kup
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This is just a quick heads up, I'll clean it up later.
Taken from Folding@home - WinSMPGuide.
Installation
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 v6.30 SMP client zip file and extract the contents 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 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. Type this command to begin (assuming you renamed the FAH executable to "fah6" or "fah6.exe" depending on the file view settings as noted above):
fah6 -configonly -smp
The 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]? (We're 98860)
Enter your FAH Team #. Or press enter to accept the default Team # 0 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.
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.
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. This option states a preference to request newer late stage beta work units. Because newer work units tend to be larger, this setting my slightly increase your points per day. But because the mix of work units changes from week to week, using this setting might also reduce your PPD, or have no affect at all. For the SMP client, this only applies to late stage testing.
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.
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. We strongly suggest you enter the -smp -verbosity 9 flag here to make things easier to setup. 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.
Installation
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 v6.30 SMP client zip file and extract the contents 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 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. Type this command to begin (assuming you renamed the FAH executable to "fah6" or "fah6.exe" depending on the file view settings as noted above):
fah6 -configonly -smp
The 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]? (We're 98860)
Enter your FAH Team #. Or press enter to accept the default Team # 0 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.
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.
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. This option states a preference to request newer late stage beta work units. Because newer work units tend to be larger, this setting my slightly increase your points per day. But because the mix of work units changes from week to week, using this setting might also reduce your PPD, or have no affect at all. For the SMP client, this only applies to late stage testing.
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.
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. We strongly suggest you enter the -smp -verbosity 9 flag here to make things easier to setup. 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.
