sheer laziness. I got this laptop a year ago and put i686 Arch on it because of java and flash at the time... I know it was discussed in some other thread, but once Arch is on there you really never have to think about it, just update it. I keep saying I'm going to put 64 bit on here, but I will probably wait until I get a new laptop and this one is no longer the primary.
The Internet...? Is that thing still around?
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dhave wrote:I'm curious: why 2 non-smp instances rather than a single smp instance?
Ahhh, sheer laziness. I got this laptop a year ago and put i686 Arch on it because of java and flash at the time... I know it was discussed in some other thread, but once Arch is on there you really never have to think about it, just update it. I keep saying I'm going to put 64 bit on here, but I will probably wait until I get a new laptop and this one is no longer the primary.
Oh, O.K. I thought there might be some advantage to setting things up this way.
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I think the advantage, points wise, would be to run an SMP instance, but I'm not positive on that.. I'm sure someone here can give some figures on that? What the difference might be between SMP on a dual core vs two non-SMP's on a dual core.
It is nice though sometimes, I can disable just one of them if I want to watch/rip a movie or other processor intense things. But I very rarely have any problems leaving them both enabled and doing daily tasks.
The Internet...? Is that thing still around?
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I think the advantage, points wise, would be to run an SMP instance, but I'm not positive on that.. I'm sure someone here can give some figures on that? What the difference might be between SMP on a dual core vs two non-SMP's on a dual core.
I guess I'm thinking of the difference there might be in CPU load, effect on temperature, interference with other processes and such, more than points.
Last edited by dhave (2008-08-18 15:40:50)
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I've been folding on my laptop for about 2 months now and I haven't notice any problems yet. I'm using the non-SMP f@h. The temperature is currently at 62C but it's on a laptop cooler so it that might reduce the temperature a bit.
The SMP jobs are worth 1700-2000 points. They take 1d20h to complete on my AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 5600+. Of course, that time depends if I use the machine or not.
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@dhave Folding is a great way to give old hardware new life.
For anyone thinking about putting together a computer just for folding only, there are a lot of value micro ATX motherboards with integrated graphics for around $65 to $70. If you are folding with Linux, 512 MB of RAM is usually sufficient, and anything over 1 GB is waste. Just buy a good name brand of memory. If there are any weaknesses in your RAM, folding will quickly point them out. Memory is probably the most crucial component for stable folding. In most larger cities, there are computer surplus or computer liquidators that sell used equipment. You can usually pick up used PSUs and Hard Drives for a cheap price. A good 4 Gig USB stick (I have had good luck with Corsair USB sticks) will cost less and use less power than a hard drive. I have 3 dedicated folders that are running an Arch Linux X86_64 CLI only base install from a USB stick. These 3 all consist of only a Mother Board, RAM, CPU & cooler, a power supply, and a USB stick. You don't need anything else, no monitor, no hard drive, not even a case. Just administer them remotely via ssh and sshfs.
This is all you need to fold. Complete with a power on switch and you can just see the end of the USB stick to the left of the fan. All mounted on a scrap piece of shelving material. This sits on a shelf in my utility room in the basement. It's cool down there and I don't have to listen to it.
At one time, my family and friends all turned this into sort of a game, like a scavenger hunt, to see who could come up with the best deals on needed equipment. A co-worker once bought me a 17" Acer crt monitor, keyboard, and mouse for $12 from a garage sale. He wouldn't even let me pay him for it, his contribution to the cause he said. I bought a 4 port KVM switch and now share these with my 4 dedicated folding computers. Now I can administer these locally OR via ssh. The monitor is off of course except for when I am doing administration work on them.
Pudge
Last edited by Pudge (2008-08-19 03:35:26)
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What I'm gonna do -- after I finish the WU I'm working on right now -- is bring a decently powered desktop back online and set it up to run all the time. I'd been wanting to configure it as a backup server, anyway. It doesn't have the oompf that my laptop does, but it'll be on all the time and will enjoy being brought back into service. Plus, I can now justify to my wife why I like to keep old equipment around.
You must have gotten that desktop back online, I see you are now 13th on the top 20 producer's list with 750 PPD.
it's a very good cause, and a very cool way to combine technology and community for the common good. In fact, I've sent out recruiting messages to my brother and his sons, one of whom works for a huge international engineering company that I don't see represented among the folding teams.
Did this bear any fruit? BTW I work for a large international engineering company also, does your nephew happen to work for Jacob's Engineering?
Pudge
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You must have gotten that desktop back online, I see you are now 13th on the top 20 producer's list with 750 PPD.
Actually, that's just two laptops. I'm still running my T61 with fah-smp and an older T43 with fah. I haven't gotten around to reassembling the desktop yet.
I'm keeping close tabs on my machine temps and so far haven't had a meltdown. I'm thinking that, when the cold weather comes, this will keep my office warmer.
Did this bear any fruit? BTW I work for a large international engineering company also, does your nephew happen to work for Jacob's Engineering?
My nephew works for Fluor Corp. His father told me he was interested, but I haven't heard any more yet. I'll put a bug in his ear in a few days.
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My nephew works for Fluor Corp. His father told me he was interested, but I haven't heard any more yet. I'll put a bug in his ear in a few days.
Is that the Fluor Corp that is in Iraq? I see those guys here all the time and never knew what they did.
Oh BTW dhave, I got a 64GB SSD and put Arch 64bit on my laptop. Running the SMP F@H on it now. My first work unit is almost complete. Temps aren't any different than with 2 non-smp instances.
The Internet...? Is that thing still around?
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Is that the Fluor Corp that is in Iraq? I see those guys here all the time and never knew what they did.
I imagine it's the same. My nephew tells me they're all over the place. He's not in Iraq, though.
Oh BTW dhave, I got a 64GB SSD and put Arch 64bit on my laptop. Running the SMP F@H on it now. My first work unit is almost complete. Temps aren't any different than with 2 non-smp instances.
That's reassuring. Thanks for the info.
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Just started folding for team Arch Linux under DarkHeart, the team number is 45032 right?
Thanks!
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