Dual Core?

[Leogecko]

Is there any way to take advantage of a dual core with F@H? Right now it only shows the cpu usage at 50% when no other programs are running.

[pam123]

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01/20/2006 09:37 AM
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kb3edk
Senior Member

Posts: 366
Joined: 07/11/2004


X2 FTW! I liked my 4400+ so much I built another rig around a 3800+ last week.

BOINC is an especially great client for dual core DC work... unlike some other DC clients, BOINC auto-detects 2 CPUs without you ever having to configure it or run a separate instance.

Good luck building your next cruncher!


-------------------------
-Adam in Philly

You should PM Pilot in Command after you check out his sticky at the top of this forum.

[Kov-Ice]

Leo, for F@H you may run two instances of the text-only client with no problems. You can install them as a service, if you like.

You just need to do a couple of things:

1. Configure your first client. If you're running text-only console right now, you need to add a flag to the target line. Right-click on the short-cut, click Properties, and in the Target line, add a space and then "-config" (without the quotes). When you run it again, it will allow you to configure. In the Advanced Settings, be sure its Machine ID is set to one.

2. You can then remove the -config flag, but then add the flag "-local" to the end of the Target line.

3. Install a second copy of F@H in a separate directory. It will configure automatically the first time you run it. It must have Machine ID = 2. In its Target line, be sure to add the -local flag at the end.

Now when run, they should automatically be assigned priority to each processor. Happy Folding!

[Leogecko]

Does BOINC support Folding at Home?

What exactly is a service?

[PilotinCommand]

There is no Folding client/core for BOINC yet. Stanford University is working on a client/core for the BOINC platform. That's all I know.
By the way, if you are interested in BOINC DC, check out the BOINC teams from PCMech. There are similar DC projects like Folding (i.e. Rosetta@Home and SIMAP)

About your "service" question. I got some info from here:

A Windows Service differs from a typical Windows program in several ways. First, a Windows Service can start before a user logs on. The system maintains a list of Windows Services that start at bootup time. (You can also install services so they don't start at bootup; in this case, they require a manual startup.) Also, a Windows Service might run under a different account than the currently logged-on user. Most Windows Services provide functionality that needs to be running all the time and, as mentioned, some load before a user logs on, so these services can't depend on a user being logged on to run. Second, a Windows Service has its own process—it doesn't run in the process of a program communicating with it. Also, a Windows Service typically has no user interface. It might run in an account different from the current user, so the calls to put up a user interface might fail because they're out of context. Although it's possible to set up a Windows Service with a user interface, I don't recommend it. Finally, a Windows Service requires a special installation procedure. You can't run it by simply clicking on a compiled EXE; instead, a Windows Service works with a program called a Service Control Manager. This program is required to provide an interface to the Windows Service. External programs needing to communicate with a Windows Service (for example, to start or stop the service) must go through the Service Control Manager.

PiC

[Kov-Ice]

There has been some talk of F@H being offered as a BOINC project, but it will continue to remain a stand-alone project whether that happens or not. I don't know that F@H joining BOINC is a real priority, from what I've read.

When you go through the options on installing the F@H text-only console, it will ask if you want to install as a service. Basically, it runs in the background without a taskbar icon or program box visible, and it will run on a machine regardless of which user is logged in (or even if no one has logged in yet).

[Leogecko]

Alright, I installed two versions of the text-only version on "Machines" 1 and 2 as services, cpu usage is now at 100%.

if I have both usernames set to the same thing, will both instances of the program add to my points?

[enhanced08]

yup, I have a few labs at my old high school folding under my name and they all add points for me. You can have as many systems as you want and up to 8 clients on a single machine. The 8 client limit is to be removed with the new version of folding, whenever it comes out.

What is your system specs anyway? Intel or AMD?


EDIT: If ya have an Intel with 1GB or more RAM, you can run QMDs and get ~650ppd on that single machine! This will depend on the speed on the cpu tho. Fast = more ppd.

Over at ocforums they got 900+ ppd out of an intel 920! Crazy stuff!!

[Kov-Ice]

To have QMDs assigned to your client, you need to put Yes when config asks whether you want Large Work Units. They can be 5MB uploads, so you'd only do that if you have a broadband connection. You also only want to enable that on one client per machine, as it would bog down with two.

Thanks for contributing!

[enhanced08]

Originally Posted by Kov-Ice To have QMDs assigned to your client, you need to put Yes when config asks whether you want Large Work Units. They can be 5MB uploads, so you'd only do that if you have a broadband connection. You also only want to enable that on one client per machine, as it would bog down with two. Thanks for contributing!

Let me just add 2 things here....

1) you need large work units AND the -advmethods flag to get QMDs
2) with a dual core system you can run 2 QMDs without the system bogging down if you have over 1GB of RAM, if not then only run QMDs on 1 client.

You should be good to go now! enjoy your points!

EDIT: depending on the setup and usage you might notice a little, best thing to do is to try it! heh, we dont even know if you system can run QMDs or not! lol

[Kov-Ice]

What's the title of this thread? Dual core...

Yes, what he said.

[Leogecko]

Thanks for telling me how to configure two of those things... it's cool knowing all that power isn't goin to waste!

I have 2 Gigs of Ram and an AMD X2 4400+. Yes, I do have a broadband connection but I share it with my parents.

What the heck is a QMD?

I'm guessing that PPD stands for points per day.

[enhanced08]

yes, ppd stands for points per day. Stanford says that the average is about 40 ppd per ghz. So a 2Ghz system should get about 80ppd per day, so Stanford says. A QMD is a special work unit (WU) that is designed for Intel systems. A 3Ghz Intel can get about 400ppd if it is running QMDs, they offer a huge point increase, if you system can run them.

requirements for a QMD are: Intel + 512mb + -advmethods flag + BigWU

AMD systems can't get QMDs because the compiler they used to make them in an Intel compiler which is designed to "slow down" if it detects an AMD system, making it look like Intel is much faster. AMD wont give stanford permission to use their compiler to create "AMD QMDs" the last I heard.